I was reading the book of Romans last month as part of one of my Bible reading plans, when I read a commentary that described the “two-sided reality of the Christian life”. On the one side, as Christians, we are complete in Christ and our acceptance through Him is secure. On the other side, we are still growing in Christ as we strive to become more and more like Him each day, but we still struggle with the pressure of sin. We feel the presence of Christ and enjoy the peace that comes from being made right with God through Him, but we still face daily problems that often cause us to stumble, but eventually help us grow.
Romans 5:1-2 (ESV) “1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
These verses, and others, tell us we are now at peace with God. Now, there is no hostility between us, no sin blocking our relationship with Him because Jesus paid the price for our sins.
Romans 15:13 (ESV) “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
If we remember these two sides of the Christian life, and that believing in Christ is a continuous growing process, we will not grow discouraged as we face temptations and problems, but instead we will learn to depend on the power available to us from Christ through His death on the cross.
