By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.
—1 Peter 5:12 (NKJV)
Peter said that his letter emphasized the true Gospel of the Grace of God. The true Gospel of Grace does not demand our right standing with God. If it did, the work of redemption would place the work of holiness upon us. The Gospel of Grace is God’s gift given to those who believe by faith in the finished work of Jesus. It is nothing we do. It is all He did. Right standing with God only comes through faith in what Jesus did for us. We are encouraged in this verse that it is the true Grace of God in which we stand.
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1-2).
Being justified—having a right standing with God—is peace. We can only stand in the true Grace of God—we can only stand in His peace—when we believe that Jesus gave us a right standing with God. We can only live His righteousness when we believe we have received His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). When we truly know without a doubt that we have peace with God, then we have His peace. We choose to stand strong in His peace. We let God fight because we know He will. We put on His armor that by right-standing is ours. And having done all God has empowered us to do, we stand (Ephesians 6:13).
True Grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and to live soberly and righteously (Titus 2:12). True Grace also teaches us that it is only by His righteousness we live and have our being (Acts 17:28). When we believe our right standing with God through the Grace of Christ, we live out of that truth. We rest in the peace of our relationship with Him.
Faith comes out of our being (Acts 17:28)—out of knowing who we are in Christ. Jesus took our sins to the cross so we might have a right relationship with God (Ephesians 1:4). Faith comes from knowing we have peace with God. Having peace with God is the only way we can walk in faith. Otherwise, we are going to try to do something to get God to do something for us. We cannot tempt God (Matthew 4:7).
When we believe Jesus’ work is complete and our identity is the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21), we trust God more than ourselves. We know without Him we are nothing. As we grow in the knowledge of His Grace, we lay down our doubts—our fears—and rest in Him. We trust His love for us more than we trust the desires of our flesh. We know that when we walk by faith, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
You have access by faith to God’s Grace. Know who you are in the finished work of Christ, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:2). Live in the peace of knowing your right relationship with God, your Father. Where you have peace, you have faith.
You cannot stand by faith in your own ability. That is self-righteous. You cannot rest in your own peace. You have no peace in your circumstances or your own feelings. You have to stand by faith in the Grace of God that has removed all barriers to His presence.
Choose your right relationship with Him. Choose His truth. Choose His true Grace that empties you to receive all of Him. And rest in His peace.
© 2023 Lynn Lacher
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