Romans 5 | Therefore

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:1-2).

Are you living on the correct side of the "therefore?" On this side of the therefore there is peace, hope, grace, and rejoicing. Yet many Christians live without experiencing this side of the therefore. They live with an understanding of the gospel that leaves them unaffected. They know the truths, but for some reason it isn't affecting them yet. Tim Keller has a great example of a Coke machine at in his building that you put coins but the machine fails to produce Coke. What he realized is that you must hit the side of the machine to get the coins to drop. When the coins actually drop then you can push the button and a Coke will come out. He makes an excellent point saying that many Christians have had the gospel deposited in them. They have attended church, heard about Christ, even believed in Him for salvation, yet there are no gospel behaviors coming out.

This is true of us isn't it? We know the gospel but we don't always produce the gospel behaviors that we should. So we must hit the side of our heads and hearts until "the gospel drops." We do this by constantly reminding ourselves of what Christ has accomplished for us... eventually--with enough gospel clobberings--we act inline with the gospel.

So once again, let Paul hit you with this truth. "Since you have been justified through faith." Because you have laid hold of what Christ accomplished on the cross, His obedience for your rebellion, His incarceration and punishment for you liberation, cast away and forsaken for you to be brought near, "...we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." You now have access to this grace by faith in which you now stand(vs. 2). Now your life should reflect that hope and peace in a tangible act of rejoicing.

So, has the gospel dropped in your life? Are you standing in grace? Are you living on this side of the "therefore?" Are you living in peace, hope, expectation, and rejoicing?

Or do you know these truths, yet are unaffected by them?

Let the gospel hit you once again... Pray for the coin to drop. Pray for gospel transformation.