Rom 5:1-2 (NIV) 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.

• JUSTIFIED means your record is clean with God; all your past, present, and future sins, mistakes, failures, and misdeeds are cleansed from your record with Him. All you had to do was pray Jesus’ prayer and obey the instructions in Romans 10:8-10 and you got a perfect record with God. Rom 10:10 (NIV) For it is with your heart that you believe and are JUSTIFIED, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are SAVED.


• FAITH means you believe that God and His Word, the Bible, are telling you the truth when they say you are saved and justified with God. You believe that all your past, present, and future sins, mistakes, failures, and misdeeds are cleansed from your record with Him.


• PEACE means there are no barriers, conflicts, issues, or problems between you and God. Because you are saved and justified, it gave you a perfect record with God; everything is settled between you and Him.


• ACCESS means that you can talk to God, ask Him for those things presented in the Bible, and receive all the provisions, blessings, miracles, and power that He has to offer.


• GRACE means that the only way you can receive anything from God is as a gift. I means that the only reason God will give you anything beyond salvation is because you have been born again as His child. God gave you your clean record with Him through grace.


• Our LORD JESUS CHRIST means we have accepted Him on three major levels. He is now our Lord, meaning that we are now trusting Him with our new life. We have accepted Him as Jesus, meaning He is now our Savior. We have accepted Him as Christ, meaning He is now our Messiah and King. We have prayed His prayer and obeyed His Word in Romans 10:8-10 because we have made Him our Lord, Savior, and King. The only reason justification, salvation, faith, peace, access, and grace are made available to us is because Jesus died on the cross for our sins and then rose from the dead through the power of God.

Rom 5:3-4 (NIV) Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. We can’t have a victory, a success, or win if there is no challenge, battle, struggle, or competition. People, circumstances, and goals are going to challenge, resist, block, and persecute you. You will win over them, if you use the provisions of God. But, you will have to be willing to face the challenges, engage in the battles, get involved in the struggles, and compete in the competition.

Suffering produces major spiritual qualities; but, a lot of people don’t want to pay the price, do what it takes, and accept that if there is no pain there is no gain. Some people suffer because they just let life batter them around. Others suffer because they meet life head on. Some people suffer because they are always the victim; others suffer, but, they are always the victor. If we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope, then the power of God that is coming into your life will work.

Suffering is a part of life: Jesus said in John 16:33 (NIV) “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” You can have trouble alone, without power, without peace, and without victory. Or, you can have trouble with Jesus, with His power, and with His victorious living. Jesus isn’t offering a trouble-less life; He would have to take us out of this world to do that; and, He will take us out very soon; but, not just yet.

Rom 5:5 (NIV) And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out HIS LOVE into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, Whom He has given us. You can suffer without love or you can suffer with God’s love pouring into your heart. It is too painful to suffer and not feel loved. If we feel picked on, unlucky, unloved, alone, and always defeated, we get depressed, discouraged, hopeless, and helpless. But, as life’s troubles come our way, if we have God’s love pouring into our heart, we feel strong, encouraged, filled with faith, and confident that Jesus will empower us to win.