Romans 5:2 (ESV)
² Through 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.

This week we are contemplating the blessings involved in our state of justification. In the book of Romans, Paul does a wonderful job emphasizing how man is justified by faith rather than by works (works of the law that demands sinless living). Remember, to be justified is to appear before God as if we have not sinned because when we obeyed the gospel, God removed sin from our account. So, as a result of this new state of “no condemnation” (Romans 8:1), we are richly blessed in Christ. Our first blessing is enjoying peace with God due to our sins being removed and our friendship with Him being restored. Now, Paul says, we have access to God’s grace.

Having access to God’s grace means that we enjoy all the privileges and benefits of that grace. We mentioned a few of them in last night’s blog, but, the greatest blessing of grace, outside of our original justification, is the maintaining of our salvation. Since our salvation is based on grace rather than meritorious works, we do not have to rely on our own spiritual strength to sustain our fellowship with God. This is the difference between the old covenant and the new covenant. We know that the law of Moses could not take away sins because the provision for sins that it made, that is, the animal sacrifices, were insufficient (Hebrews 10:4). The Hebrews writer simply said, “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” Never forget that the law of Moses was never meant to save anyone. It was just a guardian to lead the Jews to Christ (Galatians 3:24). Sadly, the Jews of old rejected the Messiah and went about to establish their own righteousness by that law (Romans 9:30-10:4).

The law of Christ is different. It is a better covenant (Hebrews 7:22). There are many ways in which the law of Christ is superior to the old law, but the primary way is in the provision for sin that it has. When we sin under the law of Christ, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1). When we repent of our sin, or sins, and ask God to forgive us, Jesus makes intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). When this takes place, God, due to His amazing grace, forgives us every time. John said, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). How are we cleansed? Our sins are washed away by the blood of our Savior. Someone says, “I thought that happened when I was baptized?” Yes, your past sins were washed away when you were baptized (Acts 22:16). However, what would you do if you were living under a law like the law of Moses? A law that was void of the blood of Christ. You would be left with no hope. Thankfully, the gospel provides us with ongoing access to the blood of Christ. Thus, when we sin, we merely need to repent of it and continue to walk in the light, and our fellowship with God goes uninterrupted. John wrote,

1 John 1:7 (ESV)
⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

No one has access to this kind of grace except the children of God. We can be sure about our salvation because it does not depend on meritorious works. It relies only on our willingness to walk in the light, and if we sin, to repent of it and ask God’s forgiveness. The precious blood of Christ and the marvelous grace of God, wherein we stand, will do the rest. I do not know about you, but I can rest better at night, knowing that our soul is secure because of the grace of God.

As you wind down for the night, think on these things.