How can I know peace with God?
Peace seems so elusive. I wonder, is there any real hope for peace?
Nations rage, marriages struggle, politicians squabble, even our pets bite, bark, scratch and claw. After years and years of human history, peace seems to be missing in our lives. In the midst of sickness, death, war, and all the horrible realities we know and feel each day, is there an answer?
Thankfully, the Bible has the answer! What we learn from God’s Word is that peace is only found through a personal relationship with God. Romans 5:1 tells us that we can have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. There is hope! Your battle with God can end when you find peace with God. How does that happen?
It starts with being honest with God.
First, we must admit there is a big problem that keeps us from being able to make peace with a perfect and holy God. He’s perfect and we aren’t. Simply put, God created us to be perfect and holy like He is and to enjoy a deep friendship with Him. That was and is the standard for a proper relationship with Him. At first, right after God created man, this didn’t seem to be a problem. Adam and Eve were placed in a beautiful garden (Genesis 1:26-28). They walked in obedience to God in the ideal place He had prepared for them in complete peace and harmony. All was peaceful in that paradise. Created for relationship and worship, man and God were living in perfect fellowship.
But something happened to ruin that relationship with God. Adam and Eve made a fateful choice, peace was broken and a war started that day that continues until now. Man and God were no longer at peace. If you are honest, you see the opposite of peace today. And if we are truly honest, it’s not just Adam’s problem or Atlanta’s problem, it’s my problem and yours. We all fight, we envy, we lust, we hate, we lie, we curse and the list goes on and on. We are all, by nature, good at being bad.
What has happened to us since those early peaceful days after creation?
How did humanity go from a perfect relationship of peace with God to the mess we see today?
In a word, it was sin. Here’s what the Bible says in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Sin entered the Garden paradise and divided man from God. The Devil convinced Adam and Eve that God wasn’t all loving, all good, and all wise, so in choosing their own way, our “first parents” disobeyed the clear commands of God. Sin is the word used to describe any thought or action that opposes God’s moral character and commands. Sin defiled the world through that first act of disobedience and pride. It did then and it does today. Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and when they fell in sin every person born after them was born with a sinful nature.
I know I’m not perfect but will it get better for me if I just try harder?
We are told that hikers who get lost often run faster as they panic. Without a compass they go even further astray and do so to their own peril. So many people believe that when it comes to saving faith. They think that “doing better” is the answer to their own salvation. What they don’t know is that in rejecting Christ’s way they only stumble on and grope into further darkness. Because of the curse of sin, men pursue peace without considering God or they see God as a crutch but not the cure. Like blind men they grope in darkness (Isaiah 59:10). It’s undeniable, we are all born in sin and we choose to sin. We attempt to “go our own way” to find peace (Isaiah 53:6). Running faster away from God doesn’t help. “Trying” to please God with our own goodness only brings more sadness, Isaiah 64:6 tells us that we are all “as an unclean thing (sinful to the core) and all our righteousnesses (good deeds) are as filthy rags . . . our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away”. Dressing up in good works doesn’t save us or change our hearts, it only takes us further from God.
So, to answer your question, “trying harder” may make you feel “nicer”inside but no amount of “nice” can cleanse your heart from sin and give you peace with God. The answer isn’t to try harder, it is to believe the Word of God. His Word is the compass you need (Ps 119:105).
So . . . we’re back to sin and judgement again, but how bad could it really be?
The biblical descriptions of Hell are more than concerning, they are horrifying. We read in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death …” A wage earned brings a paycheck. It's the rightful earnings for our labors. Our sin brings a penalty. The Bible also tells us the rightful payment for our sin is death and that all of us deserve the spiritual death we have earned by our sinful choices. When the Bible mentions death, it should be understood as more than physical death, it is final separation from all hope of the rescue of God - forever. The Bible calls this place Hell. Hell is more than a curse word, it is a literal place of torments for all who reject God.
If we breathe our last breath without making peace with God, our soul experiences immediate separation from God. The Bible says that Heaven and Hell are the only destinations of the soul after this life. A soul cast into Hell will lose all opportunities to enjoy the peace and rescue God offers now.
In hell, those that reject God will forever suffer in an inescapable place of torment cut off from God’s mercy. Hell is described as a prison of chains, darkness, and fire from which there is no hope of release. (See 2 Peter 2:17, Jude 6, Mark 9:47-48, Revelation 21:8).
The Bible teaches that after death there is a future judgement day coming where we all will stand before the God who created each of us to give an account (Hebrews 9:27). No exemptions or excuses. We all will appear before God someday where we will receive the final sentence of eternal death or enter the joys of eternal life.
Yes, you have a coming appointment with God. Are you ready? Does this truth fill your heart with joy or fear?
I’m not sure. How can I escape eternal death?
Glad you asked! The Good News is that Jesus came to make a way of escape. But the real question isn’t if you want to escape punishment and pain - everybody does. Remember, it’s not hell that is your biggest problem - it’s that God and you have a broken relationship. The real question is, do you want to repent of your sins and be cleansed and forgiven? That’s when peace is made with God. Everybody detests the thought of Hell but very few are concerned about their sins. You can’t hold on to heaven and your sins too. In Mark 1:15, Jesus said, Repent ye and believe the Gospel. Sadly, there will only be a few that find the road to peace with God. The Bible tells us the way to destruction is wide and many travel it but the road to eternal life is narrow and few there be that find it (Matthew 7:13).
Why do so few people find the way of peace?
Again, it's because most people try to come to God on their own terms. You can’t save yourself. The Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, reminds us that even our best works are detestable in the eyes of a perfect God (Isaiah 64:6). Sinners are not capable of saving themselves. If it were so the death of Christ would have been unnecessary. The Apostle Paul reminds us that by religious law-keeping (attempts at doing good) no one will ever be made righteous (Romans 3:20). Your church membership will not save you. The only saving grace is found in repenting of our sins, running to Christ and trusting in His perfect life and sinless death for our sins. The moment you get saved, He credits his righteousness to your account (Romans 4:24). The Bible says in Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are ye saved through faith (simple trust); and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” It’s so clear! Salvation is a gift of God. If we have any hope of being saved from our problem of sin, it is not through ourselves but only through placing our faith in God’s gracious gift - His death, burial, and resurrection - nothing more and nothing else. He alone is the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6)
Can I know this peace of God today?
You may ask, “How can this gift be yours?” John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This gift from God is God Himself in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ! He paid the sin debt you owed, “nailing all your sins to the cross” (Colossians 2:14) and his offer to you is to give you his life and righteousness (John 20:31).
Yes, you can know the peace of God today! Right where you are. Today can be your day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Do you sense God’s conviction of sin in your heart? Are you ready to turn from your sin and all that you are trusting in and receive Him as your Lord and Saviour? Then come to him for salvation. If you’re reading this right now, then our prayer is that you will understand the truth that Jesus is the one true and only Son of God, and that He gave His own life and rose again from the grave three days later to prove his power over sin, death and Hell (1 Cor 15:1-8). Why don’t you ask him to save you today. He died for you and is now seeking for you to come to him (Romans 5:8, Luke 19:10). Just ask Him to save you now.
I’m not sure how to pray to God!
Prayer is simply talking to God. He waits to hear your voice in prayer. All that call upon him in faith will be saved (Romans 10:13). That is his promise to you. You simply need to confess and repent of your sinfulness, believe that Christ paid your sin penalty on the cross, died in your place, and rose again from the dead proving he alone is God. By trusting in Him and calling on Him to save you, you will be saved! You will know the peace of God.
If you’ve never prayed before, a simple and sincere prayer like this can be a help:
Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and can’t do anything to save myself. In my heart I desire now to turn from my sin and ask you to forgive and save me from my sin. Thank you for sending Jesus to die in my place and take the penalty on the cross I deserved. I believe that Jesus Christ is the one and only true God and I trust that his death, burial and resurrection paid for all my sins in full and prove his power to save me. Thank you for saving me and taking me to heaven when I die. Please help me now to live a life that is pleasing to God. In Jesus name, Amen.
If you prayed to trust Christ as your Savior just now, please use the links below contact us here at Bible Baptist Church. It would be our joy to help you on your journey as a new believer in Christ!