As a church, we recently concluded a four-part series on the doctrine of justification. The last aspect of justification we considered together was the practical use of justification. How can justification, as a doctrine, affect the way we do life as individual Christians? As a church? These are the types of questions we try to answer in the practical section of our various studies.
In the fifth use out of five we saw how the doctrine of justification can be a source of assurance to the Christian, that he or she may indeed have peace with God. After we concluded the class, one of our members made an excellent point: The saying, “Peace on earth. Good will toward men,” is a common one, especially during the Holidays. The point of the statement, the member noted, is that peace came to earth in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our peace (Eph. 2:14). A magnificent point!
Below, I want to point out three ways in which Christ, not material gain or anything else, is our true peace. For if Christians are to have any peace at all, it must come from Christ.
1. Christ Is Our Peace Because He Dealt With Our Sin
Two very important, big-worded concepts we’ve been talking about at Victory over the past few weeks are expiation and propitiation. The words sound complex, but they refer to pretty simple concepts.
Expiation is the removal of our sin. Our sin is taken away from us, and put somewhere else. It’s “expiated” from us and imputed (or accounted) to Christ instead. Though He never possessed His own sin, He wore ours like a dirty garment and was judged for it. In 2 Corinthians 5:21, Paul says,”For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (NKJV).” In other words, Christ took our sins upon Himself, and He placed His righteousness upon us. Quite the trade-off, eh? The act whereby our sins are taken from us and instead put on Christ is called expiation.
The other concept is propitiation. The word propitiation has to do with appeasement. If we have a propitiation it means we have something that will appease or satisfy our Lord. First John 2:2 says, “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” Christ is our Sacrifice by which God the Father is appeased.
Now, you may be asking yourself, “Why does God the Father need to be satisfied?” We might answer that question by noting that God is a perfect judge (Heb. 12:23). He cannot allow sin to go unpunished, or else He would not be a perfect judge. If sin is present, a perfect Judge brings perfect wrath.
The beauty of it all, however, is that God was pleased to lay His wrath upon a perfect Sacrifice—upon His Son—that His elect people should have peace with Him (Is. 53:10-12).
2. Christ Is Our Peace Because He Is Our Mediator
Christ hasn’t forgotten about us. No. Hebrews 7:25 says:
Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
First Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.” Christ is at the right hand of the Father interceding for us as our Mediator, right now (Mk. 16:19; Col. 3:1; Heb. 10:12). Thus, not only has Christ dealt with your sin, but He continues as your Advocate, so that when you do sin, He intercedes for you. His plea is Himself and His work. His case is always accepted because it’s airtight. He will never fail as your Mediator. First John 2:1 says, “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
Paul concludes Romans 8 with some of the most comforting words in all of Scripture when he writes:
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (vv. 37-39).
What unspeakable peace we can have knowing that a perfect Christ is our Advocate who lives to represent us before the Father!
3. Christ Is Our Peace Because He Is Returning To Wipe Away Every Tear
It’s not as if we will wrestle with sin and strife for eternity. While we have peace with Christ now, often times that peace is obscured by sin and its effects. However, there will come a Day on which Christ will finally cause sin and suffering to disappear forever. When He does, our peace in Him will be fully and perfectly realized without blemish.
The loud voice from heaven, in Revelation 21:3-4, says:
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.
Christ was our peace in that His work was finished in the past. Christ is our peace, in that He is now our Advocate in heaven before the Father. And Christ will be our peace when He returns to banish sin, death, and the devil for eternity. You see, our peace does not depend on time; it is past, present, and future. It does not depend upon our circumstances; our peace is higher than this world. Our Peace is in glory, at the right hand of God the Father.
Our Peace is God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. O how perfect a Peace He is.
— Pastor Josh
Victory Baptist Church | A Sovereign Grace Church in Kansas City 