An Enemy Or A Friend

Romans 5:1-11

Friends and enemies.  Most people have some of each throughout their lifetime.  Hopefully we have more of the former and less of the latter.  Some people are even blessed to have a friend who is so close, so beloved to them, that they will do anything for that person. Perhaps, if events happen, where they may lay down their life for that dear friend.  Though we may not do anything terrible to our enemies, or wish them harm, most people would never consider giving their life for them.  In our reading today from the Book of Romans, we read about what God did for us while we were His enemies. Let’s look into this Scripture passage today.

Before we trusted Jesus as our Savior, we were God’s enemies, hostile to Him and bent on sin (Colossians 1:21-22).  When we accepted Jesus as Savior, He justified us, declaring us not guilty (vs. 1). He gave us the cloak of His righteousness, and all enmity with God was abolished.  We now have peace with God. Peace with God is only possible because Jesus paid the price for our sins through His death on the cross. God declares us not guilty. Instead of being His enemies, we are His friends (John 15:15), and His children (Galatians 4:5).

When we think of people we count as “enemies”, or those we don’t like, perhaps thoughts of what they might have done to us come to mind.  We aren’t likely to make them our friends if their attitude or behavior towards us doesn’t change. Yet with God, it was while we were still His enemies, that He sent Jesus to die for us (vs. 6, 8).  God gave us the incredible gift of His love. He gave the life of His Son, Jesus Christ, so we could live in eternity with Him.  Rarely does someone give up their life for another. Yet while we were sinners, rebellious enemies of God, Jesus gave His life for us.

None of us deserves God’s care and protection, but deserving isn’t the basis for His love.  God’s nature is love (I John 4:8), which He demonstrated through Jesus’ death. The words “but God” in verse 8 reminds us that God erases the bad, and replaces it with the good.  That offers us the promise of hope, and the certainty of His love. Before our salvation we were by nature opposed to God. Our redemption changed that. We now have peace with God, and are members of His family, instead of His enemies (vs. 10).

Some may feel that they are worthless, too unlovable for God to care about.  However, God loved us, thinking us valuable enough to die for, even when we were still in our sin.  Jesus died for everyone, not just for those that the world feels are nice and good, but for sinners, which we all are.  Jesus died for us, not because we were good enough, but because He loved us. He loved us even before we turned to Him. God didn’t choose to love us because we were lovely.  He loved us, and then we became lovely.  Our value comes from God’s inherent value.  Our value does not change with circumstances.  God doesn’t love us one day, when we’re good, and then stop loving when we do something wrong.  It is based in God’s infinite and unchanging love, the proof of which is God’s sacrificial death on our behalf.

Some believers question why, if they now have peace with God, why they still have trials and tribulations in their life.  God uses the trials we continue to go through for our good (vs. 3-5). God’s grace doesn’t stop working when we get saved.  He continues to show us mercy and give us peace. Trials don’t mean that God has stopped loving us, or that we’ve lost His grace.  Our hardships have a purpose. He allows them so that we learn to persevere, develop character, and have hope. God can use our trials and difficulties for our good, to develop Christ-like character in us.  They develop our endurance, strengthen our character, and solidify our hope. It deepens our faith, and prepares us for greater service in the kingdom. God is glorified in the graces of His people. When our suffering produces endurance, endurance will produce character, and that will produce hope.  God is honored by these growing virtues.

In closing, let us remember that Jesus’ death on the Cross shields us from God’s wrath.  His Blood defeated Satan at Calvary. Jesus, who died for our sins in order to reconcile us with God, is the only reason we have access to the Father.