1 Peter 5:12-14

By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand. The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son. Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

In Romans 5, Paul writes, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” According to Paul, we see that because of Jesus’s work, we have access to the grace of God. By birth and by deed we are dually convicted as sinners. As sinners, the wrath of God is the only just payment we should receive. But “God sent forth His Son…to redeem” all of mankind. A black and white, just and holy God extended His favor to us through the accomplishing life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Only by Jesus’s work, and not by any of our work, we find grace poured out on us instead of wrath. Where once we stood condemned, now because of Jesus’s atoning work we stand forgiven and bathed in the grace of the Almighty. We are established in God’s grace by Christ’s sacrificial work. Both in Romans 5, and in 1 Peter 5, the phrase “the grace wherein you stand,” is used to confirm to us that we are set securely in God’s grace. And as such, there is a certain heart and mind attitude that we can have regarding life and the circumstances of life. According to this text, it is not just a grace that we have and acknowledge, rather it is a grace by which we stand. It is not sufficient that we “have grace.” We are rather to stand in grace. This means that in every situation, we are to look to God and receive from Him the grace He offers to us. Instead of posers who spout off religious words, as God-loving grace-filled followers of Jesus, we are to find daily grace in the hands of God. That whether finances are tight at home, or relationships are unraveling, or stress and pressure and uncertainty have your soul in knots, God’s grace that saved you will be sufficient for you to rest in through the troubles of life. Now, lean on the God who saved you.

Food For Thought: What does it mean to “stand in grace”? Give an area of life where you could better “stand in grace.”