Week 3 | Day 5 – JUSTIFIED BY FAITH ALONE – Romans 5:1-5

Since we are all sinners and incapable of saving ourselves, God did for us—what we could not do for ourselves... He provided a single, sufficient sacrifice in Jesus to make it possible for our sins to be forgiven and His grace made available to rescue us from the penalty and punishment for sin. Even more, this grace once received has the ability to transform our earthly life as well as our eternal life.

Because we have been justified by faith, we now have peace with God through Jesus and access into the grace in which we stand (Romans 5:1–2). Such grace is sufficient for the earthly and the eternal. Yet grace, while it saves, doesn’t remove hardships and difficulty this side of eternity, but it can redeem it. In Christ, suffering becomes the Spirit’s workshop where perseverance is forged, character is formed, and hope matures (vv. 3–4). This hope won’t shame or disappoint us because God’s love is poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (v. 5). In short: what we could never do for ourselves, God did through Christ—saving us by grace—and that same grace keeps transforming both our everyday life and our eternity.

APPLICATION
 
1 - Stand—don’t Strive

Begin each day by reaffirming: “I am justified by grace through faith—at peace with God.” Let this silence the urge to re-earn what Christ has already finished.

2 - Reframe Hardship

Name a current pressure and ask, “How will God use this to grow perseverance, shape character, and deepen hope?” Keep a—trial to perseverance to character to hope—journal.

3 - Live from the Spirit’s Love

Invite the Holy Spirit to freshly pour God’s agape into your heart, then choose one sacrificial act of love today toward a person who can’t repay you.

4 - Preach the Gospel to Yourself

When guilt or fear resurfaces, answer it with Romans 5:1— “I have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” You are no longer God’s enemy; in Christ you are His friend and beloved child.

PRAYER
 
Lord, thank You for Your all-sufficient grace flowing from Your unending agape love. Thank You that the Son left glory, took on flesh, and atoned for my sin. When I was dead in trespasses and an enemy of God, You reconciled me through the cross and granted me peace. Holy Spirit, pour Your love into my heart afresh. Teach me to stand in grace, to welcome trials as places where You grow perseverance, character, and a hope that does not disappoint. Help me live today as Your beloved—at peace, on purpose, and overflowing with love. In Jesus’ name, amen.