How to receive Grace and Peace.

Paul establishes from the outset in Romans Chapter 1 that the Gospel is Good News.

In the New Living Translation , Romans Ch 1 V3 states, “The Good News is about his Son.” and in V4, “and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Then Paul goes on to explain why the raising of Jesus Christ from the dead is Good News for us. In V7 , “May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you Grace and Peace.”

It is Good News that we can receive Grace and Peace from Jesus Christ. Notice Paul did not say, ‘Well I have some Good News for you and some Bad News. The Good News is Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead, but the Bad News is that you now have to follow a lot of new rules. None of this cheap Grace teaching that is going around, we have a whole lot more religious exercises for you, including meditation beads, burning incense, repetitious prayers, payment of indulgences, and much more to come.’ It is preposterous to think that Paul would have tried to introduce religious observances to the believers in Rome. Paul was very clear that the Good News meant Grace and Peace through Jesus Christ, without the need for Prayer Beads and Meditation rituals.

In V17 NLT ,” The Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight…” The main reason some people want to add religious rituals to Grace is because of our inner need to escape guilt and condemnation for our mistakes in life, and to be right with God. Then a religious Teacher tells us to recite a certain Prayer formula 5 times, or chant this mantra for an hour, or use Prayer beads, or pay for an indulgence to Sin, or light candles or incense, shaving your head the right way, or eating certain types of food, or Praying only at certain times of the day, and then finally you might please God, but only after fasting and humiliating yourself. But you never can be too sure, because whatever you do is not enough to appease an angry God.

In contrast Paul tells us that the Good News shows us how to be right in his sight by Grace, and not by rule keeping. How do we receive this Grace ? In V17 Paul continues, “This is accomplished from start to finish by Faith.” Those who promote religious rules and observances cannot accept the simplicity of receiving Grace by Faith in Jesus Christ. Those opposed to Grace are heard to say, “Wait a minute, it’s not that easy, there has to be a time of penance, and after all we are just unrighteous Sinners before a very distant and austere God. You must regularly visit the confessional, and spend hours in meditation with your Prayer beads”.

The Good News is that we are no longer under the bondage of religious rule keeping. We now have freedom in Jesus Christ that comes by believing in his Grace. You will experience an abundance of Peace when you put your Faith in the Grace of God.