Rejoicing in Peace, Suffering, and Reconciliation

Rejoicing in Peace, Suffering, and Reconciliation
Romans 5:1–11

This week, we continued our journey through Romans by moving from understanding what justification by faith means to how it changes our daily lives as believers. Romans 5:1–11 takes the beautiful truth that we are made right with God by faith and shows us what that looks like in real life.

Justified by Faith — and at Peace with God
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

That one sentence is life-changing. Because of Jesus, we are no longer enemies of God. We’re no longer living in fear or shame. We’re at peace — not a fragile ceasefire that could fall apart at any moment, but a deep, lasting peace.
In Hebrew, that word is shalom — wholeness, completeness, tranquility. Jesus promised this kind of peace when He said,

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” — John 14:27

It’s a peace we can’t always explain, but we can experience — a peace that “guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

If you’re not feeling that peace right now, draw near to Jesus again. The more we fix our eyes on Him, the more His peace fills our hearts.

A Story of Peace
During the pandemic, my wife and I decided to tackle a DIY renovation project — fixing up an old den. We worked for months: painting, sealing mold, pulling up carpet, laying bamboo flooring. We were proud of the finished product… until the summer heat came. The floor swelled and began to bubble.

We were crushed. Then a contractor friend looked at it and said, “I can fix this in two hours — it’ll only cost you a couple hundred bucks.” The moment he said it, the anxiety lifted. We trusted him. It was going to be okay.

That’s the kind of peace God gives us — the confidence that He’s got this. He is the master craftsman of our lives, and we can trust Him completely.

Rejoicing in Suffering
Paul keeps building the list of blessings in Romans 5, almost like a joyful host on The Price Is Right:

“And you get this — and you get this — and you get this too!”

We rejoice in peace.
We rejoice in God’s glory.
And we even rejoice in our sufferings.

That last one feels counterintuitive, doesn’t it? Why would we rejoice in suffering? Because in God’s hands, suffering has a purpose.

“We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” — Romans 5:3–4

Suffering teaches us to persevere. Perseverance strengthens our character. Character builds hope — a hope that does not disappoint.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:12 that those who suffer for His sake should “rejoice and be glad,” and James 1:3 tells us that “the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”
Endurance doesn’t come easily — it’s like lifting weights. Our muscles only grow stronger after being stretched and strained. In the same way, God uses hardship to strengthen our faith, to make us more like Christ.

We don’t rejoice for the pain — we rejoice through it, because we know God is doing something in it. He is shaping us, deepening our hope, and reminding us that our story isn’t over.

“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.” — Romans 8:28

Rejoicing in Reconciliation
Finally, Paul leads us to the greatest reason for rejoicing — reconciliation.

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” — Romans 5:10

Because of Christ’s sacrifice, we’ve been restored to friendship with God. We’re part of His family now — new creations in Christ.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” — 2 Corinthians 5:17

Reconciliation isn’t just for us personally — it extends to all creation. Paul writes in Colossians 1:19–20 that through Christ, God is reconciling all things to Himself, “making peace by the blood of His cross.”
One day, all of creation will be made new. The brokenness and pain of this world will be replaced by the full restoration of God’s kingdom. Until then, we live as ambassadors of that coming kingdom.

Ambassadors for Christ

“We are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.” — 2 Corinthians 5:20

Ambassadors represent their homeland in a foreign land — and that’s exactly who we are. We represent the kingdom of God here on earth.

That means we share Christ in both word and action. We care for the poor, serve our community, and love others well. But above all, we share the gospel — that

“God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” — 2 Corinthians 5:21

That’s the heart of our mission. We are justified by faith, made new by grace, and sent out to bring reconciliation to the world in Jesus’ name.
So, the question for this week is simple:
How are you doing in your ambassador role?

How are you sharing your faith — with your friends, your neighbors, your coworkers, your family?

Let’s be people who rejoice in peace, rejoice in suffering, and rejoice in reconciliation — because God has done a great work in us, and through us He is making all things new.
Scripture References

• Romans 5:1–11
• John 14:27
• Philippians 4:7
• Matthew 5:12
• James 1:3
• Romans 8:28
• Colossians 1:19–20
• 2 Corinthians 5:17–21
• Romans 8:19–22 (creation groaning)