Understanding PeaceПримерок

The Penalty Has Been Paid

Because of Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross, God’s peace belongs to each person who has chosen to believe in and receive Jesus Christ. But for peace to be our daily reality, there are five things that we must understand. Using P.E.A.C.E. as an acronym will help us to remember each vital truth that unlocks the secret to a peace-filled lifestyle as God’s children.

The first letter of the word peace is P. It can serve to remind us that the penalty is paid. In the first chapter of Luke, we find that Zechariah, the father of Jesus’ cousin John the Baptist, prophesies eight days after John’s birth. According to Zechariah’s prophecy, we understand that Jesus came to give the knowledge of salvation to His people through the remission of sins. In Christ, who gave His life on the cross, our sins have been done away with, and there is nothing more we can do to be rid of them. Our sin is not remitted (removed) when we repent; our sin was forgiven when Christ paid sin’s penalty of death as our substitute on the cross. Christ paid the penalty in full. He did not pay just part of the penalty. He died for us on the cross. In Him, we can be fully redeemed.

The penalty is paid. When we repent and accept Christ and His sacrifice on the cross, His life comes to us, and the benefits of His death and resurrection become ours. Not only is this one of the great truths of our faith as Christians, but this is the good news we announce to our world. None of the world’s empty religions dare to suggest that the sinful human condition can be reversed. Only through faith in the Prince of Peace can our death penalty be satisfied and our lives restored to a beautiful and peace-filled relationship with God. If we are going to have a lifestyle of peace, we must remember that the penalty for all our sin is paid.