Paul outlines some of the effects of justification by faith in Romans 5:1-5;

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

The profound truth of justification by faith has manifold benefits in the life of the believer, the greatest of which is that it unites him or her to Almighty God. Paul continues building his argument as to why the Gentile and Jewish believers should get along. He doesn’t state the case so bluntly, Paul is much more tactful than that. No, Paul brilliantly argues and develops the case that everyone is separated from God, and that everyone who is reunited with God from that separation is united in the same way. Faith is the only way to be reunited to God whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, whether you are an upstanding citizen or a blatant criminal, whether you are male or female, whether you are young or old, whether you are intelligent according to the world’s standards or whether you are simple minded, whether you are rich or poor, and whether you follow the Jewish ceremonial law or not. This truth should bind all of the church together in love for a God who loved them despite their sin.

Another benefit which refers directly to what happens through justification is peace with God. All of the disorder in the world, all of the war, all of the miscommunication, all of the strife, and all of the discontentedness with the way things are ultimately stems from a lack of peace with God. There is no rest or peace without peace in God. The distance between our spirit and the Lord must first be broken by the gospel before the distance between other human relationships can be traversed. When we believe the gospel and God justifies us we enjoy the peace with God for which we were created. In this peace the weight of our sin is removed. In this peace the wrath of God is absorbed by Christ on the cross. In this peace all of our longings from the ‘eternity set in our hearts’ are fulfilled. In this peace we are able to rest in contentment no matter what our current situation. In this peace we are able to forgive and live with those who have offended us.

This peace also leads to a peculiar result, that believers can rejoice in suffering. This is a testimony to the power of the peace and joy that the presence of God brings. This is the “peace that passes all understanding.” The persecution under the Roman empire was probably significant at this time, but it was about to become severe under the reign of Nero. Perhaps Paul is preparing them through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for what is to come. Regardless, this joyous peace is powerful, and it was powerful enough to lead Jesus to the cross, see Heb 12. I think that this should lead many of us, I know it leads me, to reevaluate the peace and joy in our lives. Let us ask the question, “How do we handle the suffering in our lives?” And if the answer is poorly, then perhaps we need to think about our justification through faith. Rejoicing in our reconciliation with God is the only thing that can bring us through the toughest times of our lives. Not only will this peace bring us through troubles, it will bring us through with rejoicing!