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indicates that it means something more than the absence of strife. It is opposed to kaka =
"evil" in Isa. 45: 7, Jer. 29: 11. It is also opposed to thlipsis = "tribulation" in
Zech. 8: 10; John 16: 33. In Rom. 5:, Eph. 2: and Col. 1: the usage leads us to see
that it indicates:--
"The new relationship between man and God brought about by the atonement
(reconciliation)."--Cremer.
The word "with" in the expression "peace with God" is not meta = "in association
with", implying something held in common, or para = "by the side of", but pros =
"towards", implying that God is the great object before the renewed mind, which is
reaching out for fullest fellowship. It is the word used by John in that glorious passage:
"The Word was with God"; not only "with" in the sense of place, but "with" in the
completeness of personal choice and agreement.
Pros reappears in the word "access" of Rom. 5: 2, where the original reads
prosagoge. Peter has expressed similar truth in I Pet. 3: 18: "For Christ also hath once
suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us (prosago) to God." Here,
righteousness provided by the great sacrifice of Christ is the procuring cause of this
"access". So in Heb. 10: the perfect acceptance of the believer because, of the one
sacrifice offered for sins for ever, leads to "boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood
of Jesus".
The access of Rom. 5: is "into this grace wherein we stand". The believer's
"standing" is no longer in Adam, but in Christ, no longer in law, but in grace, and
because of the fulness of the Saviour's work, and the grace of God that is his in Christ,
he, the erstwhile sinner who had come short of the glory of God, is now enabled to
"rejoice upon hope of the glory of God". "In hope" is not exact enough, for in verse 3
we have the expression: "we boast in tribulations also." We need to distinguish the
boasting that is resting upon (epi) hope of the glory of God, and that boasting which is
in (en) tribulations. There is an allusion here to Abraham, who against hope, on (epi)
hope believed" (Rom. 4: 18).
Rom. 1: 1 - 5: 2 is expressed as follows in the figurative language of the Psalms:--
"He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet
upon a rock, and established my goings. And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even
praise unto our God" (Psa. 40: 2, 3).
"Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ: by Whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and
boast upon hope of the glory of God" (Rom. 5: 1, 2).
Here is our ground of boasting, here is our "standing", here is our "introduction" (as
access has been translated); here is peace, the completely finished thing. Not one word
has been uttered of experiences; all rests upon Christ and the grace of God. Not until this
has been established does anything experimental come into view. Only the one who is
rejoicing upon hope can rejoice in tribulations also.