Hoping in the Glory of God—Romans 5:2

"through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:2)

On my tenth wedding anniversary, my husband surprised me with tickets to see the hit Broadway show, Mary Poppins. It was a gift designed to delight me, and it worked. The show was fantastic.

He purchased the tickets long before our trip. When we arrived at the theatre, they quickly ushered us in. Faith is like those tickets, it ushers us into a state of God’s favor (grace). It makes all the introductions; it grants us an all-access pass and the best news is that it’s free. Jesus pays the admission price. And now we simply enjoy the gift designed to delight us.

I love how Eugene Peterson describes this in The Message: “And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise,” (Rom. 5:2 The Message).

I love that! In Jesus, not only do we have our entrance and introductions to God, but we also take part in His glory. The word is doxa. It’s translated several ways and in this passage it means ‘a most glorious condition, most exalted state.’ But, it’s not referring to God’s glory, it’s pointing to the blessedness given to followers of Christ.

In Christ, you and I have an entrance pass to experience a most exalted state of God’s favor and blessing!

That’s incredible! Paul says, rejoice in it! Eugene Peterson says, stand tall and shout praises! I invite you to think about the implications:

Reflect

Have you used your entrance ticket to experience friendship with God or does guilt, shame and unworthiness keep you away?

How does understanding this verse give you confidence in God?

What would change if you thought of yourself as the recipient of God’s favor and blessing?

What would change if you thought of others as the recipient of God’s favor and blessing?

Previous: Romans 5:1  Next: Romans 5:3-5

Original article published July 20, 2009.

Juli Camarin

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