Romans 5:1-2 paints a grand picture of what faith has brought the person who will take God at his Word. Faith in Jesus gives us access to God. Notice how this passage describes this, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 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.”

The word that impressed me today is the word “access.” We have access to God because of our faith in Jesus. What does that mean? There are two word pictures that this Greek word translated “access” gives us. The first is described by Barclay as “introducing or ushering someone into the presence of royalty.” WOW! Because of Jesus and what he has done for us and our choice to believe in him, we have been brought into the very presence of God so that we may enjoy a relationship with him.

The second great picture of this word is also beautifully described by Barclay when he says, “In late Greek it is the word for the place where ships come in, a harbor or a haven. If we take it that way, it means that so long as we tried to depend on our own efforts we were tempest-tossed, like mariners striving with a sea which threatened to overwhelm them completely, but now that we have heard the word of Christ, we have reached at last the haven of God’s grace, and we know the calm of depending, not on what we can do for ourselves, but on what God has done for us.”

So what does this mean for you and I? We cannot forget what Jesus has accomplished for us through his death and resurrection and the salvation we enjoy because of our faith in him. We have been given entry into the very presence of the King of Kings and Lord or Lords. We also can rest in the haven of God’s grace knowing that we are safe, secure and protected by him. I didn’t earn this standing of grace and I can’t lose it either.

Father, your Word continues to amaze me. This one word “access” that we can so easily skip over is rich in truth. I am humbled at the thought that I have access to your presence and yet I also am so thankful that I am safe in the harbor of your grace and always will be.

Following Jesus with you,

Jeff