How Do I Find Peace with God?
How the hostility caused by sin is ended through Christ.
The Bible says peace with God comes through Jesus: “being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). The hostility caused by sin is ended when we trust in Christ, who made peace by his cross (Colossians 1:20).
The problem and the peace
Sin creates a real breach between us and God. But the gospel announces that Christ has made peace — through his death, the war is ended and we are reconciled. This peace is not something we achieve but something we receive.
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
Having made peace through the blood of his cross.
How to receive it
Peace with God comes by turning from sin and trusting Christ. Once reconciled, we can also know the peace of God — the guarding calm that comes from walking with him. The first is a settled standing; the second is a daily experience.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus... thou shalt be saved.
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.
Quick answers
- What's the difference between peace with God and the peace of God?
- Peace with God is the objective end of hostility — reconciliation through Christ. The peace of God is the subjective calm that guards the hearts of those who walk with him. The first makes the second possible.
- How do I know I'm at peace with God?
- It rests not on feelings but on Christ's finished work, received by faith. If you've trusted him, Scripture declares you justified and at peace — you can take God at his word.
- Can I lose my peace with God?
- Sin can disrupt our sense of closeness, but for those in Christ the reconciliation itself is secure. Confession restores the felt nearness; the standing was settled at the cross.
