Faith in action trusts God’s sovereignty and saving goodness equally. The Holy Spirit then empowers our trust to manifest peace that surpasses worldly understanding. This does not mean that we never have negative feelings, No. But it does mean that faith empowers us to override those dark feelings to experience God’s peace which guards our hearts and minds, protecting us from the destruction caused by anxiety and despair (Php 4:7).
Faith produces joy that is not dependent on circumstances but rooted in God’s presence and promises. This joy influences our behaviour, making us a testimony of God’s grace. Faith shifts our focus from problems to God’s salvation, to God’s power, and to God’s promises, enabling us to rest in Him even while living within turmoil (Neh 8:10).
The reason that Christians have God’s pure peace and joy is that they do not trust in the sinful experiences of the world which promise fleshly peace and joy. Jesus said in John 14:27, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. And again, in John 16:33 Jesus said, I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
Christian peace and joy only come because of Jesus Christ! It’s a peace that makes us joyful because in Jesus we do not need to sin for pleasure, but pure living now produces peace with joy. The apostle Peter explained the relationship between salvation and peaceful joy this way. Though you have not seen him (Jesus), you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:8-9).
The apostle Paul focuses on the specific component of salvation that produces peace in Romans 5:1. Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. God’s declaration of innocence through faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection is the nucleus (seed, core) of God’s peace being experienced within the repentant sinner. Peace, not guilt; Joy, not sadness; and Hope, not despair. These all exist because Jesus has washed away our sin, the wrath of God the Father has been appeased (propitiation. Rom 3:25; Heb 2:17; 1Jn 4:10), and we now have the Holy Spirit living within.
As forgiven sinners, Christians can now choose to set their minds on walking with Jesus as they are controlled by the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:6). Before salvation, a sinner’s thinking is attached to fleshly living which brings death. But now, in Christ, they are able to set the mind on the Spirit which is life and peace. Which is what Paul later refers to in Romans 14:17, For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. As Christians live in surrender to Jesus’ Lordship, they will increasingly experience the fruit of the Spirit as the Spirit controls them more and more (Galatians 5:22-23).
Consequently, as Spirit filled believers in Jesus, faith leads Christians to pursue peace and reconciliation in relationships. We are called to be peacemakers, reflecting God’s desire for unity and harmony among His people. Jesus said in Matthew 5:9, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Faith produces joy that is not dependent on circumstances but rooted in God’s presence and promises. This joy influences our behaviour, making us a testimony of God’s grace.
