In the “Sola Fide” series, we delve into the foundational principle of the Christian faith: justification by faith alone. This series explores how righteousness is attained not through our own efforts or adherence to the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ. Each week will illuminate the significance of this doctrine. We will also understand the overwhelming reign of grace over sin and the transformative power of being dead to sin
and alive to God. Through this series, you will gain a deeper appreciation of how “Faith Alone” shapes our relationship with God and our daily lives, and how this doctrine liberates us from the bondage of trying to earn our salvation.

This week explores the peace and benefits that come from being justified by faith. Paul describes how this justification brings peace with God, access to grace, and hope that endures through trials.

How does the peace with God that comes through justification shape your perspective on life’s challenges and your relationship with Him?

Read:
Romans 5:1
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,


Cross-Reference:
Philippians 4:7
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:15
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Reflection:
Being justified by faith grants us peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Question:
How does the peace with God that comes from justification affect your daily interactions and responses to challenges?

Prayer:
Lord, thank You for the peace that comes from being justified by faith. Help me to experience and reflect this peace in all areas of my life.

Read:
Romans 5:2
2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[a] boast in the hope of the glory of God.

Cross-Reference:
Ephesians 2:18
18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Hebrews 4:16
16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Reflection: 
We have access to God’s grace through faith, which we stand in and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

Question: 
How can you actively seek and stand in God’s grace in your daily life?

Prayer: 
Father, help me to fully embrace and stand in Your grace. Guide me to live with hope and joy in Your promises.

Read:
Romans 5:3-5
3 Not only so, but we[a] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Cross-Reference:
James 1:2-4
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
 
1 Peter 1:6-7
6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Reflection:
Suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope, and this hope does not disappoint because of God’s love.

Question:
How can you view trials and suffering as opportunities to develop perseverance and character?

Prayer:
Lord, help me to find hope and strength through trials and to grow in perseverance and character through my challenges.

Read:
Romans 5:5
5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.


Cross-Reference:
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
 
1 John 4:9-10
9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Reflection:
God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

Question:
How does experiencing God’s love in your heart influence your relationships with others?

Prayer:
Father, thank You for pouring Your love into my heart. Help me to reflect Your love in all my interactions with others.

Read:
Romans 5:6-8
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Cross-Reference:
1 John 3:16
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Galatians 2:20
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Reflection:
Christ died for us while we were still sinners, demonstrating the depth of God’s love.

Question: 
How does the sacrifice of Christ for you while you were still a sinner impact your understanding of God’s love and your response to it?

Prayer: 
Jesus, thank You for Your sacrificial love. Help me to live in a way that honors Your sacrifice and reflects Your love to others.

Read:
Romans 5:9-10
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

Cross-Reference:
2 Corinthians 5:18-19
18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

Colossians 1:22
22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—

Reflection:
Through Christ’s death, we are reconciled to God, and much more will we be saved through His life.

Question: 
How does understanding your reconciliation with God through Christ’s death impact your relationship with Him and your daily living?

Prayer:
Father, thank You for reconciling me to You through Christ’s death. Help me tolive out this reconciliation and to grow in my relationship with You.

Read:
Romans 5:11
11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.


Cross-Reference:
Psalm 51:12
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Luke 10:20
20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Reflection:
We rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have received reconciliation.

Question:
How does the joy of salvation and reconciliation with God manifest in your daily life and interactions?

Prayer: 
Lord, let the joy of my salvation and reconciliation with You be evident in my life. Help me to rejoice in Your salvation every day.