Justified

“Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” – Romans 5:1 (NRSV)

I don’t remember much from high school—no surprise as my 50th reunion creeps closer—but I do remember typing class. Every day I’d walk in, uncover that beautiful, 40-pound, sapphire‑blue IBM Selectric II, and for the next 90 minutes try to perfect my QWERTY typing skills. 

One of the first things I learned was how to set the margins and choose the justification. Left‑justified, right‑justified, centered—each one determined how the words lined up on the page. The machine didn’t change the words; it simply gave them a place to stand.

Paul writes in Romans 5:1, “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” That word justified carries more weight than any setting on a typewriter. It means “set right,” “aligned,” “put in proper relationship.” 

On the Selectric, justification was something I had to set. If I wanted the margins straight, I had to adjust them myself. 

But in the life of faith, justification is something God sets. We don’t align ourselves with God by effort, precision, or performance. God, through Christ and by the Spirit, is the One who moves the margins, resets the line, and places our lives where they belong. Justification means God has already done the aligning. God has already set us right.

And because God is the One who justifies, Paul says we now have peace with God. Not the fragile peace that depends on how well we perform. Not the anxious peace that evaporates when we make a mistake. Not the conditional peace that waits for us to get everything straight. This peace is the deep, steady assurance that the relationship is already secure. We are aligned with God—not because we typed the line perfectly, but because Christ has already done the work.

So today, as we step into whatever waits for us, we do so as people already justified, already aligned, already held in God’s grace. And from that place—secure, steady, beloved—we discover a peace the world cannot give and cannot take away.

Gracious God, thank you for setting us right when we could not set ourselves. Thank you for the peace that comes from knowing we are already aligned with your love. Help us live today from that deep assurance, trusting the grace that holds us steady. Amen.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Tim