This month marks 50 years since the famous Woodstock Folk Festival in America.
Apart from the music, drugs and other unsavoury activities, a major theme was ‘Make Love, Not War’, set against the back-drop of the Vietnam conflict. As near a half-million people immersed themselves in ‘peace and love’ one commented that the experience was a taste of heaven!
How different are Paul’s words in Romans 5 as he describes the peace and love that God provides:
v1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
v8…God demonstrates His own his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
By trusting in the sacrifice of our Lord, Jesus Christ, we have peace with God. God declares it so. “It is God who justifies, who will condemn?” asks Paul later in his letter. Obviously, no-one! God’s righteous wrath against our sin, and condemnation for breaking His Law is gone. Christ has borne that for us.
Peace with God is real peace and lasting peace. However, bearing our sin meant the death of His Son. God did for us what we could not do for ourselves and what we don’t deserve. He shows His love in providing for our greatest need when we were blind to it. How different is the peace and love God offers to that of the world!
The experience of ‘peace and love’ ended abruptly when festival goers had to return to work on Monday.
The experience of peace and love that God brings to us in Christ will last forever!
– PHIL PRATT