The lesson insists Romans 5:1 should read “Let us have peace with God,” not “We have peace with God,” and ties that to the idea that peace can be forfeited by returning to sin; how does that reshape what you think “justified by faith” practically demands after baptism?
Another way to ask: If Romans 5:1 means “Let us have peace with God,” and peace can be lost by going back to sin, what does “justified by faith” require from you after baptism?
Direct Answer
Based on The Historic Faith’s teaching, being “justified by faith” at baptism brings real peace with God, but it also places you under an ongoing call to *maintain* that peace by not returning to sin.
Support from Transcript:
“We obtain peace with God at the time of our conversion in baptism. However, it is not a situation of once peace, always peace.”
Paul’s wording is treated as exhortation: ancient manuscripts read “Let us have peace,” meaning “maintain peace with God.”
“If we return to a life of sin, we relinquish the peace with God we obtained at our initial salvation.”
Origen: the person who turns again to sin “renews the former enmity with God.”
Chrysostom paraphrases the demand: “let us not sin anymore, nor go back to our former state… To do so would be to make war with God.”
Discussion Follow-ups
What daily habits help you “maintain peace” rather than assume it? Where are you most tempted to treat justification as permission to drift?
