The Result of Justification (12):

Rejoicing in God

"And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

 through whom we have now received the reconciliation." (Romans 5:11)

The Apostle Paul already said in Romans 5:2, "...we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." He also said in verse 3, "We rejoice in our sufferings." And in verse 11, Paul again says, "We rejoice in God." When we were unable to reach God's glory because of sin (Romans 3:23), we were justified by faith through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1-2). Although we were enemies of God, through the death of God's Son, Jesus Christ, we were reconciled to God (Romans 5:10), and we now enjoy peace with God (Romans 5:1).

Through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1, 2), we have been brought into God's throne of grace and stand firm (Romans 5:2). We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:2). These three aspects of glory that have already been revealed are not yet 100% perfect. If God were to reveal His 100% complete glory right now, we would not be able to fully comprehend it. The glory of God that will be revealed in the future is, in a word, the Second Coming of Jesus. The glory of God that will be revealed in the future will be 100% complete and eternal, and we will see God face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12). This glory of God will also be our glory. In other words, the glory of God the Father will be the glory of His children.

The three aspects of God's glory mentioned in Romans 5:1-2 are incomparable to the glory that will be revealed in the future. In other words, the glory of God that we are already enjoying through our Lord Jesus Christ now is nothing compared to the glory of God that we will enjoy when our Lord Jesus returns (Romans 5:1-2, see also Romans 8:18). The glory of God that will be revealed in the future is one in which we will become like Him and will see His true face when He appears (1 John 3:2, Contemporary Bible). Our humble bodies will be transformed to be like His glorious body (Philippians 3:21, Contemporary Bible). We also believe that those who have died while believing in Jesus will be brought with Him when He returns. When the Lord returns, the living will not precede the dead. This is because when the Lord descends from heaven with the sound of a command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, those who have died in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and we will be with the Lord forever (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17).  Therefore, we also rejoice in God (Romans 5:11).

Our God is the God of Paradise (Psalm 43:4)

The God of paradise is our joy. This is the first question from the Westminster Shorter Catechism: "What is the chief end of man?" The answer is: "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." What we must strive to do is to glorify God while enjoying Him forever. We must enjoy God eternally. Only those who have been reconciled to God can enjoy Him. We must rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, who reconciled us to Him. That is, through the death of Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son (Romans 5:10), all our sins have been forgiven, and as those saved from sin, we should rejoice in God. This is true joy. This joy is unchanging joy, a joy that no one can take away from us. This joy transcends all circumstances, and the Apostle Paul rejoiced even in prison (Philippians 1:18).

The hymn 438 in the new hymnal, "My Soul Has Found Grace," has the following verse:
"Whether in the high mountains or the fields,
in huts or palaces,
wherever my Lord Jesus is,
there will be the kingdom of heaven."

In this world, filled with many concerns, troubles, sins, suffering, pain, disease, hunger, and even death, we must rejoice in God. When we receive the God of paradise as our joy and possess and enjoy that joy in God, we can rejoice in any situation. In the joy that the Lord gives us, we must proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. As those who have been reconciled to God through the death of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, we must rejoice in God and share this joyful message.

The hymn 497 in the new hymnal is titled "Jesus' Wide Love":

(Verse 1)
"Jesus' wide love, His great grace,
I strive to spread it, for it is truly a joyful thing.
Jesus' blessed words, life and truth,
fill my heart's thirst completely."

(Verse 2)
"When I proclaim these words, my heart rejoices,
and the more I share them, the more new joy overflows.
There are many people in the world who have not heard the blessed message of salvation,
so make every effort to spread it."

(Verse 3)
"Those who have heard these words desire to hear them again,
and they long for them because these words are truth.
In the glory of His kingdom, I will sing a new song,
and from long ago, these words alone have been my joy."

Chorus:
"From long ago, the word has been proclaimed,
the great love of Jesus,
and I always rejoice in spreading it."