Daily Devotion

“In chapter 8, St. Paul comforts fighters such as these and tells them that this flesh will not bring them condemnation. … The Holy Spirit assures us that we are God's children no matter how furiously sin may rage within us, so long as we follow the Spirit and struggle against sin in order to kill it.”

Martin Luther · Preface to the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans (1522), tr. Andrew Thornton

Scripture

Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews 12:14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy, without which no one will see the Lord.

Reflection

Romans reminds me that justification by faith is a completed fact; I am reconciled with God in Christ, and my identity is no longer shaken. Hebrews, however, calls me to continue pursuing holiness, indicating that salvation is not merely a matter of status, but a process of entering into the renewal of life. The existence of spiritual warfare does not mean that salvation is unreal, but that the Holy Spirit is already at work within me. Today, I learn to find rest in grace and to continue to be transformed through obedience.