Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) says, "But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must (necessarily) believe that God exists and that He is a rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him (out)."
Since everything in our new covenant with the Father depends on grace through faith, without putting faith in what Jesus did on our behalf, we cannot approach God at all. Grace made everything accessible, but faith is how we appropriate all that grace has provided.
This peace that Jesus gave to us, is His Own peace with the Father. In John 14:27 (Amplified) Jesus said that it was His Own peace that He left us. This is God's grace and God's will for us. This peace that Jesus left us is the same peace He has even now with our Father. It's not based on if we are perfect or even always right. It's based on faith in the grace of God.
We were saved by grace through faith. Ephesians 2:6-8 (Amplified) says that, "The grace of God supplied the sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God." Grace, supplied by faith, has to obtain this free gift of God. Everything in this new covenant must be obtained by faith in God's sacrifice. Hebrews 11:6 said that without faith in Jesus and grace, we cannot please God. If we don't receive what Jesus did by our faith, then we are in essence trying to reach God on our own terms.
This peace that we've been given is exactly the same. It's given by grace and it must be received by faith. Even when we mess up and our senses tell us that God isn't pleased with us, we must by faith believe we have a covenant of peace with God. No matter what your flesh tells you or what anyone else tells you, your faith must remain in His grace to give you access to God.
We remain at peace with God and He with us because of Jesus. It's not because we are always perfect, but because Jesus is always perfect. I remain righteous before God because Jesus is always righteous and not because I am righteous. That's what grace is all about; unmerited favor. Grace isn't something we've earned, but something we didn't earn or deserve.
We were hostile towards God from the beginning. Romans 10:1-3 (Amplified) says that, "Our minds were setting up a way to God by our Own works." Even under the Law, this wasn't working. Romans 3:10 (Amplified) says, "None is righteous, just and truthful and upright and conscientious, no not one." Even those who were under the Law couldn't fulfill the standard required to become righteous before od.
Only by grace can we have our assurance and hope of peace with God fulfilled. This peace with God means that if we will believe (by faith) what Jesus said and did, God will always be at peace with you. You may not be at peace within yourself, but that won't stop God from being at peace with you.
The most expressed opinion people hold today is that God will get you if you mess up. Those believing that are still at war in their own minds against the truth of the covenant. The stress people talk about all the time wouldn't be part of the believer's life if they would only put faith in Jesus' peace.
John 14:1 (Amplified) says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled (distressed, agitated). You believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely on God; believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely also on Me."
Notice how Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled." In other words, there's something I am supposed to do to prevent my heart from being troubled. The thing I"m supposed to do is to trust in Him. This must be done by faith in what He said in the 27th verse of this same chapter which was, "Peace I leave with you."
This covenant of peace is a very important part of our promise of salvation. Without peace you can't enter into His presence with any assurance or faith. Hebrews 6:11 says that without faith we cannot please God. We can't even approach Him without faith. Our entire covenant is one of faith. Our righteousness, our peace, our fellowship, our redemption, our sanctification and our entire eternity is based on faith in the Blood of Jesus. Why would it not mean also that our peace is also a thing of faith in His Word?
If you will read the entire chapter of Isaiah 54 you'll find the promise of what we now have manifest. You'll see how without this peace, we would still be tormented in our minds and flesh thinking it's God Who is displeased with us. Verses 13,14,15 declare that "Great shall be the peace and undisturbed composure of His children." Verse 15 says that, "Things will gather together to try and stop this peace from reigning, but it is not from Me[God]." We need to study what Isaiah 54 says and learn to know what this covenant of grace and peace is all about.
So many of God's children are in a dilemma about whether God is our answer of is He the problem. Is God sending the trouble or are we just not seeing the answer? According to Isaiah 54, God is the answer and peace is supposed to be our results. This covenant of peace was made by God, upheld by God and was given by grace and not by works.
If we stay in peace under this new covenant, then we have access unto the throne of grace (and the Father) at all times. Hebrews 4:16 (Amplified) says that, "Even in our failures, we have confidence (because of this peace) to come to Him at any time."
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