In order to better understand Romans 4, I've tried to find the main ideas in it.
Abraham is the father of our faith, both the Jews and Gentiles. His faith, a gift of grace, makes him the "father" of the gentiles (4:11) and his circumcision makes him the "father" of the Jews. Once again, the points seems to be that God's plan is for all, not only for Jews, not only for Gentiles, but for both.
This makes God's promise to Abraham all the more deep and incredible. "I have made you the father of many nations" (Genesis 17:5). To Abraham, this was a good promise, something he would've been excited about. My assumption, though, is that all he expected from it was to have a lot of kids. This was especially incredible because the guy was older than eighty with a barren wife. But God was faithful to Abraham and he did have a son, and then thousands of years later we see God is still faithful to that promise in a way different than Abraham had thought: using Abraham's life as an example of faith. He became the spiritual "father" of many, to those who would be justified by faith in Jesus Christ. God takes what already sounds like a good promise and does incredible things Abraham could never have dreamed.
I love how Paul finishes this section. Throughout this chapter he has been quoting Genesis:
"Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." (Genesis 15:6)
Paul changes it to apply to us:
"It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for or trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:24-25)
My whole life I found I heard and knew the above: Jesus died for my sins and rose again. But I always had a hard time believing it. Nobody just rises from the dead. They stay dead. It's harder to believe a guy two thousand years ago rose from the dead when you can't see him or talk to eyewitnesses.
One of the best things I ever prayed for was faith. In this passage from Romans Paul is revealing that it is faith that buries us and raises us with Jesus. We think of faith as something we have to exert, a level of belief we have to muster up ourselves. This is what I had trouble with, mustering up enough faith, and it's not what Paul is asking us to do - because that would be a work in itself, a way in which we had to earn our relationship with Jesus. No, we are helpless, we need to just give it up to God. Jesus said,
"Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." (John 16:24)
Sometimes we need to pray for more faith. After I did God answered my prayer within two weeks. I remember going to bed one night, stopping on my way to bed after I had turned the lights out. It's hard to describe, but I knew in my bones that God is real and He was with me right then and there. I felt at peace, that my joy was full. I had been put right with God and had become his child. But I didn't do any of it, Jesus did, and through believing the Bible's testimony we can grow in certainty of it - because the gospels were written by and from eyewitnesses: we can hear their voices still today, in the Bible. They proclaim the love of a man from Nazareth who was murdered and mocked - only to rise again, mocking and destroying death, sin, and Satan. Thank Him and love Him!
Showing posts with label Romans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Romans. Show all posts
Friday, 11 September 2009
Thursday, 10 September 2009
Orphans: Romans 5 & 6 Part 2
Then Paul addresses a common question, a question that reveals how dark our souls are, how much we love sin and how little we love God:
“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” (6:1)
If Christ has died or all our sins, is it better to keep sinning sot that a larger debt will be paid? Or, as I think of it, is it okay to keep the things that formally made us feel guilty but now have been paid for by Christ?
I see it this way: often times before we know God we do enjoy certain things. Although sex and money don’t satisfy (That is, sex without marital intimacy) they are enjoyable things. There are little things that are enjoyable that we could do free of guilt now that Christ’s death has paid for them.
That would, for one thing, spit on the cross. There is a man, a rich man, who comes to Christ somewhere in the gospels and asks what he must do to have eternal life and Jesus tells him to give up his wealth. The man walks away sad, which we read and think is silly - the man is talking to Jesus! Shouldn't he just give up everything? We of course, do the same thing. We hold on to the junk in our lives: the sin, the darkness, and we say it's hard to give up because we kind of enjoy it. It’s like we have a twinkie and God is offering us a feast. We say, “I like the twinkie.” I like twinkies, but you cannot live on them, and they do not satisfy.
We are so shortsighted! We lower our expectations of happiness to something so low when God is offering so much more! Another food metaphor, it's like God is offering us that feast and we keep going to McDonald's because it's cheap and it's okay. No! Go to the feast!
To return to the problem Paul is addressing I need to be honest. Sometimes I want to sin and I think ahead, I talk myself into the sin, knowing God will forgive me. How sick is that? To say, "Well, I can repent later." But that's what we're talking about, to say, "Thanks for the blank check, Jesus, I'll try to have a good time and rack up a real bill for you to pay." But Paul points out:
“But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed?” (6:21)
There’s a lot of things wrong with the mentality I just talked about (you aren’t pursuing God first, you don’t respect His righteousness, you aren’t being obedient to Him, you’re definitely grieving the Spirit) but Paul points out that at the very least – if you look at it from a personal gain, selfish point of view – what are you going to get out your sin? Nothing!
“For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit that you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (6:21-23)
And, in Christ’s words:
“And this is eternal life, that they know you [God] the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)
And:
“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)
Do you want joy? You need Jesus, you need to be obedient to God, you need to be His slave. The joy you find in him will have no comparison in the world. Isaiah writes:
“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.” (Isaiah 55:2)
The stuff you’re eating is crap and will treat you as such. Turn to Jesus! That’s what every person needs…to repent and humble themselves at the cross of Christ and find complete and everlasting joy in Him.
Thank You, Father, that You feed Your children and give them real food and real drink. Thank You for all the richness of knowing You, thank You that the fatherless can call you Father. AMEN.
“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” (6:1)
If Christ has died or all our sins, is it better to keep sinning sot that a larger debt will be paid? Or, as I think of it, is it okay to keep the things that formally made us feel guilty but now have been paid for by Christ?
I see it this way: often times before we know God we do enjoy certain things. Although sex and money don’t satisfy (That is, sex without marital intimacy) they are enjoyable things. There are little things that are enjoyable that we could do free of guilt now that Christ’s death has paid for them.
That would, for one thing, spit on the cross. There is a man, a rich man, who comes to Christ somewhere in the gospels and asks what he must do to have eternal life and Jesus tells him to give up his wealth. The man walks away sad, which we read and think is silly - the man is talking to Jesus! Shouldn't he just give up everything? We of course, do the same thing. We hold on to the junk in our lives: the sin, the darkness, and we say it's hard to give up because we kind of enjoy it. It’s like we have a twinkie and God is offering us a feast. We say, “I like the twinkie.” I like twinkies, but you cannot live on them, and they do not satisfy.
We are so shortsighted! We lower our expectations of happiness to something so low when God is offering so much more! Another food metaphor, it's like God is offering us that feast and we keep going to McDonald's because it's cheap and it's okay. No! Go to the feast!
To return to the problem Paul is addressing I need to be honest. Sometimes I want to sin and I think ahead, I talk myself into the sin, knowing God will forgive me. How sick is that? To say, "Well, I can repent later." But that's what we're talking about, to say, "Thanks for the blank check, Jesus, I'll try to have a good time and rack up a real bill for you to pay." But Paul points out:
“But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed?” (6:21)
There’s a lot of things wrong with the mentality I just talked about (you aren’t pursuing God first, you don’t respect His righteousness, you aren’t being obedient to Him, you’re definitely grieving the Spirit) but Paul points out that at the very least – if you look at it from a personal gain, selfish point of view – what are you going to get out your sin? Nothing!
“For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit that you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (6:21-23)
And, in Christ’s words:
“And this is eternal life, that they know you [God] the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)
And:
“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)
Do you want joy? You need Jesus, you need to be obedient to God, you need to be His slave. The joy you find in him will have no comparison in the world. Isaiah writes:
“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.” (Isaiah 55:2)
The stuff you’re eating is crap and will treat you as such. Turn to Jesus! That’s what every person needs…to repent and humble themselves at the cross of Christ and find complete and everlasting joy in Him.
Thank You, Father, that You feed Your children and give them real food and real drink. Thank You for all the richness of knowing You, thank You that the fatherless can call you Father. AMEN.
Orphans: Romans 5 & 6 Part 1
I read: Romans 5 & 6
"We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin." (Romans 6:6)
This chapter shows the complete separation of us from our sins, and righteousness from impurity, unrighteousness. I think it really shows how diametrically opposed sin and righteousness are and that if we ask the question “How much can I sin?” you’re asking the wrong question.
For in Christ all of our sins have been forgiven, we have been “buried therefore with him by baptism into death” (6:4). Before knowing Christ the Holy Spirit leads us to conviction about many things. Just as the proceeding chapters of Romans strive to convince us of our sinfulness so the Holy Spirit gives us eyes to our disobedience, impurity, and sinfulness before we can fully experience what Paul describes in chapter 5:
“More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (5:11)
And:
“…we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (5:1)
Amazing! Peace with God! The thing we all want. In Chicago this summer when talking to people about their hopes of an after life nearly all of them said “peace” or something like it. We long for it and we seek it everywhere, in money, fame, relationships, when really what we need is to know god. Just as a baby is most peaceful in their father’s arms so we need that rest in our Heavenly Father’s arms. We long for Him to hold us, kiss us, and to delight in us and love us, us loving and delighting in Him back.
And yet we bumble about not sure what we need. Paul writes “death reigned from Adam…” (Romans 5:14). It’s ruling over us, confusing us, distorting truth and it leads us to deny God:
“Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” (Romans 1:24-25)
I imagine people live their lives stumbling about frantically, filling their lives with crap and things that don’t satisfy – blind to the fat that the reason they are not at peace is because they’re supposed to be their Father’s children, but they’re not! Children are extremely distraught when they are without their parents, and in this way we are all orphans, wandering about, committing more and more evil trying to find happiness in it. But all things done without God don’t satisfy because you’re doing them without God. Good things can lose their meaning – marriage, relaxing, etc. I see an orphan playing with a toy their parent gave them and expecting the toy to fill the role of Father.
To continue with this metaphor our problem of being an orphan isn’t because God died and left us alone, but we died!
“…sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12)
In this rebellion Adam – and every man and woman since him – has ran away from their Father, doing things He hates! And yet we stumble about, drunk, deaf, and blind, headed to the grave because of our sin – mourning for happiness, moaning for it. For joy, for completeness.
Before I was a Christian I stumbled this way, gasping for air, drunk, I don’t know how else to describe the picture in my mind, but I was trying to find joy but couldn’t because the one person I needed the most I had mad into an enemy. I had fallen short of the glory of God, and consequently I could not know Him, nor be complete. The Psalms talk about being headed to the grave.
But thanks be to God in Christ!
“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” (5:8-9)
So, we rebel and God’s righteous wrath falls on us, we are condemned, and in our disobedience God gives us up to our passions and lets us get more and more confused (Romans 1:24-27). And yet God is so good that He seeks to reconcile Himself to us by His Son.
“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (5:10)
I love the ministry of the Holy Spirit, because He comes in to convince us of this truth. He comes in to attest this reality – that Christ did not die in vain, but rather in our place, and in his resurrection we too may rise. Because if God has handed us over to our passions, it’s going to take the truth the Holy Spirit speaks to pull us out of our sinful state. We are deaf and need ears, we are blind and need sight, we tell ourselves we are good but need the truth that we are not. I know that John the Baptizer is the one spoken of in Isaiah about “a voice crying in the wilderness” but I think that’s the Holy Spirit too. We live in a lonely, barren wilderness and the Holy Spirit I picture as this voice calling in the emptiness of our lives to see our sin so that we might fal down at the cross of Christ and repent.
Paul talks of a “complete joy” and this is it: to be with the Father, our God, to Love Jesus, to seek Him, and to listen to the Spirit. To be with them brightens anything, makes everything worthwhile and everything meaningful.
“…we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (5:11)
"We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin." (Romans 6:6)
This chapter shows the complete separation of us from our sins, and righteousness from impurity, unrighteousness. I think it really shows how diametrically opposed sin and righteousness are and that if we ask the question “How much can I sin?” you’re asking the wrong question.
For in Christ all of our sins have been forgiven, we have been “buried therefore with him by baptism into death” (6:4). Before knowing Christ the Holy Spirit leads us to conviction about many things. Just as the proceeding chapters of Romans strive to convince us of our sinfulness so the Holy Spirit gives us eyes to our disobedience, impurity, and sinfulness before we can fully experience what Paul describes in chapter 5:
“More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (5:11)
And:
“…we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (5:1)
Amazing! Peace with God! The thing we all want. In Chicago this summer when talking to people about their hopes of an after life nearly all of them said “peace” or something like it. We long for it and we seek it everywhere, in money, fame, relationships, when really what we need is to know god. Just as a baby is most peaceful in their father’s arms so we need that rest in our Heavenly Father’s arms. We long for Him to hold us, kiss us, and to delight in us and love us, us loving and delighting in Him back.
And yet we bumble about not sure what we need. Paul writes “death reigned from Adam…” (Romans 5:14). It’s ruling over us, confusing us, distorting truth and it leads us to deny God:
“Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” (Romans 1:24-25)
I imagine people live their lives stumbling about frantically, filling their lives with crap and things that don’t satisfy – blind to the fat that the reason they are not at peace is because they’re supposed to be their Father’s children, but they’re not! Children are extremely distraught when they are without their parents, and in this way we are all orphans, wandering about, committing more and more evil trying to find happiness in it. But all things done without God don’t satisfy because you’re doing them without God. Good things can lose their meaning – marriage, relaxing, etc. I see an orphan playing with a toy their parent gave them and expecting the toy to fill the role of Father.
To continue with this metaphor our problem of being an orphan isn’t because God died and left us alone, but we died!
“…sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5:12)
In this rebellion Adam – and every man and woman since him – has ran away from their Father, doing things He hates! And yet we stumble about, drunk, deaf, and blind, headed to the grave because of our sin – mourning for happiness, moaning for it. For joy, for completeness.
Before I was a Christian I stumbled this way, gasping for air, drunk, I don’t know how else to describe the picture in my mind, but I was trying to find joy but couldn’t because the one person I needed the most I had mad into an enemy. I had fallen short of the glory of God, and consequently I could not know Him, nor be complete. The Psalms talk about being headed to the grave.
But thanks be to God in Christ!
“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” (5:8-9)
So, we rebel and God’s righteous wrath falls on us, we are condemned, and in our disobedience God gives us up to our passions and lets us get more and more confused (Romans 1:24-27). And yet God is so good that He seeks to reconcile Himself to us by His Son.
“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (5:10)
I love the ministry of the Holy Spirit, because He comes in to convince us of this truth. He comes in to attest this reality – that Christ did not die in vain, but rather in our place, and in his resurrection we too may rise. Because if God has handed us over to our passions, it’s going to take the truth the Holy Spirit speaks to pull us out of our sinful state. We are deaf and need ears, we are blind and need sight, we tell ourselves we are good but need the truth that we are not. I know that John the Baptizer is the one spoken of in Isaiah about “a voice crying in the wilderness” but I think that’s the Holy Spirit too. We live in a lonely, barren wilderness and the Holy Spirit I picture as this voice calling in the emptiness of our lives to see our sin so that we might fal down at the cross of Christ and repent.
Paul talks of a “complete joy” and this is it: to be with the Father, our God, to Love Jesus, to seek Him, and to listen to the Spirit. To be with them brightens anything, makes everything worthwhile and everything meaningful.
“…we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (5:11)
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