Psalm 9 (TNIV) -
1 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.
3 My enemies turn back;
they stumble and perish before you.
4 For you have upheld my right and my cause,
sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.
5 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
6 Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies,
you have uprooted their cities;
even the memory of them has perished.
7 The Lord reigns forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.
8 He rules the world in righteousness
and judges the peoples with equity.
9 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
11 Sing the praises of the Lord, enthroned in Zion;
proclaim among the nations what he has done.
12 For he who avenges blood remembers;
he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.
13 Lord, see how my enemies persecute me!
Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,
14 that I may declare your praises
in the gates of Daughter Zion,
and there rejoice in your salvation.
15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug;
their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
16 The Lord is known by his acts of justice;
the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.
17 The wicked go down to the realm of the dead,
all the nations that forget God.
18 But God will never forget the needy;
the hope of the afflicted will never perish.
19 Arise, Lord, do not let mortals triumph;
let the nations be judged in your presence.
20 Strike them with terror, Lord;
let the nations know they are only mortals.
My thoughts -
We sing an arrangement of the first two verses of this Psalm in my church. It amazes me that David wrote this Psalm roughly 3000 years ago and, 3000 years later we're still singing it.
But what I really love about this is that David isn't just singing some ambiguous praise to some kind of a vague notion of something greater than himself. There's some serious theology going on here. Within the context of David's worship he is describing God and thanking God for what God has done and is doing and begging God to more. He even mentions God's concern for the needy and for justice.
Will we, in our worship this morning, articulate what we believe about God? Will we describe the acts of God, and declare God's good deeds in our lives? Will we tell of God's wonders? Will we praise God for God's concern for the poor, for the needy, for the oppressed, and for justice?
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Proverbs and caring for the poor
A friend of mine once told me that he didn't care for Proverbs because he has seen it used to oppress the poor and to blame them for their own problems. Maybe I'm just this crazy, idealistic hippie who sees God's mandate to us to care for the needy in everything I read in the Bible, but my own reading has been quite the opposite. Here are some examples:
Proverbs 13:23 - "An unplowed field produces food for the poor, but injustice sweeps it away."
Proverbs 14:31 - "Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God."
Proverbs 17:5 - "Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished."
Proverbs 19:17 - "Those who are kind to the poor lend to the Lord,
and he will reward them for what they have done."
Proverbs 21:13 - "Those who shut their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered."
Proverbs 22:9 - "The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor."
Proverbs 22:16 - "Those who oppress the poor to increase their wealth and those who give gifts to the rich—both come to poverty."
Proverbs 22:22-23 - "Do not exploit the poor because they are poor
and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will take up their case
and will exact life for life."
Proverbs 28:3 - "A ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops."
Proverbs 28:6 - "Better the poor whose walk is blameless than the rich whose ways are perverse."
Proverbs 28:11 - "The rich are wise in their own eyes; one who is poor and discerning sees how deluded they are."
Proverbs 28:27 - "Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses."
Proverbs 29:7 - "The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern."
Proverbs 31:9 - "Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."
If we don't thing God desires for us to care for the needs of others, especially those with less than us, then we are broken. Our theology is broken. We are worthless. But we don't believe that. We do believe that God not only cares for the needy but desires for us to do so not just on an emotional level but physically, as well.
So what are we going to do about that?
Proverbs 13:23 - "An unplowed field produces food for the poor, but injustice sweeps it away."
Proverbs 14:31 - "Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God."
Proverbs 17:5 - "Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished."
Proverbs 19:17 - "Those who are kind to the poor lend to the Lord,
and he will reward them for what they have done."
Proverbs 21:13 - "Those who shut their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered."
Proverbs 22:9 - "The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor."
Proverbs 22:16 - "Those who oppress the poor to increase their wealth and those who give gifts to the rich—both come to poverty."
Proverbs 22:22-23 - "Do not exploit the poor because they are poor
and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will take up their case
and will exact life for life."
Proverbs 28:3 - "A ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops."
Proverbs 28:6 - "Better the poor whose walk is blameless than the rich whose ways are perverse."
Proverbs 28:11 - "The rich are wise in their own eyes; one who is poor and discerning sees how deluded they are."
Proverbs 28:27 - "Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses."
Proverbs 29:7 - "The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern."
Proverbs 31:9 - "Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."
If we don't thing God desires for us to care for the needs of others, especially those with less than us, then we are broken. Our theology is broken. We are worthless. But we don't believe that. We do believe that God not only cares for the needy but desires for us to do so not just on an emotional level but physically, as well.
So what are we going to do about that?
Friday, November 5, 2010
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Romans 8:28-39 (TNIV) -
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.34 Who then can condemn? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
My thoughts -
Paul said in Chapter 5 that Jesus died, not for the righteous but for the ungodly. While we were God's enemies God became human in the form of Jesus and dies as a sacrifice to reconcile us, God's enemies, to God. If we, when we were God's enemies, were reconciled to God through Jesus, what can separate us from God's love? Is there anything that we can do to separate ourselves from God? If so, why would Jesus have been sacrificed to reconcile God's enemies to God?
Is there anything that anyone else can do? Look at what Paul says in verse 35: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" That's a bad list, and yet he responds that no, these are powerless.
But my favorite is what Paul says in verse 38 and 39. Read this and be encouraged:
There is nothing in this world that can separate us from God's love for us through Jesus. There is nothing NOT in this world that can separate us from God's love for us through Jesus. Nothing. Not death, not life. Not angels, not demons. Not present, not future. Not any powers. Not height, not depth. Nothing in creation can separate from God's love for us in Jesus. Not sin, not our past. Nothing we've done or can do, nor anyone else for that matter. NOTHING.
We were God's enemies. We were slaves to our sinful natures. This may not even have been a problem for us, but it was for God. God wanted to reconcile with us, God's enemies (I can't stress that word, "enemies" enough) so badly that God did what I still consider insane, God became one of us, a human, in the form of Jesus. Not only did God do that, but God DIED FOR US.
Think about that. God, the giver of all life, died. That's CRAZY. If God would do that for God's own enemies how can we NOT be reconciled to God through this? How can we undo what God has done in Jesus? How could anyone? How could anything?
Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.34 Who then can condemn? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
My thoughts -
Paul said in Chapter 5 that Jesus died, not for the righteous but for the ungodly. While we were God's enemies God became human in the form of Jesus and dies as a sacrifice to reconcile us, God's enemies, to God. If we, when we were God's enemies, were reconciled to God through Jesus, what can separate us from God's love? Is there anything that we can do to separate ourselves from God? If so, why would Jesus have been sacrificed to reconcile God's enemies to God?
Is there anything that anyone else can do? Look at what Paul says in verse 35: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" That's a bad list, and yet he responds that no, these are powerless.
But my favorite is what Paul says in verse 38 and 39. Read this and be encouraged:
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
There is nothing in this world that can separate us from God's love for us through Jesus. There is nothing NOT in this world that can separate us from God's love for us through Jesus. Nothing. Not death, not life. Not angels, not demons. Not present, not future. Not any powers. Not height, not depth. Nothing in creation can separate from God's love for us in Jesus. Not sin, not our past. Nothing we've done or can do, nor anyone else for that matter. NOTHING.
We were God's enemies. We were slaves to our sinful natures. This may not even have been a problem for us, but it was for God. God wanted to reconcile with us, God's enemies (I can't stress that word, "enemies" enough) so badly that God did what I still consider insane, God became one of us, a human, in the form of Jesus. Not only did God do that, but God DIED FOR US.
Think about that. God, the giver of all life, died. That's CRAZY. If God would do that for God's own enemies how can we NOT be reconciled to God through this? How can we undo what God has done in Jesus? How could anyone? How could anything?
Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
The Spirit gives life
Romans 8:5-11 (TNIV) -
5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.6 The mind controlled by the sinful nature is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.7 The sinful mind is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.
8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not controlled by the sinful nature but are in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.
11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
My thoughts -
Are we controlled by our sinful natures? Are we "only human", with all of our faults and frailties destined to be stuck in our cycle of sin, forgiveness, sin again? Do we HAVE to do what we want not to do and have to NOT do what we want to do? In Romans 7:15 Paul describes this process in a way I identify with all too well: "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." This is sin. I feel powerless to do what I know I ought to, and yet what I know I shouldn't comes far too easily. But does it HAVE to be this way? Is that just human nature and unavoidable? Is there no hope for me; for us?
Maybe I keep harping on this because I'm trying to get it through my thick head but Jesus didn't die for us for AFTER we're dead. Grace isn't our your-sins-are-forgiven-now-you-get-out-of-hell-free card. Grace frees us from sin. Grace breaks this cycle of sin. Grace doesn't just forgive us, but EMPOWERS us. It doesn't free us from past sins, but from present and future ones, as well. WE DON'T HAVE TO SIN. I can't say that enough.
Sure, maybe demanding perfection seems like it's too much. And expecting perfection is a way too be let down. But what about EMPOWERING perfection? Can we wrap our heads around that concept? Can we accept that Grace EMPOWERS us to no longer sin? That we CAN do that which we know God desires from us? That we can STOP doing that which we know is KILLING us?
Do we have hope for this life or just for the next? I need hope now. I need to be better now. I can't keep living like I've been living and I need to KNOW that's possible. I know everything I've done. I am acutely aware of all of my failings, even if I mask them well. I know what keeps me up at night. I don't want to live with it anymore. Jesus died to take it from me. All that I have done, all that I have failed to do, all of my shortcomings. Jesus died to take them from me and to let me live and love in the way that God has intended me to.
So now I have life. And now I GET to love. And now I GET to share that love with others. I don't follow God because I HAVE to, I GET to. I am EMPOWERED to. It's better here, living the way that your Designer?Creator/Sustainer intended. I have new life. More than that, I have LIFE.
What really brings this all home to me is verse 11: "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you." This life is not for your soul. This life is not an afterlife. This isn't a get-out-of-hell thing. The Spirit gives life to your MORTAL bodies.
Grace that doesn't help us here is no grace at all. Jesus can help us here, right now, to break out of the cycle of sin that brings us this living death, and to help us to live in the way that God intended for us to live. Right here and right now. That this ABUNDANT life is ETERNAL as well is just icing on the cake. Who would want to live forever trapped in this cycle of sin?
5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.6 The mind controlled by the sinful nature is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.7 The sinful mind is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.
8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not controlled by the sinful nature but are in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.
11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
My thoughts -
Are we controlled by our sinful natures? Are we "only human", with all of our faults and frailties destined to be stuck in our cycle of sin, forgiveness, sin again? Do we HAVE to do what we want not to do and have to NOT do what we want to do? In Romans 7:15 Paul describes this process in a way I identify with all too well: "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." This is sin. I feel powerless to do what I know I ought to, and yet what I know I shouldn't comes far too easily. But does it HAVE to be this way? Is that just human nature and unavoidable? Is there no hope for me; for us?
Maybe I keep harping on this because I'm trying to get it through my thick head but Jesus didn't die for us for AFTER we're dead. Grace isn't our your-sins-are-forgiven-now-you-get-out-of-hell-free card. Grace frees us from sin. Grace breaks this cycle of sin. Grace doesn't just forgive us, but EMPOWERS us. It doesn't free us from past sins, but from present and future ones, as well. WE DON'T HAVE TO SIN. I can't say that enough.
Sure, maybe demanding perfection seems like it's too much. And expecting perfection is a way too be let down. But what about EMPOWERING perfection? Can we wrap our heads around that concept? Can we accept that Grace EMPOWERS us to no longer sin? That we CAN do that which we know God desires from us? That we can STOP doing that which we know is KILLING us?
Do we have hope for this life or just for the next? I need hope now. I need to be better now. I can't keep living like I've been living and I need to KNOW that's possible. I know everything I've done. I am acutely aware of all of my failings, even if I mask them well. I know what keeps me up at night. I don't want to live with it anymore. Jesus died to take it from me. All that I have done, all that I have failed to do, all of my shortcomings. Jesus died to take them from me and to let me live and love in the way that God has intended me to.
So now I have life. And now I GET to love. And now I GET to share that love with others. I don't follow God because I HAVE to, I GET to. I am EMPOWERED to. It's better here, living the way that your Designer?Creator/Sustainer intended. I have new life. More than that, I have LIFE.
What really brings this all home to me is verse 11: "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you." This life is not for your soul. This life is not an afterlife. This isn't a get-out-of-hell thing. The Spirit gives life to your MORTAL bodies.
Grace that doesn't help us here is no grace at all. Jesus can help us here, right now, to break out of the cycle of sin that brings us this living death, and to help us to live in the way that God intended for us to live. Right here and right now. That this ABUNDANT life is ETERNAL as well is just icing on the cake. Who would want to live forever trapped in this cycle of sin?
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
You are not under the law, but under grace
Romans 6:1-18 (TNIV) -
1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 If we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—
7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.
10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.
14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
My thoughts -
What does it mean to not be under the law but under grace? The way I think of it is this: The law is predominantly what you should not do. There are rules, and you should not break them. When you do break them you need to be forgiven. Repeat this cycle for your entire life. Do something. Break the law. Repent. Repeat.
Now, Jesus summed the law up in Matthew 22 as "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." and "Love your neighbor as yourself." Grace enables us to do that. Grace empowers us to do that. If what we do shows our love for God and our love for our neighbor then it isn't sin. Instead of focusing on what not to do and our obligation not to do it and our punishment when we fail Jesus breaks this cycle and demands that we love. Not be legalistic, just love.
So we are dead to sin. It's not that we can't do bad things, or that we shouldn't do them (though we shouldn't). It's that grace has empowered us to live a better way. We are dead to that old way and alive in Christ.
1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 If we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—
7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.
10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.
14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
My thoughts -
What does it mean to not be under the law but under grace? The way I think of it is this: The law is predominantly what you should not do. There are rules, and you should not break them. When you do break them you need to be forgiven. Repeat this cycle for your entire life. Do something. Break the law. Repent. Repeat.
Now, Jesus summed the law up in Matthew 22 as "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." and "Love your neighbor as yourself." Grace enables us to do that. Grace empowers us to do that. If what we do shows our love for God and our love for our neighbor then it isn't sin. Instead of focusing on what not to do and our obligation not to do it and our punishment when we fail Jesus breaks this cycle and demands that we love. Not be legalistic, just love.
So we are dead to sin. It's not that we can't do bad things, or that we shouldn't do them (though we shouldn't). It's that grace has empowered us to live a better way. We are dead to that old way and alive in Christ.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
The gift of righteousness
Romans 5:17-21 (TNIV) -
17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all.
19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,
21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
My thoughts -
Sometimes I wonder how critically we engage what we believe. I know, at least for me, when I think of grace I think of it as forgiveness. We get stuck in this model of sin and forgiveness that is depends on Jesus's sacrifice to cover our sins over and over and over again. We sin. Jesus was crucified for it. Our sin is forgive. Lather, rinse, repeat. Grace covers our sins so that when we die we get to go to heaven. We're forgiven.
My how we can cheapen grace! Paul is talking here about grace and yet he is also talking about righteousness. Death is in the past tense. Life is in the present and in the future. Grace isn't for the forgiveness of sins for AFTER our death so we get to avoid hell. Grace is for living. Grace is for empowering us to move from death into life. Grace enables us to receive this gift of righteousness.
Look at what Paul says in verse 17. He doesn't say we receive this gift when we die. He doesn't say we are made righteous at the moment of death to be able to enter heaven. He says we receive the gift of righteousness IN LIFE. In this life. Right here. This is what grace is for. It is not a "get out of hell free card" but a power for transformation to move us from death into life; from sin into righteousness.
It's not that in order to receive grace we have to stop sinning. Remember from yesterday: Christ died for us while we were sinners. Christ died for the ungodly. But, in so doing, he has given us Grace that enables us to stop sinning. We don't HAVE to be perfect to receive this gift. We GET to be righteous and this gift enables that. We no longer have to be held captive to sin in this life. We no longer have to be stuck in the pattern of sin and death. We can choose life. We can chose righteousness. Grace empowers us to be made righteous.
Are we being made righteous?
17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all.
19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,
21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
My thoughts -
Sometimes I wonder how critically we engage what we believe. I know, at least for me, when I think of grace I think of it as forgiveness. We get stuck in this model of sin and forgiveness that is depends on Jesus's sacrifice to cover our sins over and over and over again. We sin. Jesus was crucified for it. Our sin is forgive. Lather, rinse, repeat. Grace covers our sins so that when we die we get to go to heaven. We're forgiven.
My how we can cheapen grace! Paul is talking here about grace and yet he is also talking about righteousness. Death is in the past tense. Life is in the present and in the future. Grace isn't for the forgiveness of sins for AFTER our death so we get to avoid hell. Grace is for living. Grace is for empowering us to move from death into life. Grace enables us to receive this gift of righteousness.
Look at what Paul says in verse 17. He doesn't say we receive this gift when we die. He doesn't say we are made righteous at the moment of death to be able to enter heaven. He says we receive the gift of righteousness IN LIFE. In this life. Right here. This is what grace is for. It is not a "get out of hell free card" but a power for transformation to move us from death into life; from sin into righteousness.
It's not that in order to receive grace we have to stop sinning. Remember from yesterday: Christ died for us while we were sinners. Christ died for the ungodly. But, in so doing, he has given us Grace that enables us to stop sinning. We don't HAVE to be perfect to receive this gift. We GET to be righteous and this gift enables that. We no longer have to be held captive to sin in this life. We no longer have to be stuck in the pattern of sin and death. We can choose life. We can chose righteousness. Grace empowers us to be made righteous.
Are we being made righteous?
Monday, November 1, 2010
Scandalous love
Romans 5:1-10 (TNIV) -
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
My thoughts -
Sometimes I think we're so accustomed to our own beliefs that we forget the scandal of them; we forget how ridiculous they are. We use the word Jesus and it means something to us. We use the word Savior and it means something to us. We use the words Lamb of God and it means something to us. We're so used to what those words mean to us that we forget, I think, how ridiculous that meaning is. In this section Paul comes right out and spells out their absurdity.
Look at verse 6: "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly."
Now, what does "Christ" mean to us? This is God incarnate. We say "Son of God" and this is true, but this "son" is God itself. It's tough to wrap my mind around the concept but that's what we believe. Jesus was God, the Creator, the Sustainer, Being itself, I Am, in human form. And not only did God lower itself to become like us, a human being, but God in human form died for us. Not only did God die for us, but God did so at a time when we were unworthy of this sacrifice from ANYONE, let alone GOD.
We were unworthy of this sacrifice. It was a gift. It was a way, THE way, to be reconciled to God. We were enemies and now are no longer so not because of anything we did or could do but because God sent Jesus, God's own son and not only that but God itself, to die in our place. There is no boasting for us that can be found here. There's nothing we can do to earn it. There's no "entrance exam" to come into God's love. Christ wasn't sent for just us. Jesus was the sacrifice to atone for all of our sins. All of humanity has available to it the grace of God through Jesus Christ. Jesus is not ours to be held on to, hoarded, and lorded over the other sinners. Grace is not ours to keep for ourselves but to share freely with all of God's children.
What does Paul say again in verse 6? I think we need to meditate on this for a while. He doesn't say Christ died for Christians. He doesn't say Christ died for the righteous. He doesn't say Christ died for those Christ foreknew would "receive" that gift and repent. He says "Christ died for the ungodly."
That is the scandal that we believe. That is God's scandalous love not for us but for EVERYBODY. Christ, God in human form, the Creator and Sustainer of all things, died for the ungodly. We didn't deserve it. We can't earn it. And there's no way we can keep it to ourselves.
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
My thoughts -
Sometimes I think we're so accustomed to our own beliefs that we forget the scandal of them; we forget how ridiculous they are. We use the word Jesus and it means something to us. We use the word Savior and it means something to us. We use the words Lamb of God and it means something to us. We're so used to what those words mean to us that we forget, I think, how ridiculous that meaning is. In this section Paul comes right out and spells out their absurdity.
Look at verse 6: "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly."
Now, what does "Christ" mean to us? This is God incarnate. We say "Son of God" and this is true, but this "son" is God itself. It's tough to wrap my mind around the concept but that's what we believe. Jesus was God, the Creator, the Sustainer, Being itself, I Am, in human form. And not only did God lower itself to become like us, a human being, but God in human form died for us. Not only did God die for us, but God did so at a time when we were unworthy of this sacrifice from ANYONE, let alone GOD.
We were unworthy of this sacrifice. It was a gift. It was a way, THE way, to be reconciled to God. We were enemies and now are no longer so not because of anything we did or could do but because God sent Jesus, God's own son and not only that but God itself, to die in our place. There is no boasting for us that can be found here. There's nothing we can do to earn it. There's no "entrance exam" to come into God's love. Christ wasn't sent for just us. Jesus was the sacrifice to atone for all of our sins. All of humanity has available to it the grace of God through Jesus Christ. Jesus is not ours to be held on to, hoarded, and lorded over the other sinners. Grace is not ours to keep for ourselves but to share freely with all of God's children.
What does Paul say again in verse 6? I think we need to meditate on this for a while. He doesn't say Christ died for Christians. He doesn't say Christ died for the righteous. He doesn't say Christ died for those Christ foreknew would "receive" that gift and repent. He says "Christ died for the ungodly."
That is the scandal that we believe. That is God's scandalous love not for us but for EVERYBODY. Christ, God in human form, the Creator and Sustainer of all things, died for the ungodly. We didn't deserve it. We can't earn it. And there's no way we can keep it to ourselves.
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