grantataberfoyle

Let mercy reign (Rom. 12)

Paul is greatly moved when he finishes taking about God’s mercy. And so should we all be! Jesus has shown us how God goes about being kind to those who hate him. And this has introduced a whole new era.

So now, we all need a new life-style to match, and Paul pleads with us to have a life where God’s mercy shapes how we think, what we do and what we trust (12:1-2).

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the world—or, literally, ‘the age’ we live in is very confining. We are expected to behave and believe and approve as others do—or be excluded. It’s God who sets us free from these constrictions and enlarges our horizons.

The ‘age’ to which Paul refers is not a particular decade but all the time between the coming of Jesus and his coming again. In other words, now.

So, our thinking needs to change. God, the Lord of the universe, is being merciful—to me! I don’t need to hang onto my guilts or resentments or selfish ambitions. I’m free to live in the flow of God’s largesse. Has this really broken into our thinking?

Paul is now able to develop something he said earlier. We used to be slaves to our sins, but have now been entrusted to a new and powerful gospel. This will change the way we look at things, and our living.[i] This may sound risky, but it’s liberating. We will be giving to others what God is giving to us.

And the sacrifice this will involve will not be to placate an angry God—or an angry world for that matter. And we won’t need to ‘kill ourselves’ doing it. We offer ourselves as a ‘living sacrifice’, simply giving our lives over to Christ’s new regime—mercy. Well then, how should we live?

It’s interesting to see where Paul begins—with egotism (12:3-8).

We’ve all got things we can do, and especially so when we’ve been set free. God gives us gifts—a range of capabilities to help us help each other. But if we forget mercy, these things can make us proud.

Rather, we need to forget about being great and to check how closely our works reflect what we are believing—our ‘measure of faith’. And we need to forget about how much control it enables us to have and to think about how much it helps the whole group to be strong and useful.

And then, Paul gives us a lovely list of alerts—or commands. These may well stop us in our tracks when we realise we are living according to our old way of life, and that we need a new line of action, or a new habit (12:9-13).

Loving is a good place to start.

Paul is not talking about love defined by the present age—often little more than giving people what they want. I call this ‘lazy love’. It’s harder to discern what a person really needs and to look out for ways to give them that. We need to reflect God’s loving, which, as we have seen, can sometimes be kindness, and sometimes severity.[ii] Whatever, it needs to be genuine.

And, given that we are now part of God’s new age, our sense of good and evil also needs to change.

The world shapes our moral compass by its culture and ideology. But now, our affections and conscience must be reformed by seeing what evil does to Jesus, and by the goodness with which he responds.

We look at the things that kill Christ. They are the things to hate and to run from. And we look at the way Jesus responds. Here is the power that will reign in the age to come, and the power that will begin to change this present world. These are the things to love.

Paul’s check list continues with eagerness, joy, patience, prayer and generosity. If I mention the opposites of these, we may see how much we need a constant flow of God’s mercy!

For example, are we dull in our affections, morbid with our problems, anxious about the number of things that should be done or threats to our safety, or afraid of meeting people with great needs?

It’s time to get our minds full, again and again, of God’s great mercy—to us. He is full of affection. He rejoices over us with singing.[iii] He is slow to get angry. He has not spared his own Son; will he not then freely give us all needful things?[iv]

We need to do what Mary did when she was told she would be the mother of the Son of God—‘Let it be to me according to your word’.[v] When she prayed this prayer, the Holy Spirit caused a new life to be formed in her womb. In another sense, we can ask for Christ to be formed in us[vi]. And God will see to it that we are transformed—transformed by his mercy.

And what about living in a world that doesn’t appreciate ‘where we are coming from’ (12:14-21)?

This is a very helpful list to have because most of us spend our time among people who don’t know God—and don’t want to.

We can show what our God is like by our good will for nasty people, sympathy with everyone, friendship with people without our privileges, respect for the opinions of others and kindness for people who hate us. How come? God is being good to us! And God wants to show his goodness to others. We’re just imitating our Saviour! And we’re leaving him to deal with what is not given to us to fix.

We are called to overcome evil with good, like Jesus did the day he died for our sins. It won’t look like it’s working—not yet. But it will.

[i] Rom. 6:17

[ii] Rom. 11:22

[iii] Zeph. 3:17

[iv] Rom. 8:32

[v] Luke 1:38

[vi] Gal. 4:19

[i] Rom. 6:17

[ii] Rom. 11:22

[iii] Zeph. 3:17

[iv] Rom. 8:32

[v] Luke 1:38

[vi] Gal. 4:19

God’s Promises Never Change (Romans 9-11)

A second edition. I thought this article needed more clarity in a few places. Here is the result.

Paul is writing to the church in Rome and his account of what God has done in Jesus Christ has climaxed in the promise of a glorious future.

This hope is vital for us, so we need to be sure God keeps his promises. And Israel is the ‘working case-history’ of God making promises and keeping them. We need to know their story.

There are many Jewish Christians in Rome, but the nation as a whole has rejected their Messiah. So, do God’s promises continue to have any relevance to the nation?

Paul shows that God still has Israel in mind. More than that—he loves them. There’s more to his promise than their present rejection of him. And if God still reaches out to Israel through Paul more than two decades after they kill his Messiah, is it any different two millennia later?

I had a conversation with a Jewish Rabbi here in Australia some years ago. He asked me what I thought was going on in the Middle East regarding Israel.

I said to him, ‘Anyone who hates Israel is shooting themselves in the foot!’ Understandably, he wanted to know what I meant by this and we spent an hour talking about it.

Clearly, we should love Israel. Paul makes it clear that he does. He describes how God’s promises to them are being fulfilled. And he describes the battle God must wage with them until they realise that they need to depend on his mercy.

So, in these three chapters, Paul talks about mercy.[i] And, in his next section, he talks to us all on the basis of these mercies.[ii]

If we are going to be true Christians, we will need to understand that God’s promises come from who he is. It’s a love story. And like most love stories, it twists and turns and happens in ways no human being could have planned.

And our future, like Israel’s, depends on God’s mercy. If we don’t understand God’s mercy to them—and if we don’t love them, we may have ‘shot ourselves in the foot’.

So, we’ll look at what Paul tells us about Israel—and about us. And then we’ll return to the Rabbi’s question.

First, God has loved Israel and demonstrated it by giving them unique privileges (9:1-5).

God chose them to be his family, he lived among them, bonded himself to them by a covenant with obligations, and he accepted their worship. He made promises to them so they could be sure of their future. And, to them would be given a Messiah who would deliver them, and the world, from all their enemies.

This Messiah, of course, has now arrived—no less than God himself—God the Son.

So, following God’s lead, Paul longs for his fellow Israelites to be saved, and he spares no effort or pain to persuade them that their Messiah has come.

Second, Israel has depended wholly on God choosing them (9:6-13).

Israel needs to understand why they are the people that they are. It’s not Abraham’s older son who receives the promised blessing but the younger one. God does the choosing, not Abraham. And not us either. In fact, our choices turn out not to be good ones. God’s promises apply to those he chooses. If we think we can be anything we choose to be, we will never understand how God works.

Third, God’s choosing and calling Israel are acts of mercy (9:14-29).

God creates Israel by having mercy on them—rescuing them from slavery in Egypt.

We are so accustomed to mechanisms of justice and expecting to be given what we deserve that we may have forgotten what mercy is. It may not be registering in our minds that we actually deserve wrath.

God doesn’t argue with us here. He has no need to prove himself. He knows he is merciful. He knows we have no grounds to insist on our rights with him. Before him, we all stand condemned and speechless.[iii]

Paul has already shown that God is patient with those who proudly reject his Son—patient enough to let him be killed by them. Jesus transforms their sinful act into a sin offering. That’s mercy!

And if God can be merciful to his chosen nation, he can be merciful to Gentiles as well.[iv] Hosea shows that God can create a people from any nation. Belonging to him depends on his mercy—not any rights we may claim.

Fourth (9:30—10:21), the people who belong to God are righteous because they trust God to call them such.

This is why first century Jews trip up over Jesus. They reckon they are already righteous and won’t submit to the mercy being shown to them. A common problem—for Jews and Gentiles!

But Moses, the very person who receives the ten commandments and teaches Israel to keep them, also teaches them that they can’t claw their way up to God by keeping them.[v] In fact, the law will prove that they can’t keep them. They will need to receive their righteousness by faith. The law is the way to respond in love to the one who saves them.[vi]

Most first century Jews don’t recognise this—even though it’s in their Bible. So, when Jesus comes, they don’t recognise him either. But he is what their law is all about. And he will perfectly fulfill it. But Israel won’t receive something God does for them. They don’t want to be justified by faith.

It is this righteousness that Paul is preaching.[vii] The gospel is not an achievement of ours. It’s God giving up his Son for our sin and raising him for our justification. This is what we need to confess. It’s the believer of this who will never be ashamed before God—Jew or Gentile. Those whom God chooses.[viii]

Paul is now preaching God’s way of being righteous. And he quotes Jewish scriptures that predict everything he is doing. He’s going everywhere he can. Jews are getting jealous about the privileges now being enjoyed by Gentile Christians. People who aren’t even seeking God are finding him through the preaching of the gospel. And his own people are still rejecting the grace of their God. All that God has promised is happening!

Fifth, God’s promise to save Israel is right on schedule (11:1-36).

Paul himself is a clear example of God keeping his promises.[ix] God chooses him, has mercy on him, justifies him, and makes him a true member of his people. He’s a true Israelite!

His situation is like it was in Elijah’s day when many people belonged to Israel—formally. But most had no heart for what their nation really was. They didn’t want to live by God’s bounty. So, God made sure they didn’t understand what was really going on.

Is this the end of the story?[x] By no means. God’s love weaves its way through much resistance.

Paul can even see a purpose in Israel rejecting their Messiah. When they refuse to listen to him, he is sent on to Gentiles, and many of them are grafted into Israel’s privileges.

Jealousy works wonders here! The Jews are jealous of other nations receiving favour from God. Paul knows this well.[xi] Before his conversion, he is furious at Gentiles finding peace with God. And all the while, he doesn’t have it himself. Is this why Jesus says to him outside Damascus that it is hard for him to kick against God’s gracious prodding? He’s having a hard time!

As we noted before, love’s path may look like a tangled web but it needs to undo what is false. And it does—with Paul. He is now happy to preach to Jews, and then go to Gentiles. And all the while, he knows God is right on track with his story or mercy.

So, those of us who are Gentiles—in other words, most of us Christians—should be careful! There are no grounds for us to be smug and to think that we are secure because we belong to the right group.

And, here’s the point we must know well. Every one of us believers in Christ are where we are because of God’s kindness—plus nothing! If we forget that, God cuts us out—or shows that we never were a part of his grateful people. And he can graft his ancient people back in—easily. God has promised that he will do just this.[xii]

Here’s the principle. God proves to us all that we are not nice people but rebels. And he has mercy on those he chooses. We’re in his hands—totally. There’s no room for pride anywhere.

And God can be an enemy and a lover of his people at the same time. His loving promise will be fulfilled. For this reason, he fights against the pride of those who think they belong to him so that they will know his mercy.

So, we can trust God. And we can worship him. His promises are irrevocable.[xiii]

Notice that this is not something Paul is deducing from observation. He’s looking at everything that is happening in the light of what God has revealed to Israel.

Sixth, the gospel is all about knowing God.[xiv]

Every attempt that has been made to get the upper hand with God, from the beginning of this letter until now, has been shown to be futile.

On the other hand, everything God has done is powerfully effective, and has fulfilled his promises. We are in safe hands!

We should be in awe of his wisdom, his knowledge, his judgements, his ways. We should not presume that we understand him! Or that we can advise him! Or enrich him!

Mercy is something to receive, not to negotiate. The future is not something to calculate but to anticipate—gratefully. All the glory is due to God.

Returning to the Rabbi’s question, what is happening in Israel at present, and, to Jews wherever they are in the world? Has God’s plan of mercy changed? Rather, what part of the above love story is being worked out at present?

Of the Jews who live in Israel, only some 2% are Christians. In other words, that part of Israel living between the River and the Sea is largely still rejecting their Messiah, and the mercy and the righteousness promised to them. They are not really God’s people—they are cut off. But then—this is a love story. They can be grafted back in.

God waits to have mercy on them. He wrestles with them. He may send them good things. He may be severe. But he loves them. They need to turn to their Messiah. So, with God, we should love them, and pray for them.

And what is true of Israel is his ‘working case history’ for Gentiles to take note of. God is waiting to reveal his mercy!

In the end, we will see that all whom God knows as his chosen people will be saved. God will keep his promise. And we can trust God’s promise to bring about the future he has revealed to us.

[i] Rom. 9:15-18, 23; 11:30-32

[ii] Rom. 12:1

[iii] Rom. 3:19

[iv] Gen. 12:2-3

[v] Deut. 30:2-24

[vi] Exod. 20:2-3

[vii] Rom. 10:9-13

[viii] Acts 2:39

[ix] Rom. 11:1-10

[x] Rom. 11:11-32

[xi] Rom. 7:7-9

[xii] Vv. 26-27, quoting the Greek version of Isa.59:20-21; Isa. 27:9

[xiii] Rom. 11:29

[xiv] Rom. 11:33-36

[i] Rom. 9:15-18, 23; 11:30-32

[ii] Rom. 12:1

[iii] Rom. 3:19

[iv] Gen. 12:2-3

[v] Deut. 30:2-24

[vi] Exod. 20:2-3

[vii] Rom. 10:9-13

[viii] Acts 2:39

[ix] Rom. 11:1-10

[x] Rom. 11:11-32

[xi] Rom. 7:7-9

[xii] Vv. 26-27, quoting the Greek version of Isa.59:20-21; Isa. 27:9

[xiii] Rom. 11:29

[xiv] Rom. 11:33-36

Living with sorrows, expecting glory (Rom. 8:18-39)

We’ve come to a climax in this letter to the Romans. And we’ve needed all that has been said so far to appreciate the strong confidence of this section.

Through the gospel of Christ, we’ve been released from condemnation and are no longer bound by sin. And we’re not dependent on a regime of law, or doomed merely to die.

But what’s all this freedom for? In part, this has been answered already. We’ve been freed to be what we are created to be—beloved and obedient children of God. But there’s more.

God made us in his image and is working to the end that we will share his glory. Nothing less!

This matter of glory hasn’t been prominent in what we’ve learned so far, but it’s been present.

Back in chapter two, Paul says everyone should be spending their lives living well, so as to share in God’s glory, honour and immortality. If we don’t want this, expect this and work towards this, we’re traitors. If we’re not expecting to see God reigning gloriously over all he has made, and, ourselves sharing in that glory, God is ashamed to be called our God.[i]

Rather, as Paul says in chapter 5, we are now rejoicing in hope of sharing God’s glory.[ii] The threat of condemnation and gloom of being compromised are lifted. We are even embracing the difficulties of our lives because they are God’s way to better equip us for this wonderful future.

This is what Paul now takes up. Pain and confusion are a part of our present life. Paul knows this very well, but refuses to give it centre-stage. He says it’s not worth comparing with the new situation God is bringing about.

So, first, the creation is framed in hope (vv. 18-30).

There’s no doubt that the natural world is groaning. God has given it up to futility. Nothing in this world can ever be ultimately meaningful of itself. But God has added a promise so that we can learn to live in hope. It’s the things we do because we trust his promise that are meaningful.

Creation’s groaning is not it’s objecting to the way we abuse it—as some suggest. It grieves because it can’t be the home for us that it was designed to be. And then, it’s moans are like a mother’s giving birth to a child. From God’s point of view, creation knows it will be reborn and share the freedom that’s coming to us. Its pain is not fear of a fate but anticipation of a destiny.

And there is no doubt that we Christians also are groaning.

How can we not? We have been given new life from God. We know we are meant for ‘the freedom of the glory of children of God!’ How come our life is so mundane when anticipation of such a future has been built into us?

This is illustrated wonderfully by a former pastor of mine who said as he battled a serious illness, ‘God didn’t just mean for us to live anyhow, but gloriously!’

The Holy Spirit, living in us, is evidence that he will also renew our tired and tainted bodies. And he will give the strength we need to continue to live by faith and hope and love when our familiar and trusted framework begins to crumble.

But yet, we groan. How can we not? But we’re learning, through our pain, to see things that are unseen—because they are the things that are going to last. And we’re learning to wait. Our troubles are preparing us for a substantial and eternal glory.[iii]

In fact, this precious gift of the Holy Spirit groans too—from within us. More deeply than we can know. It’s what Isaiah tells us: ‘In all their affliction he [God] was afflicted… he lifted them and carried them’.[iv] The Spirit knows the Father’s mind—for our present and our future. And his prayers are answered. When our suffering renders us unable to pray, our communion with the Father remains in full action.

And then, look at the way God has been working with us. He has known us from eternity past—meaning he determined from the beginning to set his love on us. He chose our destiny—to be his sons and daughters. Then, he called us—meaning we heard the gospel and recognised he was speaking to us. And he glorified us—meaning that if God decides to do something, it’s as good as done. Notice, on this agenda of God’s dealing with us, we are four fifths of the way through his list—nearly there!

Given this agenda, can we imagine anything that won’t work in such a way as to be for our benefit? His purpose is nothing less than to make us like his Son—full of powerful grace and love.

And now, love will hold us—the love of God in Christ (vv. 31-39).

We’ve needed all the previous chapters of Romans to be able to hear this truth. Love may seem to be a simple thing, but it’s the deepest thing of all. And we’re talking about the love of God. And, we’re talking about ourselves as people who’ve flirted with many other ways to live than living in the love of God!

We need to meditate on what this means for us.

God has ‘given up’ his Son for us. He does this in the same way that he gives sinners up to their own evil deeds.[v] He doesn’t grant his Son’s wish to be spared this awful cup. He pours out his wrath on his own Son—for us. And we belong to that Son—now raised from the dead. With love like that, God’s not going to give us up!

So, what about all the accusations made against us? That’s the question that must be settled if we’re going to know the love of God. It’s no good relying on feelings here. We need to think.

Where does Jesus Christ fit in all that’s happening to us? He’s died for us. He’s been raised for us. He’s now speaking to the Father for us.

In other words, he not only loved us as he died.[vi] He loves us now.[vii] And this is what is going on between the Father and the Son.[viii] We’re caught up in a Godhead love story. And we are the subject of their conversation!

It’s so important to have this in mind when trouble comes. Our old self-sufficient consciences may have been reckoning that we were the reason for the delights we’d received. And then, when this is reversed, we tip into thinking that we are the reason for that too.

Wrong, both times! We need to be reckoning from what is going on in heaven! The accusations die with a look from our Saviour.[ix] Only this can help us to travel through our trials.

So, people who try to get our attention with their anger can’t win. Pain can’t have the last word. Danger isn’t all there is. We know the love of God to us in Jesus Christ. And he is Lord over all things. And as we continue to walk in faith, hope and love, we are more than conquerors.

[i] Heb. 11:16

[ii] Rom. 5:2

[iii] 2 Cor. 4:17-18

[iv] Isa. 63:9

[v] Rom. 1:24, 26, 28

[vi] Gal. 2:20

[vii] Rev. 1:5

[viii] John 17:22-23

[ix] Luke 22:61. If Peter remembered Jesus saying he would fail, he must also have recalled that Jesus prayed that his faith would not fail. And it didn’t. He finished as ‘more than conqueror’.

We’re alive—because of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:1-17)

We’ve come to the part of Paul’s letter to the Romans where he tells us how ‘new life in the Spirit’[i] actually happens. In other words, this is how to live as a Christian. We belong to Christ because we have received his Spirit.[ii] That’s our new life. And now, we are to continue as we began.[iii]

We need to know what God has done (vv. 1-4), what has happened to us (vv. 5-11), and what we should do (vv. 12-17).

What God has done begins with him not condemning us. There’s no other starting point for us sinners. Those who try to stir us to action by making us feel guilty (what the world is doing all the time) are doing devil’s work, not God’s! And those who punish themselves to generate more effort will probably give up eventually. God has no other way to have people doing his will than by beginning with no condemnation.

What God has done is to send us his Son. He gives him a body like ours—not sinful as our flesh is, but like ours so that he can feel the effects of what sin does. He bears our sin. God condemns our sin, in his flesh. That’s why there’s no more condemnation of us. To ignore this, or work around it, is not only ungrateful and unbelieving. It’s useless.

And then God sends his Spirit—as life itself. He is nothing less than the outpouring of God’s love.[iv] And he hasn’t come as a mood changer. He’s come to be our Helper—as Jesus was to the disciples when he was physically present[v]. He enables us to know God and his salvation. And he also teaches us to love God and his will, and enables us to live in tune with that. We’re under a totally different regime[vi].

In this way, and no other, God has done what his law couldn’t do. Now, we will truly fulfil the righteous requirement of his law.

Our obedience in this life is never complete. But it’s real. And the blood of Christ cleanses all our sins—as they happen[vii]. Condemnation never gets a look in.

God doesn’t rescue us just to toss us back into the mess we made of our lives. And freedom is not choosing our own life style! It’s being liberated from condemnation and doing what we are created to do.

This is a massive claim and we need to know how it works out.

So, we look at what has happened to us.

What God has done means that there are now two kinds of people. There’s Spirit people as described above, and flesh people, meaning everyone ese.

What’s important to flesh people is things that can be seen, controlled and indulged—and certainly not God or his commands. There’s no way they are going to spend their lives pleasing God. But to choose this is to choose death—walking.

What’s important to Spirit people is what the Holy Spirit reveals and does. This way is life and peace—as we have already seen[viii].

Paul is confident that people reading his letter belong to this latter group—people like ourselves. The work of the Spirit in our lives is evident. He is creating new life in us—and all because we are justified—righteous in God’s presence.

We belong to Christ. Christ has come to us and lives in us. And even though we are still sinners (remember chapter seven!), and going to die, the Holy Spirit who is given to every believer, guarantees we will be raised from the dead—like Jesus.

With a life like that, isn’t that what you would set your mind on?

So then, what should we do?

If we’ve understood the gospel as God’s power[ix], and God’s grace[x], and God’s presence and God’s future—not just an ideology, we’ll know that we owe our old life nothing!

Rather, we owe everything to this beloved Holy Spirit. This is short-hand for saying we owe everything to what he has brought to us—God and Jesus and righteousness.

If we now set our minds on this, and if we say ‘No!’ to our miserable former selves, we will have life from God.

Look at it! We’re God’s children! His Holy Spirit doesn’t just rely on the psychology of gratefulness to make us obedient. He forms in us the same cry he formed in Jesus—‘Father!’ And, like him, we want to do our Father’s will. We’re happy to be slaves of Christ but don’t feel or act like slaves. There’s no anxious fear here!

And being part of this family has a future. We’re going to share with Christ in the family inheritance. There’s some suffering to endure—and Paul is going to talk about that in a moment. But if we set our minds on what the Spirit is about, we’ll share in the coming glory with Christ.

Every day, we will need to ask ‘What is important in this moment of my life? Where is my life coming from?’ What will be important when this coming day arrives? And every day, we will need to answer, ‘I’m going to listen to the Holy Spirit’.

[i] Rom. 7:6

[ii] Rom. 8:9

[iii] Gal. 3:3

[iv] Rom. 5:5

[v] John 14:16-17

[vi] This is probably what Paul means by ‘a law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus’.

[vii] 1 John 2:1

[viii] Rom. 5:1-11

[ix] Rom. 1:16

[x] Rom. 5:15

[i] Rom. 7:6

[ii] Rom. 8:9

[iii] Gal. 3:3

[iv] Rom. 5:5

[v] John 14:16-17

[vi] This is probably what Paul means by ‘a law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus’.

[vii] Rom. 5:1-11

[viii] Rom. 1:16

[ix] Rom. 5:15

‘Dead to the law’. What does this mean? (Rom. 7)

We’ve been looking at the new freedoms Christ has won for us in his death and resurrection. He’s saved us from the death we deserve, and we now have eternal life (Romans 5). And he’s saved us from the sin we were mastered by, so that we are no longer burdened with its guilt or control (Romans 6).

But what about being released from God’s law? In the seventh chapter of Romans, this is what Paul now turns to. If we are going to live for God, it’s vital that we are no longer under the power of his law.

What can this mean? It actually sounds wrong.

The answer comes in three parts. This isn’t so much because the subject is complex. It’s because we are!

Knowing what God says about right and wrong does some strange things to us. We can be proud of what we know, or depend on it, even while breaking it—as Paul has said the Jews did.[i] Or, we can resent and react to it, and even blame it—as everyone does if they are not at peace with God.[ii] And then, even when we are reconciled to God and love his law, our behaviour seems to have a will of its own so that we struggle with what God wants of us.

Each of these issues is addressed in this passage.

First, those who depend on the law should understand what Christ has done for them, and to them[iii].

Our obligation to law as a regime[iv] has needed to die—and has died, because we are included in Christ’s dying and rising. Paul’s ‘don’t you know’ highlights our tendency to miss this point.

Paul uses marriage as an illustration. It lasts as long as both parties are alive. But not after that. So, Paul argues, if we have died—with Christ—our earlier ‘marriage’ to law is finished. We can’t have Christ and still be ‘married’ to law.

Jews should have understood this—not just the illustration of marriage but what it refers to. Jesus comes among them and shows that they have not been keeping the law they are so fond of. And he is establishing a new regime. But they don’t understand this—or won’t. And they murder Jesus for standing between them and their law.

But it’s not just Jews who have this problem. All of us can elevate our culture and practices—even our Christian culture and practices—to an absolute. We become legalists who judge everything and everyone by our standard. We’re starting with what comes from God—his law—but actually living by what comes from us—our ‘flesh’.[v]

We need to see that Christ has died for our sins. Yes! But we also need to see that he has died to release us from ourselves and our proud notion that we may be able to please God by fulfilling some code of behaviour.

The tragedy of being under the law in this way is not just that it bypasses Christ’s work on the cross, but that it doesn’t yield any fruit for God. It’s sterile. It arouses our flesh, not subdues it.[vi] It imprisons us. And it ends in death, not life. In plain terms, we’re either going to accept we are dead to law because we’re trusting Christ, or, accept the death penalty ourselves!

We need to look again at what Jesus has done on the cross—to release us from this bondage! And need to see that the Spirit now conveys to us all the liberty and joy that will fulfil the law!

Second, those who blame the law, or dismiss it, don’t yet understand themselves.

Can we blame the law for our problems? Imagine arguing that God gets it wrong when he announces his requirements from Mount Sinai! It’s certainly the mindset of our present world—restrictions cause reaction, so don’t make any restrictions!

But, of course, we all have problems with law. Our problem is that we don’t get to write it! Or change it! Or avoid it! We want to be in charge.

But God’s law defines what sin is, and what righteousness is. And especially, as Paul says here, it includes not only what we are to do but what we want—‘you shall not covet what is your neighbour’s’. To covet is simply to long for all the other things prohibited by the other commands.

The law is not bad because it condemns us. It awakens us to what we really are. We all tend to think what we do is good—until forced to admit our faults. And law does this work. It reveals the worst in us.

This is personal, and, for the first time since the start of the letter, Paul refers to himself. This business of law is not an academic matter.

Does Paul have a particular crisis in mind? Of course, we don’t know. But we know that Paul feels this point personally. He’s speaking about the past, when he isn’t a Christian.

He wants the law to approve him—like the rich young ruler who comes to Jesus[vii]. But God says, ‘Don’t covet’. A law like this can’t approve him. It condemns him. Is this the crisis that Jesus refers to when he says to Saul of Tarsus outside Damascus, ‘It is hard for you…’ (Acts).

But God’s law is not the problem. It’s holy, righteous and good. Rather, the problem is our sin—sin so deep that it ends in death. This is what we need to see—that sin really is sinful. It is ‘sinful beyond measure’. When we do wrong, God is offended.

It’s hard to convey how necessary this point is. We are inclined to think well of ourselves, even while confessing our sins. And the sadness of this is, not just that we can’t see who we truly are, but that we don’t know how much we need Jesus.

Third, those who love the law will always be in a battle.

Paul speaks to us personally again, but now, in the present tense. He speaks to us as one Christian to another.

And this is how we can now think about the law. It’s ‘spiritual’—suggesting that it’s from God, that we can’t get our hands on it and that it does what God wants it to do. It’s good. And, with all our heart, it’s what we want to do.[viii]

But where has this understanding and this desire come from? It’s the new heart God has given us, as he told Jeremiah[ix]. It’s the new covenant that Jesus enacted by the spilling of his blood.[x] The law has been written on our hearts—not just on stone tablets.[xi] We know God. And love him. And in loving him, we want to do his will.

A law that’s above us—as something to reach, kills us[xii]. On the other hand, a law that’s written on our hearts and a Spirit that’s given to dwell in us produces fruit. And this fruit breaks no law.[xiii]

But then, how shall we understand our wrong desires and lapses? These suggest we are ‘sold under sin’ (v. 14), that, in fact we are still slaves and not free at all (v. 23). It makes us feel wretched (v. 24).

Notice how Paul uses ‘I’ in this passage. He says ‘I’ do what ‘I’ don’t want to do. Is he a hopelessly divided personality? Far from it. There is an ‘I’ in Christ, but also, an ‘I’ described as flesh constantly asserting itself. But he, and we, are always one person. The difference is a difference of relation—we know and respond to God, but we also know and respond to the world that has rejected God.

It’s the actions of this latter ‘I’ that are troubling. Sin is close (v. 21) but it’s not our ‘inner being’ (v. 22).

Paul feels this so strongly that he says it is not ‘I’ who do the wrong. It’s sin in me. He’s learned that the ‘I’ who is in Christ is secure. He can look on wrong done as something apart from his real person. His identity is secure. His behavior is the problem.

Anyone who thinks they have conquered their propensity to sin is deceiving themselves. On the other hand, everyone who trusts in Christ has a security more powerful than the greatest of failures. We will endure. And we will be ‘delivered from this body of death’.

This subject continues when we come to look at the next chapter. But we’ve come to some conclusions. First, God’s dos and don’ts are good. We can be thankful for them. And second, we are not good, and we need to run to Christ. And third, we can’t fudge our way through life by pretending we are innocent and harmless. We have to struggle.

[i] Rom 2:23

[ii] Rom. 7:5

[iii] Vv. 1-6

[iv] A governance that can approve or condemn us.

[v] Gal. 3:3-14

[vi] As in 2:17-24

[vii] Mark 10:17-20

[viii] Some think this section describes a pre-Christian experience, but the affirmations about the law suggest that this is a person who loves God and is part of his new covenant.

[ix] Jer. 31:31-34

[x] Luke 22:20

[xi] 2 Cor. 3:6-8

[xii] Cf. Deut. 30:11-14

[xiii] Gal. 5:22-23

God’s Happy Slaves (Romans 6:15-24)

We’re discovering what it means to live in the amazingly generous life that God provides for us in his Son. For some, this raises questions. In particular, how seriously does a Christian need to regard sin in his or her life?[i]

In the previous section, Paul showed us that God has placed us wholly in Christ and in what he has accomplished[ii]. And he does this so we are able to live an entirely new life, and so our sinful propensities may be disabled.[iii]

And now, Paul asks the question again. ‘Are we free to sin?’

He has just said we’re not ruled by law. God’s law is no longer in a position to condemn us. Does this mean we can sin without consequences? If there’s no road rules, can we just do whatever we like?

As with the first question, Paul responds with some horror. ‘May this never be!’ Such a thought would cancel belief in a good God, or human responsibility or a moral universe. Unfortunately, much of the world embraces these ideas. And the results are clear. Total chaos.

Rather, we are shown what it means to be under the control of grace! This is what Paul knows personally, and he’s seen it work out in the lives of many new believers.

And every converted person knows it too. ‘Don’t you know…’ Paul says. Sin had enslaved us. Now, righteousness—that is, justification—rules us. We have a new master.

Is this the truth we know? Not just forgiveness—a life wiped clean of every impurity, but righteousness—God’s final judgement revealed in advance. If we understand this, we can’t live without it. We are ‘slaves’ to this new identity.

Paul knows that slavery isn’t really what Christian faith is like, but it’s like it in the ways he describes. And he’s happy to identify himself as Christ’s slave at the beginning of his letter.

And here’s what undergirds this. When the gospel is preached, we become obedient from the heart to what we are hearing.

We don’t just give assent to an idea. To believe it is to obey it. That’s why Paul talks about ‘the obedience of faith’ later on.[iv] The gospel itself brings about this obedient faith.

Paul uses an unusual phrase to describe how the gospel comes to us. It’s a ‘standard of teaching’. It’s not just another lesson to learn. It’s God, speaking—to us. The word suggest that it’s imprinted on us. God knows how to speak to those he calls. When he forgives our sins, he writes his law on our hearts. He gives us a new heart.[v]

And we are ‘entrusted to’ it. In other words, God doesn’t trust us to believe his gospel. He entrusts us to his gospel and the gospel does the job he wants it to.

This gospel teaching leads us to righteousness. And in this context, righteousness is God’s gift[vi]. We are justified. But, as anyone who is justified knows, it’s liberating to be clean and at peace with God. Righteousness is a good way to be. We want righteousness.

Here’s Paul’s opportunity to show that the news of God’s goodness is precisely the way he brings us to living well—to be his happy slaves.[vii] He’s led us out of sin, not freed us up to enjoy it.

So now, we need to choose which master we will serve—sin or righteousness. There’s no real freedom that isn’t related to an authority. We make this decision when we believe in Christ, but it’s a decision affirmed with each new day—to present ourselves to God for his service. This is what Jesus did as God’s suffering Servant.[viii]

In one sense, knowing what to do when sin is pressing for attention is simple. Run from it! Joseph is a good example.[ix] But we’ve got more resources than just running. We have powerful reasons for our choices. And there’s a wonderful reward.

Sin, contrary to entertainment promotions, is not nice! It comes with an agenda of its own—and we are its victims. We used to give ourselves to thoughts and deeds that God says are wrong. Paul gave us a list of them earlier in his letter.[x]

We had an illusion of freedom because we felt free of any external demand. But sin has a destination in view. It wants us dead. Or, more accurately, he—Satan, wants us dead.

And sin pays wages. In other words, we get what we deserve.

Now, contrast this with being obedient. We give ourselves to Christ who loves us. We trust him and are pronounced righteous. And righteousness becomes the desire of our whole being. Jesus teaches us that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled—filled with righteousness.[xi]

So—and here is the only command in this passage—give all you’ve got to this ‘standard of teaching’![xii] It will lead you on to sanctification—that is, actually living as one devoted to God. You’ll increasingly want and be doing God’s will on earth, just as it is in heaven.

And then, you won’t get what you deserve! Who would want to live with this hanging over their head? Rather, you will receive a gift. Eternal life—in Jesus Christ our Lord.

So, living under the reign of God’s grace is not a free ride into irresponsibility. Neither is it an impossible journey of committing and recommitting ourselves to obey an unrelenting law. It’s trusting and enjoying and living in the amazingly generous decision of God to receive us as his righteous people. We’re happy to be his slaves. It’s here that we’ve found freedom.

[i] Rom. 6:1, 15

[ii] Rom. 6:1-14

[iii] Rom. 6:4, 6

[iv] Rom. 16:26

[v] Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:25-28

[vi] V. 16

[vii] Being Christ’s slave is the way Paul introduces himself in this letter.

[viii] Isa. 50:4

[ix] Gen. 39:6-12

[x] Rom. 1:22-32

[xi] Matt. 5:6

[xii] V. 19

Dead to sin, alive to God (Rom. 6:1-14)

Paul has told us that God’s kindness has dwarfed the whole sorry business that started with Adam sinning.

And now, in the light of this abundant grace, he shows how we may live to his glory.

In fact, Paul must respond to some who doubt, or scorn, the good news he has announced because they cannot believe or do not want to rely on God’s amazing grace. And he does so by answering two questions.

Here’s the first of them. Shall we just let loose and do as we please, given that God is so kind (vv. 1-14)?

I’ve included references in the following text to make it easier to locate where Paul makes each point.

We’ve heard that Jesus dies for our sins and rises for our justification. This continues to be the starting point for all that we think and do. But we also need to know the goal God has in this. There are three purpose statements in this passage. First, God’s kindness to us is not so we can go on sinning (v. 1). Second, it’s so we can live a new life (v. 4). And third, it’s so our old life can be disabled (v. 6).

But first, everything here depends on what happens to Jesus.

Far from merely looking at Christ as a spectacle, or perhaps appreciating him as a benefactor, we have been included in his dying and rising, and in what those events have accomplished. When we say we believe in Christ, usually expressed in baptism, we’re accepting that our new life doesn’t start with us. It arises from what happens to him—and happens to us who are in him.

But Paul is now telling us how this death and resurrection with Christ impacts on our daily living. Jesus doesn’t just die for our sins. He dies to sin (v. 10). We need to know what this means.

Obviously, Jesus doesn’t die to sinning because he never sinned. But when he dies, he so fully exhausts what sin and condemnation and death can do to sinners, that he’s died to anything more it can do to him.

This is important for us because we’ve been united with Christ in ‘a death like his’ (v. 5). Sin can’t do anything more to him. So, it follows that it can’t do anything more to us either! But how can this be? Sin—as we see what it offers, and feel its tug, still seems to have plenty of influence on us.

It certainly doesn’t mean we have no temptations, no inner tendencies to do wrong, no failures. But God’s purpose is to disable our propensity to sinning (v. 6). Paul calls it ‘our body of sin…being brought to nothing’. We’ve been joined to Christ’s crucifixion specifically to bring this slavery to an end[i].

This almost seems to be too ambitious! But Paul explains how this happens. Someone who’s died is ‘set free from sin’.[ii] This should actually read ‘is justified’ from sin’.[iii] The freedom comes because God calls us righteous. We are clean. We are not being condemned anymore. This is the freedom Paul speaks about.

It helps if we think about the opposite of this. Consider the effect that personal failures have on our will to please God. Satan accuses us continually. He knows the effectiveness of guilt to keep us from doing good. Think of the sapping of energy when our conscience tells us we are compromised and contaminated. What can we do to lift our game?

But then, if Christ has stood, or hung, where we compromised and soiled sinners belong, and been raised from the dead, he can rightly call us righteous. And if we, united with him, have been through death and resurrection, we, with him, can live with a clear conscience.[iv] And someone who has been cleansed like this wants to stay that way and please his wonderful Benefactor. We don’t work towards getting a clear conscience. We start with one.

And so, with King David, we may have felt God’s heavy hand on us as sinners,[v] and longed to know the joy of his salvation. But God forgives our sin, and upholds us with a willing spirit.[vi] Or, like Isaiah, we can say, ‘Here am I Lord. Send me!’[vii] Or, like Peter, we can say, ‘You know that I love you’.[viii]

Paul also says that we are united with Christ in his resurrection (v. 4). He now has a human life (not his eternal relationship to the Father) that is renewed—after bearing our sins.

He rises to live to God. Of course, he has always lived to God, but we couldn’t share in that—as though we could merely copy his example. He’s living to God now after bearing our sins. He’s been where we were before God—condemned. And now he is alive to God. Death has lost its power over him.

And we’ve been raised up too. We can act and choose and think in the Father’s presence, as Jesus did in his life among us, and particularly, as he does now. We’ve been equipped to live as the righteous people he created us to be!

And we can be sure that if we are included in what he has done by dying for us, we will most certainly will share in being physically raised from the dead as he was (v. 5).

So much for death being in charge of history! Sin, and condemnation, and the threat of death crippled our living (as Paul has shown in his previous section[ix]). But not now! We are ready to live.

Paul tells us to do three things so that we don’t waste these privileges. They belong together and help us live in the blessing we’ve just considered. Here they are.

We must regard our life the way God is regarding it. We must breathe this new air deeply. We should notice what is controlling our thinking. We should give up our introspection, or living by our own piety, and start with ourselves where God has placed us—in Christ.

We must say no—over and over again— to temptations we used to give way to. Problems don’t go away by meditating, or just knowing things. Sometimes we just have to say ‘No!’ We should tell sin that it’s not in charge. There’s no negotiation here. No hesitation. We might be surprised how powerful our ‘No’ is!

We must say ‘Yes’ to God and his will—over and over again—to exercise the new freedom we’ve received. We’re no meant to be overfed consumers. This new life is built for action. We used to be the living dead! But we’re alive to God now.

And just in case we’ve forgotten, we’re not under law’s condemnation, or congratulations! Everything is under the reign of God’s grace. Our humble beginnings are a delight to our heavenly Father. A sceptics question has yielded a rich feast. Next time, we’ll look at a second objection people have raised about the reign of God’s grace. And learn how to live as God’s joyful slaves!

[i] Jesus has said that whoever sins becomes a slave of his sin (John 8:34).

[ii] V. 7

[iii] Every other time Paul uses this word, this is what he means.

[iv] Heb. 9:14

[v] Psa. 32:4

[vi] Psa. 51:12

[vii] Isa. 6:7-8

[viii] John 21:17

[ix] Rom. 5:17, 21

God’s story (Rom. 5:12-21)

Paul has told us how privileged Christians are[i]. And now, in case we think these privileges are for a select few, he tells us they are for ‘the many’. God is doing nothing less than recreating the human race—making a people who can know and enjoy him. And the sole reason for this is ‘one man’—Jesus Christ.

We could say that this is the story of the world—God’s narrative. Paul himself has been travelling widely and seeing the power of his message work out among many peoples. It’s no longer limited to Jews.

We all need this big picture because, in one way or another, we try to makes sense of what we see and experience. And there is no lack of human stories—religions or ideologies—on offer.

But other stories cannot offer a solution to the pain and disfunction we live with. What we need is not new ideas. We need a redeemer.

God’s story starts with Adam—the beginning of the human race. But it moves quickly to Jesus Christ because our human journey will never make sense without him.

Adam’s story[ii] may seem to be so long ago as to be irrelevant, but what this man does at the beginning of our history explains and describes exactly where we are now. It’s our story.

God’s sets up a garden for Adam, a place where he may know God and share in looking after the creation.

But Adam tries to write God out of the story. He sins, disobeys or transgresses God’s command. So, God condemns what he has done. And death is decreed. He won’t live forever.

But God is not only dealing with Adam. He’s looking at humanity. Adam’s sin is not just his. It’s ours. We could say that when Adam asserts his independence from God and his word, we all feel proud of him. We break out in applause. We all belong to Adam, regardless of our nationality or religion.

Adam has no-one to blame. He’s surrounded with perfection. Not like us. We have lots of people and situations to blame. But God shows us that in a perfect situation, this is the choice we make.

We may protest, but the facts are in front of us—and Paul has spoken about them already. We all sin. We all know God condemns us. And we all die. We’re not in charge after all! Sin is. And guilt is. And death is[iii]. Can anyone argue with this?

But this is not God’s idea of a human race! He has made Adam in his image, but has always purposed to bring his creation to completion through his Son—coming among us as a man.

We’ve heard that Christ died for our sins. We’ve heard that he’s been raised for our justification, but now, we need to see how comprehensive all this is. It’s for ‘many’, even for ‘all men’—that is, ‘all’ without distinction[iv]. We could be anybody from anywhere or any circumstance.

If the choice and deed of Adam has been catastrophic, the choice and deed of Jesus Christ is nothing less than a new creation. So, let’s look at the contrasts Paul makes between what we have in Adam and what we have in Christ.

Under Adam, we are focused on what’s gone wrong. We are always asking who is to blame. It’s what happens when we know we are being condemned by God. And we are always living under a shroud of death[v]. Nothing we do can have any permanence. With nothing more in our narrative than this, our living and societies tend towards helplessness and hopelessness.

In stark contrast to this, under Jesus Christ, we have received new life. We’ve received a free gift[vi]. The change in perspective couldn’t be greater. We’re not obsessed with what we deserve. We’ve been treated with grace. And this new life is plentiful—it doesn’t run out like bank balances or government budgets.

And this gift of God is righteousness—that is, we are standing with dignity before God in heaven, and standing up boldly for God in the world.

Adam has seen to it that we start of as sinners. ‘Made sinners’ is what Paul says. But Jesus sees to it that we start off as righteous. Again, we’ve been ‘made righteous’. There’s no social evolution here. No gradual reform. It’s not being progressive. It’s nothing less than a new creation.

And Paul anticipates the day when we will ‘reign in life’. We’ll actually be everything that God had in mind in creating the human race. As Isaiah tells us, God will make a feast for all people, he will swallow up the shroud of death that lies over all peoples and will wipe away our tears. With a hope like this we are ready to live!

Paul has mentioned the law of Moses at the beginning and end of this passage. Where does this fit in God’s narrative? It certainly doesn’t set anyone free. Rather, it increases the amount of sinning we do and are aware of.

On the other hand, under Christ, what’s increasing is the abundant flow of God’s grace.

So, finally, who or what is in charge of the world we envisage? Will sin be the shape of the future? Will guilt be the main driver? Will death write the last chapter? No! No! And no!

Rather, grace is in charge. And the end is assured—eternal life.

Any other story than this one is a fairy tale.

[i] Rom. 5:1-11

[ii] Gen. 2—3

[iii] Heb. 2:14-15

[iv] Vv. 15, 18, 19

[v] Isa. 25:6-9

[vi] v. 15

Christians—not better, but better off (Romans 5)

No-one should doubt that righteousness is a major concern for everyone. In simple terms, we all want to be right. A child is indignant if its idea of right is crossed. Old men and women want to be sure their legacy is rightly recorded.

But here, in Romans, God is saying to us, ‘You can only be right by trusting in me—in my Son’. All our protests that we are right are husks flying in the wind. We are subject to God’s judgement. And Paul is bringing this to light so we have opportunity to get thing truly right.

Paul describes two things in this chapter. First, the astonishing benefits that are given to believers in Christ. Second, the astonishing Christ who creates these benefits. We’ll just look at the first of these at the moment.

So, what are the benefits that come to us because we are justified by faith?

First, we don’t have to fight the idea of there being a God we must answer to[i]. Rather, we know him and are at peace with him.

Behind all the crises we have in this life there hangs the nagging thought that we don’t deserve anything better. We’re always uneasy. But then, knowing we are justified changes everything. He’s not counting our sins. He’s deciding how to bless us. We are at peace with God because he’s at peace with us.

This doesn’t mean we always feel peaceful. There’s lots of circumstances and thoughts that can make us uneasy. But we are starting from having a secure place in the Father’s affections.

Second, we have constant access to God’s grace.

Every day, we are needing forgiveness, direction, strength and courage. And we can find that the Lord is gracious—every day. He’s not calculating or tardy. So, it’s a relief and a pleasure to come to him.

Third, we exult, or have joy, or boast because of the promise that we will share God’s glory. We have seen God’s glory in Christ and what he has done. Now we are told we will share in what he is like[ii] and participate in the glory of the age to come.

This word translated ‘rejoice’ has recurred four times already in this letter, and been translated as ‘boasting’. Without Christ, our exulting has been false—because it’s all been based on us. But now, it’s based on Christ and looking forward to the world God is making. So, our exulting is real. Our hubris is replaced with humility.

Fourth, this confidence is so substantial, that our troubles take on a different character. Without justification, we had been seeing them as threats to our ego. Now, they help us learn patience.

If we’re honest, we know that impatience exposes our selfishness. Now, we’ve got a chance to change—to develop some character[iii].

We’re learning to hope in what God has promised—to actually live by faith. This is what Paul raised when he first started talking about justification[iv]. We begin with faith, and this faith must grow to encompass the widening circles of our life.

Fifth, none of this fails! While life, and friends, and the devil suggest we give up, God’s love—poured into our hears by the Holy Spirit—keeps us looking to the peace we have, and our access to grace, and to Jesus himself. We’re really exulting! And it’s all flowing from the fact that we are loved by God.

Let’s dwell on this love—as Paul now does.

Why does God love us? It’s got nothing to do with our nature or performance. In fact, we’ve been weak—unable to get up and be who God called us to be. We’ve been ungodly—thinking about ourselves instead of him. We’ve been sinners—missing what God expects of us all the time. We’ve actually been God’s enemies. And all this time, he’s been loving us!

If we don’t understand this, we haven’t been hearing what Paul is saying. God is good. He’s giving us everything we need. We now have a life filled with his Spirit—with his loving.

So, move over! Let it happen! Keep yourselves in the love of God![v]

Perhaps we can imagine being present when Jesus is nailed to his cross. We hear him say, ‘Father forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.’ Here is love—overflowing. And the gospel Paul preaches in this letter shows that he’s addressing us.

The death of Jesus, and his resurrection, have secured our justification. We’re all set up to rejoice in God.

As Paul will say later, God’s reign is all about righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit[vi]. This is not natural. It’s not explainable. It’s from God who loves us. It springs up within us. It’s real and it’s eternal.

And, as we must now see, it’s all because of one man. His grace, his giving and his obedience dwarf anything else that’s ever happened.

[i] This may well be the major reason why people refuse to believe in God.

[ii] This will arise later in chapter 8, verses 23-25; also 1 Cor. 15:59

[iii] In a similar way, James tells us to let patience have its full effect—James 1:4

[iv] Rom. 1:17

[v] Jude 21

[vi] Rom. 14;17

Righteous—only by faith (Romans 4)

We’ve been following Paul’s explanation of the gospel in his letter to the Romans. He loves the gospel and knows that it’s powerful to save everyone who believes.

But he also knows the things that get added to it, and prevent it from being what it is. In his day, he is speaking to Jews who can’t see that Jesus has fulfilled their Old Testament. If they hang onto this, they will miss the liberation Jesus has come to bring.

There’s nothing that can replace being right with God, nothing that can make us want us to live for him with joy other than being justified through faith in Christ. So, it’s important to know what can compromise it.

Paul has already told us that Jews have turned their privileges into something they can use for their own glory. Jews have become proud of their law, and their God[i].

And they’ve actually had to change what the Old Testament teaches to make it more palatable to the desire to get some credit for living well. Some of their literature teaches that Abraham was justified by his good behaviour[ii].

This is not just an ancient problem. A picture Bible book we read to our children when they were young, introduced the story of Abraham by saying, ‘Abraham was a good man, so God blessed him.’

We all need to ask if we are watering down the good news God has given to us. We know that we must come to God humbly—trusting his Son. But we’d also like God to acknowledge our righteousness. We’re not really sure about it being a gift.

So, Paul takes the Jews back to the story of Abraham and asks, ‘What grounds does Abraham have for boasting?’[iii] He’s helping us all because we all share in this desire for self-glory.

In fact, the story of Abraham shows that he has been an ungodly man. His works have not been pleasing to God. He has been like David whose lawless deeds are forgiven and his sins covered, whose sins the Lord will not count[iv].

Abraham shows the way for us all. He is father of everyone who believes that God gives generously to undeserving people[v].

Paul picks out two important markers of being a Jew—circumcision, and having the law of God. These were gifts of God—through Abraham, and then through Moses. But Israel has focused on these things as something they do. They want to be the reason for receiving God’s favour.

But that can’t happen—not before God. Rather, God comes to Abraham. He promises him a blessing, a new land and a new future—reaching out to all his family and to the whole world[vi].

Abraham believes God. And God says, ‘I reckon you to be righteous[vii].’

That’s where our life begins too. The God of glory reveals himself to us in the face of Christ[viii]. He promises to give us eternal life. We believe in him. We don’t offer him our past or promise him our future. We see we are helpless and know this is our one chance to be right with God. And God passes his judgement—‘You are righteous.’

The Jewish rite of circumcision, in Abraham’s history, has no part in this blessing. It’s a sign, given later, pointing back to the day when God called him righteous, and forwards to the call to live by God’s word. But a sign doesn’t do anything but point. Without the reality it’s nothing.

But now, Israel is wanting to make much of circumcision. It’s something they can see. It’s something they can codify and control. It can be a social marker of those who are accepted and those who are not. And Paul says, ‘That’s not right’.

In our case, baptism is the sign that God gives to each Christian believer.

Our baptism is God saying, ‘You belong to me. All that my Son has achieved is yours. And I want you to live by my word.’

But us sinners have a way of forgetting the reality of unseen things. We’d rather focus on things we can see and control. We forget the joy of being forgiven, and of hearing God call us righteous. We begin again to think and act as though we must deserve what we get from God.

And then, instead of being grateful for God’s sign of baptism, we presume on it. It’s something we’ve done. We’ve arrived. And instead of our behaviour being grateful faith, seeking to be like Jesus, it’s a work of our own ego[ix]. We’re looking for applause. Or we want to be proud of ourselves.

And then, just as God gave Israel his law, he has written his law on our hearts. This happens when we know we are forgiven[x].

But what if we begin to notice how much better our life is as a Christian? What if we compare ourselves with others whose lives are falling apart?

Can we hear Paul speaking to us across the centuries? He wants his fellow Jews to understand the riches of Christ. And us Christians too. He wants us to live as humble recipients of mercy.

God has given life to us who were dead[xi]. He gives righteousness, peace and joy to people who have nothing to offer[xii]. Nothing at all.

Because Abraham starts, and continues, to believe what God promises to him, and because he gives glory to God and doesn’t take it for himself, he grows strong in faith. He begins by believing that God justifies sinners, and he finishes the same way[xiii].

Walking by faith like this is like walking on a narrow mountain track. Our nature suggests that we wander sideways—to think about gaining favour for ourselves. But a step sideways can lead to a large fall.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is nothing less than the love of God encountering our abysmal failure. And when God justifies or vindicates Jesus[xiv] by raising him from the dead, he also justifies us who are trusting in him. All that the Father gives to Jesus, Jesus now shares with us. This is the way we began our Christian life. Let’s grow strong in this faith—to the very end.

[i] Rom. 2:17, 23

[ii] You can look up the pre-Christian Jewish books 1 Maccabees 2:52 or Sirach 44:19-21 at https://biblia.com/bible/nrsv/1-maccabees/2/51-52 and https://bible.usccb.org/bible/sirach/44 .

[iii] Rom. 4:4

[iv] Rom. 4:5, 7

[v] Rom. 4:11-12

[vi] Gen. 12:1-3

[vii] Gen. 12:1-3; 15:6

[viii] 2 Cor. 4:6

[ix] Gal. 3:1-3

[x] Jer. 31:31-34

[xi] Rom. 4:17

[xii] Rom. 14:17

[xiii] Rom. 4:5, 22

[xiv] 1 Tim. 3:16