Has God rejected His people?
Aside from the interesting story about Elijah I read in an attempt to understand what Paul is saying here more, this was the one question that burned as soon as I began to read. Unsuprisingly, I suffer from an intense feeling of guilt when it comes to falling short of God's glory. I've mentioned it several times in past posts. One Bible verse that scares me the most is Ephesians 4:30 "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God." The question that comes to mind is "will I ignore God's call for me to change so much that God gives up on me? Will God reject me?"
Salvation by grace is re-affirmed here. Paul states that "And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace." I am amazed at how often I need to be reminded of the simplest truths of Christianity, but here it is: I have been saved, I am saved, and I will be saved not because of anything I did, but because God had reserved for himself a portion (Paul talks about Israel here, but a portion of humanity is also applicable) through grace.
But what about those who try so hard to please God? People like Israel, who earnestly sought God but did not obtain a relationship with him? Isn't that unfair? It's a danger for Christians (read: me) too. Jesus doesn't want Marthas (though I'm sure Jesus still ate her food). Rather, Jesus truly delights in Marys.
So I think the lesson here is to trust in God. Trust that God has truly saved me by his grace, and not strive to cheapen the salvation by thinking I could get a relationship with God by buying him candy.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Romans 10:14-21
In the previous passage, Paul emphasized that we gain salvation through faith in Christ, not deeds. And this is true, as followers of Christ, we're supposed to have faith in God and hear Him. And if we call upon Him, we will be saved. (v.9-11) But Paul says "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?" (v.14a)
Is it that Israel hadn't heard the gospel (v.18) or that Israel did not understand (v.19)? Neither, obviously. "Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." (Ps. 19:4) Besides, it'd be hard to believe that any Jew of that time period would be ignorant enough to not know of a potential Messiah. And the Jews, who prided themselves of knowing the Law, must've understood.
Is it that Israel hadn't heard the gospel (v.18) or that Israel did not understand (v.19)? Neither, obviously. "Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." (Ps. 19:4) Besides, it'd be hard to believe that any Jew of that time period would be ignorant enough to not know of a potential Messiah. And the Jews, who prided themselves of knowing the Law, must've understood.
As an aside...
Will people who have not heard of the gospel be condemned? Is it fair? I've been thinking about it lately & I want to address this. When we hear this, we often think that it's unfair for those who haven't heard the gospel to to condemned to hell. But we have to step back and look at the bigger picture. We've "all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God". (Rm. 3:23) All have sinned. "All" includes those who haven't heard of Christ. No one deserves to be saved, God saved us purely out of love and mercy. So it's not unfair for those who haven't heard the gospel to be condemned. (But if we really wanted to discuss fairness, it's probably more unfair for us to have known Christ & be saved) As well, non-believers also have consciences. Even if they have not heard the written law, they "show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts". (Rm. 2:14-15)
But finally, Paul pulls out the big guns. "All day long I have held our my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people." (v.21) It's just like what you observed in the children in our church; humans are predisposed to rebellion against God. (Romans, so far, has been very morbid.)
This really shows us how much we need God. We can't even have faith in Him without His help. Like what Pastor Tom told has last Sunday, we need the Holy Spirit to fill us and make sure we don't stray away. Do we have the Holy Spirit in our lives?
Sonia
Friday, July 1, 2011
Romans 9: 30 - 10: 13
Paul continues to tackle the apparent unfairness of God's salvation. Why do those who eagerly seek God not find him, and why do those who supposedly don't do anything instead receive salvation? It's like the story of the prodigal son; the son who runs away gets the welcome party, while the son who works hard gets nothing. What's going on, God?
Paul had reason for his question. As he said earlier in chapter 9, Paul loved his people to the point of willingly giving up his salvation if they could have theirs, if it were possible. Jesus felt the same way, seeing a nation so lost, and wanting nothing more than to gather them up and love them (Isaiah 6: 9-10, John 13: 34-35).
We're no different in the 21st century. We're like Israel; we work to gain purpose, or identity, or transcendance, or any other thing. The religious work for God, not realizing that it's Satan's biggest trap. From the very beginning, God told the Israelites that what he was commanding them was not so high up that they have to find someone to go into the heavens (as they did with Moses at Mt. Sinai), or to swim to the depths of the sea to find God. "No!" God said. He was right there with them. (Deut. 30: 11-14)
God calls salvation by works a stumbling block. In fact, it's not even "salvation by works," it's life with God! It's so easy, as Christians, to fall into the trap of doing things for God. God calls us to obey him, yes, but that obedience is but a means to have a relationship with God, not an end. He wants, as he did with other "sinners" to have dinner with us. He doesn't want to be served; heck, even washed our feet for us! And he grieves when we try to serve him instead like a servant and a master of enjoying alongside him as friends.
Case in point, I've been thinking about music-making at SCBC. As I've said to anyone who would listen to me, God's angelic choirs can make music a million times more divine than anything we can produce. Personally, I find it foolish to make music for God as if we're giving him gifts (when in fact we're grumbling about having to go to rehearsal, or having to practice, etc.). Why don't we enjoy life, and music, alongside God?
Paul had reason for his question. As he said earlier in chapter 9, Paul loved his people to the point of willingly giving up his salvation if they could have theirs, if it were possible. Jesus felt the same way, seeing a nation so lost, and wanting nothing more than to gather them up and love them (Isaiah 6: 9-10, John 13: 34-35).
We're no different in the 21st century. We're like Israel; we work to gain purpose, or identity, or transcendance, or any other thing. The religious work for God, not realizing that it's Satan's biggest trap. From the very beginning, God told the Israelites that what he was commanding them was not so high up that they have to find someone to go into the heavens (as they did with Moses at Mt. Sinai), or to swim to the depths of the sea to find God. "No!" God said. He was right there with them. (Deut. 30: 11-14)
God calls salvation by works a stumbling block. In fact, it's not even "salvation by works," it's life with God! It's so easy, as Christians, to fall into the trap of doing things for God. God calls us to obey him, yes, but that obedience is but a means to have a relationship with God, not an end. He wants, as he did with other "sinners" to have dinner with us. He doesn't want to be served; heck, even washed our feet for us! And he grieves when we try to serve him instead like a servant and a master of enjoying alongside him as friends.
Case in point, I've been thinking about music-making at SCBC. As I've said to anyone who would listen to me, God's angelic choirs can make music a million times more divine than anything we can produce. Personally, I find it foolish to make music for God as if we're giving him gifts (when in fact we're grumbling about having to go to rehearsal, or having to practice, etc.). Why don't we enjoy life, and music, alongside God?
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Romans 9:14-29
This passage discusses God's immense power and sovereignty. At first glance, God, as described here, sounded like a tyrant. "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." (v.15) and "God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden." (v.18) This tone of "it is because I said so" reminded me of the Ant Bully and a bossy older sister mixed. (Not that my sister is or was ever was bossy)
I'd been focusing too much on what He had done rather than what He didn't do, which is just as important. I recently read the Hunger Games (which you must read over the summer), which is a post-apocalyptic novel. The government (referred to as the Capitol) of the nation of Panem tries to maintain peace and order after the Apocalypse. The way they set out to achieve "peace" is by suppressing the nation and depriving them of basic necessities to prevent rebellion (and for other selfish reasons). The Capitol exercised their power keep their nation weak and under their control. Breaking the law, even trivialities, resulted in public whippings or a gunshot to the head. There are also the annual Hunger Games where each district (there are 12) are required to send 2 representatives (male & female) to an arena for a fight to the death. This was done to remind the citizens of Panem that they were under the mercy of the Capitol.
Both the Capitol and God are in the position of authority, but the difference is how they use their power. The Capitol abused it and tweaked the government system to benefit themselves, while God worked out a plan for Jesus to come and save us. God had the power to treat us like how the Capitol treated Panem, but instead, He chose to be merciful and loved us enough to be humiliated, denied and killed by us.
So how could I ever think He was a tyrant? I misunderstood v.15 and v.18. It's not that God picks and chooses who He would like to save, these people have already turned away from God. It is also important to remember that it's all part of His plan and that "He works all things together for the good of those who love Him" (Rm. 8:28). And though He may love all the people that turn away from Him, we must realize that we're in a war. And in a war, there will be casualties. (This is for JW)
But His grace, indeed, extends to all who believe. (v.25)
Sonia
I'd been focusing too much on what He had done rather than what He didn't do, which is just as important. I recently read the Hunger Games (which you must read over the summer), which is a post-apocalyptic novel. The government (referred to as the Capitol) of the nation of Panem tries to maintain peace and order after the Apocalypse. The way they set out to achieve "peace" is by suppressing the nation and depriving them of basic necessities to prevent rebellion (and for other selfish reasons). The Capitol exercised their power keep their nation weak and under their control. Breaking the law, even trivialities, resulted in public whippings or a gunshot to the head. There are also the annual Hunger Games where each district (there are 12) are required to send 2 representatives (male & female) to an arena for a fight to the death. This was done to remind the citizens of Panem that they were under the mercy of the Capitol.
Both the Capitol and God are in the position of authority, but the difference is how they use their power. The Capitol abused it and tweaked the government system to benefit themselves, while God worked out a plan for Jesus to come and save us. God had the power to treat us like how the Capitol treated Panem, but instead, He chose to be merciful and loved us enough to be humiliated, denied and killed by us.
So how could I ever think He was a tyrant? I misunderstood v.15 and v.18. It's not that God picks and chooses who He would like to save, these people have already turned away from God. It is also important to remember that it's all part of His plan and that "He works all things together for the good of those who love Him" (Rm. 8:28). And though He may love all the people that turn away from Him, we must realize that we're in a war. And in a war, there will be casualties. (This is for JW)
But His grace, indeed, extends to all who believe. (v.25)
Oh, Christ my King of sympathy-Unashamed by Starfield
Whose wounds secure my peace
Your grace extends to call me friend
Your mercy sets me free
And I know I'm weak
I know I'm unworthy to call upon Your name
But because of grace, because of Your mercy
I stand here unashamed
I can't explain this kind of love
I'm humbled and amazed
That You'd come down
From heavens heights
And greet me face to face
Sonia
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Romans 9: 5-13
PART I: REFLECTION
The hardest part about this passage for me (at first, anyway) was how this passage relates to me. Paul talks about Israel and divine election here. More commonly, some (Calvinists in particular) use this chapter as Biblical basis for predestination and reprobation. It puzzled me how this passage relates to me.
Yet, beyond these intense theological issues, this passage reflects the character of God. The most straight-forward character we see is God's sovereignty, shown in the perseverance of His Word and the finality of His choices. At this point, I'm sure Paul has struggled deeply with the fact that his people, supposedly God's chosen, have rejected the Messiah and are heading towards certain death. Just like others in the Bible (such as Habakkuk), Paul questions God's character. "Are You not the all-powerful and all-loving God I grew up learning about?" Paul would have asked. "The way I see the situation right now, if You are loving, You must not be powerful enough to stop my people from turning away. And if You are all-powerful, You must not love us. Why else would You have given up on those You have chosen Yourself?" It's a very valid question, one that is asked (earnestly) by God-fearing men and women today, and at the same time (mockingly) by atheists and those who would disprove the Christian/Judaic Yahweh. Like any earnest seeker of the truth, Paul finds the answer to his doubt in the words "it is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel." (v. 6) Paul came to the conclusion that God was still all-powerful and all-loving (along with a slew of other traits), but that physical Israel was not the same as spiritual Israel. Man, and not God had failed.
I don't know what God's plan is for Israel. Some say that God will save all of physical, national Israel before the final Judgement, while others maintain that the Church has become the new Israel and that God is finished with the old Israel. However, this reflection isn't the place to debate that, nor am I the most qualified person to speak about this. What is clear from verses 6-9 is that God's love is not limited to national and racial boundaries, nor is it limited to bloodline and status. Paul shows that the requirements to becoming a child of God (and thereby becoming a recipient of His love) is determined by the grace of God alone, and not by race, gender, or blood relation. This already is a huge departure from humanity, where until recent history (and even today) love and preference is largely based on culture and status.
Paul illustrates his point by bringing in Jacob and Esau. Although they were both children of Abraham's promised child (Isaac), God demonstrates both His love and His sovereignty by choosing Jacob over Esau. God's love is demonstrated when He chose the younger instead of the elder. God broke the tradition of favouring the eldest and showed the boundless reach of His love. God's sovereignty is demonstrated by the finality of this seemingly random decision. After all, neither had done anything good or bad, so God couldn't be credited with saying that He chose Jacob on the basis of works or character. God simply says "I choose you to do My work", and no one can say anything about it. Again, this is in huge departure from human norms, where workers are selected on the basis of ability. These human choices are based on what others do and do not reflect our absolute sovereignty (or control) over a situation. By contrast, when God chooses the weak and the flawed to do His work, He displays His sovereignty by being the One who commissions and the One who sustains.
So what does all this have to do with me? This passage re-affirms my faith in God being true to His Word, His sovereignty over the world (and by extension, my life), and His love for me, which is based on no standard but God's own. And I give thanks to You, my God, for being all these things to me.
PART II: DOCTRINE
I do want to comment on the differing theology that arises from this passage, for two reasons. Firstly, because I constantly struggle with the doctrine of election. This is a written record for myself that I can read to remind myself of what I've found, and a place to recant if God shows me that what I wrote here was wrong. Secondly, there is a doctrinal dispute centred largely around this passage, and I wouldn't be doing it justice if I didn't at least briefly talk about it.
Several commentators maintain that God was talking about choosing who was going to inherit the covenant, the Law, and the bloodline of the Messiah, and not about their eternal destinations. I agree with this viewpoint. There are several passages that point to the universality of God's gift of salvation (such as 2 Peter 3:9). More importantly however, in my view a God who picks by flipping a coin or rolling dice can't be called fair (which includes "just", "good", and "impartial", all of which are expounded on in various places in the Bible). I also wouldn't call such a God sane (cringes at the lightning bolt coming down).
Some might say that God's justice should mean that none repent, even though God had to "fight" with His human delegate. Jonah himself said to God "I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity." (Jonah 4:2) This view of God relenting from the destruction of Nineveh (despite its lack of status as chosen) is incompatible with the view of a God choosing a predetermined group of elect and sending the rest to destruction.
Finally, commentators parallel Romans 9:13 (or Malachi 1:2-3) with Jesus' words in Luke 14:26. Jesus wasn't telling his disciples to hate their families, but rather that their love for God must be so great their other relationships (even their closest ones) must be far removed. The same can be said of God's relationship with Jacob and Esau. Both were extremely blessed by God, yes, but God's love for Jacob was so great that His love for Esau was incomparable. Commentators also note that the Biblical "hate" actually means "to love less". Whether this is true or not, I don't know, but it doesn't hurt the viewpoint I'm promoting here.
Now some might ask about Pharaoh, and God's words about him. That, unfortunately, is not part of the passage I'm looking at, so I have no answers.
Matthew
The hardest part about this passage for me (at first, anyway) was how this passage relates to me. Paul talks about Israel and divine election here. More commonly, some (Calvinists in particular) use this chapter as Biblical basis for predestination and reprobation. It puzzled me how this passage relates to me.
Yet, beyond these intense theological issues, this passage reflects the character of God. The most straight-forward character we see is God's sovereignty, shown in the perseverance of His Word and the finality of His choices. At this point, I'm sure Paul has struggled deeply with the fact that his people, supposedly God's chosen, have rejected the Messiah and are heading towards certain death. Just like others in the Bible (such as Habakkuk), Paul questions God's character. "Are You not the all-powerful and all-loving God I grew up learning about?" Paul would have asked. "The way I see the situation right now, if You are loving, You must not be powerful enough to stop my people from turning away. And if You are all-powerful, You must not love us. Why else would You have given up on those You have chosen Yourself?" It's a very valid question, one that is asked (earnestly) by God-fearing men and women today, and at the same time (mockingly) by atheists and those who would disprove the Christian/Judaic Yahweh. Like any earnest seeker of the truth, Paul finds the answer to his doubt in the words "it is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel." (v. 6) Paul came to the conclusion that God was still all-powerful and all-loving (along with a slew of other traits), but that physical Israel was not the same as spiritual Israel. Man, and not God had failed.
I don't know what God's plan is for Israel. Some say that God will save all of physical, national Israel before the final Judgement, while others maintain that the Church has become the new Israel and that God is finished with the old Israel. However, this reflection isn't the place to debate that, nor am I the most qualified person to speak about this. What is clear from verses 6-9 is that God's love is not limited to national and racial boundaries, nor is it limited to bloodline and status. Paul shows that the requirements to becoming a child of God (and thereby becoming a recipient of His love) is determined by the grace of God alone, and not by race, gender, or blood relation. This already is a huge departure from humanity, where until recent history (and even today) love and preference is largely based on culture and status.
Paul illustrates his point by bringing in Jacob and Esau. Although they were both children of Abraham's promised child (Isaac), God demonstrates both His love and His sovereignty by choosing Jacob over Esau. God's love is demonstrated when He chose the younger instead of the elder. God broke the tradition of favouring the eldest and showed the boundless reach of His love. God's sovereignty is demonstrated by the finality of this seemingly random decision. After all, neither had done anything good or bad, so God couldn't be credited with saying that He chose Jacob on the basis of works or character. God simply says "I choose you to do My work", and no one can say anything about it. Again, this is in huge departure from human norms, where workers are selected on the basis of ability. These human choices are based on what others do and do not reflect our absolute sovereignty (or control) over a situation. By contrast, when God chooses the weak and the flawed to do His work, He displays His sovereignty by being the One who commissions and the One who sustains.
So what does all this have to do with me? This passage re-affirms my faith in God being true to His Word, His sovereignty over the world (and by extension, my life), and His love for me, which is based on no standard but God's own. And I give thanks to You, my God, for being all these things to me.
PART II: DOCTRINE
I do want to comment on the differing theology that arises from this passage, for two reasons. Firstly, because I constantly struggle with the doctrine of election. This is a written record for myself that I can read to remind myself of what I've found, and a place to recant if God shows me that what I wrote here was wrong. Secondly, there is a doctrinal dispute centred largely around this passage, and I wouldn't be doing it justice if I didn't at least briefly talk about it.
Several commentators maintain that God was talking about choosing who was going to inherit the covenant, the Law, and the bloodline of the Messiah, and not about their eternal destinations. I agree with this viewpoint. There are several passages that point to the universality of God's gift of salvation (such as 2 Peter 3:9). More importantly however, in my view a God who picks by flipping a coin or rolling dice can't be called fair (which includes "just", "good", and "impartial", all of which are expounded on in various places in the Bible). I also wouldn't call such a God sane (cringes at the lightning bolt coming down).
Some might say that God's justice should mean that none repent, even though God had to "fight" with His human delegate. Jonah himself said to God "I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity." (Jonah 4:2) This view of God relenting from the destruction of Nineveh (despite its lack of status as chosen) is incompatible with the view of a God choosing a predetermined group of elect and sending the rest to destruction.
Finally, commentators parallel Romans 9:13 (or Malachi 1:2-3) with Jesus' words in Luke 14:26. Jesus wasn't telling his disciples to hate their families, but rather that their love for God must be so great their other relationships (even their closest ones) must be far removed. The same can be said of God's relationship with Jacob and Esau. Both were extremely blessed by God, yes, but God's love for Jacob was so great that His love for Esau was incomparable. Commentators also note that the Biblical "hate" actually means "to love less". Whether this is true or not, I don't know, but it doesn't hurt the viewpoint I'm promoting here.
Now some might ask about Pharaoh, and God's words about him. That, unfortunately, is not part of the passage I'm looking at, so I have no answers.
Matthew
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Romans 9:1-4
In this passage, Paul is very passionate. He expresses his love for the people of Israel and his commitment to God. Paul is peeved knowing that Israel could be "children of God and have God's glory, covenant and law" (v. 4), but was living a life apart from God. Israel was empty and hurting, and this hurt Paul. Like Jesus, Paul's heart broke for those who had yet to know Christ to the point where he was willing to die for them & take their place in Hell. (Reminds me of this. Very touching.)
I used to consider myself an emotional person. I'm a softie -- I tear up during sad movies. But Paul is intense.
But anyway, this spiritual poverty is still prevalent in our society today. So many people have no heard the gospel and still haven't felt God's love! Worse, people hear bits of it and try to piece together something weird & have false impressions of Christianity. This is especially the case for my English teacher. He has 5 degrees, travelled the world, worked in every industry known to man, and went to Sunday school up until grade 6, so he's not completely ignorant regarding religion, culture and other stuff. And he keeps picking on me everytime there's a Christian and atheist side to a debate. And the whole rapture thing on May 21 didn't help. But like I said in my last post, we can't lose hope.
Like the little story Ben Zander told in the video... There were 2 shoe salesmen who went to Africa and were appalled that no one there wore shoes. One shoe salesman said "Shizz! These people don't wear shoes!" while the other shoe salesman said "Hurray, these people don't have shoes yet!". We have to approach the Great Commission with the right mindset.
The recent rapture prediction prompted me to think of all my friends that would be left behind. It's heartbreaking to know that they won't be spending eternity with God (and me). Let's pray that God will break our hearts for the rest of the world.
Sonia
I used to consider myself an emotional person. I'm a softie -- I tear up during sad movies. But Paul is intense.
But anyway, this spiritual poverty is still prevalent in our society today. So many people have no heard the gospel and still haven't felt God's love! Worse, people hear bits of it and try to piece together something weird & have false impressions of Christianity. This is especially the case for my English teacher. He has 5 degrees, travelled the world, worked in every industry known to man, and went to Sunday school up until grade 6, so he's not completely ignorant regarding religion, culture and other stuff. And he keeps picking on me everytime there's a Christian and atheist side to a debate. And the whole rapture thing on May 21 didn't help. But like I said in my last post, we can't lose hope.
Like the little story Ben Zander told in the video... There were 2 shoe salesmen who went to Africa and were appalled that no one there wore shoes. One shoe salesman said "Shizz! These people don't wear shoes!" while the other shoe salesman said "Hurray, these people don't have shoes yet!". We have to approach the Great Commission with the right mindset.
The recent rapture prediction prompted me to think of all my friends that would be left behind. It's heartbreaking to know that they won't be spending eternity with God (and me). Let's pray that God will break our hearts for the rest of the world.
Sonia
Monday, May 16, 2011
Romans 8: 28-39
The climatic conclusion to this section, and possibly the entire letter. In this conclusion, Paul says some very strong things to drive home the love of God and the promise of eternal life. He begins by saying that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him. This picks up from the last section, where Paul talks about our sufferings not worth comparing to the glory to be revealed. Not only is our sufferings incomparable to future glory, our sufferings are good, because God only works for good. And so whether it is discipline or training, no matter how painful, God is working for our good.
Paul then builds up a ladder to salvation. Those God foreknew (what "known" specifically means I don't know. Does it mean that God knew those who would love Him? Or those God "knew" in the sense of loved beforehand?), He pre-destined. He called those He pre-destined. He justified us, meaning that we have been made right with God. And He glorified us, meaning that we are risen along with Jesus, being given new bodies (Rom. 8: 11).
God is also shown to be generous in His love for us. Paul argues that since God had not spared His own Son, He will spare nothing else for us. "All things" (v. 32), I believe, refer mainly to eternal life and the state of glorification. Of course God gives us good things in this life as well, but that's so insignificant to eternal life I think that eternal life by itself can be called "all things". I think here Paul is confirming that God doesn't go half-way in salvation: Jesus died to take our punishment, and then resurrected to show that we have life. We get the whole package.
Next we see a word also seen in the previous section: intercede. This is significant, because in the previous section Paul talks about the Holy Spirit interceding on our behalf. Here we see that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, interceding for us. Sandwiched between the two is this question: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Jesus is interceding for us, the Holy Spirit is interceding for us, and God the Father gave us His Son -- a powerful picture of the Triune God working in the lives of individuals.
Given the power at work here, we are as Paul says, "more than conquerors through Him who loved us." (v. 37). Catchy, but how are we conquerors in the first place? I don't think this verse means that we were conquerors before, and that we have become more than that. Rather, we need to look at what is being conquered: sin and death. Conquerors normally cause this, not conquer it. That doesn't make us more than conquerors, though. Rather, it is what lies beyond sin and death -- namely, eternal life -- that makes us more than conquerors. We haven't conquered eternal life (normally you have to conquer something to get it); we have obtained it, through the love of God.
This is God's love letter to us. I was going to write one (like we did at Prayer Retreat), but what's the point? It has already been written by the Holy Spirit. The question is, what shall we say in response to this?
Matthew
Paul then builds up a ladder to salvation. Those God foreknew (what "known" specifically means I don't know. Does it mean that God knew those who would love Him? Or those God "knew" in the sense of loved beforehand?), He pre-destined. He called those He pre-destined. He justified us, meaning that we have been made right with God. And He glorified us, meaning that we are risen along with Jesus, being given new bodies (Rom. 8: 11).
God is also shown to be generous in His love for us. Paul argues that since God had not spared His own Son, He will spare nothing else for us. "All things" (v. 32), I believe, refer mainly to eternal life and the state of glorification. Of course God gives us good things in this life as well, but that's so insignificant to eternal life I think that eternal life by itself can be called "all things". I think here Paul is confirming that God doesn't go half-way in salvation: Jesus died to take our punishment, and then resurrected to show that we have life. We get the whole package.
Next we see a word also seen in the previous section: intercede. This is significant, because in the previous section Paul talks about the Holy Spirit interceding on our behalf. Here we see that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, interceding for us. Sandwiched between the two is this question: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Jesus is interceding for us, the Holy Spirit is interceding for us, and God the Father gave us His Son -- a powerful picture of the Triune God working in the lives of individuals.
Given the power at work here, we are as Paul says, "more than conquerors through Him who loved us." (v. 37). Catchy, but how are we conquerors in the first place? I don't think this verse means that we were conquerors before, and that we have become more than that. Rather, we need to look at what is being conquered: sin and death. Conquerors normally cause this, not conquer it. That doesn't make us more than conquerors, though. Rather, it is what lies beyond sin and death -- namely, eternal life -- that makes us more than conquerors. We haven't conquered eternal life (normally you have to conquer something to get it); we have obtained it, through the love of God.
This is God's love letter to us. I was going to write one (like we did at Prayer Retreat), but what's the point? It has already been written by the Holy Spirit. The question is, what shall we say in response to this?
Matthew
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Romans 8:18-27
Since my baptism, it's been a little rough. Pastor Johnston warned us of this, that Satan would be there to mess with us. But as Peter says (1 Peter 1:6-7), this must happen to see if our faith is pure. "... Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (v. 18) However great our suffering may be (remember St. Bart from Alex Phillips' sermon?), our suffering now is negligible in comparison to the freedom that comes from being released from sin and standing in God's glory (v.18-21).
But for now, while we're still struggling, I'm thankful that God gives me hope. Though we have to suffer, God doesn't just let me suffer alone. My friend's pastor used to help out a bit in my school fellowship. Once, someone asked him why God let people suffer. Usually, people just say that suffering helps us grow & suffering entered the world when Adam sinned, and so, is from man, not God. Both of these points are valid, but Chris (my friend's pastor) also pointed out something else: when we suffer, we relate to Jesus a little more. When He was on the cross, Jesus felt all of mankind's sin and suffering. Our own suffering is a little glimpse of what Jesus felt on the cross. God lets us suffer so that we can understand Him more and grow closer to Him. And more, when I give Him my burdens, He carries them for me.
And like a mother in labour, anxiously and painfully waiting through each contraction for the birth of her child (v.22), we wait through these times of adversity for our redemption. Time always seems to slow down when we're in pain (if you're interested, (I think) it's b/c of the sympathetic nervous system :D). But it's also during this time of suffering that we have hope in Christ.
In the words of Christopher Reeves, "Don't give up. Don't sell out. Don't lose hope."
Sonia
But for now, while we're still struggling, I'm thankful that God gives me hope. Though we have to suffer, God doesn't just let me suffer alone. My friend's pastor used to help out a bit in my school fellowship. Once, someone asked him why God let people suffer. Usually, people just say that suffering helps us grow & suffering entered the world when Adam sinned, and so, is from man, not God. Both of these points are valid, but Chris (my friend's pastor) also pointed out something else: when we suffer, we relate to Jesus a little more. When He was on the cross, Jesus felt all of mankind's sin and suffering. Our own suffering is a little glimpse of what Jesus felt on the cross. God lets us suffer so that we can understand Him more and grow closer to Him. And more, when I give Him my burdens, He carries them for me.
And like a mother in labour, anxiously and painfully waiting through each contraction for the birth of her child (v.22), we wait through these times of adversity for our redemption. Time always seems to slow down when we're in pain (if you're interested, (I think) it's b/c of the sympathetic nervous system :D). But it's also during this time of suffering that we have hope in Christ.
In the words of Christopher Reeves, "Don't give up. Don't sell out. Don't lose hope."
Sonia
Monday, May 2, 2011
Romans 8: 5-17
What does our nature desire? And more importantly, what does the Spirit desire?
Our nature desires pleasures of the flesh, as opposed to joy of the Spirit. The Spirit desires that we "love the LORD our God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deut. 6:5), and that we love each other as Jesus loved us (John 15:12). It's tough love, and by that I mean it's tough on the person loving, not the one being loved. And so in return, our nature desires lust -- arousing the same parts of our bodies and minds, but without the commitment or the pain.
Our nature desires temporary excitements over everlasting fulfillment. From the brutal fights in the Colosseum to Texas Chainsaw Massacre to roller coasters that become faster, more complex, more loopy and more vomit-inducing, our sinful natures demand that our minds be stimulated by entertainment (I have nothing against roller coasters, but I find it sad that it's a reflection of our need to be excited). In an interview about the motives behind his "shocking youth message", Paul Washer said he was astonished to see youths in the revival meeting dancing, lifting girls up and passing them back and forth as if they were in an earthly nightclub (I also have nothing against dancing. Like all the arts, dance is a reflection of God's creativity, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't godly dancing at that meeting.) The Spirit desires fulfillment: enjoying the company of the Father and fellowship with brothers and sisters. Sure, it doesn't sound as exciting as a drinking party, but it doesn't have to be boring either.
Our nature desires that we gratify ourselves rather than lifting others up. The best example I have is the one pastor Tom gave: "do you leave an inch of milk in the jug and put it back in the fridge?" Or my version: "do you secretly leave your dishes in the sink in hope that someone will come by, someday, and wash them for you?" (For the record, I am extremely guilty of this one.)
There are probably many more examples, but these three came into my mind the quickest. These are things that our nature desires -- our nature, meaning that it's ingrained into us, and to resist it would be like trying to canoe up a waterfall. It just doesn't happen.
As Christians however, we are controlled not by our sinful selves but by the Spirit. This is a great reminder for me. Rick Warren's book "The Purpose Driven Life" is good, I suppose (after all, we do need to live with God's purpose in mind), but what about "The Spirit Driven Life"? How would that look like? I won't do the Spirit injustice by trying to preach on how Spirit-driven living looks like, but the next couple verses illustrate the power of God, and give a glimpse of how God works for and through those who allow themselves to be driven by Him. If Christ is in you, Paul says, your body is dead to sin, but your spirit is alive because of righteousness. God's power allows Him to sustain our lives even though we have essentially killed ourselves through sin. The second verse is like the first: "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 through his Spirit, who lives in you." (v. 11) In Ezekiel 37, God tells the prophet Ezekiel to prophesy to dry bones (Ezekiel probably holds the distinction of being the only prophet to prophesy to the dead, as opposed to the living), and at the word of God, the dry bones grow flesh and come to life. God said to Ezekiel that the bones represented the house of Israel, which had its hope cut off. Yet God said that he would open their graves and bring them up from them. God can not only sustain the dead, but can restore life to the dead.
And so I pray that I (and we) would be Spirit-driven, led by what the Spirit desires. As I was writing, this passage came to me. Many people heard it last Friday, but I don't think anyone can hear too much of it. In particular, I think this passage reflects the character of God, and of those who are Spirit-driven:
"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." (Rom. 12:9-12)
Matthew
Our nature desires pleasures of the flesh, as opposed to joy of the Spirit. The Spirit desires that we "love the LORD our God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" (Deut. 6:5), and that we love each other as Jesus loved us (John 15:12). It's tough love, and by that I mean it's tough on the person loving, not the one being loved. And so in return, our nature desires lust -- arousing the same parts of our bodies and minds, but without the commitment or the pain.
Our nature desires temporary excitements over everlasting fulfillment. From the brutal fights in the Colosseum to Texas Chainsaw Massacre to roller coasters that become faster, more complex, more loopy and more vomit-inducing, our sinful natures demand that our minds be stimulated by entertainment (I have nothing against roller coasters, but I find it sad that it's a reflection of our need to be excited). In an interview about the motives behind his "shocking youth message", Paul Washer said he was astonished to see youths in the revival meeting dancing, lifting girls up and passing them back and forth as if they were in an earthly nightclub (I also have nothing against dancing. Like all the arts, dance is a reflection of God's creativity, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't godly dancing at that meeting.) The Spirit desires fulfillment: enjoying the company of the Father and fellowship with brothers and sisters. Sure, it doesn't sound as exciting as a drinking party, but it doesn't have to be boring either.
Our nature desires that we gratify ourselves rather than lifting others up. The best example I have is the one pastor Tom gave: "do you leave an inch of milk in the jug and put it back in the fridge?" Or my version: "do you secretly leave your dishes in the sink in hope that someone will come by, someday, and wash them for you?" (For the record, I am extremely guilty of this one.)
There are probably many more examples, but these three came into my mind the quickest. These are things that our nature desires -- our nature, meaning that it's ingrained into us, and to resist it would be like trying to canoe up a waterfall. It just doesn't happen.
As Christians however, we are controlled not by our sinful selves but by the Spirit. This is a great reminder for me. Rick Warren's book "The Purpose Driven Life" is good, I suppose (after all, we do need to live with God's purpose in mind), but what about "The Spirit Driven Life"? How would that look like? I won't do the Spirit injustice by trying to preach on how Spirit-driven living looks like, but the next couple verses illustrate the power of God, and give a glimpse of how God works for and through those who allow themselves to be driven by Him. If Christ is in you, Paul says, your body is dead to sin, but your spirit is alive because of righteousness. God's power allows Him to sustain our lives even though we have essentially killed ourselves through sin. The second verse is like the first: "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 through his Spirit, who lives in you." (v. 11) In Ezekiel 37, God tells the prophet Ezekiel to prophesy to dry bones (Ezekiel probably holds the distinction of being the only prophet to prophesy to the dead, as opposed to the living), and at the word of God, the dry bones grow flesh and come to life. God said to Ezekiel that the bones represented the house of Israel, which had its hope cut off. Yet God said that he would open their graves and bring them up from them. God can not only sustain the dead, but can restore life to the dead.
And so I pray that I (and we) would be Spirit-driven, led by what the Spirit desires. As I was writing, this passage came to me. Many people heard it last Friday, but I don't think anyone can hear too much of it. In particular, I think this passage reflects the character of God, and of those who are Spirit-driven:
"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." (Rom. 12:9-12)
Matthew
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Romans 8:1-4
I know you covered 8:1 in the previous post, but 8:2 is a weird place to begin.
There is no condemnation for those who believe in Jesus because He has set us free from the law. He came down here to take our place on the cross. That doesn't sound like much when put into these words; this sounds like what we've heard out whole lives. Jesus died for us, He loves us, He saved us ... we've heard these phrases so many times. But what did it mean for Jesus to come down?
We all know that crucifixion was unpleasant but, just how much pain did Jesus have to endure? Needless to say, it was excruciating. (I've mentioned before ...) The term excruciating literally translates into "out of the cross". People today compare their pain to the pain felt by those condemned to the cross. A little while ago, the Discovery Channel aired a documentary series called Machines of Malice, which explains sadistic execution methods from different time periods. The first of the series was called Ancient Machines and featured execution methods from Roman times. Some of the more memorable ones were the bee basket and the tree tearer (Hooray for alliteration!). Kinda stomach-churning. Among this nastiness was crucifixion.
Jesus would've had to endure three things: humiliation, physical pain, and spiritual separation from God the Father.
In Roman times, crucifixion (well, execution in general) was a form of entertainment. Ironically, the same crowd that welcomed Him into Jerusalem with palm leaves mocked Him and spat on Him. He was convicted of blasphemy (which doesn't sound very significant today), which was considered like the scum of the earth. The degree of shame associated with blasphemy is probably the same degree of shame we associate with child molesters. Had I been in the crowd (and did not recognize Jesus as Christ), I probably would've mocked Him too.
Then there was the physical pain. Recall that the previous night, as He was praying on Gethsemane, He had sweated blood. (Luke 22:44) This is actually a rare condition called Hematohidrosis. It's caused by intense fear. Jesus was so stressed that His blood vessels hemorrhaged. Blood, then, flows into the sweat glands and exits through the sweat ducts. Sweat ducts are not designed to accommodate high volumes of liquid, so it would've been very uncomfortable. The condition leaves the skin very tender and any pressure or damage to the skin is more painful than usual. He also would've been very dehydrated and would experience hypovolemic shock, which is when you lose so much blood/fluids that your heart doesn't have enough blood to pump. This leads to organ failure. After that, Jesus would've been betrayed by Judas, and would've been dragged from trial to trial the whole night. Up to this point, He was weak from the hypovolemia, His skin is very sensitive, His organs are failing, and He wouldn't have gotten any sleep (b/c of the trials). Then the Roman guards decide to beat Him up just for kicks, stuff thorns into His scalp and spit on Him some more. After that, He gets whipped 39 times with the cat-of-nine-tails (9 leather whips in one, each with a sharp piece of bone at the end). Then the crowd sentences Him to crucifixion, which requires Him to carry the horizontal beam of the cross to Golgotha, which is 2 km away. Weak from the beating, whipping, and organ failure, He's unable to do this and falls on His chest, which probably severely bruised his chest and broke a couple ribs. (Some experts say it could also have caused an aneurysm) Then Roman guards nail His wrists and feet to the cross, hitting major nerves (pain sensors of the body) and dislocating His shoulders. And for three hours, as He stood on the cross, each one of His movements would stimulate His nerves and reopen His wounds. Jesus endured all this.
But that's just the physical pain. The physical pain was nothing compared to being abandoned by God. He spent His whole life with God the Father. Jesus, who was once Holy, was drenched in our sin. At that moment, Jesus literally held the weight of the world in His shoulders. And so, the Father couldn't be with Him. I can't imagine being abandoned by my own dad, much less by God the Father.
That is what Jesus did for us. He knew how much pain He would have to endure and still came. Jesus loves us and died for us. Never let that mean any less than it is.
Sonia
There is no condemnation for those who believe in Jesus because He has set us free from the law. He came down here to take our place on the cross. That doesn't sound like much when put into these words; this sounds like what we've heard out whole lives. Jesus died for us, He loves us, He saved us ... we've heard these phrases so many times. But what did it mean for Jesus to come down?
We all know that crucifixion was unpleasant but, just how much pain did Jesus have to endure? Needless to say, it was excruciating. (I've mentioned before ...) The term excruciating literally translates into "out of the cross". People today compare their pain to the pain felt by those condemned to the cross. A little while ago, the Discovery Channel aired a documentary series called Machines of Malice, which explains sadistic execution methods from different time periods. The first of the series was called Ancient Machines and featured execution methods from Roman times. Some of the more memorable ones were the bee basket and the tree tearer (Hooray for alliteration!). Kinda stomach-churning. Among this nastiness was crucifixion.
Jesus would've had to endure three things: humiliation, physical pain, and spiritual separation from God the Father.
In Roman times, crucifixion (well, execution in general) was a form of entertainment. Ironically, the same crowd that welcomed Him into Jerusalem with palm leaves mocked Him and spat on Him. He was convicted of blasphemy (which doesn't sound very significant today), which was considered like the scum of the earth. The degree of shame associated with blasphemy is probably the same degree of shame we associate with child molesters. Had I been in the crowd (and did not recognize Jesus as Christ), I probably would've mocked Him too.
Then there was the physical pain. Recall that the previous night, as He was praying on Gethsemane, He had sweated blood. (Luke 22:44) This is actually a rare condition called Hematohidrosis. It's caused by intense fear. Jesus was so stressed that His blood vessels hemorrhaged. Blood, then, flows into the sweat glands and exits through the sweat ducts. Sweat ducts are not designed to accommodate high volumes of liquid, so it would've been very uncomfortable. The condition leaves the skin very tender and any pressure or damage to the skin is more painful than usual. He also would've been very dehydrated and would experience hypovolemic shock, which is when you lose so much blood/fluids that your heart doesn't have enough blood to pump. This leads to organ failure. After that, Jesus would've been betrayed by Judas, and would've been dragged from trial to trial the whole night. Up to this point, He was weak from the hypovolemia, His skin is very sensitive, His organs are failing, and He wouldn't have gotten any sleep (b/c of the trials). Then the Roman guards decide to beat Him up just for kicks, stuff thorns into His scalp and spit on Him some more. After that, He gets whipped 39 times with the cat-of-nine-tails (9 leather whips in one, each with a sharp piece of bone at the end). Then the crowd sentences Him to crucifixion, which requires Him to carry the horizontal beam of the cross to Golgotha, which is 2 km away. Weak from the beating, whipping, and organ failure, He's unable to do this and falls on His chest, which probably severely bruised his chest and broke a couple ribs. (Some experts say it could also have caused an aneurysm) Then Roman guards nail His wrists and feet to the cross, hitting major nerves (pain sensors of the body) and dislocating His shoulders. And for three hours, as He stood on the cross, each one of His movements would stimulate His nerves and reopen His wounds. Jesus endured all this.
But that's just the physical pain. The physical pain was nothing compared to being abandoned by God. He spent His whole life with God the Father. Jesus, who was once Holy, was drenched in our sin. At that moment, Jesus literally held the weight of the world in His shoulders. And so, the Father couldn't be with Him. I can't imagine being abandoned by my own dad, much less by God the Father.
That is what Jesus did for us. He knew how much pain He would have to endure and still came. Jesus loves us and died for us. Never let that mean any less than it is.
Sonia
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Romans 8:1
THEREFORE there is now no condemnation...
Therefore, there is NOW no condemnation...
Therefore, there is now NO condemnation...
Therefore, there is now no CONDEMNATION...
Therefore. Therefore means because, and indicates a link. So in order to begin to understand chapter 8, we need to look at the end of chapter 7. And so we find that BECAUSE we in our minds are slaves not to sin but to God, and BECAUSE God rescues us from the body of death, there is now no condemnation.
Now. Now indicates the present time. In chapter 3, Paul maintained that God had left sins committed in the past unpunished. But now "he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us" (v. 3-4). And because God had condemned sin in the person of Jesus, now there is no condemnation for us. I think that there is a very penetrating aspect about this, because at this very moment, God looks down from heaven and sees that each one of us who are in Christ Jesus as His child.
Pastor Paul has a story he's quite fond of using. He told his daughter Beatrice, "I'm proud of you." And little Beatrice, confused, asks "why?", and Paul simply says "because you're my daughter." And this exactly is the kind of love God has for us -- NOW.
No. I don't think we truly grasp the utter finality of this word. For us, if there are scraps of ice cream left in the bucket, we say that there's no ice cream. If there are still a few bread crumbs we say that there's no bread. But God is not like that. His "no" condemnation means that there is not one speck of condemnation reserved for us, because He condemned Jesus, forsook His only Son, and crushed Him (for a taste of God's wrath, read Rev. 16). The hardest thing for a human to do, I think, is to fully accept that, because we are so used to have to work for things, even our salvation. But I am convinced that if we were to fully accept that because of Jesus, there is no condemnation, we would be able to serve "in the new way of the Spirit." (Rom. 7:6)
Condemnation. I mentioned in my post about Rom. 3:21-31 that salvation is something we will spend all of eternity trying to comprehend. Condemnation is part of it, and it doesn't help that God is somewhat secretive about it. True condemnation, I believe, is meted out in only two places in the Bible: on the person of Jesus Christ at the cruxifiction, and in the last pages of Revelation when the dead are judged. I may be glossing over passages, but the more I understand the Bible, the more I find that even the "rough" passages such as slaughtering the Canaanites in Joshua and the fiery prophets are a call for the people to repent. And again, as Paul mentioned in chapter 3, God left the sins in the past unpunished. But when Jesus returns, He will judge the world and condemn those who have not put their faith in Him to hell. And if heaven is better than all we could imagine, hell must be worse than all we could imagine.
... for those who are IN Christ Jesus.
The most obvious passage that comes to mind is John 15, when Jesus tells his disciples to "remain" in His love (some translations use "abide"). I think the application is clear here, but I want to expand upon this little word. The Triune God can be thought of as an eternally co-existing Unity of three Persons. This means that there were not three Persons of God existing in separate corners of space; there were three Persons of God existing together in an eternal dance, if you will, in enjoyment of each other's company. And when we are called to be "in" Christ Jesus, we are called to join in this eternal dance. The second image that this little word brings to my mind is being surrounded by the grace of the Father, the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, 360 degrees, for ever and ever. Notice both the spatial and temporal eternity here. And so Paul's exhortation in Ephesians 6:13-16 is not so much separate pieces of armor, but a fully-enclosed battle-suit of holiness. Something like this.
And so once more I end with the command from God that Paul so faithfully wrote down: "[let us] serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." (Rom. 7:6b)
Matthew
Therefore, there is NOW no condemnation...
Therefore, there is now NO condemnation...
Therefore, there is now no CONDEMNATION...
Therefore. Therefore means because, and indicates a link. So in order to begin to understand chapter 8, we need to look at the end of chapter 7. And so we find that BECAUSE we in our minds are slaves not to sin but to God, and BECAUSE God rescues us from the body of death, there is now no condemnation.
Now. Now indicates the present time. In chapter 3, Paul maintained that God had left sins committed in the past unpunished. But now "he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us" (v. 3-4). And because God had condemned sin in the person of Jesus, now there is no condemnation for us. I think that there is a very penetrating aspect about this, because at this very moment, God looks down from heaven and sees that each one of us who are in Christ Jesus as His child.
Pastor Paul has a story he's quite fond of using. He told his daughter Beatrice, "I'm proud of you." And little Beatrice, confused, asks "why?", and Paul simply says "because you're my daughter." And this exactly is the kind of love God has for us -- NOW.
No. I don't think we truly grasp the utter finality of this word. For us, if there are scraps of ice cream left in the bucket, we say that there's no ice cream. If there are still a few bread crumbs we say that there's no bread. But God is not like that. His "no" condemnation means that there is not one speck of condemnation reserved for us, because He condemned Jesus, forsook His only Son, and crushed Him (for a taste of God's wrath, read Rev. 16). The hardest thing for a human to do, I think, is to fully accept that, because we are so used to have to work for things, even our salvation. But I am convinced that if we were to fully accept that because of Jesus, there is no condemnation, we would be able to serve "in the new way of the Spirit." (Rom. 7:6)
Condemnation. I mentioned in my post about Rom. 3:21-31 that salvation is something we will spend all of eternity trying to comprehend. Condemnation is part of it, and it doesn't help that God is somewhat secretive about it. True condemnation, I believe, is meted out in only two places in the Bible: on the person of Jesus Christ at the cruxifiction, and in the last pages of Revelation when the dead are judged. I may be glossing over passages, but the more I understand the Bible, the more I find that even the "rough" passages such as slaughtering the Canaanites in Joshua and the fiery prophets are a call for the people to repent. And again, as Paul mentioned in chapter 3, God left the sins in the past unpunished. But when Jesus returns, He will judge the world and condemn those who have not put their faith in Him to hell. And if heaven is better than all we could imagine, hell must be worse than all we could imagine.
... for those who are IN Christ Jesus.
The most obvious passage that comes to mind is John 15, when Jesus tells his disciples to "remain" in His love (some translations use "abide"). I think the application is clear here, but I want to expand upon this little word. The Triune God can be thought of as an eternally co-existing Unity of three Persons. This means that there were not three Persons of God existing in separate corners of space; there were three Persons of God existing together in an eternal dance, if you will, in enjoyment of each other's company. And when we are called to be "in" Christ Jesus, we are called to join in this eternal dance. The second image that this little word brings to my mind is being surrounded by the grace of the Father, the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, 360 degrees, for ever and ever. Notice both the spatial and temporal eternity here. And so Paul's exhortation in Ephesians 6:13-16 is not so much separate pieces of armor, but a fully-enclosed battle-suit of holiness. Something like this.
And so once more I end with the command from God that Paul so faithfully wrote down: "[let us] serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." (Rom. 7:6b)
Matthew
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Giving When it Counts
This is a story I found randomly:
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year-old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her."
As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?".
Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year-old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her."
As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?".
Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
Romans 7:7-13
Paul begins reiterating that sin only exists only when law exists. "But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by [the law], produced in me every kind of [sinful behaviour]." (Romans 7:8a) Interesting how "the [law], which was intended to bring life, actually brought death." (Romans 7:10) Once, a friend told me that God was cruel because He made the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He said that if God really wanted a relationship with us, God wouldn't have made the tree. My friend reasoned that by making the tree, God was tempting us, that God was making us sin. So by making Adam & Eve, then putting the tree there to taunt us, God was condemning us. I didn't have an answer for him at the moment. But I've since given it much thought. There's probably some theological answer I won't understand, but if God didn't put the tree there, our relationship with God wouldn't be real. Without the tree, we would stay with God only because we're ignorant and don't know any other way of living. But the tree offers another way of life: life without God. Through the tree, we'd have the choice to live for God or for self. If we choose God over the tree, that demonstrates true obedience and love for God.
Paul also says that we need to distinguish law from sin. We can't blame the law; law only shows us that we're sinful. At the root of it all, it's our sin that separates us from God, not the law. Disorder and chaos is naturally favoured in the universe. Even in a child, the innate desire to oppose authority is evident. Watch this! (This is an aside but ....) This can also be observed in the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which states that all changes (eg. chemical reactions) result in an increase in entropy (overall disorder) in the universe, and that any order is eventually overcome by more disorder.
Notice how, in verse 9, it says "Once, I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died." The way he says it, it seems so natural; "sin sprang to life and I died". Like sin just takes over. Why do we let it? Most of the time, when we sin, they're just small things. Smaller (in our judgment, not God's) than lying or cheating. It could be something like choosing to fool around on the internet and play Freecell (ingenious game, btw) over reading the Bible and posting on the blog ...
Sin is choosing something other than God. And it's about time I stopped doing that.
Sonia
Paul also says that we need to distinguish law from sin. We can't blame the law; law only shows us that we're sinful. At the root of it all, it's our sin that separates us from God, not the law. Disorder and chaos is naturally favoured in the universe. Even in a child, the innate desire to oppose authority is evident. Watch this! (This is an aside but ....) This can also be observed in the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which states that all changes (eg. chemical reactions) result in an increase in entropy (overall disorder) in the universe, and that any order is eventually overcome by more disorder.
Notice how, in verse 9, it says "Once, I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died." The way he says it, it seems so natural; "sin sprang to life and I died". Like sin just takes over. Why do we let it? Most of the time, when we sin, they're just small things. Smaller (in our judgment, not God's) than lying or cheating. It could be something like choosing to fool around on the internet and play Freecell (ingenious game, btw) over reading the Bible and posting on the blog ...
Sin is choosing something other than God. And it's about time I stopped doing that.
Sonia
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Romans 7:1-6
"So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God." Romans 7:4
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:9
"Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'we have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." Matthew 3:8-10
In my last post, I talked about how I struggled with the concept of dying to sin. In this one, I find myself encouraged by the concept of dying to the law. I was reminded by Faith shortly after my last post that the greatest power of sin is its power to sever our relationship with God, and it was this power that was nullified by Christ's atoning death. Here Paul talks precisely about that: the law, which amplified sin, proved to be a stumbling block to the Israelites, and in the same way was a stumbling block to us. God himself removed this stumbling block, not that we could do whatever we want, but that we would belong to him. The relationship is restored.
This is both the greatest challenge and the greatest hope at the same time. In 1 Corinthians, Paul notes that "The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife." (7:4) It is the greatest challenge (I say "the" challenge as opposed to "our" or "my" challenge, because I believe this is universal) to give up ourselves so that we do not belong to ourselves but to God. At the same time, it is the greatest hope, because Christ did the exact same thing on the cross. He did not keep his body for himself, but freely gave it up for us. Also, it is our greatest hope because we truly live when this happens -- whatever truly living means. I can't say from first-hand experience.
And so we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation that belongs to God. Now what? Paul continues: "...that we might bear fruit to God." John the Baptist says the same thing: "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance." And Tim challenges us to be "real Christians". Since the last pre-study, I've thought briefly on the concept of "fruit". I'm sure someone has written a dissertation on the use of "fruit" in the Bible, but one thing that strikes me is that fruit is a) good, and b) reproductive. What if the forbidden tree in Eden grew vegetables? Or the different qualities of the Spirit in Galatians are rocks? I think the Bible would be less appealing. The "fruit of your labour" also refers to something that you enjoy after having worked for it. In the same way, we too would enjoy bearing fruit to God, and we would enjoy seeing the fruit. Being reproductive (through the seeds), fruit is passed around and more fruit produced.
And so as Paul says, let us serve not in the old way of the written code, but let us serve in the new way of the Spirit, for the Father delights in those who worship in spirit and in truth.
Matthew
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." 1 Peter 2:9
"Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'we have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." Matthew 3:8-10
In my last post, I talked about how I struggled with the concept of dying to sin. In this one, I find myself encouraged by the concept of dying to the law. I was reminded by Faith shortly after my last post that the greatest power of sin is its power to sever our relationship with God, and it was this power that was nullified by Christ's atoning death. Here Paul talks precisely about that: the law, which amplified sin, proved to be a stumbling block to the Israelites, and in the same way was a stumbling block to us. God himself removed this stumbling block, not that we could do whatever we want, but that we would belong to him. The relationship is restored.
This is both the greatest challenge and the greatest hope at the same time. In 1 Corinthians, Paul notes that "The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife." (7:4) It is the greatest challenge (I say "the" challenge as opposed to "our" or "my" challenge, because I believe this is universal) to give up ourselves so that we do not belong to ourselves but to God. At the same time, it is the greatest hope, because Christ did the exact same thing on the cross. He did not keep his body for himself, but freely gave it up for us. Also, it is our greatest hope because we truly live when this happens -- whatever truly living means. I can't say from first-hand experience.
And so we are a royal priesthood, a holy nation that belongs to God. Now what? Paul continues: "...that we might bear fruit to God." John the Baptist says the same thing: "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance." And Tim challenges us to be "real Christians". Since the last pre-study, I've thought briefly on the concept of "fruit". I'm sure someone has written a dissertation on the use of "fruit" in the Bible, but one thing that strikes me is that fruit is a) good, and b) reproductive. What if the forbidden tree in Eden grew vegetables? Or the different qualities of the Spirit in Galatians are rocks? I think the Bible would be less appealing. The "fruit of your labour" also refers to something that you enjoy after having worked for it. In the same way, we too would enjoy bearing fruit to God, and we would enjoy seeing the fruit. Being reproductive (through the seeds), fruit is passed around and more fruit produced.
And so as Paul says, let us serve not in the old way of the written code, but let us serve in the new way of the Spirit, for the Father delights in those who worship in spirit and in truth.
Matthew
Monday, April 18, 2011
Romans 6:15-23
The passage begins by establishing that we are slaves to either righteousness or sin. However, the term 'slave' encompasses that we are bound to something. I'd like to think that it's our choice, that we don't do this out of pure obedience (to either God or the world). With God, our relationship is not that of a master & slave, but of master & ready and willing servant. We do this willingly. But yes, we can only serve one master (Matthew 6:24). Slaves obey their master to gain acceptance from their master. Servants of God are the exact opposite: we obey God because we are accepted and loved.
But anyway, we can choose one of two paths: with or without God. Both choices are heavily documented in the Bible. Life without God or slavery to sin is the easiest, we don't have to do anything! Sin is in our nature, we don't have to work hard to achieve it. That's exactly how God's people strayed away from God -- they had a great relationship with Him in the beginning, but they didn't work to live completely for God and naturally fell away from Him. So once a while, God had to send messengers of rebuke to wake up the Israelites. He ended up sending 14 prophets.
And if God just kept it that way and decided to wait 'till we've turned bad and send a prophet to rebuke us, we'd be screwed. If it were that way, we'd have had a couple hundred prophets, each telling us "dude, repent or die.". And each time, we wouldn't learn anything. That would suck to have to face God's routine 'nag' every other decade or so.
But God didn't do it this way. Parents know that nagging doesn't work, it's just annoying -- children hear it and dismiss their parents. The children may complete the task, but they will not be willing or full-hearted with the task. God sees this and stops nagging us with prophets. He does what any parent would; He gives us an ultimatum and sends down Jesus, who wipes our slate clean. So we either follow Jesus and be righteous, or follow ourselves and stay sinful.
If we were to follow our own ways and stay sinful, that could only lead to death. But because Jesus took our place on the cross and took the weight of our sin, we can be sin-free as long as we trust in Jesus. Doesn't that sound like the easier path to go through?
We can either mope around in our sin or live in Christ. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Sonia
But anyway, we can choose one of two paths: with or without God. Both choices are heavily documented in the Bible. Life without God or slavery to sin is the easiest, we don't have to do anything! Sin is in our nature, we don't have to work hard to achieve it. That's exactly how God's people strayed away from God -- they had a great relationship with Him in the beginning, but they didn't work to live completely for God and naturally fell away from Him. So once a while, God had to send messengers of rebuke to wake up the Israelites. He ended up sending 14 prophets.
And if God just kept it that way and decided to wait 'till we've turned bad and send a prophet to rebuke us, we'd be screwed. If it were that way, we'd have had a couple hundred prophets, each telling us "dude, repent or die.". And each time, we wouldn't learn anything. That would suck to have to face God's routine 'nag' every other decade or so.
But God didn't do it this way. Parents know that nagging doesn't work, it's just annoying -- children hear it and dismiss their parents. The children may complete the task, but they will not be willing or full-hearted with the task. God sees this and stops nagging us with prophets. He does what any parent would; He gives us an ultimatum and sends down Jesus, who wipes our slate clean. So we either follow Jesus and be righteous, or follow ourselves and stay sinful.
If we were to follow our own ways and stay sinful, that could only lead to death. But because Jesus took our place on the cross and took the weight of our sin, we can be sin-free as long as we trust in Jesus. Doesn't that sound like the easier path to go through?
We can either mope around in our sin or live in Christ. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Sonia
Monday, April 11, 2011
Romans 6:1-14
I consider this passage one of the most difficult parts of Romans -- if not the whole Bible -- for me to swallow. As I was reading this, I originally thought how I could write about how Paul juxtaposes life and death in this chapter, and the implications of that. I still will, because fleshing that out is an important part to this section, but as I read the passage again and again I felt torn, because I was supposed to be dead to sin, crucified with Christ, and free from the law. Instead, I find myself struggling -- if sin has no power over me, why do I struggle with sin so much? Certainly it's not because God allows it to happen so that he can display his grace more. Paul shot that down in the first verse. At the end too, Paul re-iterates his argument by saying "do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness." (v. 13) However, I find myself offering the parts of my body to sin -- to pride and lust and anger, and probably some other sins that haven't been revealed yet. And it feels so good too, to feel "justly angry" at someone if they have been unfair to me, or to look down upon another conductor, because I feel that I talk less than him/her, or wave my arms in a more dramatic fashion, or have more expressive facial gestures. Paul does cover this in chapter 7 (hopefully it won't be me writing on that section; otherwise, it'll be essentially a repeat of this), but I find myself asking God, "What's going on? I trust in you. I've given my life to you, or as much as I can right now. Why then, do I still feel dead to Christ and alive in sin? Is there something lacking in your grace, or in the promises you set out in the Bible?"
I don't have an answer. But let's take a look at the text...
This section is the first of three arguments Paul anticipates people asking, and recorded in chapters 6 and 7. If God gave us the law to make our sin that much greater, in order that he might display his grace more, shouldn't we sin more so that we can receive more grace? And you know, the more I think about it and the more I experience God's work in my life, the more credible this argument sounds. God, we believe, is all-powerful, all-compassionate, and all-loving. These traits lead him to work through weak humans even though it would be much more cost efficient to simply do it himself. And as we fail and see God pick up our scraps and help us turn our failures into successes and us weak humans into stronger humans, we praise God for his grace. Given this context, it wouldn't seem far fetched or heretical that perhaps, we should screw up more so that God gets to flex his muscles more.
But Paul answers this by crushing it. "We died to sin", he says. "How can we live in it any longer?" This part points to our model -- Jesus Christ, and the Triune God. God is holy. It doesn't just mean that God cannot sin; it means that he cannot live in sin (which makes the 33 years Jesus was on earth that much more wondrous). So if we died to sin, we are to be holy like God, separate from sin.
Here Paul goes deeper into how we died to sin. It was something he began in chapter 5, when he said that we have been reconciled with God through Christ's death, and saved through his life. Paul explains this dual process: our reconciliation happened because Christ didn't just take our sins on that cross. He took our sinful bodies. That's the purpose of his death. And since we are now, hypothetically, disembodied spirits, we need a new body. And just as God raised Jesus from the dead through his glory (meaning that not only did Jesus' resurrection happen to the glory of the Father, but also it was the glory of God which raised Jesus from the dead), God the Father gives us new bodies. And these bodies are supposed to be pure, free from sin, and free from death. That's the purpose of his resurrection. We who have been baptized into Christ's death should count ourselves dead to sin.
Verse 10 sums up two things we can take from Jesus' death and resurrection. "The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God." "Once for all", or a variant thereof, is used many times in Hebrews 10. That chapter basically drills into a reader's head the totality and finality of Christ's sacrifice. And not only Christ, but we too, dead to sin, are supposed to be finished with the power of sin. The complimentary statement to the first part is "the life he lives, he lives to God." In Greek mythology, there is a story of a woman who became so madly in love with Apollo, the sun god, that she stayed rooted in the same spot for something like ten days, doing nothing but gazing at the Apollo as he crossed the sky, and finally became a sunflower. Living to God reminds me of that picture, that just as Jesus looked to God for everything (we talked about that in Seeker's Class yesterday), those who die to sin look to God with that much yearning and intensity, and through doing that live for God.
Matthew
I don't have an answer. But let's take a look at the text...
This section is the first of three arguments Paul anticipates people asking, and recorded in chapters 6 and 7. If God gave us the law to make our sin that much greater, in order that he might display his grace more, shouldn't we sin more so that we can receive more grace? And you know, the more I think about it and the more I experience God's work in my life, the more credible this argument sounds. God, we believe, is all-powerful, all-compassionate, and all-loving. These traits lead him to work through weak humans even though it would be much more cost efficient to simply do it himself. And as we fail and see God pick up our scraps and help us turn our failures into successes and us weak humans into stronger humans, we praise God for his grace. Given this context, it wouldn't seem far fetched or heretical that perhaps, we should screw up more so that God gets to flex his muscles more.
But Paul answers this by crushing it. "We died to sin", he says. "How can we live in it any longer?" This part points to our model -- Jesus Christ, and the Triune God. God is holy. It doesn't just mean that God cannot sin; it means that he cannot live in sin (which makes the 33 years Jesus was on earth that much more wondrous). So if we died to sin, we are to be holy like God, separate from sin.
Here Paul goes deeper into how we died to sin. It was something he began in chapter 5, when he said that we have been reconciled with God through Christ's death, and saved through his life. Paul explains this dual process: our reconciliation happened because Christ didn't just take our sins on that cross. He took our sinful bodies. That's the purpose of his death. And since we are now, hypothetically, disembodied spirits, we need a new body. And just as God raised Jesus from the dead through his glory (meaning that not only did Jesus' resurrection happen to the glory of the Father, but also it was the glory of God which raised Jesus from the dead), God the Father gives us new bodies. And these bodies are supposed to be pure, free from sin, and free from death. That's the purpose of his resurrection. We who have been baptized into Christ's death should count ourselves dead to sin.
Verse 10 sums up two things we can take from Jesus' death and resurrection. "The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God." "Once for all", or a variant thereof, is used many times in Hebrews 10. That chapter basically drills into a reader's head the totality and finality of Christ's sacrifice. And not only Christ, but we too, dead to sin, are supposed to be finished with the power of sin. The complimentary statement to the first part is "the life he lives, he lives to God." In Greek mythology, there is a story of a woman who became so madly in love with Apollo, the sun god, that she stayed rooted in the same spot for something like ten days, doing nothing but gazing at the Apollo as he crossed the sky, and finally became a sunflower. Living to God reminds me of that picture, that just as Jesus looked to God for everything (we talked about that in Seeker's Class yesterday), those who die to sin look to God with that much yearning and intensity, and through doing that live for God.
Matthew
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Romans 5:12-21
Through Adam, sin entered the world, and through sin, death entered; death because of one man. Would suck to be that man. Worse still, Judas Iscariot. I'm glad God made me me, not Judas Iscariot. Even the Bible says, "it would be better for him if he had not been born". (Matt 26:24b)
I find that I often categorize sins. Murder or rape would be a big sin. Petty theft or lies are smaller sins. But there are no degrees of sin, any sin results in death. (Romans 6:23a) So are we any better than Adam or Judas Iscariot? We're all worthy of death by God's standards. But often, we aim for human standards and fall short of God's glory -- we sin, we're worthy of death. God, who is sinless, has the authority to condemn us. But out of love, He spares us, just like He spared the adulterous woman. (John 8:1-8)
Knowing this, why do we continue to indulge in our sin? We know that with each sin we commit, we're nailing Christ on the cross. Does the fact that Jesus died for every sin we will commit mean that we should allow ourselves to sin to our hearts' desire? No. If my friend treats me to dinner, I wouldn't be cheap and order everything on the menu -- I would be abusing my friend's gift. God provided a way out from death, I can't be cheap and abuse God's gift.
I've always questioned why God would put the tree of knowledge of good & evil in the Garden of Eden. He knew that Adam & Eve would sin, so why tempt them? I guess v. 20-21 answers it.
I find that I often categorize sins. Murder or rape would be a big sin. Petty theft or lies are smaller sins. But there are no degrees of sin, any sin results in death. (Romans 6:23a) So are we any better than Adam or Judas Iscariot? We're all worthy of death by God's standards. But often, we aim for human standards and fall short of God's glory -- we sin, we're worthy of death. God, who is sinless, has the authority to condemn us. But out of love, He spares us, just like He spared the adulterous woman. (John 8:1-8)
Knowing this, why do we continue to indulge in our sin? We know that with each sin we commit, we're nailing Christ on the cross. Does the fact that Jesus died for every sin we will commit mean that we should allow ourselves to sin to our hearts' desire? No. If my friend treats me to dinner, I wouldn't be cheap and order everything on the menu -- I would be abusing my friend's gift. God provided a way out from death, I can't be cheap and abuse God's gift.
I've always questioned why God would put the tree of knowledge of good & evil in the Garden of Eden. He knew that Adam & Eve would sin, so why tempt them? I guess v. 20-21 answers it.
"The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."Sonia
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Romans 5:1-11
This, I think, is one of the brighter passages in Romans, before Paul dives into the issues of sinning as a Christian, election, and general Christian lifestyle. Paul says that since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God.
What is peace? In 21st century North America, peace is an underrated concept. We wake up expecting peace. We believe peace to be our right. If we wake up to the sound of two people arguing nearby, we complain that they have disturbed our peaceful slumber. To a Libyan, however, peace must be a different concept. In Misrata, where the entire city is currently under siege from Gaddafi's forces, peace would mean being able to sleep without fear of an artillery shell landing next to you, or walk to the store without being afraid a stray bullet hitting you.
It would seem then, that the opposite of peace is fear. Now this fear would be a different kind of fear godly men have for God -- a more accurate term for that might be reverence. This fear is the fear of evil men when God unleashes His wrath on mankind, and men call out to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" (Rev. 6:15-17) Since Paul has established that all people are evil, all of mankind stands in this state of fear. This fear may not fully manifest until Jesus returns, but it will come. The good news is, we have been saved from having to face this fear, and instead have peace with God.
Peace here really reminds me of the time when Jesus calms the storm (Mark 4:35-41). He says to the storm "Peace; be still." The winds quiet down and the rain stops, and the disciples were amazed. God says the same thing to us: "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10). Because we have peace with God, we can be still, be amazed, and exalt Him among the nations.
Going back to Libya, do the Libyans deserve peace? Yes, it is as much their right as it is our right. But do we deserve peace with God? Do we deserve to take shelter in the Ark of God while He floods the earth, after we have ignored His warnings for years? Of course not. And so peace with God is a gift from God. As Paul writes: "whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand." (v. 2) How much more should we be thankful for having peace with God!
And because of this peace we have with God, we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. The glory of God is God revealed. Isaiah, when he saw the glory of God, said "Woe is me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." (Isaiah 6:5) Revelation tells of the return of Jesus Christ (Rev. 19:11-21). In a display of His glory, Jesus fights the most one-sided battle in all of history -- His Word against the beast, the false prophet, and all the kings of the earth -- and wins. And yes, we hope for this glory, because we know that we have peace with God. We know that we are not people of unclean lips, and we know that we are not of the earth.
And so we hope. And we persevere through our sufferings by being focused on this hope. When I get asked to tell my testimony, I begin after my baptism. This is because in grade 10 I went into the baptistery fully prepared to get dunked, come out, live my life as I see fit, and then go to heaven when I die, or when Jesus returns, whichever comes first. God however had other plans, and stuck me with a rather painful relationship issue in grade 11, and only recently came to a close, and even now I feel somewhat depressed when I pray for her. In the summer of grade 11, I also lost the use of my left eye. Rather than these events being downer endings however, these events built perseverance, character and hope. Perseverance because I had no choice but to carry on, character because I learned to be dependent on God (among a whole slew of other things), and hope because I through dependence on God I know that He is in control, and therefore there are only happy endings. And here comes the best part: Hope does not fail us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts. Hope does not fail us because God does not fail us.
This only gets us to verse 5, but the next couple verses talk mostly about being reconciled through the blood of Christ, and saved by the resurrection of Christ. While important, I don't want to write an essay, and there is one final thing I want to concentrate on, and that is verse 11: "Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God..." We rejoice in the peace we have, we rejoice in the hope we have, but most of all, we rejoice in the God who provides the peace and hope we possess.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
What is peace? In 21st century North America, peace is an underrated concept. We wake up expecting peace. We believe peace to be our right. If we wake up to the sound of two people arguing nearby, we complain that they have disturbed our peaceful slumber. To a Libyan, however, peace must be a different concept. In Misrata, where the entire city is currently under siege from Gaddafi's forces, peace would mean being able to sleep without fear of an artillery shell landing next to you, or walk to the store without being afraid a stray bullet hitting you.
It would seem then, that the opposite of peace is fear. Now this fear would be a different kind of fear godly men have for God -- a more accurate term for that might be reverence. This fear is the fear of evil men when God unleashes His wrath on mankind, and men call out to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" (Rev. 6:15-17) Since Paul has established that all people are evil, all of mankind stands in this state of fear. This fear may not fully manifest until Jesus returns, but it will come. The good news is, we have been saved from having to face this fear, and instead have peace with God.
Peace here really reminds me of the time when Jesus calms the storm (Mark 4:35-41). He says to the storm "Peace; be still." The winds quiet down and the rain stops, and the disciples were amazed. God says the same thing to us: "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10). Because we have peace with God, we can be still, be amazed, and exalt Him among the nations.
Going back to Libya, do the Libyans deserve peace? Yes, it is as much their right as it is our right. But do we deserve peace with God? Do we deserve to take shelter in the Ark of God while He floods the earth, after we have ignored His warnings for years? Of course not. And so peace with God is a gift from God. As Paul writes: "whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand." (v. 2) How much more should we be thankful for having peace with God!
And because of this peace we have with God, we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. The glory of God is God revealed. Isaiah, when he saw the glory of God, said "Woe is me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." (Isaiah 6:5) Revelation tells of the return of Jesus Christ (Rev. 19:11-21). In a display of His glory, Jesus fights the most one-sided battle in all of history -- His Word against the beast, the false prophet, and all the kings of the earth -- and wins. And yes, we hope for this glory, because we know that we have peace with God. We know that we are not people of unclean lips, and we know that we are not of the earth.
And so we hope. And we persevere through our sufferings by being focused on this hope. When I get asked to tell my testimony, I begin after my baptism. This is because in grade 10 I went into the baptistery fully prepared to get dunked, come out, live my life as I see fit, and then go to heaven when I die, or when Jesus returns, whichever comes first. God however had other plans, and stuck me with a rather painful relationship issue in grade 11, and only recently came to a close, and even now I feel somewhat depressed when I pray for her. In the summer of grade 11, I also lost the use of my left eye. Rather than these events being downer endings however, these events built perseverance, character and hope. Perseverance because I had no choice but to carry on, character because I learned to be dependent on God (among a whole slew of other things), and hope because I through dependence on God I know that He is in control, and therefore there are only happy endings. And here comes the best part: Hope does not fail us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts. Hope does not fail us because God does not fail us.
This only gets us to verse 5, but the next couple verses talk mostly about being reconciled through the blood of Christ, and saved by the resurrection of Christ. While important, I don't want to write an essay, and there is one final thing I want to concentrate on, and that is verse 11: "Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God..." We rejoice in the peace we have, we rejoice in the hope we have, but most of all, we rejoice in the God who provides the peace and hope we possess.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
-- Philippians 4:4-7
Monday, April 4, 2011
Romans 4
The fourth chapter continues with the idea of righteousness through faith. In chapter three, he says that we are righteous through faith in Jesus Christ because He suffered the penalty of our sin for us. But what about all the Jews before Christ came? Paul discusses whether or not they were saved through faith or deeds. He points to Abraham, a man of great faith. He had complete faith in God -- who in their right mind would give up their own son!? (watch this!) Actually, if we take a look at the Mosaic Law ... it's pretty intense; it requires great faith to follow it.
Verse 5 makes no sense to me in the NIV. But if we take a look into the NLT, this is what it says:
"But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners." David says the same thing (Ps. 36:1,2) -- we are righteous through faith, not deeds.
Paul then revisits and expands on the topic of circumcision. In a nutshell, Abraham was faithful to God even before he was circumcised. His circumcision had no impact on his faith or righteousness. Circumcision (to the best of my knowledge) was to ensure that you were clean (an uncircumcised male newborn would be unclean). This was done to set apart Jew from Gentile. (?) But as we've already established, "there is no difference". So circumcision was performed more for symbolic reasons (though I don't know what it symbolizes). The point is that it wasn't through the law (and circumcision) that Abraham was saved, but rather, through faith.
And this next part explains itself:
Jesus tells us in Matthew 17:20b that "if we have faith as small as a mustard seed, [we can move mountains; nothing will be impossible for us.]".
Let's move mountains.
Sonia
Verse 5 makes no sense to me in the NIV. But if we take a look into the NLT, this is what it says:
"But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners." David says the same thing (Ps. 36:1,2) -- we are righteous through faith, not deeds.
Paul then revisits and expands on the topic of circumcision. In a nutshell, Abraham was faithful to God even before he was circumcised. His circumcision had no impact on his faith or righteousness. Circumcision (to the best of my knowledge) was to ensure that you were clean (an uncircumcised male newborn would be unclean). This was done to set apart Jew from Gentile. (?) But as we've already established, "there is no difference". So circumcision was performed more for symbolic reasons (though I don't know what it symbolizes). The point is that it wasn't through the law (and circumcision) that Abraham was saved, but rather, through faith.
And this next part explains itself:
13 It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, 15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.(B/c of Gen. 17:5)Even when the going was tough, he trusted God. He did not doubt God when He said Sarah would give birth to a son, or when God instructed him to kill Isaac. Look how blessed he was.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 17:20b that "if we have faith as small as a mustard seed, [we can move mountains; nothing will be impossible for us.]".
Let's move mountains.
Sonia
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Romans 3:21-31
I'm so glad I get to post on this part. Salvation has interested me ever since I heard Paul Washer's sermons online last term. In the very first one I heard, I remember him saying that we will spend all of eternity trying to understand the mystery of salvation. His statement stands in contrast to what we think now, that salvation is the first thing a Christian should "master", and that other, deeper subjects (such as eschatology or divine election) are the more "advanced" topics. No, Washer says. Every single person, Christian or not, will know exactly what happens on the Day of the Lord in regards to these topics. But salvation -- we will spend all of eternity praising God for it, and learning more and more of its wonders.
Of course the whole book or Romans, indeed the whole Bible, is the salvation story. But these eleven verses really concentrate on God's greatest gift to us. Righteousness, as I mentioned earlier (or rather my Bible dictionary did), is not only being "good", but right with God -- seeing Him eye to eye. And it has been established that no one sees eye to eye with God, and no one ever can. Yet Paul opens this bit with "but now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known..." (v. 21a). The italicized bits emphasize two things: first, that the way to being right with God comes from God. No surprise there. Jesus Himself said "I AM the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14: 6). This has implications for my spiritual life. If being right with God comes from God, then it makes sense that my new earthly experience (which is really spiritual exercise and warm-up for the work-out in eternity) should come from God. As a follower of Christ with my treasure set in heaven, I've come a long way from a doomed soul who rejects God, as described in chapter one, but all the failures I've met in my earthly struggles do prompt me to ask: how much am I choosing to receive from God?
The second word I emphasized is apart. We are saved apart from the law. This word really moves me to thank God. He saw that mankind would surely fail if we had to live up to His standards (seriously, we couldn't even resist eating a fruit, how are we supposed to resist bigger temptations?), and so He created a way out. In Corinthians, Paul states that "[God] will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under [temptation]." (1 Cor. 10:13b). Now, I know that it's a different context and I should be careful about randomly cross-referencing, but the key thing I'm grasping at here is simply how lovingly and how powerfully God provides back doors for us. And back doors I'm no stranger to. Half the stuff I do at McMaster I can do because people have opened back doors for me. And if I'm grateful to them for providing back doors for temporal things, how much more should I thank God for giving me back doors for eternal things!
The meat of my devotion this time, however, is the lead-up to verse 23. The famous verse "for all have sinned..." is prefaced by "there is no difference". Difference between what? Paul clarifies later in verses 29-30, when he talks about salvation of both Jews and Gentiles through the same faith. It's a serious wake-up call to the "chosen people", that God doesn't see them any differently than the people they regard has barbarians and heathens. That has got to hurt. But I want to look at this the other way -- the heathen and the ungodly and the demon-possessed -- God sees them with the same love as He sees His chosen people. And it's so like God to do that! Abraham's forgotten son, Ishmael -- his people were not chosen by God (at least, not like Isaac's were), but God still blessed him (for more details see Gen. 16 and 21). And one of the things I remember most vivdly in the gospels (apart from the "IT IS FINISHED!" bit) is when the writer records Jesus being "moved with compassion" when he sees the physically and spiritually disabled. Some translations, I think, have "moved with pity", or some variation of that. And here we are reminded that "there is no difference". God looks upon everyone with the same love a Father has for His son (or even for His Son).
For the upcoming choir concert, we're doing two pieces that are especially touching to me. One is Agneau de Dieu (Lamb of God) by Rupert Lang, and the other is Ave Verum Corpus by Imant Raminsh. Ave Verum Corpus, in particular, features one massive fortissimo section that only lasts about two measures, and right there are the words "O clemens!", which translates to "O merciful [Jesus]!" Singing that just makes me want to fall on my knees. The text for both songs also include "have pity on us" near the end. They are such powerful pieces, but it's even more powerful that the Lamb we're singing about is moved with compassion and says "I am willing. Be clean!".
That's pretty powerful when I tack that on to "there is no difference."
Of course the whole book or Romans, indeed the whole Bible, is the salvation story. But these eleven verses really concentrate on God's greatest gift to us. Righteousness, as I mentioned earlier (or rather my Bible dictionary did), is not only being "good", but right with God -- seeing Him eye to eye. And it has been established that no one sees eye to eye with God, and no one ever can. Yet Paul opens this bit with "but now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known..." (v. 21a). The italicized bits emphasize two things: first, that the way to being right with God comes from God. No surprise there. Jesus Himself said "I AM the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14: 6). This has implications for my spiritual life. If being right with God comes from God, then it makes sense that my new earthly experience (which is really spiritual exercise and warm-up for the work-out in eternity) should come from God. As a follower of Christ with my treasure set in heaven, I've come a long way from a doomed soul who rejects God, as described in chapter one, but all the failures I've met in my earthly struggles do prompt me to ask: how much am I choosing to receive from God?
The second word I emphasized is apart. We are saved apart from the law. This word really moves me to thank God. He saw that mankind would surely fail if we had to live up to His standards (seriously, we couldn't even resist eating a fruit, how are we supposed to resist bigger temptations?), and so He created a way out. In Corinthians, Paul states that "[God] will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under [temptation]." (1 Cor. 10:13b). Now, I know that it's a different context and I should be careful about randomly cross-referencing, but the key thing I'm grasping at here is simply how lovingly and how powerfully God provides back doors for us. And back doors I'm no stranger to. Half the stuff I do at McMaster I can do because people have opened back doors for me. And if I'm grateful to them for providing back doors for temporal things, how much more should I thank God for giving me back doors for eternal things!
The meat of my devotion this time, however, is the lead-up to verse 23. The famous verse "for all have sinned..." is prefaced by "there is no difference". Difference between what? Paul clarifies later in verses 29-30, when he talks about salvation of both Jews and Gentiles through the same faith. It's a serious wake-up call to the "chosen people", that God doesn't see them any differently than the people they regard has barbarians and heathens. That has got to hurt. But I want to look at this the other way -- the heathen and the ungodly and the demon-possessed -- God sees them with the same love as He sees His chosen people. And it's so like God to do that! Abraham's forgotten son, Ishmael -- his people were not chosen by God (at least, not like Isaac's were), but God still blessed him (for more details see Gen. 16 and 21). And one of the things I remember most vivdly in the gospels (apart from the "IT IS FINISHED!" bit) is when the writer records Jesus being "moved with compassion" when he sees the physically and spiritually disabled. Some translations, I think, have "moved with pity", or some variation of that. And here we are reminded that "there is no difference". God looks upon everyone with the same love a Father has for His son (or even for His Son).
For the upcoming choir concert, we're doing two pieces that are especially touching to me. One is Agneau de Dieu (Lamb of God) by Rupert Lang, and the other is Ave Verum Corpus by Imant Raminsh. Ave Verum Corpus, in particular, features one massive fortissimo section that only lasts about two measures, and right there are the words "O clemens!", which translates to "O merciful [Jesus]!" Singing that just makes me want to fall on my knees. The text for both songs also include "have pity on us" near the end. They are such powerful pieces, but it's even more powerful that the Lamb we're singing about is moved with compassion and says "I am willing. Be clean!".
That's pretty powerful when I tack that on to "there is no difference."
Friday, March 25, 2011
Romans 3:9-20
Not one is righteous. Not one. What a grim passage; our throats are open graves and our tongues practice deceit, and misery and ruin mark our ways (v. 13, 16). (Reminds me of Dead Dancing by Avenged Sevenfold) Sounds so pessimistic ... but God is not a pessimistic God. Often, God seems extreme to me: either showing passion and love or intense wrath. It really only seems this way because I don't understand Him; I don't see things from His point of view. Thankfully, God gave us the Bible for just that. As it says in Psalm 53:2-3,
God purposely put this passage here. He juxtaposes His faithfulness (Rm. 3:1-8) with our corruption (Rm. 3:9-20) to show us just how much we need Him. He's not trying to tell us we suck, He telling us to let down our pride, strip ourselves of all worldly values and reflect. What do we see in ourselves? Do we place value in worldly accomplishments and let them define us? God is telling us to let everything go and find our self-worth in Him, the temporal things we define ourselves by won't last. And when they're gone, what will we be? But if we confide in God like He confides in us, we can all move mountains. (I know I'm straying from the message of this passage, but this is what God is telling me)
At first, I felt defeated by this. Then I realized, God doesn't call us to be perfect, He didn't come for the perfect (Matt 9:12). He came to lead those who needed leading, sheep without direction. Coincidentally, our school fellowship did a program on sheep (not to be confused with goats). So we did a little research to see exactly how dumb they were. (Which sucks, 'cause this is what God relates us to ...)
This just shows how much we need God. Despite how much we suck, if we put our trust in God, He will use us for His glory. He used (and uses) lowly fishermen (disciples), prostitutes (Rahab), men who use prostitutes (Samson), and shepherds (David). All of these people were looked down upon and God still used them. By God's standards, I am no better. But God can use me just as much as He used those people. In God's name, I can expel demons, I can heal the broken, I can light the darkness, and spread His love.With God, I'm unstoppable (Isaiah 54:17).
He confides in me, and I in Him. Now, to conquer the world!
Sonia (:
"God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one."God is looking to be with us -- that's what we were made for, perfect fellowship with God. He came to see if any of us cared enough to seek Him. And we, mean as we are, shove him away! This reminds of a guy at school, David. Practically the entire school knows of him. He has a learning disability and has difficulty understanding and connecting with people. As a result, he's kind of a social butterfly (though not very well liked). All he wants is a relationship with someone, but he's always ignored, left out. People have spread gossip about him, they've pranked him, made jokes at his expense -- all these people reject him, they push him away. Terrible, I know. But I'm doing the same thing to God. I don't prank Him or laugh at Him, but I don't seek Him either.
God purposely put this passage here. He juxtaposes His faithfulness (Rm. 3:1-8) with our corruption (Rm. 3:9-20) to show us just how much we need Him. He's not trying to tell us we suck, He telling us to let down our pride, strip ourselves of all worldly values and reflect. What do we see in ourselves? Do we place value in worldly accomplishments and let them define us? God is telling us to let everything go and find our self-worth in Him, the temporal things we define ourselves by won't last. And when they're gone, what will we be? But if we confide in God like He confides in us, we can all move mountains. (I know I'm straying from the message of this passage, but this is what God is telling me)
At first, I felt defeated by this. Then I realized, God doesn't call us to be perfect, He didn't come for the perfect (Matt 9:12). He came to lead those who needed leading, sheep without direction. Coincidentally, our school fellowship did a program on sheep (not to be confused with goats). So we did a little research to see exactly how dumb they were. (Which sucks, 'cause this is what God relates us to ...)
- Sheep have bad eyesight, and so, when they eat grass, they can only see patches of grass that are next to them. They'll eat patch after patch and never look up. Eventually, when they do look up, they realize they have no idea where they are.
- Sheep can only digest food when lying down. However, they do not lie down without instruction, even if full beyond their stomach's limit. (I wonder how sheep survived before domestication!)
- They never lead, they follow the leader.
- When attacked, they clump together, making an easier target for the predator. Most other animals disperse, which is much much smarter.
This just shows how much we need God. Despite how much we suck, if we put our trust in God, He will use us for His glory. He used (and uses) lowly fishermen (disciples), prostitutes (Rahab), men who use prostitutes (Samson), and shepherds (David). All of these people were looked down upon and God still used them. By God's standards, I am no better. But God can use me just as much as He used those people. In God's name, I can expel demons, I can heal the broken, I can light the darkness, and spread His love.With God, I'm unstoppable (Isaiah 54:17).
He confides in me, and I in Him. Now, to conquer the world!
Sonia (:
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Romans 3:1-8
The biggest struggle I had with this passage was application. Or, as Tim Choy puts it: how does this relate to me? I tried to stretch the "Jew => Christian/ Circumcision => Baptism" thing a little further (from ch. 2 to here). I'm not 100% convinced that it's theologically sound, but I think I can make a good enough case to defend my position. In any case, the same questions still arise with Christianity. Some may ask why they must become a Christian. They might say "I'm a good person, and (drawing from ch. 2) am probably a better person than half of the "Christians" out there." The traditional answer would be "good works don't save you. Faith in Jesus Christ does." That is true, but I wonder if God gives us an additional answer here in ch. 3: [we] have been entrusted with the very words of God. When I think about that, I am reminded of all the saints who carried the Bible through the ages, sometimes at great personal cost. There are people who died for the Bible. Clearly they took this stewardship very seriously.
Verse 2 here says that "[we] have been entrusted wit the very words of God." According to various definitions found in Dictionary.com, to 'entrust' means to "charge or invest with a trust or responsibility", and "to confide in". And of course the root word of 'entrust' is 'trust'. Jesus puts it this way: "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I have learned from my Father I have made known to you." (John 15:15) We talk about God choosing to partner with us in the creation story and the salvation story, and that is rightly so. But when I read this, I am amazed, because I would never want to work with someone who not only doesn't know how to do something right, doesn't even care. Anyone who has been in a disappointing group project knows this. And yet God not only accepts my presence, He invites me. And He confides in me.
What did God entrust me with, or confide in me? None other than His very words. I don't know if it's supposed to be the Word, or just God's words, but I think it scarcely makes a difference. With a word He brought creation into being. With a word He created light, and with another word He created the sky, and with another dry land, and so on. When the Israelites had nothing to drink in the desert, God told Moses to speak to the rock (Moses chose to hit the rock instead, but that's beside the point). Jesus, during His ministry, merely spoke and people were healed. Peter and John did the same thing to the lame man in Acts 3. One of my favourite examples is on the cross, when Jesus cries out "It is finished!" Whether or not those words had any power in them is beyond me, but at those words creation was restored to harmony with God and Satan was eternally defeated (he just doesn't know it yet). I could fill the Internet, as vast as it is, with examples of God's powerful word, but suffice to say, entrusting that to me is like giving a kid a nuke.
And it is at this point that Paul brings in faith. What if (as we all fear when handing a child a nuclear device) I am unfaithful with what I've been given? For example, the Israelites were entrusted the gospel, but they ended up crucifying it. What did Christians do with the gospel? According to Paul Washer, we've watered it down to three easy questions (do you know you're a sinner, do you want to go to heaven, do you want to be saved) plus one simple prayer. Luckily, God has a safety in place, and that is His own faithfulness. Just because we Christians have been messing up the gospels for the last 2000 years (and the Jews messed them up before us for another 2000 years) doesn't mean people aren't coming to Christ. Rather, God is working overtime to fix any screw-ups we've been doing.
Before I go further, I want to briefly reflect on God's character. He is not only a trustworthy God (that is, we can trust Him), He is also a trusting God (meaning that He will trust us too). When was the last time my father trusted me enough to climb a tall tree? But God is so loving He lets me experience, and He is so wise He knows exactly how much I can try. And He is also so powerful and so patient for picking up after my messes. All this and I'm only at chapter 3. Paul hasn't even started talking about God's awesome plan yet!
The final part I have little to write on, because I both struggle with this a lot (but only intellectually), and because I don't struggle with this at all (morally). If the Japanese hadn't raped Nanjing to pieces, the world would never have seen the kindness and bravery of John Rabe and the others who ran the Nanjing Safety Zone, but that doesn't mean the Imperial Japanese who raped Nanjing were any less evil. It's not like John Rabe would go up to the Japanese commander and say "thank you for raping the women so that I could show them kindness." More likely, he'd say something along the lines of "tell your ******** soldiers to leave those poor women alone!". As Paul puts it, their condemnation is deserved.
Matthew
Verse 2 here says that "[we] have been entrusted wit the very words of God." According to various definitions found in Dictionary.com, to 'entrust' means to "charge or invest with a trust or responsibility", and "to confide in". And of course the root word of 'entrust' is 'trust'. Jesus puts it this way: "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I have learned from my Father I have made known to you." (John 15:15) We talk about God choosing to partner with us in the creation story and the salvation story, and that is rightly so. But when I read this, I am amazed, because I would never want to work with someone who not only doesn't know how to do something right, doesn't even care. Anyone who has been in a disappointing group project knows this. And yet God not only accepts my presence, He invites me. And He confides in me.
What did God entrust me with, or confide in me? None other than His very words. I don't know if it's supposed to be the Word, or just God's words, but I think it scarcely makes a difference. With a word He brought creation into being. With a word He created light, and with another word He created the sky, and with another dry land, and so on. When the Israelites had nothing to drink in the desert, God told Moses to speak to the rock (Moses chose to hit the rock instead, but that's beside the point). Jesus, during His ministry, merely spoke and people were healed. Peter and John did the same thing to the lame man in Acts 3. One of my favourite examples is on the cross, when Jesus cries out "It is finished!" Whether or not those words had any power in them is beyond me, but at those words creation was restored to harmony with God and Satan was eternally defeated (he just doesn't know it yet). I could fill the Internet, as vast as it is, with examples of God's powerful word, but suffice to say, entrusting that to me is like giving a kid a nuke.
And it is at this point that Paul brings in faith. What if (as we all fear when handing a child a nuclear device) I am unfaithful with what I've been given? For example, the Israelites were entrusted the gospel, but they ended up crucifying it. What did Christians do with the gospel? According to Paul Washer, we've watered it down to three easy questions (do you know you're a sinner, do you want to go to heaven, do you want to be saved) plus one simple prayer. Luckily, God has a safety in place, and that is His own faithfulness. Just because we Christians have been messing up the gospels for the last 2000 years (and the Jews messed them up before us for another 2000 years) doesn't mean people aren't coming to Christ. Rather, God is working overtime to fix any screw-ups we've been doing.
Before I go further, I want to briefly reflect on God's character. He is not only a trustworthy God (that is, we can trust Him), He is also a trusting God (meaning that He will trust us too). When was the last time my father trusted me enough to climb a tall tree? But God is so loving He lets me experience, and He is so wise He knows exactly how much I can try. And He is also so powerful and so patient for picking up after my messes. All this and I'm only at chapter 3. Paul hasn't even started talking about God's awesome plan yet!
The final part I have little to write on, because I both struggle with this a lot (but only intellectually), and because I don't struggle with this at all (morally). If the Japanese hadn't raped Nanjing to pieces, the world would never have seen the kindness and bravery of John Rabe and the others who ran the Nanjing Safety Zone, but that doesn't mean the Imperial Japanese who raped Nanjing were any less evil. It's not like John Rabe would go up to the Japanese commander and say "thank you for raping the women so that I could show them kindness." More likely, he'd say something along the lines of "tell your ******** soldiers to leave those poor women alone!". As Paul puts it, their condemnation is deserved.
Matthew
Romans 2:17-29
The passage begins with a very thorough (more thorough than I'd like) description of a Jew, which applies to modern Christians as well. When asked to define 'Christian', we often just stop at 'one who follows Jesus'. While that response isn't wrong, it's not very definitive -- a Christian is so much more, and Romans 2:17-20 tells us exactly what a real follower of Jesus is (notice how I didn't say Christian). We are to:
The next bit is a slap in the face:
21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
We are definitely missing the mark. We are called to shine His light and show the way to those in the dark. What's stopping us: do we have on lampshades (Matt 5:14-16) or are we just dim?
If it's a matter of removing the lampshade, we're not in much trouble. But if we're dim, how can we guide others; how can we call ourselves Christians? A dim light will only lead to dead ends; dim Christians will not lead to God. The Bible calls these people fools (Prov 1:7). And what do fools do? A fool repeats in his folly (Prov 26:11).
Is this how we should present ourselves? No wonder God says 'His name is blasphemed among the Gentiles" because of us. There are a couple kids at my school that are almost saints; they're better than some of the people at SCBC. How can I expect them to believe me when I say God is a loving god? God's clearly done nothing for us. Are we letting God in?
I don't think I'm a very bright Christian. Gotta read the Bible more, talk to God more -- care more. As we studied a few weeks ago in Joshua, Christianity isn't only present on the outside, it's a reflection of what's goin' on inside. Good deeds do not indicate good character, but good character will lead to good deeds. What I need is God to revamp my character. Have to start living for God, not myself.
I've talked the talk. Now, to walk the walk.
Sonia
- rely on the Law & boast in God
- know of His will & approve of what is superior b/c we are instructed by the law
- be guides for the blind & lights for those in the dark
- be instructors of fools & teachers of children
The next bit is a slap in the face:
21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
We are definitely missing the mark. We are called to shine His light and show the way to those in the dark. What's stopping us: do we have on lampshades (Matt 5:14-16) or are we just dim?
If it's a matter of removing the lampshade, we're not in much trouble. But if we're dim, how can we guide others; how can we call ourselves Christians? A dim light will only lead to dead ends; dim Christians will not lead to God. The Bible calls these people fools (Prov 1:7). And what do fools do? A fool repeats in his folly (Prov 26:11).
Is this how we should present ourselves? No wonder God says 'His name is blasphemed among the Gentiles" because of us. There are a couple kids at my school that are almost saints; they're better than some of the people at SCBC. How can I expect them to believe me when I say God is a loving god? God's clearly done nothing for us. Are we letting God in?
I don't think I'm a very bright Christian. Gotta read the Bible more, talk to God more -- care more. As we studied a few weeks ago in Joshua, Christianity isn't only present on the outside, it's a reflection of what's goin' on inside. Good deeds do not indicate good character, but good character will lead to good deeds. What I need is God to revamp my character. Have to start living for God, not myself.
I've talked the talk. Now, to walk the walk.
Sonia
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Romans 2: 12-16
All who sin apart from God will also perish apart from God, and all who sin under God will be judged by God. For it is not those who hear God who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey God who will be declared righteous.
As I was struggling with this passage, I tried to pray it back to God, and I found that I replaced "the law" with "God", since the law comes from God, and ultimately is a manifestation of God's holiness. In the end, I'm not sure which is more horrible: to perish apart from God, or to be judged by God. I'm not sure what the implications are for today, with believers/non-believers, but Paul was talking about Jews and Gentiles -- Jews who will be judged for having the law, and Gentiles who will perish for being apart from the law. As Christians, we too will be judged, but Jesus will step forward and show that we are His. It kind of brings me back to Felix's sharing on Friday: if Jesus was coming back in 2012 -- or even tomorrow -- and were to demand an accounting of my life, what would I say?
For it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. Now I know that grace is greater than the law, and Jesus fulfilled the law in His death and resurrection, but as James says "faith without deeds is dead" (James 2:26), and Peter, in his first two sermons, says "REPENT and be baptized" (Acts 2:38 and 3:19). There are so many things I could repent for, but I go back to the cardinal sin -- not glorifying God as God. Even now, as I write this, I have mixed feelings, because there's a part of me which is so against reading the Bible. I'm not sure where the voice is coming from (whether it's Satan tempting me, or my own flesh), but to be completely honest, the reason is because I'm afraid of God telling me to change. But if I don't let God do His good work in me, how can I glorify Him? The sad thing is, I'm not even as terrified as I should be.
My Bible has a handy little dictionary in the back. It's of dubious academic value, but I looked up righteous just out of curiosity. It says "being 'in the right' in a relationship to God". I think the most vivid description I could imagine of is me standing before the great white throne of God (Rev. 20:11). In my mind I see that everything is white -- the throne, of course, the huge hall (and by huge I mean HUGE), and the floor. God Himself is simply a beam of bright light with a booming voice. There is no one else but Him and me. No lawyer to defend me. God is the Judge, the Prosecutor, the Jury and the Executioner. And I'm standing in front of Him like an ant before an elephant. My knees aren't knocking, and I'm not quivering in fear, but I'm definitely holding my breath. And suddenly I hear "well done, good and faithful servant! Come and share your Master's happiness!" And I just smile. I'm happy, of course, but it's not an exuberant kind of happy. It's just contentment, that my old life, with its struggles, is over, and I can begin a new one beside my Creator. I am filled with more peace than I could ever imagine.
That's kind of what righteousness looks like to me. And to tie this in with the previous part about obedience to God's law: I would rather have this happen to me, than to see my work burned up before me and entering God's presence with charred clothes, like one escaping from a fire (1 Cor. 3:12-15), and then only because Jesus steps forward with a raised eyebrow and says "weeellll... I did save him, soooo...."
The final thing I want to say about this passage is the part about Gentiles: Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have God, do by nature things required by God, they are proving God for themselves, even though they do not have God, since they show that the requirements of God are written on their hearts. This passage doesn't strike me as personally as the last, but I think, tying it in with Romans 1:20, this is the Bible's teaching on universal moral standard. It brings me yet again to the Last Days, when God will give humans over to sin even more than He does now. I think its almost universally accepted that in the Last Days, Hitler and Stalin will pale in comparison to the evil the humanity unleashes upon itself. Combine this with the judgement scene I imagined above, I'm not sure whether to be more excited or terrified of the return of the King.
In conclusion, I pray for God's saving grace to change me, no matter how much a part of me is against it (more on that in chapter 7!). I hope He doesn't mind having to drag me, kicking and screaming, into heaven.
Matthew
As I was struggling with this passage, I tried to pray it back to God, and I found that I replaced "the law" with "God", since the law comes from God, and ultimately is a manifestation of God's holiness. In the end, I'm not sure which is more horrible: to perish apart from God, or to be judged by God. I'm not sure what the implications are for today, with believers/non-believers, but Paul was talking about Jews and Gentiles -- Jews who will be judged for having the law, and Gentiles who will perish for being apart from the law. As Christians, we too will be judged, but Jesus will step forward and show that we are His. It kind of brings me back to Felix's sharing on Friday: if Jesus was coming back in 2012 -- or even tomorrow -- and were to demand an accounting of my life, what would I say?
For it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. Now I know that grace is greater than the law, and Jesus fulfilled the law in His death and resurrection, but as James says "faith without deeds is dead" (James 2:26), and Peter, in his first two sermons, says "REPENT and be baptized" (Acts 2:38 and 3:19). There are so many things I could repent for, but I go back to the cardinal sin -- not glorifying God as God. Even now, as I write this, I have mixed feelings, because there's a part of me which is so against reading the Bible. I'm not sure where the voice is coming from (whether it's Satan tempting me, or my own flesh), but to be completely honest, the reason is because I'm afraid of God telling me to change. But if I don't let God do His good work in me, how can I glorify Him? The sad thing is, I'm not even as terrified as I should be.
My Bible has a handy little dictionary in the back. It's of dubious academic value, but I looked up righteous just out of curiosity. It says "being 'in the right' in a relationship to God". I think the most vivid description I could imagine of is me standing before the great white throne of God (Rev. 20:11). In my mind I see that everything is white -- the throne, of course, the huge hall (and by huge I mean HUGE), and the floor. God Himself is simply a beam of bright light with a booming voice. There is no one else but Him and me. No lawyer to defend me. God is the Judge, the Prosecutor, the Jury and the Executioner. And I'm standing in front of Him like an ant before an elephant. My knees aren't knocking, and I'm not quivering in fear, but I'm definitely holding my breath. And suddenly I hear "well done, good and faithful servant! Come and share your Master's happiness!" And I just smile. I'm happy, of course, but it's not an exuberant kind of happy. It's just contentment, that my old life, with its struggles, is over, and I can begin a new one beside my Creator. I am filled with more peace than I could ever imagine.
That's kind of what righteousness looks like to me. And to tie this in with the previous part about obedience to God's law: I would rather have this happen to me, than to see my work burned up before me and entering God's presence with charred clothes, like one escaping from a fire (1 Cor. 3:12-15), and then only because Jesus steps forward with a raised eyebrow and says "weeellll... I did save him, soooo...."
The final thing I want to say about this passage is the part about Gentiles: Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have God, do by nature things required by God, they are proving God for themselves, even though they do not have God, since they show that the requirements of God are written on their hearts. This passage doesn't strike me as personally as the last, but I think, tying it in with Romans 1:20, this is the Bible's teaching on universal moral standard. It brings me yet again to the Last Days, when God will give humans over to sin even more than He does now. I think its almost universally accepted that in the Last Days, Hitler and Stalin will pale in comparison to the evil the humanity unleashes upon itself. Combine this with the judgement scene I imagined above, I'm not sure whether to be more excited or terrified of the return of the King.
In conclusion, I pray for God's saving grace to change me, no matter how much a part of me is against it (more on that in chapter 7!). I hope He doesn't mind having to drag me, kicking and screaming, into heaven.
Matthew
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Romans 2: 5-11
"But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed." (Romans 2:5)
Why are we so stubborn? We think we're always right, we think we're without fault, we think we're all that. God did not come to save the self-righteous and perfect. (Matt 9:13) We really have to spend more time repenting and asking God for forgiveness. When we read Bible verses that talk about God smiting people, we never think it's gonna be us. We (I) always think: "Yeah, it's totally for that bully down the street, God can't be talking about us!". But with this mindset, God is totally talking to us. Who are we to think that we're exempt from God's wrath?
And instead of storing up wrath, we (obviously) should be storing up our treasures in heaven. What have we stored up as of now? If we were to die now, would we have anything? Will our actions on Earth have any impact? Do we have any eternal accomplishments?
This verse also reminds us that He is a just God. He's always watching for us and will always maintain justice in the world. Sometimes we forget that and try to fix things up by our own power. Usually, by doing this, we just end up sinning more - it's never easy to just turn the other cheek. Gotta leave it all to God. (I wonder what He'll say to me on Judgment Day...)
It's kinda hard to switch from reading about God's wrath to His love. Not that God is bipolar, but the difference is very extreme. Though He will exercise His power against those who are sinful, His also extends His love to those who are faithful and will reward all who strive to work for God. (v.6,7) In Psalm 24:12, David says,
I don't quite understand how someone would want to be God. They're biting off more than they can chew. We're only human, how can we possibly take on such a role! I don't really understand the desire for power. I can understand why money is so desirable, but power is useless. So what if you're at the top of the ladder or have a couple slaves? What then? It's not like Hitler, one of the greatest leaders ever, accomplished much for himself. (Ofc, he's a bad guy but he was a good leader, just that the object of his leadership was bad.) The power-hungry are both prudent and blind. They plot & plan, they're disciplined, and can achieve pretty much anything but they're too preoccupied to see the world for what it really is. Is that a life worth living?
This is what I see when I observe the nerds at my school. What might God, the Judge himself, see in me?
Sonia
Why are we so stubborn? We think we're always right, we think we're without fault, we think we're all that. God did not come to save the self-righteous and perfect. (Matt 9:13) We really have to spend more time repenting and asking God for forgiveness. When we read Bible verses that talk about God smiting people, we never think it's gonna be us. We (I) always think: "Yeah, it's totally for that bully down the street, God can't be talking about us!". But with this mindset, God is totally talking to us. Who are we to think that we're exempt from God's wrath?
And instead of storing up wrath, we (obviously) should be storing up our treasures in heaven. What have we stored up as of now? If we were to die now, would we have anything? Will our actions on Earth have any impact? Do we have any eternal accomplishments?
This verse also reminds us that He is a just God. He's always watching for us and will always maintain justice in the world. Sometimes we forget that and try to fix things up by our own power. Usually, by doing this, we just end up sinning more - it's never easy to just turn the other cheek. Gotta leave it all to God. (I wonder what He'll say to me on Judgment Day...)
It's kinda hard to switch from reading about God's wrath to His love. Not that God is bipolar, but the difference is very extreme. Though He will exercise His power against those who are sinful, His also extends His love to those who are faithful and will reward all who strive to work for God. (v.6,7) In Psalm 24:12, David says,
If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,”Eternal life and heavenly rewards are the byproduct of faith. Has it become the ultimate goal? We have to get this straight: God does not give us eternal life and rewards as repayment for our work on Earth, all that is from God's grace. Rather, our work on Earth is (inadequate) repayment for God's love and mercy on us. He chose to die on the cross for us, that's commitment. Do we have commitment? If we're only there for the rewards, how different are we from gold diggers? I guess the gold diggers would fall under the self-seeking category (v. 8).
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
Will he not repay each person according to what they have done?
I don't quite understand how someone would want to be God. They're biting off more than they can chew. We're only human, how can we possibly take on such a role! I don't really understand the desire for power. I can understand why money is so desirable, but power is useless. So what if you're at the top of the ladder or have a couple slaves? What then? It's not like Hitler, one of the greatest leaders ever, accomplished much for himself. (Ofc, he's a bad guy but he was a good leader, just that the object of his leadership was bad.) The power-hungry are both prudent and blind. They plot & plan, they're disciplined, and can achieve pretty much anything but they're too preoccupied to see the world for what it really is. Is that a life worth living?
This is what I see when I observe the nerds at my school. What might God, the Judge himself, see in me?
Sonia
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Romans 2:1-4
"You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgement on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgement do the same things." (Rom. 2: 1)
This passage reminded me of a particular problem I've been struggling with. Throughout high school, I've prided myself on being a relatively humble person (ironic, isn't it?). I grew more and more wary of being arrogant -- a trait I saw in people inside my closest circle of relationships. This trend continued into university. Shortly after Pastor Paul discovered my joy of reading, he started giving me books to read. One of them was "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis. The one thing that stood out in the entire book was "How do you know you're prideful? You can't stand other prideful people." BURN! I re-examined myself, and discovered with horror that I am becoming the very person I didn't want to be.
This particular struggle isn't the main focus of my reflection, but in a way, it is. The latter half of chapter 1 noted the cardinal sin -- neither glorifying God as God nor giving thanks to Him. Why would anyone in their right mind do that? Because they want to be God. In Psalm 50, David compares himself and a "mighty man". He opens by saying "Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man? Why do you boast all day long?" David lists several sins, but the chief one was that he didn't want to depend on God. This mighty man wanted his strength to come from himself.
Does this sound familiar? It's the popular story of Lucifer's fall. He wanted to become God. It was pride at work.
Why the long talk about pride, though? Because pride is inherently judgmental. It inherently sees the speck of dust in a neighbor's eye while ignoring the plank in one's own eye. God gives a stern warning for this here: "Do you think you will escape My judgment? Do you show contempt for My kindness, tolerance, and patience? Will you not be lead to repentance?" (Rom. 2: 3-4)
Christians, I think, have a greater danger to be judgmental (but v. 17-29 is probably a better place to discuss this). It comes, in part, from our exclusive method of salvation. In the past decades, we've also acquired a reputation of being Conservative, homophobic, anti-choice (notice I didn't use pro-life), among other traits. Exaggerated, no doubt, but it does give a glimpse of the danger. I pray that we can be more like Jesus, who said, "if any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." and "Then neither do I condemn you." (John 8:7, 11)
Matthew
This passage reminded me of a particular problem I've been struggling with. Throughout high school, I've prided myself on being a relatively humble person (ironic, isn't it?). I grew more and more wary of being arrogant -- a trait I saw in people inside my closest circle of relationships. This trend continued into university. Shortly after Pastor Paul discovered my joy of reading, he started giving me books to read. One of them was "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis. The one thing that stood out in the entire book was "How do you know you're prideful? You can't stand other prideful people." BURN! I re-examined myself, and discovered with horror that I am becoming the very person I didn't want to be.
This particular struggle isn't the main focus of my reflection, but in a way, it is. The latter half of chapter 1 noted the cardinal sin -- neither glorifying God as God nor giving thanks to Him. Why would anyone in their right mind do that? Because they want to be God. In Psalm 50, David compares himself and a "mighty man". He opens by saying "Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man? Why do you boast all day long?" David lists several sins, but the chief one was that he didn't want to depend on God. This mighty man wanted his strength to come from himself.
Does this sound familiar? It's the popular story of Lucifer's fall. He wanted to become God. It was pride at work.
Why the long talk about pride, though? Because pride is inherently judgmental. It inherently sees the speck of dust in a neighbor's eye while ignoring the plank in one's own eye. God gives a stern warning for this here: "Do you think you will escape My judgment? Do you show contempt for My kindness, tolerance, and patience? Will you not be lead to repentance?" (Rom. 2: 3-4)
Christians, I think, have a greater danger to be judgmental (but v. 17-29 is probably a better place to discuss this). It comes, in part, from our exclusive method of salvation. In the past decades, we've also acquired a reputation of being Conservative, homophobic, anti-choice (notice I didn't use pro-life), among other traits. Exaggerated, no doubt, but it does give a glimpse of the danger. I pray that we can be more like Jesus, who said, "if any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." and "Then neither do I condemn you." (John 8:7, 11)
Matthew
Monday, March 14, 2011
Romans 1:18-32
I never knew how rich Romans was till now!
So often, at church, we only talk about God's love and mercy, etc. I don't think we realize His wrath against those who are unrighteous. (Would be really harsh to hear that every Sunday) Yes, God does accept us back when we sin (parable of prodigal son) but what if we reach the point of no return? We must not let ourselves get that far - it's not always good to learn from experience.
In v. 18, Paul says that all who are wicked and ungodly will see God's wrath. We see His wrath when we are are evil and corrupt, and more so when the End comes closer (Matt 24:7). (haha, 24/7)The Day of the Lord will come not just for God to redeem us, but to destroy all things ungodly. We see analogies of this through the OT: Noah spared from flood while wicked men were drowned, God's people were not delivered until Pharaoh's soldiers were drowned, Israelites could not have the Promised Land until they defeated the ungodly nations that inhabited it, etc. His Return is definitely really close - natural disasters are at an all time high, to the point where we're desensitized by it. I barely remember the earthquakes in Sri Lanka, Chile,etc. Even New Zealand and Japan are in the back of my mind. Then there are the wars in Africa ... the world is so corrupt. Gotta remember though, all this must happen.
We all have a void in our hearts that only God can fill; we were all born with a yearning for God. This is because we were made for perfect fellowship with God; without God, we're incomplete (and we were all born without God; see Fall of Man). And so, we see in v. 19 -20, God takes no excuse. Even those who have not heard of the Good News will be judged and see God's wrath. This is because:
1. We were all born with a craving for God.
2. God gave us our conscience, our moral code. Even if we don't know God, we should know not to sin.
3. God's creation is too intricate to be random.
Those who can deny the existence of God aren't looking in the right places. This stresses on our need to evangelize. It still boggles my mind, though, how someone would look at the world and still deny God. Hypocritically, when I'm in a hurry or just not paying enough attention, I forget to appreciate the beauty of nature. But when I do pay attention, the world is like a playground. I could stare at a leaf for hours (I'm exaggerating, but leaves are actually really cool!) How can something so thin and delicate provide enough fuel to sustain a tree!? It's almost paper thin! Knowing (some) of the processes that go on just in one leaf is mindblowing - how does God even come up with stuff like this? It's even cooler to know that some trees can survive in a desert.
"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." (v. 21) Very harsh, very direct. It seems so inhuman to just turn away from God & at first, I just thought: if they truly knew God, how could they choose anything else? But that would be oversimplifying things. I doubt they consciously decided this, that one morning they would wake up and just reject God. It was likely a gradual thing. Over the span of a decade, or something, they'd read less and less of the Bible, spend less time with God, have less fellowship with other Christians; they just got lazy and sucked away by temptation. This sounds creepily familiar. If we do not adamantly stay by God, where might we end up? We will always be tempted, 'cause it's in our human nature. But God is always a step (more like a hundred) ahead of us, as we see in 1 Corinthians 10:13,
But the point is, I was deceived by some dude on the street and sucked in by own temptation. My whole reality was distorted and I placed value in worthless things. So often, when we give in to temptation, we indulge in such worthless things. Things that only matter for a little while but lose meaning later. For instance, when I was younger, if I had 4 pieces of chocolate and my parents tells me to give half to Phebe, I would probably eat 3 and leave the last one for her. (I'm horrible!) But in retrospect, does that extra piece of chocolate do anything for me? No, and neither do sports cars, fashion, money or power. These do not last. "Heaven and earth will pass away, but (God) will never pass away." (Matthew 24:35) The answer is so simple, just choose God. Why are the simplest tasks always the hardest to follow? My biggest test is coming up; when I go off to university, will I still go to church every Sunday?
Our society sounds a lot like the one Paul is describing (v. 26-32). In our pluralistic world, have we forgotten God? Do we condone sin? How have we crossed the line?
- Sonia
So often, at church, we only talk about God's love and mercy, etc. I don't think we realize His wrath against those who are unrighteous. (Would be really harsh to hear that every Sunday) Yes, God does accept us back when we sin (parable of prodigal son) but what if we reach the point of no return? We must not let ourselves get that far - it's not always good to learn from experience.
In v. 18, Paul says that all who are wicked and ungodly will see God's wrath. We see His wrath when we are are evil and corrupt, and more so when the End comes closer (Matt 24:7). (haha, 24/7)The Day of the Lord will come not just for God to redeem us, but to destroy all things ungodly. We see analogies of this through the OT: Noah spared from flood while wicked men were drowned, God's people were not delivered until Pharaoh's soldiers were drowned, Israelites could not have the Promised Land until they defeated the ungodly nations that inhabited it, etc. His Return is definitely really close - natural disasters are at an all time high, to the point where we're desensitized by it. I barely remember the earthquakes in Sri Lanka, Chile,etc. Even New Zealand and Japan are in the back of my mind. Then there are the wars in Africa ... the world is so corrupt. Gotta remember though, all this must happen.
We all have a void in our hearts that only God can fill; we were all born with a yearning for God. This is because we were made for perfect fellowship with God; without God, we're incomplete (and we were all born without God; see Fall of Man). And so, we see in v. 19 -20, God takes no excuse. Even those who have not heard of the Good News will be judged and see God's wrath. This is because:
1. We were all born with a craving for God.
2. God gave us our conscience, our moral code. Even if we don't know God, we should know not to sin.
3. God's creation is too intricate to be random.
Those who can deny the existence of God aren't looking in the right places. This stresses on our need to evangelize. It still boggles my mind, though, how someone would look at the world and still deny God. Hypocritically, when I'm in a hurry or just not paying enough attention, I forget to appreciate the beauty of nature. But when I do pay attention, the world is like a playground. I could stare at a leaf for hours (I'm exaggerating, but leaves are actually really cool!) How can something so thin and delicate provide enough fuel to sustain a tree!? It's almost paper thin! Knowing (some) of the processes that go on just in one leaf is mindblowing - how does God even come up with stuff like this? It's even cooler to know that some trees can survive in a desert.
"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." (v. 21) Very harsh, very direct. It seems so inhuman to just turn away from God & at first, I just thought: if they truly knew God, how could they choose anything else? But that would be oversimplifying things. I doubt they consciously decided this, that one morning they would wake up and just reject God. It was likely a gradual thing. Over the span of a decade, or something, they'd read less and less of the Bible, spend less time with God, have less fellowship with other Christians; they just got lazy and sucked away by temptation. This sounds creepily familiar. If we do not adamantly stay by God, where might we end up? We will always be tempted, 'cause it's in our human nature. But God is always a step (more like a hundred) ahead of us, as we see in 1 Corinthians 10:13,
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.A had a bizarre dream a few days ago. I was offered a house by some guy. I don't know who it was, but (s)he just came up to me and gave me the key or something. And as (s)he left, I felt some kinda haze come over me, as if I had been hypnotized. But anyway, I go there, and it was so cool. It was a mansion, marble floors, a grand staircase, had everything you would want in a house, kinda like Gatsby's house (if you read The Great Gatsby). Even better was the fact that I could get whatever I want. I don't exactly know how it worked but I could ask the wall for stuff. For example if I asked for the wall for a laptop, a laptop would just appear on my desk. Pretty cool, I know. The mansion was more like a fortress though, and a ghetto one at that. It was surrounded by wooden logs sharpened at the end and there were vultures that would circle my mansion. So most of the time, I just stayed inside. After a while, I started to notice something weird though. My house and everything I had asked the wall for started to sag a bit and was kinda soft. (Recall, I felt hazy in the beginning) As the haze wore off, I realized everything in the mansion was actually made of cow poo. This really sucked, 'cause I was eating hors d'oeuvres at the time.
But the point is, I was deceived by some dude on the street and sucked in by own temptation. My whole reality was distorted and I placed value in worthless things. So often, when we give in to temptation, we indulge in such worthless things. Things that only matter for a little while but lose meaning later. For instance, when I was younger, if I had 4 pieces of chocolate and my parents tells me to give half to Phebe, I would probably eat 3 and leave the last one for her. (I'm horrible!) But in retrospect, does that extra piece of chocolate do anything for me? No, and neither do sports cars, fashion, money or power. These do not last. "Heaven and earth will pass away, but (God) will never pass away." (Matthew 24:35) The answer is so simple, just choose God. Why are the simplest tasks always the hardest to follow? My biggest test is coming up; when I go off to university, will I still go to church every Sunday?
Our society sounds a lot like the one Paul is describing (v. 26-32). In our pluralistic world, have we forgotten God? Do we condone sin? How have we crossed the line?
- Sonia
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Romans 1:1-17
In this passage I see the apostle Paul's character. He begins by establishing himself as one who is called by God, not by man. In v. 1 we see "set apart", which is what the word "holy" means. He then gives thanks to God for the Romans' faith, tells of his whole-hearted service to God by the preaching of the gospel, and his constant prayers for the Romans. What Paul is praying for, I don't know, but I am sure that it is similar to Jesus' prayer in John 17: "Holy Father, protect them by the power of your Name -- the Name you gave me -- so that they may be one as we are one." (v. 11b) and "may they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (v. 23b).
For all of his authority as an apostle and the great feats he had accomplished in spreading the gospel, Paul remains humble. He wishes to visit the Romans not to show his great faith, but that he and they can be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. He shows also how he closely follows God's will: even though he longed to visit Rome, he deferred to God's wishes that he minister other places.
Finally, Paul is not ashamed of the gospel. I find myself somewhat ashamed at this point, because so often I shy away from talking about the gospel. It is as if I don't believe in its power. And often I do doubt the power of the gospel to transform me. But Paul says of the gospel "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last." (v. 17a) This gospel is righteousness, and received by faith. And what is faith? Faith is total reliance on God. Total dependance. Total rest. As David says "the LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want." (Ps. 23:1).
Can I be like Paul? Can I serve God whole-heartedly, resting in His providence? Can I pray with thanksgiving and petition for people? This rings especially true for me, because I can be to Joshua fellowship what Paul is to the Romans, and I would pray too, that the Father would protect Joshua fellowship from falling away, and that Joshua fellowship would be one. Can I be humble? This one is especially hard for me. And finally, can I find strength and place my dependance on the gospel of God?
Matthew
Sunday March 13, 2011
For all of his authority as an apostle and the great feats he had accomplished in spreading the gospel, Paul remains humble. He wishes to visit the Romans not to show his great faith, but that he and they can be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. He shows also how he closely follows God's will: even though he longed to visit Rome, he deferred to God's wishes that he minister other places.
Finally, Paul is not ashamed of the gospel. I find myself somewhat ashamed at this point, because so often I shy away from talking about the gospel. It is as if I don't believe in its power. And often I do doubt the power of the gospel to transform me. But Paul says of the gospel "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last." (v. 17a) This gospel is righteousness, and received by faith. And what is faith? Faith is total reliance on God. Total dependance. Total rest. As David says "the LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want." (Ps. 23:1).
Can I be like Paul? Can I serve God whole-heartedly, resting in His providence? Can I pray with thanksgiving and petition for people? This rings especially true for me, because I can be to Joshua fellowship what Paul is to the Romans, and I would pray too, that the Father would protect Joshua fellowship from falling away, and that Joshua fellowship would be one. Can I be humble? This one is especially hard for me. And finally, can I find strength and place my dependance on the gospel of God?
Matthew
Sunday March 13, 2011
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