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
Thursday, May 26, 2011
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
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