Romans 4:8-12 A Chosen People!

Romans 4:8-12  “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”  Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised?  We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.  Under what circumstances was it credited?  Was it after he was circumcised, or before?  It was not after, but before!   And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised.  So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.   And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

In the above scriptures, Paul points out that Abraham received the blessings of God before he was circumcised.  We too receive God’s blessings through faith alone in him.  We do not have to go through religious, ceremonial functions to merit God’s blessings.  The thief on the cross received God’s blessing without having to say certain scripted, religious words or to have baptisms or ceremonial acts of any sort.  This criminal simply said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  (Luke 23:42)  Jesus received him in paradise that day.  He was talking to Jesus, his audience of one, the One with power to forgive sin.  We too, can find God’s blessing if we approach him with heartfelt faith, believing He is real and that He accepts our allegiance to him.  When the undeserving sinner approached God in the temple and asked for his forgiveness, he was forgiven; God’s blessings fell on him.  But the tax collector stood at a distance.  He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner."  I tell you that this man, rather than the other (the righteous pharisee), went home justified before God.  (Luke 18:13-14)  We who are IN CHRIST, IN THE BODY OF CHRIST, are there because of unadulterated faith in God’s works: the life and death of Jesus.  We have been changed from the inside out.  Our hearts have been circumcised, both male and female.  We are new creatures not because we have a part of our biological flesh taken away from us in circumcision; no, we are new creatures because Christ has substituted his Spirit in place of our carnal spirit.  His Spirit is always alive to God’s will, our spirit is dead to God because of sin, generally insensitive to God’s will in our lives.  No longer are we just biological creatures, born of Adam’s seed, with a temporary existence on Earth.  We are now eternal beings born out of Jesus.  For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.  (1 Peter 1:23)

Circumcision in the Old Testament set the Israelites apart to God.  A physical examination easily determined those who were set apart from the men who were not.  God demanded circumcision from all Jewish men: they carried the spiritual responsibility for everyone in the family.  A man could bring either blessings or judgment on his family by his actions in the world.  If he was faithful to God, a man of good character: honest and upright, his family would be blessed.  If he were the opposite: corrupt, depraved, his family would receive the judgment of God.  In the book of Numbers, we see the fate of Korah and his family when Korah rose up against Moses.  Norah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reunites—Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth—became insolent and rose up against Moses.  (Numbers 16:1-2)  In testing Moses and God, Korah brought judgement upon his whole family.  His circumcision was done to protect him and anyone else under his authority, but when he sinned, all those underneath his authority received judgment with him.   As soon as he (Moses) finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions.  They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community.  At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us too!”  Numbers 16:31-34)  Just as circumcision did not change Korah’s heart, we know circumcision did not change the Israelites’ hearts.  In fact, the Israelites’ story in the wilderness is one of rebellion, fear, and a lack of trust in God.  The people were not a peculiar people, set apart in their spirits to serve God, for they carried the idols of their pagan gods in their satchels and pockets all the way through the wilderness.  At Mount Sinai, this lack of faithfulness to the God who delivered them from bondage in Egypt came to the forefront.  But our ancestors refused to obey him.  Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.  They told Aaron, "Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!”  That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf.  They brought sacrifices to it and reveled in what their own hands had made.  But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars.  (Acts 7:39-42)  Their rebellious, natural hearts were not changed by circumcision.  Yes, in the flesh, they were identified as God’s own, but in their spirits, they were just like all the people around them.  They needed a Savior who could change their internal hearts, their spirits.  Jesus, the Messiah, would be that Savior.  When Jesus sent out the twelve, He said, “Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel, as you go, proclaim this message: The kingdom of heaven has come near.”  (Matthew 10:6)  Jesus would lead the Jews and all who put their faith in God’s salvation plan out of bondage to sin and death into freedom. 

We who are IN CHRIST have followed the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.  Circumcision just indicated what Abraham had already received: the setting apart to God in righteousness.  We are the peculiar people who have had our hearts circumcised.  But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  (1 Peter 2:9)  We died IN CHRIST when Christ died and arose IN CHRIST when He arose.  Our flesh has been cut apart from our ever living spirit by the death of Christ.  Our flesh will die, but our spirits will live on eternally because we are alive IN CHRIST.  Circumcision could go no further than indicating a certain people were God’s own.  But circumcision could not give them eternal life.  Their only hope was a Promised Land where they could live on fertile soil and have earthly freedom from captivity.  We who are IN CHRIST have a promised land that goes beyond this world: heaven.  We are not bound to the slavery of this world, the finiteness of living here.  We have been set free: the Red Sea, our sinful nature, the physical restraints of life do not keep us in bondage.  The blood of Christ has caused us to escape every bondage of this present world.  But all of this comes through faith in God, in his reality.  In our daily struggles, we sometimes feel bound to this earth.  Sometimes we are tempted to pick up the gods of this world and serve them in our lives: entertainment, occupations, activities, travel, acquaintances, sordid involvements.  When we actually do that, we place God in the backroom of our lives as an afterthought.  Such a decision is dangerous to our spirits, for when we place God in the background, we fail to commune with him and lose our strength to serve him.  However, we do not serve God out of determination, discipline, or law: we follow him through the Spirit.  As we read in the Word, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.  (Zechariah 4:6)  We can pick up the spiritual phone anytime and be home with him in communion.  He is waiting for us.  He has circumcised our hearts: we are in right relationship with him.  So let us cast away the gods that so easily deceive us into believing this involvement with everyday living is what life is all about.  No, life is about serving, loving, and placing our trust in God.  He has destined us for freedom and eternal life with him.  Praise God!  Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.  

Romans 4:1-8 We Are Not Orphans!

Romans 4:1-8  What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter?  If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God.  What does Scripture say?  “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”  Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation.  However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.  David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:  “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.” 

Are you declared righteous without working for it?  Who justifies you, puts you in right standing with God?  In today’s verses, we understand that God creates a work of righteousness within us.  No effort on our part other than faith in God’s work through Jesus Christ can cleanse us of ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.  No police, governing authority, organization, or person can reliably know everything about us as God does.  People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.  (1 Samuel 16:7) The stamp of absolute approval comes from him, not man.  We might even believe we are behaving rightly before God at this present time; however, we cannot really predict our future behavior and attitudes.  We cannot say for a surety that we will always please God in everything we do, never erupt in a way that is contrary to God’s will.  At this time, we might be as a placid stream of water meandering through the valley of life, safe, refreshing to everything around us, but our future might hold circumstances difficult for us to handle.  Then we might become a roaring flood, overflowing the banks, the parameters of goodness in our lives, destroying everything and everyone in sight.  God knows the inclinations of the heart.  He is aware of the triggers for destruction in our lives.  He knows when we will not treat our neighbors or acquaintances well, when our love for others will fail and darkness rather than goodness will inhabit our lives.  God made us, He knows us.  Many men and women have fidelity towards each other when they marry.  With good intentions, they desire to stay with their selected mate forever.  Their vows were not said lightly, but often with tears in their eyes.  Nevertheless, for too many marriages, the dissolution of the relationship comes far too soon, even in the first couple of years.  Rather than abiding in love forever, rather than keeping their vows, the couple develops a coldness that turns to disdain.  A destructive flood, causing irreparable harm replaces the sweet stream of their union.  Hatred and bitter feelings move in to encapsulate the marriage in divisiveness.  The angel of darkness crept into their lives, destroying the love, unity, and fidelity.  Given the erratic flow of life and the unpredictable environment in which we live, we must depend on a power higher than ourselves.  Our rightness, our holiness, is not dependent on our determination, for we cannot control all the variables in our lives.  Our place of righteousness, goodness, wellbeing, depends on God’s work, his ever-loving mercy and grace.  We depend upon his stability, not upon our erratic behavior.  We do that by believing in Christ’s work, not our work.  With Father Abraham, we believe God, our righteousness.  

What law can bring this righteousness to us?  Paul wrote: I consider them (all things) garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.  (Philippians 3:9)  Perfection in God’s eyes comes only through the work of Jesus Christ.  He alone ALWAYS did the Father’s will.  As Christians, we attempt to do good, to be a quality ambassador for God.  Our intentions are admirable, but we often fail to fulfill the laws of God, the laws of man, and the laws we place upon ourselves.  We tend to rebel against laws and we tend to stray from what is right in the pressure of the moment.  If you are a parent how many times have you done or said something with one of your children that you said you would never do?  You may have said your mom or dad shouted all the time, so you would never raise your voice in anger to your children, and then there comes a time when you find yourself yelling.  As the Bible says, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?  (Jeremiah 17:9)  True righteousness is a gift from God that we do not earn through work.  We inherit the gift because of God’s mercy and grace.  But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.  (Ephesians 2:4-5) From the beginning of the Bible, we see God’s desire to have a people, made in his image, that he could fellowship with, known as his children.  In the story of Adam and Eve, to the patriarchs, to the Jewish kingdoms, through the prophets, and finally to Jesus Christ and his church, we find God’s desire and design is to make children who are righteous, who can claim him as their Father.  Following the resurrection, God gave his people the Spirit who will keep them in constant communication with him.  We are those children.  We are the blessed ones.  Our place in the family of God did not come through our works or efforts.  For we are not that consistent in following laws; we are not that predictable in being good.  We are like that stream of water, sometimes within the banks and sometimes outside of the banks.  But God has not left us alone to battle this nature of ours.  The Holy Spirit came to lead us.  Yes, we are completely righteous in God, but we are still in the flesh.  Consequently, God has asked us to hear his Holy Spirit.  His Spirit in us wants to direct our lives in the flesh.  He is to be the priority in all of our thinking.  He is the first one we talk to when we awake; he is the last one we talk to before we go to sleep.  We consciously allow him to speak to us during the day.  He is the song in our hearts, the warrior to fight our battles.  He goes before us and behind us.  

We know that voice because we have been changed, made new through the transforming power of the cross of Christ.  We are a new creation.  Our spiritual DNA is no longer the same.  We have been adopted into a new family.  We were orphans, lost and alone, searching for our parents, wandering, yearning for a lasting home.  Jesus said, I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.  (John 14:18)  This was the will of the Father, to lead us home, to make a way for the lost ones, for his sheep.  When the Israelites first left Egypt, God set a trap for Pharaoh and his army.  He told Moses to go back towards Egypt to camp.  Pharaoh erroneously thought the Israelites were confused about the wilderness, for if they knew the area, they never would have gone back towards Egypt to set up camp.  Thinking that, he gathered his army to chase down the Israelites to kill them.  He had murder in his evil heart.  But God had made plans for him.  When the Israelites realized Pharaoh was coming to kill them, they did not react in faith.  They hysterically blamed Moses for their predicament.  Moses told them to be calm and to see God’s deliverance.  The Holy Spirit, manifesting himself by a cloud in the day and a pillar of fire at night, departed from being in front of the Israelites to the rear of the assemblage, separating the Israelites from Pharaoh’s army.  Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them.  The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel.  Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.  (Exodus 14:19-20)  The Holy Spirit separated them that day from their enemy.  As we know, the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, led them to the Promised Land.  God did not leave them as orphans.  Likewise, the Holy Spirit will lead us through this wilderness to the Promised Land.  He will protect us when Pharaoh’s armies come to overwhelm and defeat us.  The angel of God will be there to aid us in the battles of life.  The battle of righteousness already has been won because we have been redeemed and brought to life through faith in Jesus.  The blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed us of all sin and placed us in right standing with God.  As sons and daughters of the Most High God, we are now free from the slavery of this world, but we need the Spirit of God to lead us through this life as God’s ambassadors.  

Romans 3:27-31 Live by Faith

Romans 3:27-31 Where, then, is boasting?  It is excluded.  Because of what law?  The law that requires works?  No, because of the law that requires faith.  For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.  Or is God the God of Jews only?  Is he not the God of Gentiles too?  Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.  Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith?  Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

Through faith IN CHRIST and his works, we substantiate the law.  Every jot and tittle of the law is completely satisfied in and through Christ.  Paul and Barnabas were accused by some believers, who belonged to the Pharisee sect, of not preaching the true gospel of Jesus.  These believers wanted Paul and Barnabas to preach the necessity of following the law and being circumcised.  At the council of Jerusalem in 50 AD, this dissension within the church was discussed by the apostles.  Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”  (Acts 15:5)  After much consideration, Peter points out to the leaders of the church that they and their ancestors have never been able to satisfy the law’s holy requirements.  Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe.  God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us.  He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith.  So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear?  We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.”  (Acts 5:7-11)  Peter asks the council to reflect on their ability to fulfill the law in their lives.  If they were honest in their reflection, he knew they would agree with him that they had failed to live up to the law in their lives.  So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear?    The law’s requirements on the actions and attitudes of humans have never been completely satisfied by any man, for the Bible says, all sin and fall short of God’s glory.  None of us will achieve perfection in living our lives.  We are of Adam’s seed, but Christ cleansed us with his blood and made us his own by substituting his works for ours.  He made retribution to God for our sins.  As surely as the Jewish slaves in Egypt were released from their bondage to Pharaoh by the blood over the doorway, so are we released from our slavery to the prince and power of the air by the blood of Jesus.  He freed us from the bondage of sin, so we no longer receive the wages of sin: death.  Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we no longer follow a written code, but we follow the voice of God from our innermost being.  God gave us his blessed Spirit to lead us through the wilderness of life to the Promised Land: heaven.  For no matter how much determination, strength, and discipline we have, Adam’s nature still exists in us.  Knowing this, Paul did not want the church of the living God thinking they could find deliverance through their own works.  Holiness, perfection, and a life in harmony with God are the result of putting our complete trust and faith in Jesus.  He alone fulfills all the requirements of the law.  Consequently, Paul reminds the Romans that they are justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 

Jesus is the way, the gate to eternal life.  He said, I am the gate.  Whoever enters through me will be saved.  (John 10:9)  God gave the law to us, much like a fence that surrounds us, to control us, our Adam-driven lives.  The law is good, but it cannot change our hearts or transform us into new creatures.  It cannot deliver us from the bondage of sin.  All the law can do is to corral us and to make us aware of our sins.  Humans need a Savior, a Way, a Gate that will lead them to the favor of God, to the freedom of complete acceptance by God.  We no longer need a fence to corral us, the law: we need an intimate relationship with the one who is holy, pleasing to God: Jesus  Of course, this relationship comes by faith.  We become new creatures IN HIM, our Savior.  We are changed by the blood of Christ from those who are held in bondage to those who have passed through the Red Sea to freedom.  If we are changed by God’s hands, by his work, there is no difference between the Jew or Gentile, freeman or slave.  We know someday we will be changed into celestial beings after our demise.  But we know now by faith, Christ’s work in us has transformed our spirits into new creatures.  We presently are changed!  We who belong to Christ are of one tribe, one nature, one people: So in Christ Jesus you are all children through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.  (Galatians 3:26-29)  Circumcision of the flesh identified people as being Jews.  Following the law was central to the Jewish culture.  But Christ has come to save the whole world.  As we know, The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.  (2 Peter 3:9)  Laws, rituals, and customs cannot change the nature of man, but Christ can.  He plants his love and consideration for others in our hearts.  He makes us willing servants to the world.  Faith in Jesus is the transforming power in our lives no matter who we are or what we have done.  He alters our lives towards God and his will: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  (Matthew 6:9-10) 

Yes, is the answer to Paul’s question: Is he not the God of Gentiles too?  Anyone who has trusted in Christ has also died to the law and its restrictions.  We no longer follow the law of Moses, for we have been freed from its demands upon our lives.  Not that we do not fulfill the law, for IN CHRIST we satisfy the law’s requirements.  By living IN CHRIST we have been changed into new creatures, born again through the shed blood of our Lord.  Our old, sinful creature is not recognized by God as worthy of fellowship, but our new creature formed IN CHRIST has an intimate relationship with God.  We serve God in a new and living way, through the Spirit of God, not through the written law.  My brothers and sisters, 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 for God.  For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death.  But now by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.  (Romans 7:4-6)  We are dead to the law; the corral of the law does not bind us.  The Son has set us free, so we are free indeed.  Paul wanted the church to know that the new work within us does not answer to the law and its obligations; instead, the new creation answers to the Spirit within us.  God works directly with our hearts and minds.  He changes us from within and constantly talks with us as we walk through life.  Dear friends, hear the voice of God within you today.  Obey his leadings, and do not boast in your own works or abilities.  Do the work of God by loving and serving others, all in the name of Jesus Christ, for all honor and praise goes to him.  He has called you with a holy calling.  We leave you with Paul’s beautiful admonition to the church at Philippi: Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.  Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.  (Philippians 2:14-16)  Amen!  

Romans 3:21-26 Justified by Faith

Romans 3:21-26  But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.  He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Mankind since the fall has been like Alice in Wonderland who after entering the rabbit hole found herself falling uncontrolled until she hit a world of fantasy.  She hit bottom but mankind has not hit bottom in his waywardness and never will.  His wickedness knows no end.  He constantly creates more ways to control others, to hurt them; making dangerous weapons to harm or to destroy.  Mankind is untamable, his sin unrestrained.  Sadly, in our present age, we have devices that can destroy everything on earth with nuclear bombs hundreds of times more powerful than those dropped on Japan.  Even in our daily struggles to be good, to follow society’s rules, we often fail; such as on the highways where we disobey the speed laws.  In our area, we have a camera on one stretch of the highway to the city of Tacoma.  When they might get caught speeding, everyone obeys the speed limit.  When the radar was first installed, hundreds of speeders were caught in a few weeks.  The public complained about that fact, making the highway department put up a sign warning that this stretch of the highway is monitored by radar.  People tend to speed when they think they can get away with it.  A camera removes this freedom to break the law.  As natural lawbreakers, we have problems following society’s rules and the internal rules we have established to govern ourselves.  “I will never lie again.”  “I will never gamble again.”  “I will never look at pornography again.”  “I will never hurt my spouse again.”  “I will never abuse my children again.” The list goes on.  As Paul says, I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.  (Romans 7:15) 

Some people postulate that we have less violence now than we have ever had.  Through most of history we did not have nation states or countries as we do today.  Law enforcement was scarce in most places.  When traveling to Judah from Persia, Nehemiah needed a letter from King Artaxerxes, giving him authority to travel through the different territories.  The governors who controlled these lands knew not to disobey the king of Persia.  This letter was taken seriously for the Persian King’s armies had already devastated the land all the way to the Mediterranean Sea.  They did not want his fearsome power levied on them again.  We live in an era of nation states: organized governments.  In the United States we have a variety of police powers to keep people from taking advantage of others: our federal military, state military, Homeland Security, State Patrol, city police, county sheriffs, and many other security officers.  All of these organizations exist to keep men and women from taking advantage of others, to interfere with the free fall of sinful man.  Given our propensity for destruction, where will we land?  If we wipe out every specie on this island called earth, then will we land?  Sin leads to death, to extermination.  Sin is a cancer on God’s creation.  As the verses in Romans 3 tell us: There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.  Man rebels at this notion that no one is righteous.  He believes the right genes, conditions, upbringing, and nurturing will create a better man, a more sane, less violent person who is less likely to break the cultural norms or society’s mores.  We are literally telling God: “Instruct us how to behave and then we will take it from there.”  We tell him we are capable of following the laws of righteousness.  To destroy that notion, God gave us the law.  Obedience to God’s law would bring harmony and peace into mankind’s interactions.  But what the law actually did was to reveal man’s inability to be good.  The law manifested mankind’s desire to dominate, to rule, to be godlike.  The law requires subservience to God, to honor parents, not to covet, not to harm others.  Simple rules but impossible to follow for obedience runs against our fallen nature.

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God represents the foundational understanding of the human condition.  We are all under the same brush stoke in the painting of humankind: There is no difference between Jew and Gentile.  What is the solution for our fallen state?  We need a Savior, someone who can pay the complete price for our waywardness, our tendency to corrupt behavior.  Of course, we know this price has been paid by the blood of Jesus Christ.  He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.  (1 Thessalonians 5:10)  He was resurrected so that we too might be resurrected into eternal life.  We are justified by our faith in Jesus Christ.  We live IN HIM AND HE LIVES IN US.  The mystery of eternal life has been solved by receiving the Creator of life by faith.  Peter tells the Jews, You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.  We are witnesses of this.  By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong.  It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.  (Acts 3:15-16)  Jesus is the author of life: He alone brings life to everything that exist.  We who are finite can find that eternal life through the eternal one, Jesus Christ.  To find that life in God we must believe in Jesus Christ’s work on the cross, and we must identify ourselves as Jesus’ followers through confession and baptism.   We then will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”  Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”  (Acts 2:37-39)  The world rejected the holy, righteous Jesus, but we who are saved place our complete trust in him.  He is the way, the truth, and the life for us.  We are no longer identified as being merely lawbreakers, contaminated by Adam’s nature; now we are new creatures, born again, righteous before God’s eyes.  We are a set apart people, a holy people, no longer condemned to eternal destruction.

Beloved friends around this breakfast table, rejoice for you are new creatures.  You live off of every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.  He has placed his blessed Spirit within you to lead you through this wilderness of life.  He has placed in you the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  Of course, sometimes our Adam nature fails to respond to the light of the Lord.  But as Paul wrote a little later in Romans, In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.  (Romans 6:11)  We will not let our sinful nature bring us back into condemnation; instead, we will focus on Christ’s work, not our own.  The world has no answers to eternal life; they have no answers to the sin within the human nature.  Governments, organizations, alliances, even altruistic leaders have tried to find an answer to mankind’s waywardness, selfishness.  Laws have been made, constitutions created, police forces marshaled to marginalize wickedness; but none of these attempts to control violence and harm have been very successful.  We can look back into history and see the shame of sin, the killing and maiming of countless millions of people.  Whole racial and ethnic groups have been wiped off the face of the earth.  Even now, at this point of history, we boast about our strength and ability to hurt others, to dominate others as a wrestler would do in the ring.  We want others to see our greatness, to raise our hand in victory. There is no end to mankind’s nature of violence, of dominance.  People will continue to hurt others until Jesus Christ comes to rule.  Without God in the picture, we will continue to abuse others in and outside of our families, communities, and nations.  We will continue to destroy our habitat, our environment.  We have a rapacious spirit about us while God has asked us to love others.  We who are IN CHRIST know we should love others as we love ourselves.  He has asked us to be servants to the world.  Christ has asked us to be gentle and generous with others.  As we read in the Word: Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  (Philippians 4:5)  Christlike behavior runs contrary to our nature of self.  But God wants us to portray him to the world.  We are his ambassadors, so let us not try to follow him based on the rigidity of the law, for we will fail.  Instead, let us follow God by loving him with all our heart, soul, mind, strength, and by loving others as ourselves.  Let us fulfill all the law by first loving God through faith in his Son and then by loving others as Christ loves us.