David Bahn – Reflections – Page 329 – Light from the Word and through the lens

Bookends of Good News

March 24, 2014

Romans 8:1-11

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Romans 7, “Wretched man that I am…” gives way to Romans 8, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” But as soon as Paul lays out that promise, he begins explaining why that is so, and in the process details how complex, or at least how far-reaching that truth really is. At verse 11, we read, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” This is another great promise!

Romans is a powerful book, filled with deep theological insights about God, faith, the Law, life and salvation. Sometimes, however, I get bogged down in Paul’s seemingly exhaustive/exhausting explanations. Every loose end possible is tied up. Every little and big possible misapplication or false conclusion is nixed. Every rational argument is filled in so that there can be no doubt. Salvation has come through Jesus Christ, and by his grace we have been saved. We receive this through faith, and not through our obedience to the Law.

While I get bogged down sometimes in some of Paul’s arguments and explanations, I delight in the promises that bookend these verses. No condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus: That’s really good news! To be in him means to entrust ourselves to him, to have the blessing of the Holy Spirit’s presence in us. To have the promise of the resurrection, also by the Spirit who dwells in us is a blessing to be sure.

If you are inclined to dig deep, go for it: Romans has plenty of gold to mine. Just remember the bookends of God’s grace, the Good News of the Spirit’s presence and the promise of salvation through Jesus Christ.
When Another’s Pain Brings Relief

March 21, 2014

Romans 7:13-24

Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Some time ago a woman I knew, a mother of two, went through a painful divorce. It was hurtful to her and her children; deeply so. One place of relief she and especially her children experienced was in a support group for single moms and their children. When her son encountered other boys in the same predicament and pain he was experiencing he was visibly relieved. He had been especially hurt by his dad’s departure, and didn’t think anyone could understand him. He learned otherwise that particular evening.

That was a sad discovery to have to make, and even more sad that there are any number of boys and girls who experience such pain. But this is a similar response to people who read Romans 7: “Yes! That’s my experience too. Someone understands my spiritual struggle with sin! I cannot seem to get on top of it!”

I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.

To know that even the great St. Paul, missionary extraordinaire, struggled with sin he could not conquer is somehow comforting to those of us who might not be as stellar in our Christian walk. But this truly is a sad comfort. There is little comfort in giving in and saying, “Well we’re all sinners after all.” That is true, but it’s a fatalistic approach, like saying – in the face of impending doom, “We’re all gonna die.” True, but not comforting.

Our true and great comfort is that we have a deliverer. There is a redeemer. He is our Lord Jesus Christ. He has ransomed us from sin and Satan’s prison. And though we’re not fully out there is a path to freedom, and One Day we will find ourselves fully delivered. In the mean time we will struggle. The world and our own sinful flesh will conspire to take us down. But thanks be to God through Jesus Christ that we will be delivered. We may find some comfort in others’ pain and failures. But the greater comfort is founded in the fellowship of those who – in spite of their sin, struggles, and pain – look to Jesus Christ who delivers us from our wretchedness.
When Opportunity and Evil Conspire and God Doesn’t Show Up

March 20, 2014

Mark 6:14-29

King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” 17 For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.

21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” 23 And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison 28 and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

What set off King Herod? Why was he fretting now about Jesus? What difference does it make that Jesus and his band of disciples were doing anything at all? And why would he tie Jesus’ ministry to John the Baptist?

It’s the message of Jesus and his disciples: “Repent!” It was Jesus’ first message. Now he was sending his disciples with the same message. And Mark tells us, “So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.” (6:12-13).

Repent is a pesky word. It requires we embrace our shortcomings. It requires that we put ourselves under the law of God. It requires we get off the judgement seat, off the throne, and onto our knees. It requires humility. It requires saying – in our hearts – “I am sorry. I was wrong. I did wrong. I have sinned. I have missed the mark.”

That’s what John had called on King Herod to do: Get off your throne and onto your knees before God and repent of your lawless ways. Here is the situation that Mark describes here – in a manner of back-filling in the midst of the story about Herod’s fretting about Jesus.

Herodias was a daughter of Aristobulus, one of the sons of Herod the Great. Other sons of Herod the Great included Herod Antipas and Herod Philip (by different wives). After marrying her half-uncle Herod Philip, Herodias left him for an adulterous relationship with his brother, Herod Antipas. Such were the loose morals, typical of the Herodian dynasty, against which John the Baptist preached. (Reformation Study Bible)

Now Jesus was calling people to repent as well. Herod had been intrigued by John’s preaching; so much so that he had listened to him on more than one occasion, being perplexed, and yet hearing him gladly. So when Herod hears about Jesus sending his disciples to preach repentance he was troubled. He thought John had been resurrected. He had kept John in prison at the urging of his wife who was much less ambivalent about John’s preaching. She wanted John dead.

That’s when evil and opportunity conspired. Herodias’ desire to get rid of John. Herod’s lavish birthday party at which time too much wine, a dancing daughter, an overly-expressive King, a foolish promise provided the moment for evil to play out in the death of John, and John was beheaded. Comes the request: “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

If ever someone would have wanted to un-ring a bell, it would have been Herod on this occasion. But he couldn’t take back his promise. So John is beheaded. Herodias is happy. Her daughter learns how to seduce and manipulate. John is dead. And Herod slips farther away from God.

And where is God in all this? I ask because God doesn’t show up. God is not mentioned by Mark here. John’s disciples lay his headless body in a tomb. God is at work, however, even when we don’t see him. He may not show up on our schedule. We’ve all experienced that some way or another. The disease goes un-healed and a loved-one dies. A child gets farther and farther away from God with no change of heart. The job offer doesn’t come through.

It is those occasions we have to have a view beyond our own horizon, and seek to see how God is at work – even when he is not at work in our lives. When John was in prison (before his death), he had sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one, or should we look for someone else?” Jesus told them to report on what they saw and heard: The deaf and lame were healed and the poor had the Good News preached to them.

Sometimes we have to look outside our circumstances to see what God is doing. And when he doesn’t show up in our own lives, we must surely turn to him all the more. Bad things happen to good people because evil and opportunity conspire. It may even appear as though God does not show up in those moments.

That’s when we have a choice as God’s people. That’s when we can harden our hearts toward God and hold him hostage in our souls for what did or did not happen to or for us. Or…we can turn to God and trust in him no matter what. When we are in the crucible God’s word promises that God is at work to strengthen our faith, temper our character, and purify our hopes.

But make no mistake about it. God always shows up. Somehow or some way he is always at work for our good. Want the best proof of all? Think of Jesus on the cross. Remember his cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” God didn’t show up for Jesus in that moment. He let him die. But Jesus’ death meant our redemption. And in the end Jesus was vindicated by God through the resurrection and ascension to the right hand of God.

Faith in God, in his word and promise, his goodness and power will always be vindicated. No matter how evil and opportunity may conspire, and no matter how silent God may be in that moment. We simply must wait for the last chapter and verse. God will prevail. Good will prevail. And more importantly for you and me who have given up hope and lost faith from time to time, grace will prevail. For we have a Savior who perfectly entrusted himself to God for our sakes, and he is our righteousness.
The New Way of the Spirit

March 18, 2014

Romans 7:1-14

Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? 2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. 3 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.

4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

The growing social movement toward legalization of marijuana is an example, some would say, of forbidden fruit creating desire. The idea is that if the fruit were not proscribed we would be less likely to desire it. It’s the fact that the fruit is forbidden that makes it so appealing. Legalize pot, so the argument goes, and it will become less and less desirable. That may not be the main argument, but it certainly is one of the reasons put forward.

Paul speaks of the war against his soul by the unholy alliance of the Law and sin. Here he speaks of the 10 Commandments, and of the 9th and 10th commandments against coveting. Because he knew it was wrong to covet, any temptation to covet became an opportunity for the law to incite sinful desires in him.

The solution to this, however, is not simply to legalize covetousness, or any other sinful behavior. In fact the purpose of the Law is to awaken in us a knowledge of our sin, so that we may be drawn by the Gospel to the cross of Jesus. The Reformation Study Bible has it this way:

The God-ordained role of the law in a fallen world is to reveal the nature of human sin. The law not only defines sin, but acts as a catalyst, provoking the precise sinful reactions that it forbids and condemns (vv. 8–11). In itself the law, which brings us to know the reality of sin in our moral and spiritual system (3:20; 5:13, 20), is “holy and righteous and good” (v. 12). The law is a faithful revelation of what is right or wrong, and does not lose its validity to measure and direct our moral behavior.

God’s higher desire is that we live and serve in the new way of the Spirit, rather than in a misguided attempt to dot every “i” and cross every “t” of the law. That is not to say we are being urged to covet so long as we do it in a godly way! It is to say we are to live out of our new and true identity as sons and daughters of God in faithful obedience inspired by the Holy Spirit. We don’t obey our way into a right relationship with God. We obey because of our relationship with God.

This is the new way of the Spirit. Rather than asking, “What good thing must I do to be saved?”, we now ask, “How shall I live today as a child of God?” Our identity defines us. Our obedience expresses our identity. We don’t even obey so that we may retain our identity as God’s sons and daughters. We are his, by his grace, and through the redemption of Christ.

I wish I could express the heaviness of heart that I feel when I think of keeping the laws and commands of God, of keeping every theological nuance perfectly expressed, or of making certain that I have kept all my life and ministry within the proper lines. Believe me, I want to please God; I have no desire to abandon that which he has said is good. But to live in the new way of the Spirit is a joy and delight to my soul. How about you?
Wages and Gifts

March 17, 2014

Romans 6:20-23

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

My first real job was in a restaurant, Wayne’s Grill, a small place with 8 booths and about 20 stools at the counter. I made the mistake on my first day there, and sat down in a rear booth. Wayne asked me, “What are you doing?” I told him that I was caught up and I was taking a break. He informed me that he didn’t pay me for taking breaks. There is always something to do, he told me. And there was. Always. The wages I earned for this job? Sixty-two and a half cents per hour. That’s w whopping $5.00 for an eight hour shift. Between the time I graduated from college and when I entered the seminary, I worked in a brick factory. I received a higher wage – $3.60 per hour – and worked harder than I have ever worked in my life.

Then came our major experience with receiving a number of gifts while we were in seminary. Because of a number of circumstances, we were financially devastated. In a symphony of grace, several people came together with a number of gifts that saved our day. Ask me with I would rather have and I can tell you – the gift provided a much greater joy than the wages!

So why would we not wish to receive the free gift of God – eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord? Why would we choose to remain slaves of sin and keep paying the wages of our sinful behavior? Why choose death rather than the free gift of eternal life? The destiny of those who are enslaved to sin is death. If we are intent on getting what we deserve we will be sadly disappointed in the end. But if we are content to receive the grace and blessings of God we will discover the riches of God’s grace and that eternally.

I am thankful for the free gift of God. How about you? If that is the case, what will our lives look like? Surely we will not choose to be slaves of sin, but rather to be set apart for an eternal celebration of God’s grace.
Too Many Years a Slave

March 14, 2014

Romans 6:12-14

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Adrift at sea for 47 days, Louis Zampeini knew better than to drink sea water. It would only fuel his thirst for more and spell his ultimate doom. Addictions are like that: whether it’s alcohol, drugs, sex, or electronic devices, they end up taking life from us, even as we yearn for more of the false-thrill they bring.

Paul warns here against letting sin reign in our bodies, bringing us under the sway of its compulsions. Specifically he seems to be pointing toward sexual sins and addictions. But the reality of sin’s entrapment is something to be avoided. The reason for this, however, is not simply because of the harm that such addictions bring. We have been redeemed, brought out of the terrible dungeon of slavery, and into the freedom of grace. We do not work our way out of this bondage by our law-keeping. It is God’s gift to us. We could never rescue ourselves.

We are free. We are under grace. We need not put out to sea in a flimsy life raft without food and water. We need not abandon the place of God’s grace and redemption in favor of the squalor of unrighteousness. So our hands reach out to those in need, with kindness, and food, and shelter. Our body parts are used to listen to the discouraged, to speak words of forgiveness to the penitent, and to stand shoulder to shoulder with those who seek to protect innocent lives.

We are no longer slaves to sin. Any number of years – or even days – in such slavery is too many.
Amazing Grace How Sweet the Sound!

March 13, 2014

Romans 6:1-11

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

My Cub Scout pack took a field trip to a water treatment plant. It was an interesting experience. Pipes, dials, valves, and large pools of water were just the kinds of stuff to capture a young boy’s attention. As part of the tour, we went to a higher floor of the plant. It had a large opening in the floor looking down to the equipment about 20 feet below. Over that opening was a metal grate. You could see right through it. Suddenly one of the men on the tour pushed me out onto the grate. I was so consumed by the sight below that I didn’t have time to think of whether the grate would hold me. I was suddenly albeit briefly terrified. The grate held me just fine as I looked at the equipment below. Actually, I’m sure it would have held as many people as could stand on it; it was strong. But, oh my, was that a harrowing moment!

I have also had the experience of looking over the edge of my own sin, into the chasm of ruin and God’s just judgment, knowing that if it were not for his grace I would be doomed. How precious is that grace in the face of sin and judgment! But this is no cause to climb to higher heights and look into deeper chasms in an attempt to plumb the depths of God’s grace or gain a greater thrill in realizing our more desperate need for it. That would be an abuse of God’s sweet and beautiful grace.

Through God’s work in our hearts, and specifically by the grace of God in baptism something happens to our assessment of sin. We begin to see it for what it is: a damnable, evil, and destructive force warring against our souls. We die to sin’s thrill and allure.

But the work of God’s grace does not stop with ending our love for sin. It takes us to a new way of living. Not only are we no longer enslaved by sin, we are now alive with Christ. We’ve been connected with Jesus’ death and resurrection by God’s work and word in the waters of baptism. We walk in newness of life.

All this calls for a new kind of self-assessment, what I would call a Christ-fulfilling prophecy. Psychologists speak of self-fulfilling prophecy, a way of thinking about oneself or others as incapable, or deficient, that works itself out in a life of failure and defined by shortcomings. This new Christ-fulling prophecy is quite different. We are to consider ourselves to be alive to God in Christ. Rather than seeking more grace – wishing for or providing God with greater glory by our increasingly miscreant deeds – we delight in living to his glory and enjoying the freedom from sin that Christ has won for us and which is grounded in the promises and work of God in our baptism. In fact such is the significance of our baptism according to Martin Luther’s Small Catechism:

What does such baptizing with water signify?–Answer.

It signifies that the old Adam in us should, by daily contrition and repentance, be drowned and die with all sins and evil lusts, and, again, a new man daily come forth and arise; who shall live before God in righteousness and purity forever.

Where is this written?–Answer.

St. Paul says Romans, chapter 6: We are buried with Christ by Baptism into death, that, like as He was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
God’s Trump

March 12, 2014

Romans 5:18-6:2

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life forall men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

6:1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

The Good News of God’s love and grace is a deep and inexhaustible wellspring of blessing. The simple but remarkable truth is that God’s grace is abundant to the extent that it never runs out because sin depletes it. Though sin may abound, and evil may flourish, grace abounds all the more and God’s gifts flow forth richly. The more sin, the more grace. It’s God’s ultimate word and final answer.

Recently, however, I was asked a very unexpected question: “What is grace?” On the one hand the answer is simple: “Grace is ‘God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.’” That acrostic really does help one define grace. Embracing that grace and experiencing God’s gifts is far more rich than even the best definition or acrostic. God’s riches come to us in the form of answered prayers, daily provision, protection, joy, and all good things – chief of which is the forgiveness of sins, the hope of the resurrection and the promise of eternal life: God’s gift of salvation. These all come to us at Christ’s expense. And there is always an abundant (more-than-enough) supply of God’s grace.

So the question comes: If God’s grace does not run out, why not sin more so that we can experience more of it? Why not drink deeply of God’s love and grace, forgiveness and joy of our redemption by sinking deeper into the miry pit of sin and degradation? Because grace, after all, will not run out. Something has happened in the heart and lives of those who have been captured by God’s grace. We have died to sin, through the grace of God. We have been shown a better and new way of life. We live no more in sin, but in grace. Such grace is not depleted by sin. But sin has lost its sway. It is the way of death. We live in grace, and that’s where we find the truest joy.
The gift is better than the consequence

March 11, 2014

Romans 5:12-17

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

When I was in Sunday school a girl in our class asked me whether I believed in original sin. I didn’t realize I had the option! I just assumed that because of the sin of Adam his sinful nature was passed down to all people. I didn’t have a very developed theology of this, but simply embraced the idea of its reality. In these verses Paul unfolds the implications of Adam’s sin: its consequences for all people. Death spread to all people because all sinned. It is a fact. All are under the judgment of God for their sin. That, too, is a fact. Struggle as we might try against it, it stands true.

Then, however, there is the other truth that brings joy to the sinner’s heart. For the sake of one man, Jesus Christ, God grants the free gift of justification. In the face of our sins, and because of Jesus’ act of righteousness in our behalf, God declares us righteous. We are saved. The most grave consequence for our sin has been set aside. We who have received the more-than-enough grace of God and the free gift of righteousness will reign in life through Jesus Christ. This is extraordinarily good news: For Christ’s sake, God forgives us all our sins, and declares us righteous. The gift is better than the consequence. Thanks be to God!
Shaken out of his sleeve

March 10, 2014

Romans 5:1-11

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

There we were in the seminary chapel: Sitting. Waiting.The organist was playing pre-service music, but it was after the time for the service to start. Finally Dr. Henry Eggold walked in. Tall and lanky, with a deep voice and a wrinkled face, he strode to the chancel, and announced the hymn. When the hymn was finished, he read this passage from Romans 5 and offered a very powerful message about dealing with trials and suffering. But the power wasn’t in the rhetoric, but in the substance of what he said.

Suffering is a part of life in this world. You cannot escape it. You cannot opt out of it. It is sure to come. But because we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God and joy in suffering. This is not a call for denial, nor a false bravado in the face of hard times. This is a call to look beyond any momentary affliction we may experience in anticipation of how God uses even hard times and difficult experiences to shape our character and build up true hope in our hearts.

We have the gift of the Holy Spirit, who has poured God’s love into our hearts. That love sustains us in difficult times, and shapes our hope for the future. And just so we get it, Paul reminds us that God’s love has been shown to us by Christ’s death in our place while we were still sinners.

I recently had the opportunity to share the significance of Christ’s love and death for us with two different people. Both of these people were facing difficult family situations. Children and grandchildren were on a path of wrong choices and rebellion against God’s ways. Both of these people said that they could not let it get to them, because if they did, they would be completely undone. I believe that is exactly what Jesus did for us: He let it all get to him and was completely undone. He didn’t keep his heart safe. He let it be completely broken. He took our sin into his being – all of it, and all of its consequences: death itself.

That’s love. And that love, poured into our hearts enables us to face difficulty, suffering and trials with confidence, strength, and hope. On that day in the seminary chapel, Dr. Eggold shared that message, and I remember it to this day – 38 years later. I later learned that the assigned preacher for the day’s chapel had not shown up, and he “shook one out of his sleeve” for us. I suspect that he may have recently preached on that text in another setting. But I do know that God shapes us, makes us stronger, and purifies our joy through times of suffering. That’s because he loves us. And that love was not just shaken out of his sleeve, it came from his heart and saved us.