I meant to jump into the next part of Romans and the justification of mankind by faith but I have been unable to get the thought of Jesus’ passion our of my head since Sunday’s reading. Can you wrap your head around a crucifixion? A bad car accident makes me close my eyes so it’s impossible to understand someone being tortured the way Jesus was. And why? He was God in human form, He could command angels, heavenly hosts and even Nature to do His bidding but He let people humiliate Him, beat Him and in the end break His body on a cross until He died. Can you imagine the pain in His voice when He cried to His Father? “Why have you forsaken Me?” Can you begin to conceive the pain God Himself felt as He watched His Son in agony? Why? What was the purpose and wasn’t there a better, easier way?

No. This is the essence of our faith, the reason Christianity exists. There was no other way. No other way for what, you are wondering. Here it is: God is perfect, He is just, He is righteous, He cannot abide evil in His Presence because of His Perfect Righteous and Holy Nature. We are unrighteous, we are sinners, blasphemers, concealers of the Truth, liars. The Law, God’s Standard, proves this to us every minute of every day. We cannot cleanse ourselves or atone for even a portion of our sins. In fact, as soon as we apologize for one sin we are often in the process of committing another.  We have no right to be in His Presence and He cannot tolerate us unless our sin is removed.  We can study God’s gift of mercy but to take the next step and accept it we have to fall broken, to our knees, admit our complete unworthiness to receive His gift and acknowledge that there is no other way to come to Him.

This brings us to the Cross. The penalty for sin is death. God will exact the penalty or He contradicts His own Justness. If He makes us pay we all fall short and no one can attain Heaven. What did He do to solve this dilemma? He made Himself in human form, in the shape of His Son. His Spirit overshadowed a woman and breathed divine life into a human womb. A perfect man; wholly God, born only to die for our sin, born only to pay the penalty so we were free.

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond servant and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Ephesians 2:5-8)

Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. (Hebrews 2:14,15)

Do you see this? Jesus gave up all the power in Creation to become a weak and mortal man. God gave up all He was to create a child who would die, thinking His own Father had abandoned Him. Again, why? Because in the time He hung on that cross Jesus took on all the sin that ever had, or ever will, exist. His Father turned His face away because the Son was covered in our sin and the Just God could not abide that sin in His Presence. The Son, beaten, broken, forsaken, died. Had it been any other man it would have ended there. But at the moment Jesus’ spirit left His body the heavy curtain in the Temple was torn in half from top to bottom. What was the significance of that? That curtain separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple. It was behind that curtain that the Seat of God was contained. The curtain kept us out; only the High Priest, once a year, could enter that space. With the death of Jesus the curtain was torn because the penalty had been paid, in full, for all time and we were no longer separated from our God. The doors were thrown wide open, the Father embraced the broken Son and the world held its breath for three days. Then the triumph was complete, death was defeated and, if we chose to accept the gift, the way to the throne room of God was open to each of us through the Risen Son.

Can you begin to see what God has done? Does it make you  fall to your knees, admit your sinful deeds, beg His forgiveness then walk into His loving arms and humbly accept that His gift alone can save you? Whether you already know this and are reaffirming it or realizing for the first time the true gift God has given us in Jesus, you will know complete freedom and peace when you lay all you are at the the foot of the throne and put your life completely in the hands of the Father, Son and Spirit. May you love Him as fully as He loves you.

Now we can move on in the next post!

Here are some key points from the second and third chapters of Romans:

• We are without excuse when we judge others for we are not perfect
• An unrepentant heart stores up wrath for itself on Judgement Day but…
• The man who does good will have glory, honor and peace
• Knowing God’s Law does not guarantee salvation, even the Gentiles knew in their hearts what was right though they did not know the Law itself
• The purpose of the Law is to impart the knowledge of sin
• None of us can keep the Law; most of us can’t even keep any part of it

So here we are, all of us sinners, fallen short of God’s glory (3:23) and desperately needing a Savior. We justify our sins, trust in God’s mercy and take His kindness for granted when, if we are truly seeking Him, His mercy should lead us to repentance (2:4). That is a key verse – the kindness of God leads to repentance. We should be so amazed at and grateful for His mercy that our strongest desire is to repent for all our past sins and fervently avoid future temptation.

But what a blessing that God has given us the Law to show us our sin. Think of it like a speed limit or a traffic signal. If they weren’t there you could not be convicted of running a light or speeding but imagine the fatalities and injuries that would result from the lack of laws! So God gives us these guidelines that point us in His direction and keep us from eternal death.

If the Law is necessary it is also harsh and we could be tempted to lose heart when we realize what is expected of us. But take courage, now comes the mystery and the wonder. In Romans 4:7, 8, Paul quotes the Psalms:

Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.

How do we get to be the man or woman who’s sin God will forgive? Our answer is in the example of Abraham who, through faith, followed a God he could not see and became an heir to heaven. Read the following verses then just pause and reflect on the magnitude of what they say.

For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. (13) For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified: for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, neither is there violation. (14,15) For this reason it is by faith, that it might be in accordance with gace, in order that the promise may be certain to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all….. that God gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.(16,17)

Sometimes we read the words and overlook the meaning so let’s look hard at what this says for you and I. God’s promise was through faith not the Law because He knew we could not keep the law. If we could keep the Law and enter Heaven that would not be mercy; it would be earning what we attained. But God is giving us eternal life if we just believe in Him, even though we transgress the Law on a daily basis. Now that is ultimate mercy. We will close with the powerful words that end chapter 4 as Paul tells us how Abraham believed in the promise of a son even though he and Sarah were long past the child-bearing years and how God fulfilled His promise to them, not just for their sake but so we also could see and believe.

Now not for his (Abraham’s) sake only was it written, that it was reckoned to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be reckoned, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, He who was delivered up because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of Your Son, for paying the price of death for our sin and for giving us the Promise of heaven just for believing and following. Amen

I thought a lot about Lent. Lent is such a strange season, full of dark despair as we contemplate evil’s bold move against God, full of shame as we face our own demons and the sin we have in our lives, but all of this back lit against the radiant promise of the Resurrection. What an appropriate season to open the book of Romans.

Reading this book is akin to attending a Twelve Step program. Just like the alcoholic who seeks freedom from his prison we must first acknowledge our dependence (in our case, sin)  and our lack of power over it. Once we have come to that point we realize how much we need a Savior and we can crawl, run or stumble into His wounded, loving and merciful arms. The letter to the Romans helps bring us to that point by teaching us about sin, the Law and redemption.

Paul starts Romans by welcoming his readers and reaffirming his mission to bring Christ to Jew and Gentile alike. He proudly proclaims in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to every one who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith…”

The remaining verses in Chapter 1 are a hard read. God appears harsh and unrelenting, not kind and loving. But that is exactly what He is against unrighteousness and that is why we must come to Him in humility and ask to be clothed in the righteousness of His Son. But I am jumping ahead here. Ponder the following verses from the first chapter of Romans for a day or so:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, (v. 18)  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. (v. 20)  For even though they knew God they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations and their foolish heart was darkened. (v. 21)

So God has put evidence of His existence in all He created and most have made the choice to ignore it. In return God let them have their head just like an unbridled horse and they ran straight into wickedness, greed, evil, depravity, insolence, arrogance and disobedience among other things. Not pleasant to dwell on, is it? Don’t despair; we will see what He offers in upcoming posts or you can cheat and read ahead in Romans!

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check. Otherwise they will  not come near to you.

Many are the sorrows of the wicked. But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice you righteous ones. And shout for joy all you who are upright in heart.

Psalm 32: 8-11

What a relief to know that it is not up to us – we have only to turn to God and He will lead us exactly where we need to be, all the while surrounding us with light and love. Does this mean we will have no problems and life will be a piece of cake? Of course not but in the midst of sorrow and trouble He will be our constant companion giving us peace.

Do you have a friend you can go to when you are at rock bottom? Someone you know who will listen and then say or do the right thing to will make you smile through tears, then chuckle a bit and, finally, laugh out loud? Your problems are still there but the load has been lightened and your perspective is much brighter. Such a friend is Jesus. So rejoice in this heavenly friendship, trust Him in all things and let Him lead your steps. Follow Him willingly; don’t make Him put a bit or bridle on you!

Ours is a broken world and we are a broken people in bondage to sin and our frail human nature. But the dynamic power of God can free us. Come to Him, study His Word and let Him work in your heart. You will see many signs and miracles but the greatest gift He will give you is forgiveness. He will quiet the desires that drive you to sin and replace them with a longing for Him. He will fill your heart with peace and your life with quiet joy.

It is a journey of trust, submission and listening. Talk to Him every day but take time to listen for His response. You may be amazed at where He will lead you but trust and follow. He’ll take care of the details.

Let’s look at Psalm 32 and meditate on what it means in our lives:

How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!

When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to Thee, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; and Thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin.

Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to Thee in a time when Thou mayest be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they shall not reach him. Thou art my hiding place; Thou dost preserve me from trouble; Thou dost surround me with songs of deliverance.

Your challenge is to examine your heart and take all your sin to God. Every sin, no matter how deep, dark or secret it is. He knows them all anyway. All the torment, stress, anxiety and guilt of trying to hide those sins takes a toll on our bodies. Give it all to God and let Him be your safe harbor.

We will finish Psalm 32 tomorrow.

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Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Let’s break down this life-changing truth to make sure we understand it.

Trust in the Lord.

It starts with trust. Any real relationship has to start with some level of trust. It’s the only way a friendship will endure. It’s the only way a marriage will work out. It’s the simple reason why an employer hires workers, or why the workers stay employed. It’s all about trust. Trust in the Lord, however, takes on an entirely new dimension. This is our trust in an eternal, all-powerful, all-wise, all-loving God. He is worthy of our trust. The trust is important, not just because of who God is, but because of the way in which we must trust him: with all your heart. It involves every fiber of your being. That’s the kind of trust we can have in God–a complete, unshakable, deep, abiding trust.

If you are a Christian, you trusted God for salvation. You can trust Him with the rest of your life, too–every detail.

Read part 2, Don’t Lean On Your Understanding

Transformed by an ongoing prayerful relationship with the Gospel message, we are renewed by our education processes and fulfilled by a commitment to ministry.

Through daily concrete acts of peace, justice, compassion, and love, we strive to help bring about the Kingdom of God.