In Christ

For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is free from sin. -Romans 6:5-7

I was watching a pastor on TV last night (don't worry she was a good one) and this very issue of works and faith was raised. She mistakingly and unfortunately made the assumption that anyone who may call to the carpet wrongdoing (drinking, smoking, chew; or going with the girls that do) was judgmental and therefore repulsive. She even showed (in 9 verses of Galatians) how Paul was against works and how it is faith in God alone that defines the Christian life. I will respond through the text of Romans 6 to not just this pastor (I really do like her) but to the view that works are in direct opposition to faith.

First of all I want to remind us that in Chapter 3 (see below) that we were declared justified through faith. The key here is that this is how we come to be justified. This faith is in direct opposition to the law as a method of earning this declaration. So, in chapters 4-5 (see below) Paul makes an extended argument that through our being justified we are able to live righteously (within the covenant). That brings us to chapter 6.

Right away, we must pay attention to verse 1! "Should we go on sinning? Certainly not!" That should rest the case, but Paul continues to lay out why this should not be the approach of any believer to think that because we are depraved that this should be license to live in our depravity as if there were no power present on this earth to change it. 

The only true and real escape from sin is death! Dead people do not sin any longer. In this way, death becomes our ultimate escape from the flesh, or sinful flesh. In chapter 6 Paul will show how this faith in Christ is an identification (not water baptism) with his crucifixion (see Mark 10:35-40). The argument here is that if we are identified through faith with his crucifixion then we are dead to sin, just not completely. It is not that I have a power over sin, but rather that sin has no power over me.

Paul's next point is crucial. If you have become identified through faith with Christ's crucifixion then you will live in his resurrection. In other words, if you have identified in his death (through faith, not water) then you will identify with his life. The question for us (and Paul) is "What does that look like?" Paul will answer this in 6:8-23.

His answer, you are different! You are alive! You have been crucified to sin so that you may live!

Live like it! Love like it! Wake up and change the world!

Living the Christian life must, and I mean must, look like something.  

Peace with God

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. -Romans 5:1-2

One of the two most richly laid out passages in Scripture (in my opinion) is Romans chapter 5 (The other is Romans chapter 8). There are moments where the verses being laid out by Paul are thick with meaning and passion (esp. verses 1-11) and there are moments that still captivate and confound us to this day (esp. verses 12-17). It is a tragedy that most Christians (even pastors) that I know do not wrestle or dig into these truth rich passages. A trip through these two chapters alone would last for months and months without coming up for air!

Anyway, on to the passage itself. In the post below we discovered that Paul has laid us bare before God in chapters 1-3. He has also discussed our justification through faith in chapter 4. In chapter 5 Paul begins by showing us what these two truths combined look like. Amazingly, the view is much different than we are often presented.

First of all, if you come face to face with God you will die! Why? Because God is just (if not you have a new set of problems) and you have fallen short of his standard. God must then meet that action with wrath. The wrath of God is prevalent in the Old Testament (the flood of Noah, Sodom and Gomorra, Jerusalem in the reign of David) and it is not pretty! So the question remains, just how are we justified through faith? Is it because I have faith that I am justified? No! It is who you have faith in that ensures your justification (this has huge ramifications for other "religions"). Jesus stands before God in your place (more on this later) and you are justified by your identification with him.

Secondly, but connected, the name Christ is not Jesus' last name. As if he were born to Joseph and Mary Christ (thank you, Mallick). The name Christ is the Greek representation of the Jewish "Messiah". God sent his "Messiah" into the world to make the world right. The religious of the day were waiting on a warrior or a "Caesar" like figure to bring justice to the earth. We can understand the logic since God is just! But instead God brought justification to the earth. In chapter 8 we will look at what that means for the earth.

Rest assured, we will not be flying away to play harps and sit on clouds!

Justified by Faith

For this reason it is by faith, that it might be in accordance with grace, 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 -Romans 4:16

As we now move into Paul's next argument in 3:21-5:21 we find Paul focused on the issue of justification. As we discussed in earlier posts, if we have a just God then we are deserving of his wrath. But we are not left there in Paul's theology. We have another aspect of God to pursue. We must look at the provision made for all mankind by God that we might be justified in his eyes, in other words, that we may stand before him and not receive his wrath.

In chapter 4 Paul will base his argument on the example of Abraham. Without going into too much detail, Abraham believed the promise of God that he would make a great nation of Abraham and make his name known among the nations. Abraham believed in the covenant with God (the promise) before he was circumcised (the sign of the covenant). In the same vein Paul will say that you and I are justified through our faith in the covenant with him, which is in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ (the promise). We are justified through our faith, by grace, before we begin to show works of God in our lives (the sign of the covenant).

There is great discussion about what faith is. What it takes to be saved (escape the wrath of a just God). The great divide is the idea of works. The truth is that works are a part of faith! The key is that works come after justification, or more rightly said, because of justification. Because you have faith in Jesus Christ you are able to live within the covenant of God. It is only through faith in him that you may live righteously. 

For a wretch like me, this is good news!

No One is Righteous

"There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one." -Romans 3:10-11 from Psalm 14

There is a concept that we must understand to fully understand the Gospel of God. This concept has guided Paul's argument from Romans 1:18 and will see it through until 3:20. The concept I am referring to is a concept of who we are before God. Paul has taken his time in showing that we are all without excuse. God has made himself knowable through creation and everyone is accountable for pursuing truth. He has shown that the unbeliever is guilty as well as, the Jewish people for not seeking God. He will in this final passage of his first argument turn to show that the legalist and moralist are also guilty and therefore without excuse.

Everyone that does not seek after truth but rather pursues their own selfish end is deserving of God's justice. That justice comes in the form of a word that western culture has no palette for; judgement. Whether we are fond of the concept or not, Paul is clear that judgment will come and when it does we will all be deserving of God's wrath. 

We are all the same at this moment we are all:

Morally evil: Genesis 8:21; Luke 11:11-13; John 3:19

Spiritually sick: Matthew 9:12

Slaves to sin: John 8:34; Romans 6:16&20; 2 Timothy 2:26

Blinded to truth: 1 Corinthians 2:14; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 4:18; Matthew 5:8

Lovers of darkness: Ephesians 5:8; John 3:20

Children of wrath: James 4:4; Romans 5:10; Ephesians 2:12

Spiritually, Physically, and Eternally dead: Ephesians 5:14; Romans 5:12; Romans 6:23

This is not the way that contemporary culture would say that God sees us. That is precisely the point Paul has so painstakingly made. Most church members would not describe their relationship with God in such ways. The truth is that in Romans 1:18-3:20 and in the testimony of Scripture as a whole if you come face to face with God then you will die! 

This begs the question, "What about Jesus Christ?" 

I am glad you asked. Paul will turn to the work of Jesus and explain justification in 3:21-5:21.

Look up, hope is here!

The Idolatry of God's Word

Therefore, you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgement, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.

-Romans 2:1

The next section of Romans is one where Paul will turn his attention on the Jews. He has already concluded that the Gentiles are without excuse for the depravity of their thinking and therefore cannot stand before a true and just God (see below). He will now show that Jews will be unable to stand before this God because of their depravity. Ironically, the law that was sent to set them apart from all humankind, set them apart from God. There are many lessons we, as Christians, can take from the response of the Jews toward their God.

So much of Jewish identity is their tradition and their ancestry. The key person that they connect themselves with is Abraham. They also connect themselves with the law (esp. the Pentateuch, or the first five books of the Bible) that was given to Moses. In Paul's view, the law was given as a guide or a tutor to show the lack of humanness in them and their need for God to make them fully human (see Galatians 3:15-29). The law and the God who gave it were never supposed to be equal and they were never supposed to be separated.

Unfortunately, this is not what the Jewish people did with the law. Instead, they made the law the only pathway to God and even made the law constrain what God could (or would) or could not do. They were unable to see God do something new. The law became their identity. They began to place their entire trust in the law. They began to praise and lift up the men that committed their lives to interpreting (or at least giving their opinion on) what the law said and what it meant for them. The law became an idol. It became a false or physical representation of God. It is not! The Holy Spirit gave God's Word, the Holy Spirit communicates through God's Word, but God's Word is not your God!

The Jews used God's Word to abuse people. They became a testimony against God.  They placed the burden of following its requirements on all others while they themselves broke the very laws they were judging others by (see above and the rest of Romans 2). They believed that because they had the law that they were upholding the law. In other words, the possession and provisions of God's Word made them righteous. The idolatry of God's Word was the precipice of their idolatry (see the Prophets esp. Jeremiah), this was not their first offense. Paul says, they are without excuse (Rom. 2:1). God will judge them according to the law that they have made into an idol. 

Ironically, by that law no one can stand before God. 

No one.

Created, Designed, and Purposed

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what was made, so that they are without excuse. - Romans 1:20

Paul's argument 1:18-32 has the peculiar absence of something that we, as Christians would consider absolutely necessary. Paul argues for the righteousness of God without the Bible. This is not the first time we see this. He is also recorded by Luke in the Book of Acts as defending the existence of God without the Bible in Athens (17:16-34). Unbelievers (of the one true God) are guilty and deserving of wrath because they have turned from the creator and worshiped instead the creature.

 Paul does not give a full treatment of where God has revealed Himself here in Romans, so we will look at the passage in Acts to find his thought pattern. We cannot impose them on the argument of Romans but it may give us some insight as to his way of thinking.

First, Paul sees us as created (17:24). There is a famous argument that says, "Everything that begins must be caused." If something has a beginning then it has a cause. Physicists, in their work and theories support this claim. As a matter of fact, the most famous physicist of our time, Stephen Hawking has now claimed that the universe must be created (designed). He can make this claim because of the strong belief in the Big Bang theory. If the universe has a beginning (Big Bang) then it must have cause. If it has a cause then the next step is to say that it must have a causer (creator).

Second, Paul sees us as designed (17:26). The argument here is like a man walking down a beach and unknowingly he kicks up out of the sand a wristwatch. After investigating the wristwatch for a moment he makes the declaration that the elements and time had produced a wristwatch from nothing. He has discovered that a wristwatch formed right there on the beach. What would you say to such a claim? You would certainly resist such thinking. Because the complexity and intentionality of a wristwatch testifies to a maker, a designer. Are we not complex? Are we not testifying to a maker?

Finally, Paul will see us as purposed (17:27-28). Our purpose, if we are created and designed is to seek the creator, the designer. Our planet is perfectly positioned as a platform. One where not only life is present but where we are intended to seek something beyond ourselves. Our location in the galaxy, the distance from the sun, the size of our moon are all factors that contribute to our ability and desire to look into the universe. It just so happens, that when Copernicus and Galileo first began to look at the stars and question the universe it was in the desire to discover their God.

The truth for us today is that God has revealed Himself in His creation. You are the evidence of God. Everything around you points you to His existence. If we do not seek Him, not only are we among all men a failure, but we are without excuse.  

One True and Just God

They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served something created rather than the Creator- Romans 1:25

God is one and God is just. The justice of God also brings into the picture the wrath of God (1:18 see below). In 1:18-32 Paul will discuss those who are "without excuse" and must face God for the wickedness of being less than human.

Humans were created for compassion and kindness, for justice and good, but mankind sought after their own desires rather than those they were created for. We were created to have a heart like God's ("in His image" see Genesis 1-3), to love the things he loves, to care for the things he cares for. We know we were not created for selfish pursuits and we do not need religion to tell us this, our conscious testifies against us. When we seek after our own human desires we are being less than human because we were created to seek after God and his desires.

God, being just handed us over to our sinful desires and choices. The wrath of God could be felt in the consequences of our sins (6:23). None of us can stand before God, not even one (3:10, more on this later). Even pagans sought to make God in their own image instead of recognizing that we are made in his. Our only hope is to surrender to God (12:1-2).

If God is just and we surrender to him then doesn't that mean that we will endure his wrath. We would if we were the ones standing before God. But it is Jesus Christ that stands before God in our stead (more on this later). This is why any religion that leads you to a god without the intercession of Christ (God in flesh, more later), leads you to either a god that is going to subject you to wrath, or one that is not just. Either way, if you are not standing before a just God being represented and covered by his Son, Jesus Christ then good luck!

You are going to need it!