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Posts Tagged ‘Romans’

Inheritance by Grace

Posted in Christmas Through Epiphany, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 31, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Am I finally getting it? Every promise of God is possible because of grace. If my inheritance depended on my ability to obey the law, all would be lost. There is no sinless life and I am no different.

Romans 4:16a
Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring . . .

Why does it all feel so difficult then? Why can’t I enjoy the full freedom that grace affords? Certainly I’m doing better in this aspect, but I still battle with the traditional culture of “shoulds” and “should haves” and “shouldn’t haves.” You know, you “shouldn’t” read that kind of book, you “should have” gone to church today, you “shouldn’t have” wine with dinner. But the court room cannot be in my own head or my perceptions of what “others” think. There is only one Judge that matters.

My historic difficulties have been wrapped around trying too hard: trying to be a “concept” Christian. I have tried to live the “idea” of being a Christian by doing “this” but not “that,” by embracing the unspoken rules of Christian behavior, by wearing a “believer’s” mask.

My focus this year must be on confession. Freedom and grace come through acts of confession. Authenticity of the heart begins with a transparent relationship with God. I long for true fellowship with other people of faith (koinonia), but I cannot expect to achieve this if I shutter myself from God, much less my family, friends, acquaintances, and fellow believers.

True obedience to the “law” comes from the heart and the heart is only prepared to obey when it is clear and whole. This holiness (wholeness) comes forth through the gate of confession.

Can I extend my understanding of grace to other people? Can I shed my tendency to judge others by pouring out the same oil of grace upon them that God is pouring out on me? Do I have the courage to invite them to remove their masks with the promise that I will not turn away? And what about the people who have grown tired of wearing a mask, who no longer have the energy to put one on anymore, who appear to be content in their darkness, can I be the light of grace for them?

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Abraham’s Legacy

Posted in Christmas Through Epiphany, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on January 30, 2010| Leave a Comment »

What do I want to consider about Abraham today? Faith in the face of overwhelming challenges. Faith in the face of boredom and the mundane. Faith in the face of sin and stupidity.

Romans 4:11a
And he [Abraham] received the sign of circumcision, 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 . . .

Abraham gives me courage to have faith outside the box. I can be wrong. I can go astray. I can lose it. But also, I can count on God because, above all else, I do have faith.

I can be fallible. That doesn’t sound like much except that I constantly struggle with my perfectionism. God is gentler with me than I am with myself.

Abraham screwed up big time . . . with Sara, with with Hagar, with Lot, with Isaac. He did damage. And yet, he was covered. He confessed. He talked to God. And God responded with promise.

That’s all, just hope in face of my mistakes, especially with family. I know I have discouraged when I could have encouraged. I have disappointed when I could have applauded. I have talked when I should have listened.

Still I hope that love will grow stronger than fear, mercy will trump judging, and faith will wipe out doubt. that’s the legacy I believe Abraham is giving me.

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Presenting Justice

Posted in Christmas Through Epiphany, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Justice has gotten pretty fuzzy in our current culture. How often do the guilty go free if they simply have a good lawyer? How can we expect a modern world to connect to the concept of God’s justice and actually appreciate true mercy and atonement?

Romans 3:25
God presented him [Jesus] as a sacrifice of atonement, . . . to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished . . .

Even in Bible times, the Apostle Paul spent a lot of his time convincing people that the long-awaited Messiah had arrived in Jesus of Nazareth. But the Jews had built an entire culture and way of life around the observance of “law” and a complex set of requirements to exact justice with various acts and sacrifices. Did they really believe the Messiah would come or had they put the idea so far into the future that such a reality was unimaginable?

In essence, no matter when the Messiah would appear, the prophecies promised that his arrival would wipe out the old ideology and replace every sacrifice, every payment, and every atoning act, with his own blood. It would change everything. Justice would have new meaning.

If they had accepted the “fact” of a Messiah then, their entire temple system would have been obliterated in a single day. Is there any wonder the priests and accompanying temple staff were resistant? Their livelihood, their routines, and all of their traditions were in danger of collapse if they accepted this man Jesus as the Messiah.

To accept the atoning act of the Messiah is to have faith in a new execution of justice. To appropriate the ultimate sacrifice/justice of the Messiah requires a person’s confession of sin and lawbreaking.

Unlike a court of law where the defendant is trying to convince everyone that he/she didn’t really “do it,” this court is strictly for those willing to say, “guilty as charged.” And through that personal confession of guilt, suddenly, there is mercy and grace in a way that is beyond our understanding.

This is justice without fear. This is justice married to mercy. This is justice covered by love. Thanks be to God for the Anointed One whose sacrifice made it possible for me to live under a banner of justification.

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Lawbreaker

Posted in Christmas Through Epiphany, tagged , , , , , , , on January 26, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Pretty simple stuff: you can’t know you’re breaking the law if you don’t know the law. Ha! Who are we kidding? We know most of the laws … even when they’re not posted or written down.

Romans 3:20
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

So many times, we think we can avoid “punishment” by saying, “we didn’t know.” But this is a flimsy excuse and doesn’t hold water even in traffic court. If you drive a car, you’re supposed to know or find out about the law… like the speed limit or right of way etc. It’s no different for a believer.

A believer either knows in her heart what is “right” or if she is unsure, she’d better get out there (or in there, i.e. the Word) and find out.

I work in a library and I think it’s pretty sad that we had to actually post a little sign next to each work station that says, “Please be considerate of others. Loud talking, rowdiness, and inappropriate language disrupts those around you.” Well, duh! And the reason we had to post it? So that we could point to the sign and say, “See! It’s library law that you must be considerate. And if you break that law, we can ask you to leave.”

But isn’t this is really a sham? Everyone knows that inappropriate behavior is unacceptable in public. But people simply choose to break this law because … well, why do people break the law?

You know: we break the law because we want to.

I break the law because I want to do what I want to do. I want to drive faster than the speed limit. I want to turn left or right, no matter what the sign says. I want to tweak the truth on taxes, etc.

And in the end, I’m a spiritual lawbreaker as well. I confess each day. I must.

In the Book of Common Prayer, the Litany of Penitence is read on Ash Wednesday. But truly, I need it every day. Without confession, I would be lost.

“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

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Slander? But I thought . . .

Posted in Christmas Through Epiphany, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on January 25, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Am I so sure that what I am saying about someone is true? When does gossip escalate to becoming slander? What is the motive for speaking badly of someone?

Romans 3:8a
Why not say—as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say—”Let us do evil that good may result”?

Motive! It gets me every time. I know the answer and I shrink at the thought of it. So often, I know, I speak badly of someone just to elevate myself. “Oh, listen to what ‘so and so’ did or said” and of course, the underlying implication is that I would never be so stupid or cruel or thoughtless. And yet, there I am being stupid, cruel, and thoughtless all the same.

I have a tendency already to talk and think at the same time. It’s like I have to hear myself before the thought is thoroughly formed. Generally, when I put my foot in my mouth, I just keep talking, back peddling as it were, and eventually, I manage to talk myself out of a corner. But too often, the words are said, the damage is done, and I have cast aspersions.

Over time, “gossip” has been symbolized by two women babbling in the back yard over a fence. It’s “koffee klatch” stuff, harmless. But really, isn’t it a form of slander?

Gossip and slander are sisters to pride. Why else would we imagine that it would be all right to say such things?

A man [or woman] who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man [or woman] of understanding holds his [her] tongue. [Proverbs 11:12]

Stop my tongue, this day, O Lord. Help me choose silence over chatter.

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Secrets of the Heart

Posted in Christmas Through Epiphany, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 21, 2010| 1 Comment »

“Can you keep a secret?” Ooooh, we think, inside information! We imagine it’s a compliment to be told a secret. But a secret can be a millstone around the neck, waiting to drown us.

Romans 2:16a
This [judgment] will take place on the day when God will judge men’s [and women’s] secrets through Jesus Christ . . .

We mistakenly believe we can keep secrets well hidden; if we never voice them or think about them, they will never see the light of day.

But secrets are more like mold.

Mold flourishes in dark, damp, organic places. Once established, mold is difficult to remove. Either the object must be thrown away or some kind of astringent, anti-bacterial solution is used to clean it (if it is caught in time). Mold damages its host. Mold doesn’t just cover an object, it interacts and transforms it.

And secrets will do the same.

A secret’s greatest power lies in its hidden nature. It will grow a life of its own, morphing into something bigger and more complicated and sometimes, even sinister. It changes us from the inside out.

Why do I keep secrets about myself? It’s simple, really. I’m afraid. I’m afraid of the reaction of others. I’m afraid the truth will be too much for others to bear. I’m afraid of the exposure. I’m afraid of the ramifications.

Keeping a secret about myself is more like a lie than anything else. In order to keep truth hidden, I cover myself with plastic, with false overlays. And yet, that secret truth just breeds more and more lies.

The safest place for a secret is in the hands of Christ. Being a wise counselor, Christ can bring light and healing to any festering growth. If I bring my secret to God willingly, the exposure is done with the gentle hand of mercy. If I wait, the secret will be laid bare eventually anyway. It may not be until the worst hour, or the last hour, but it will be uncovered.

In Greek, confess is homologeō which means “to say the same thing.” In other words, acknowledging or professing what is already known. Confession is coming to the truth of ourselves. Giving up our secrets to Christ is the beginning of holiness and wholeness. Amen.

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Wickedness Suppresses Truth

Posted in Christmas Through Epiphany, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 14, 2010| 1 Comment »

People will often say, “what is truth?” And perhaps that can be debated, particularly in philosophical or academic circles. But I will hold to this: wicked (corrupt, evil, unethical) people will suppress whatever truth there is.

Romans 1:18-19
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.

Truth is dangerous. Truth is in your face. Truth demands justice. Truth is messy.

One of my children has perfected the art of the lie. He actually believes the lie simplifies his life (at least at first). A quick lie will delay explanation. A clever lie will satisfy curiosity. A believable lie will delay consequences.

The biggest problem with lying is that if one does it regularly, pretty soon, the lie becomes one’s personal truth. This is the lie that births wickedness. And at this point, actual truth is much more difficult to discern.

It’s not just children who metamorphose lies into a manufactured truth. Adults do it all the time. Couples do it. Leaders do it. Companies do it. Governments do it.

Anything that “man” has not made, is God’s handiwork. God is in nature. God is wind. God is sun and moon and stars. God is dirt and insects and animals. God is energy. God is light.

God is truth.

People can try to suppress God, but in the end, truth is always revealed (sometimes sooner, sometimes later).

Give way to truth. Give way to God. And the knots of wickedness will be untied by the power of Spirit. Today.

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