Romans
("Faith has already won.")
Romans 1
I owe them the truth.
Faith has already won.
I have witnessed closely the good news for all, both the original Chosen, and the remnant of mankind. The distinctions between the peoples are already obliterated by God.
Salvation belongs to all as of late, because the new promise is not limited by statutes or doctrines. The distinctions between the factions have already been vanquished by God, from faith to faith, offering illumination to all the various labyrinths of belief across the land.
Faith binds them all into one.
The wrath of God is revealed to all about ungodliness and evil of men, to those who know the truth about evil, and nevertheless allowed mankind participate in the promise: what was called before, a “mystery”.
The invisible or insensible things of Him from the time of the creation are clearly realized, being understood by the things made, of God’s power and supremacy, so that man is without excuse.
The just and unjust, once before proclaiming their own wisdom, became fools; the glory of the incorruptible God was transferred to the image like corruptible man, and to birds, and four-legged creatures, and crawling things.
God gave them to their own causes, to uncleanliness, to the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their bodies between themselves, and they did not retain their respect nor knowledge of God.
They ignored true knowledge, broke agreements, lacked affection, were insatiable and were without mercy: many knew those practices to be the worst of sin, but did them, and had pleasure in those things, and then enjoyed enterprise among others of those practices.
Having known the mystery of God prior, they became more and more without justification.
Romans 2
None among us have a reason to judge another; when we condemn others we condemn ourselves: we have done the very same things that we accuse and condemn in others.
Do you judge and condemn others, having done the same things yourself, hoping you will escape by calling upon God’s mercy and patience?
God’s kindness is meant to lead you to salvation, change and regeneration. God judges, and shows no impartiality, and his standard with regard to the evil secrets of men is the measuring benchmark of sinless Jesus Christ.
Know God’s will.
Guide the blind.
Light the darkness of others.
Correct the foolish.
Teach children, and embody heart-knowledge and head-knowledge.
Let your praise be from and to God, not of men.
And while you are teaching others, do you teach yourself?
Romans 3
What if some did not believe? Does that then invalidate or nullify faith in God?
Are our transgressions a rebuke or reproof of God?
If I lied of God to His glory, am I judged to be a sinner?
Do we commit evil that God’s goodness may come to repair?
Are we better off than the Jew or the Greek?
Older scripture addresses this:
“None are righteous—no, not one:
No one understands, no one looks out to God.
All have turned aside, together they have gone wrong:
No one does good, not even one.
Their throat is an open grave,
They use their tongues to deceive.
The venom of asps is under their lips.
Their mouths are full of curses and bitterness.
Their feet are swift to shed blood,
In their paths are ruin and misery,
And the way of peace they do not know.
There is no respect for God before their eyes.
--Now we know this applied to all at the time, and acted as a binding, not merely reproof. It comes to us lately that the knowledge of the law obliterates innocence through the weight of sin guilt.
However, of late the righteousness of God has manifested away from those old statutes, through faith and Jesus Christ in those who believe and in those who give witness to it.
There is no distinction, anyway, if all have fallen short of the glory of God, they can only at best be justified by faith as a gift, and the redemption through the narrow way with Jesus Christ.
Former sins were passed over—to show that Christ himself is righteousness made manifest, and he with faith in the narrow way is redeemed.
Then what becomes of our bleating?
It is excluded.
Because of the law of Moses?
No, but on the principle of faith—
Because we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from statutes.
Not only this, but for the Barbarians and the Greeks.
And by this have we overcome the statutes He sent to the Chosen People?
Absolutely not-- on the contrary, because our faith vindicates and fulfils the old statutes as the Narrow Way is a natural conclusion of those prior statures.
Romans 4
What is then to be said of Abraham, in consideration of the Narrow Way?
If he lived by ordinance, he would have a tangible justification, but considered so before God? Scripture records his faith was his qualification; his faith counted as righteousness in the eye of God, and that with no ordinances whatsoever.
To one that toils towards the mark of ordinance, his righteousness is not a gift, not mercy or grace, but a wage earned. Conversely, to one without ordinance or the edicts of Moses, it is a matter of trust in God—trusting in one who redeems and anoints those who were once ungodly. There in those ruins, faith is reckoned as righteousness.
David himself blessed in song the fortunate ones who were anointed without the Mosaic statutes, saying “their iniquity was forgiven, sins are covered—blessed because the Lord does not recognize or reimburse that sin debt”.
The circumcision of Abraham was committed after faith, not before, such that the circumcision was not a justification unto itself. It was a seal of righteousness, and that righteousness was entirely faith, without religious ordinance.
In hope, he believed against hope, knowing that many nations ahead would spring forth from that faith made manifest in him. The Lord said, “so shall your descendants be.” Thusly he considered not his own body to the detriment of his faith—in the spiritual sense, the body was fodder and to be ignored—no mistrust made him veer from what was yet to transpire: the seed would flourish yet.
Romans 5
Therefore we have also been justified by faith; we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
By participating in the promise, our faith establishes access to that same grace in which we now stand, and we rejoice in hope bearing witness to the glory of God.
Therefore, we celebrate irregardless of sufferings, knowing that suffering creates fortitude, and fortitude nourishes character, and character glows the light of hope, and hope banishes disappointment, because the love of God is within our hearts through the spirit which has been imparted to each of us.
One would scarcely consider losing oneself, even for the sake of a righteous person, or a righteous cause. However, Christ gave all of self for the benefit of the those that were seemingly lost in self-destruction. That sacrifice and substitution is how God declared His love for those that He created: and contemplating that fact, realizing that fact is a reconciliation with God, after all the various sins previously.
Death began with one and was visited upon all, eventually: death through the cause of self-destruction. Death seemed to reign over mankind, and personal destruction was the lot of all, even those who had not committed sin in the original way in Eden—it was the desire to sin that was a foreshadowing and harbinger that bridged from Eden to the modern day.
And yet, as many problems and losses originated from that first act of sin, God gave one act of mercy and sacrifice in the form of Jesus Christ, that would become a harbinger and foreshadow all the generations thereafter. As sins multiplied in the minds of men, so too did forgiveness multiply in the will of God.
As is written, “one man’s trespasses led to condemnation for all men, so one mane’s act of righteousness leads mercy and life for all men.”
The ordinance itself seemed to increase what was self-destruction and disobedience, but where there was a multitude of sin, there was in greater measure forgiveness.
Romans 6
With the knowledge of God and His mercy among us, do we proclaim to be free to continue in our destruction and dissolution? We were earlier submerged in sin; and then we freely relinquished that self-destruction, having glimpsed at completion of self.
Christ surpassed life in so many ways, even ascending to heaven, and now, in the light of both God and His son, we have newness of life, ourselves, as of by a new radiance from above illuminating our path: the Narrow Way.
"I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations."
As once the members yielded their instruments to destruction for the sakes of themselves,
Now these yield to righteousness and completeness for the sakes of themselves and others.
Earlier, you, too, submitted to the purpose of sin in the cause of self-destruction,
Now as much submitted to attainment of completeness.
You were once free from righteousness, because you only submitted to sin and self-destruction.
But you saw the natural conclusions of those thoughts and actions, and you only now remember those in shame.
Now, you are freed from self-destruction because you submitted to God.
The natural conclusion is completeness.
Self-destruction is costly, but God's favor is free.
No comments:
Post a Comment