I do not have the two or three hours I need today to really do these two chapters justice in regards to their theological depth and power. If you are ever confused about what to say to somebody that has questions about Christianity and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ...read through Romans chapter 5 and 6 with them.
Quick summary...
5:8 - God loves us so much that He gave His son as a sacrifice for our sins while we were still in a rebellious war against Him...that is unfathomable love for human beings. How could He love me so much?
5:12ff - Adam is representative of all men, who given the choice between loving God completely and rebellion - always choose rebellion. Always...any of you miss out on that aspect of humanity? We brought sin and death into the world as the consequences of our rebellion. Jesus, the God/man, represents man as he should be. Hebrews tells us that Jesus was tempted in every way that we are, meaning that he was also tempted with selfish rebellion, but Jesus chooses obedience to and relationship with God. And just as the rebelliousness of one man ushered in a world of sin and death verified by the actions of every man and woman to follow him...one man also ushered in forgiveness and salvation through his sacrifice, and we are given an opportunity to become righteous by following Jesus instead of Adam.
6:1ff - So if God becomes more and more gracious through more and more sin, should we keep sinning it up? Heck no! If you have followed Jesus and died to sin - how can you live in it...that isn't how death works. If you believe in the sacrificial death of Jesus...you live out the sacrificial death of the sinfulness in your life.
6:15ff - Since we are not slaves to the law any more and saved by grace, can we sin it up? Heck no! When you say you follow someone - you prove it by who you obey. If you are a slave to Christ...you obey Christ (i.e. you do not willfully live in sin). If you are a slave to the world...you obey the world and live as selfish and as self centered as you want to. Which is it for you? You are what you obey...you don't get to say you follow Jesus while following the world.
2 comments:
Msg 5:21 - All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that's the end of it. Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life—a life that goes on and on and on, world without end.
Because of my acceptance of God’s gift of grace through Christ, death is only a threat and only in this world. Only one of two things can happen to me here – I die or Christ returns (depending on your interpretation of Revelation of which countless books have already been written and I will not add to the growing number).
I love the phrase “Grace invites us into life”. To use some Brandon-ease – how awesome is that! A life with God without end – no more deadlines, no more worrying about running out of time – too cool for words.
Msg 6:15-18 …But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits…
Most of the world sees God as restrictive, petty, jealous, etc. What they fail to realize is the freedom gained as a result of a life in Christ.
Side note – I love what the NIV says for Romans, but I like hearing God’s Word as if Paul was telling it to me today.
Peace,
j
Grace is such a complex issue to me. On the one hand, I'd feel like everyone else who was worse than I was didn't deserve what I was getting from Christ. Then, I would mess up and put myself in that same category; I don't deserve this. Then, I've been on the other hand: Christ shines in my weakness, so I should be weak! Neither of these are correct! Grace is this: Jesus is bigger and better than any sin or temptation we've ever had. We should act like it. Live in such a way that we would avoid it because of Jesus. But also, when we do fall, live in such a way that the witness of the gospel does not slow down. I love grace...
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