Romans Chapter 5 cont'd
In addition, it may seem strange, but God purposefully instituted the Mosaic legal system to flush the sinful nature out of hiding which resulted in more sinning. Yet this all the more magnified the sin-conquering grace of God. (I'll expand on this theme later.) Before Christ, sin ruled and death was dominant, but now through Jesus our Lord, grace rules- enthroned by the dominating righteousness that leads to eternal life.
Comments:
Paul does elaborate on this mysterious and outstanding purpose of the Mosaic law in God's economy in chapter 7. And...there are other purposes for the law (than to highlight and expose the sinful nature of human beings) that Jesus and the apostles point out. But I'll wait to comment more on this until we get to chapter 7.
What stands out to me from this final paragraph of chapter 5 that so beautifully sets up the theme of chapter 6 is how Paul sees God's grace, that has been offered freely to us all in Christ, is more powerful than our sin and/or our sins...as powerful and intimidating as they can be. We (and the Holy Spirit within us) are in an ongoing battle with "the flesh"...but it is not a battle between two equals. Because of Jesus, and having put our faith in him, we have been translated into a whole new realm of life...even here and now in this still fallen and evil age.
This is maybe the greatest mystery of the kingdom of God...the new genesis...inaugurated by Jesus. It has come to birth in the midst of our sick and broken world...like a seed of Life that has germinated deep in the soil where there is no light. And we...have been assimilated and sucked up into that higher life...like inanimate minerals that are transmogrified and literally become a part of a plant and its life via the plant's intelligent initiative.
It seems to me that Paul's fundamental point in equipping us to rise above the power of sin, in a practical and daily way, begins with our need to deeply grasp the reality of how we are now living in a different environment altogether than we did before being born of the Spirit and...to be fully conscious of this radical change 24/7. We are now breathing air from highest heaven (grace) by means of the real connectivity of heaven and earth provided by the Holy Spirit sent down to us from heaven, who is truly above, beneath, around and...yes...within us. To attempt to take the other practical steps of "overcoming" without internalizing this primary point, is a recipe for defeat (and maybe a good explanation for why believers live, and have lived, in such defeat both today and throughout history). But not you...and not me...not today. Instead, may we "be alive" to God and breathe in the presence of his kingdom all about us...and carry his joy.
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