Romans Chapter 7
A deeper part of me would love to obey God's moral law, but another "parasitic" force uses my bodily members as its "host" and controls me. A civil war rages between my moral values and the sinful passions that operate through my body. And sin is winning the war! I am truly a miserable person! Who can liberate me from this living death? Thanks be to God, Jesus Christ will!" (So friends, this is the awful dilemma of anyone who tries to serve God apart from the Holy Spirit's presence and power living in him and flowing through him- his mind agrees with God's moral law, but another part of him is in bondage to sin and he is unable to live up to its standard.)
Chapter 8
But things are very different for those who are in Christ- they have a real choice. They are enabled to walk in the Spirit's power and not just their own. Therefore they have been liberated from the endless guilt trip associated with human religious performance and its impossible demands. For the law of life in the Holy Spirit has been instituted in Christ, which supersedes and transcends the law of sin and death- like aerodynamics over gravity!
Comments:
Oh, that divine interruption, "but God"! Here, it is in my paraphrase, but it is in the original in various NT texts that communicate the same point. God has done something for humanity "in Christ" that most of us have not yet comprehended, internalized or externalized. Who can liberate us from the dreaded Romans 7 treadmill driven by our religious will power? Who can empower us to face the presence of sin in this world and in our own lives...and then...beat up the bully who has intimidated and dominated us for so long? Thank God, Jesus Christ will...by the power of the Holy Spirit!
It is also clear that Paul is not primarily speaking about living in this kind of freedom only after this earthly life is over. Certainly, we will not see the fullness of the effects of this liberation he has purchased for us until he comes again. However, the apostle is referring to an experience of the richness of Christ and his Spirit in this world...in this age...in this soul and body...whereby we can substantially live in freedom from the mandatory dominion of sin that Romans 7 describes in such gory detail.
On the practical level, there is a mystery that needs to be unraveled for us to achieve the "liftoff" that Paul holds out to us. We have to look away and emotionally distance ourselves from our intimidating past failed experiences to "obey God" and even, to "walk in the Spirit", into the truth of what Jesus has already done for us and in us...in order to tap into the realm of grace of which the apostle is speaking. We need to discover more deeply in our heart of hearts who we are "in Christ" so that we find the solid higher ground on which we can confront the bully...thereby gaining an unfair advantage. When we know who we really are "in Christ", it is not a battle with one stronger than us, or even between two equals. It is a unfair battle between Christ within us and something that he has already trumped and judged.
I have to say here that one of my favorite albums of all time is, The Art of Crushing, by Trump Dawgs. (Coincidentally, my son, Luke, was the lead guitar player for this group!) If you like funk rock, you will love this recording. Many of the songs reflect what I am referring to here...like the song Locomotive. You can get it online: cdbaby.com/cd/trumpdawgs
OK...more Romans 8 to come!
No comments:
Post a Comment