Faithful on Fridays Blog

Part Three

Picture yourself sitting in church among these two groups of believers: Jew and Gentile. Paul began Chapter Five speaking to everyone with therefore, meaning, what he just said has a conclusion: both groups receive God’s grace through faith in Christ (he used the pronoun ‘we’ 15 times!). He died for both groups, the Gentiles who were shamefully aware of their sinful life and the Jews who previously felt they were doing pretty well by good works. Which group or combination of groups are you?

Paul is a master teacher and takes us all back to the beginning: Adam. He’s still laser-focused on unity, all are sinners, saved by grace, and yet he goes deeper. The lower story Adam (the first one) disobeyed God and that sin brought condemnation to everyone. It was before the Hebrew nation, before the Law, and he teaches us that death reigned as king over everyone. Apparently God wasn’t taken off-guard, He was ready with the upper story Adam, Jesus Christ, whose perfect obedience brought justification and therefore, eternal life now reigns as King over us. The ground is level at the foot of the Cross for everyone who believes.

It seems as if Paul turned a page in Chapter Six questioning whether either group truly believed that because, if they do, then why doesn’t their life reflect it? Gentiles living a previous sinful life or Jews living in their own righteousness by obeying laws: both living in shame. He used the powerful image of being immersed or baptized into relationship, joined or united with Christ as a new creation. The old is gone and new has come: live like it, let the fruit of of sanctification or holy living be evident in your life every day.

Chapter Seven refocuses again on his Jewish family; they’re the ones who know the Law, in fact, his repetition of the word ‘law’ was used 23 times in this chapter alone because he was one of them. He dove even deeper showing that their Messiah is their Husband and Master and no one else should hold that position (Is. 54:5; Jer. 31:31-32; Hos. 2:16-20) … then he gets personal. Changing from ‘you (Jews)’ to ‘I’ he shows his own conflict so everyone can identify. No one can win the war against sin, which begins in your mind, without the power of the Spirit: no one. 

I’m wondering if the Gentiles were thinking, “Wow, I’m sure glad I’m not under the law!” And the Jews may have been thinking, “Wow, I’m sure glad I wasn’t raised in sin like they were.” Paul shows us that we equally need Jesus who gives us all a new law called freedom or liberty. Not freedom to sin assuming you’ll receive forgiveness, that’s cheap grace, but freedom to turn from sin and live a life pleasing God. That’s true kingdom living in a nutshell, as the book of Romans shows us, and it nicely sets us up for Chapter Eight.