06/28/2020 – Day 028 – Romans 7 – 8
My mind races through these two chapters. It is all so unfathomable, be it how God’s agape love stretches beyond all our capability to put it into words. Or, the paradox mysteries: “Created in His Image” yet marked by “Original Sin”. An all-powerful and all-loving God dies for us, taking on all of our sins so that we may enjoy eternity with the Triune God, creator of all. Who could make up such a story? I have heard it said that Chapter 8 is one of the best loved chapters in the Bible, and rightly so.
Back to my Halley’s Bible Handbook:
“Our natural life, so to speak, is Impregnated by the Spirit of God, and a Baby Spirit, a Divine Nature, is born within us, in a manner somewhat similar to that in which our physical life, our Adam Nature, was started by our parents…..” Born again indeed!
Our Obligation to the Spirit (vs. 12 -17). Walking after the Spirit means that , while depending wholly and implicitly on Christ for our Salvation, we still struggle to the utmost to Live up to His Law. Paul is explicitly explicit that the Grace of Christ does not release us from doing everything in our power to Live Right. Walking after the Flesh means giving ourselves to the gratification of our Fleshly Desire.” We are helped by the Spirit as we are struck by fear of how truly awful it is to ‘grieve the Holy Spirit’. ”
Back to me.. (sorry)
As I find myself sharing to people: Paul was dead-on, we Christians are right by God’s grace – Absolute Truth!, or we are the most pathetic creatures that have ever walked the earth! There is no middle ground here! But what if we are right? Even if the odds are infinitesmal, wouldn’t logic dictate that you would seek out the Lord with everything you have? As Pavlov noted, if we are wrong , it makes no difference, we all come to the same end. And even if we live for 100 more years, 100 yrs divided by eternity is?
But if we are right, we are talking either eternal unfathomable fellowship with the Triune God or total separation from God, forever! What does one gain for losing out for eternity? C.S. Lewis , in his book, “The Great Divorce” deposits the view that there are indeed people that would reject God with full knowledge of the choices at the gate of heaven.
If I hear someone say that someone is going to heaven because he or she is a “good person”, God forbid that I don’t stop everything to witness the Gospel to that person.
Three of my “memory” bible verses:
- Galations 2:20 – “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. ” Does this not answer Job’s friend Bildad premise that if you are suffering in life, you are a sinner. And vice versa – if you are blessed with worldly stuff, you are a “good” person. (a shared ridiculous premise of “prosperity gospel” preachers as I noted in comments to friday’s Job reading)
- Mark 8:35 – “For whosoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whosoever loses his life for My sake, and the gospel will save it.”
- Leviticus 11:45 – “For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore by holy, for I am holy.” (Does this not apply to us? OT , not NT, so ignore, no?)
Soli Deo Gloria!
Your brother in Christ,
Jimmy