Are you a Christian? That question is answered "yes" by many, but when we dig down deeper we find that people mean different things by the term "Christian." Some use it to mean they were born into a family that was a member of a Christian church. Some mean they are religious, and not Jewish or Muslim or anything else, so they must be Christian. Some mean they are decent people who try to live according to what they consider to be what Jesus taught (although often when you probe deeper, you find they don't really know what Jesus actually taught!). And of course, others mean that they have placed their faith in Jesus as their Savior and Lord, and seek to follow His leading in their life.
Paul had to deal with a group of Jews in Rome who had placed their faith in their ability to keep God's Law. They felt they were superior to the Gentiles, and that they were indeed the wise teachers who were much more spiritual than others and could teach them how to be like them, and thus get closer to God. Their boastful attitude was designed to ensure their own status in the eyes of others, and to make a statement about their relationship with God.
Paul brings them down to earth in Romans 2:13-24. He notes that we are all responsible for what we know. The Gentiles, who did not know the Law, still had enough knowledge about God to be subject to judgment. As Paul pointed this out, no doubt the proud Jews were nodding in agreement. This wasn't about them, for they knew the Law.
Then Paul brings down the hammer. Knowing the Law isn't enough. In order to be justified under the Law, you had to keep it-all of it. Resting on your knowledge and background was not sufficient to be right with God. This not only critiques the Jews of Rome in Paul's day, but many who call themselves Christians in ours. Our churches are filled with people who think because they grew up in church, or know so much about religion, or keep more of God's commandments than others, they are in good standing with God. Yet the Bible tells us it's all or nothing; either we keep the whole Law, or we are guilty of breaking it.
This really is the first step in being restored to a relationship with God. We not only aren't right with Him, we can't be right with Him. We will see more about this further along in our study of Romans, but the good news is that it'snot up to us. Jesus did it all for us, and it is through faith in Him that we are freed from trying to impress God and others with our good works.
This passage ends with a frightening verse. Paul says that those who claim to keep the Law but break it cause the name of God to be blasphemed (2:24). Those outside of Christ and the church look at our failures and sins and use them as an excuse to say God's work and Jesus' sacrifice don't mean anything important. Trying to be "Christian" on our own only brings the name of Christ we carry into disrepute.
The Law teaches us that we are inadequate. The bad news is that we can't be right with God on our own. The good news is that we don't have to; Jesus made us right through His death on the cross. Through faith in Him we a set free from the Law, and set free from ourselves, and are free to let our good works shine to show what Jesus has done for us rather than as what we do to try to be right with God.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Sunday sermon: "Who's the Judge?"
It's a whole lot easier, and more fun, to judge other people than to be judged ourselves. If you watch one of the myriad of TV shows that involve competitors putting themselves through the wringer of performance for a panel of judges, it seems like the judges are having the better time. They can criticize, comment, joke, or insult, and there is no one to call them on the carpet. No matter what they say, the microscope is trained on the competitors, not the critics.
Some of the judges are well-qualified, but others are just there because they are celebrities. It quickly becomes obvious which judges know what they're talking about and which don't. The funniest ones are those who think they know what they're talking about, but demonstrate their ignorance on a regular basis. Still, it must gall someone who works so hard at trying to successfully complete a task when they are criticized by someone who doesn't understand what they are trying to accomplish.
In Romans 2 we find a group of h=judges who are enjoying their time criticizing others when they are not qualified to judge. These judges seek to make everyone else conform to a standard which they don't apply to themselves. What's more, their standard is inadequate. These are people who ought to know better, but who ignore the true standard for one of their own making.
We can fall into that trap ourselves. We hold up the standard of God's Word to the world, but don't follow it ourselves. We make our own rules the standard by which we live, and of course no one else can quite live up to them. By making our own standard, we can make sure that we can live up to it.
Paul tells the Romans that won't work. We aren't the standard; God is. We should know that we don't live up to God's standards, even if we refuse to look at His Word. The scope of creation and our own conscience are enough to tell us we aren't the people we ought to be. We fall short of the standard we see revealed, but instead of looking for a way to meet that standard we simply substitute a lesser one.
The result is that we find ourselves under a more serious judgment. Our Judge is fully qualified to pronounce an absolute and true judgment on us, and it isn't a pretty one. We deserve eternal condemnation. We deserve to be rejected by God and punished for our violation of His holy standard. Until we face up to that reality, we can't hope to be saved from God's wrath.
There is another way to meet that judgment, however. Jesus came and gave Himself as a sacrifice for us, taking on Himself the judgment that we rightly deserved. In His death, Jesus fully paid the price for our sin, and took the judgment of God on Himself. Through faith in Him and His work, we can be freed from the consequences of our judgment, since they have already been paid for by Jesus. We meet God's standard in Jesus.
Judgment is real, and we are subject to it. But God made a way through Jesus Christ to free us from that judgment. Is our faith in the right person? Are we seeking to meet God's standard, or one of our own? We can't look at others and think that we're all right; we have to look toward Jesus and realize we aren't, except in Him.
Some of the judges are well-qualified, but others are just there because they are celebrities. It quickly becomes obvious which judges know what they're talking about and which don't. The funniest ones are those who think they know what they're talking about, but demonstrate their ignorance on a regular basis. Still, it must gall someone who works so hard at trying to successfully complete a task when they are criticized by someone who doesn't understand what they are trying to accomplish.
In Romans 2 we find a group of h=judges who are enjoying their time criticizing others when they are not qualified to judge. These judges seek to make everyone else conform to a standard which they don't apply to themselves. What's more, their standard is inadequate. These are people who ought to know better, but who ignore the true standard for one of their own making.
We can fall into that trap ourselves. We hold up the standard of God's Word to the world, but don't follow it ourselves. We make our own rules the standard by which we live, and of course no one else can quite live up to them. By making our own standard, we can make sure that we can live up to it.
Paul tells the Romans that won't work. We aren't the standard; God is. We should know that we don't live up to God's standards, even if we refuse to look at His Word. The scope of creation and our own conscience are enough to tell us we aren't the people we ought to be. We fall short of the standard we see revealed, but instead of looking for a way to meet that standard we simply substitute a lesser one.
The result is that we find ourselves under a more serious judgment. Our Judge is fully qualified to pronounce an absolute and true judgment on us, and it isn't a pretty one. We deserve eternal condemnation. We deserve to be rejected by God and punished for our violation of His holy standard. Until we face up to that reality, we can't hope to be saved from God's wrath.
There is another way to meet that judgment, however. Jesus came and gave Himself as a sacrifice for us, taking on Himself the judgment that we rightly deserved. In His death, Jesus fully paid the price for our sin, and took the judgment of God on Himself. Through faith in Him and His work, we can be freed from the consequences of our judgment, since they have already been paid for by Jesus. We meet God's standard in Jesus.
Judgment is real, and we are subject to it. But God made a way through Jesus Christ to free us from that judgment. Is our faith in the right person? Are we seeking to meet God's standard, or one of our own? We can't look at others and think that we're all right; we have to look toward Jesus and realize we aren't, except in Him.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Sunday sermon: "The Truth About Humanity"
We often go to the Bible to find passages of great beauty and comfort. At the same time, we recognize that there are many ugly passages in Scripture. Romans 1:21-32 is one of those passages. Charles Spurgeon felt this way about this passage: "This first chapter of the Epistle to the Romans is a
dreadful portion of the Word of God. I
should hardly like to read it all through aloud; it is not intended to be so
used. Read it at home, and be startled at the awful vices of the Gentile world."* Preparing for this sermon was challenging, due to the necessity of thinking about what this passage says.
Here Paul gives us the picture of humanity on its own, fallen and apart from God. It is not a pretty picture. It flies in the face of all our world wants to believe about humanity. It is not politically correct. Yet it is the truth about us, and unless we are prepared to face that truth, we cannot understand why our world is the way it is.
In the world today, we are taught that people are really good at heart, and if we just fix whatever is wrong with our world (and many groups have conflicting ideas as to what that is!) we can have love, peace, and harmony. Unfortunately, that just doesn't natch reality. We don't have to teach our children to be selfish and sinful; we have to teach them to be selfless and good. The morning news shows us what people throughout the world are really like. Reality is that we are sinful, selfish, and as a result hopeless.
Following his discussion of general revelation, and his declaration that everyone is "without excuse," Paul shows us the result of the suppression of the truth about God. Since people do not want to acknowledge God, they set up something else in His place. In Paul's time, this could be an idol, or maybe Caesar or the "genius of Rome," or even Greek philosophy. Everyone has something that drives their life, and whatever that is stands in the place of God. Only God Himself belongs there.
Ultimately, rejecting God leads us to put ourselves in His place. We seek after whatever we feel will "fulfill" us. We look toward our own advancement. We engage in those activities that we find pleasurable, regardless of their consequences. We, the creature, take the place of the Creator.
As a result, God takes action. In one of the most frightening verses of Scripture, Paul writes, "And because they did not think it worthwhile to have
God in their knowledge, God delivered them over to a worthless mind to do what
is morally wrong." (Romans 1:28) In essence, God gives the rebellious sinner what he or she wants-control of their own life. The values and practices sought are those that satisfy a craving.
In the end, justice will be served. From nature and conscience we learn of a powerful and wrathful God, but without Jesus we have no recourse. Paul will deal with this further along in Romans, but we can't close without hope. The judgment of God is a spur to us to acknowledge Him and to seek Him. Through Jesus Christ we can find salvation, and be made right with God. Only through Him can we avoid being the kind of people we see here in Romans 1. What is your future-serving yourself, or serving your Creator?
*Spurgeon quote from “Inexcusable Irreverence and Ingratitude,” May 22, 1892
(Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Vol. 38)
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Sunday sermon: "No Excuses!"
There are few apologetic questions that are more perplexing than "What about those who never heard?" We wonder how God could condemn those who never had the opportunity to hear about Him, or understand their condition, or hear the message of the gospel. This strikes us as unfair, and has been used as an excuse by many to refuse to consider the claims of Christ.
Paul deals with that question in Romans 1:18-20. He addresses the issue of what we call in theology "general revelation," This is the way God reveals Himself outside of the Bible. There are two major ways God does this: conscience and nature.
In our conscience, we hear a voice, not our own, that tells us we don't always do the right thing. We may not have a full-fledged law code internalized, but we do know that we engage in wrong actions and thoughts. While many psychologists tell us we need to look out for #1, we know that we somehow we owe consideration to others. There also is a nagging sense that we have a responsibility to someone or something beyond that. Read attempts by self-proclaimed "atheists" to come up with an ethical framework that is based solely on human thought and you rather quickly find them smuggling in as "natural" ideas those that are conditioned by the religious background of our culture.
We also can know God through nature. The immensity of the universe, the precision of physical laws, the complexity of sub-atomic interactions- these all show us a design that boggles our mind, even as many attempt to avoid that conclusion. The odds of all this being a cosmic accident are so small that some modern evolutionary thinkers have proposed some sort of guiding "life force" which guided the process (in a totally impersonal and natural way, of course).
General revelation only goes so far, however. Paul says that it shows us the power and divinity of God. We can know He is there, He is in control, and we are responsible before Him. God gives us enough knowledge outside of His special revelation in Jesus and in His Word that we can know we are in trouble. Paul sums it up like this: "As a result, people are without excuse." (Rom. 1:20, HCSB)
General revelation gives us the bad news. At the same time, Paul also tells us here the deeper problem with humanity: we "suppress the truth" about God. Humanity's problem is not one of knowledge, but of will. We choose not to believe in God. We create ever more elaborate schemes to have the world as we want it without reference to a "higher power," much less the God of the Bible. Perhaps this is the answer to the question we posed at the beginning: People who have not heard about God don't want to hear about God. An active ignorance keeps us content with our sinful, selfish nature.
This is a hard message, and not one we like to share. But until people understand the "bad news" about themselves, they can't respond to the "good news" of Jesus Christ. For those who believe, this gives us the responsibility to take that good news out to those who may have a vague sense of God but who seek to avoid thinking about Him. We need to let them know that the bad news they see in themselves and in nature has an answer in the good news of the cross.
Paul deals with that question in Romans 1:18-20. He addresses the issue of what we call in theology "general revelation," This is the way God reveals Himself outside of the Bible. There are two major ways God does this: conscience and nature.
In our conscience, we hear a voice, not our own, that tells us we don't always do the right thing. We may not have a full-fledged law code internalized, but we do know that we engage in wrong actions and thoughts. While many psychologists tell us we need to look out for #1, we know that we somehow we owe consideration to others. There also is a nagging sense that we have a responsibility to someone or something beyond that. Read attempts by self-proclaimed "atheists" to come up with an ethical framework that is based solely on human thought and you rather quickly find them smuggling in as "natural" ideas those that are conditioned by the religious background of our culture.
We also can know God through nature. The immensity of the universe, the precision of physical laws, the complexity of sub-atomic interactions- these all show us a design that boggles our mind, even as many attempt to avoid that conclusion. The odds of all this being a cosmic accident are so small that some modern evolutionary thinkers have proposed some sort of guiding "life force" which guided the process (in a totally impersonal and natural way, of course).
General revelation only goes so far, however. Paul says that it shows us the power and divinity of God. We can know He is there, He is in control, and we are responsible before Him. God gives us enough knowledge outside of His special revelation in Jesus and in His Word that we can know we are in trouble. Paul sums it up like this: "As a result, people are without excuse." (Rom. 1:20, HCSB)
General revelation gives us the bad news. At the same time, Paul also tells us here the deeper problem with humanity: we "suppress the truth" about God. Humanity's problem is not one of knowledge, but of will. We choose not to believe in God. We create ever more elaborate schemes to have the world as we want it without reference to a "higher power," much less the God of the Bible. Perhaps this is the answer to the question we posed at the beginning: People who have not heard about God don't want to hear about God. An active ignorance keeps us content with our sinful, selfish nature.
This is a hard message, and not one we like to share. But until people understand the "bad news" about themselves, they can't respond to the "good news" of Jesus Christ. For those who believe, this gives us the responsibility to take that good news out to those who may have a vague sense of God but who seek to avoid thinking about Him. We need to let them know that the bad news they see in themselves and in nature has an answer in the good news of the cross.
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