3/29/17
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.
How many times do we want to stop Romans chapter 8 after the second verse? No condemnation. Great! We’re set free from the law. Excellent! If the law is about sin and death we’d rather not have too much to do with that. But is there anyone else involved in the process? Or is it simply a “get out of jail free” card that we’ve found?
God has rescued us from the law by satisfying the law. Without that crucial move on the part of God the Son, we would have no hope. As long as we are trying to deny the deadly power of the law, which condemns our disobedience and unbelief, according to verse five we have our minds stuck on that very law. We may wish to escape it but as long as we are dwelling on it we are condemned. On the contrary, as we set our hearts and minds on Christ and his fulfillment of the law on our behalf, we find that he is the one who makes us pleasing to God.
How does this happen? It happens as the Spirit of God lives in us and gives us life. The same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead will give us life as well. This is how God sets us free from the law. This is how we find that we have no condemnation. It isn’t something we can work out for ourselves. It is something Jesus works out for us, and has taken care of, fully and completely. Thanks be to God.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.
How many times do we want to stop Romans chapter 8 after the second verse? No condemnation. Great! We’re set free from the law. Excellent! If the law is about sin and death we’d rather not have too much to do with that. But is there anyone else involved in the process? Or is it simply a “get out of jail free” card that we’ve found?
God has rescued us from the law by satisfying the law. Without that crucial move on the part of God the Son, we would have no hope. As long as we are trying to deny the deadly power of the law, which condemns our disobedience and unbelief, according to verse five we have our minds stuck on that very law. We may wish to escape it but as long as we are dwelling on it we are condemned. On the contrary, as we set our hearts and minds on Christ and his fulfillment of the law on our behalf, we find that he is the one who makes us pleasing to God.
How does this happen? It happens as the Spirit of God lives in us and gives us life. The same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead will give us life as well. This is how God sets us free from the law. This is how we find that we have no condemnation. It isn’t something we can work out for ourselves. It is something Jesus works out for us, and has taken care of, fully and completely. Thanks be to God.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
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