resources:
God's love makes all things new. We are in our series Unconditional Love, and in this series, we are exploring the depths of God's love and how His love forms us. What does living in God's love mean, or how does His love shape us? Last week, we talked about how God's Love is Life. I invite you to review that lesson if you missed it.
As we consider the love of God that makes all things new, we are confronted with a challenge and a difficult truth. In the book of Romans, Paul, in the first few chapters, talks about the reality we find ourselves in. Chapters 1-4 reveal the righteousness of God. The problem Paul identifies is that we are all trapped. In chapters 5-8, Paul shares our new life in Christ.
God's Righteousness
Paul begins Romans by introducing the good news of Jesus.
Romans 1:16–17 (NIV)
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."
There is good news for all who are trapped. Salvation through Christ Jesus is for everyone who believes. Through the gospel, we are all invited to come under the Kingship of Jesus, and in the gospel, God's righteousness is revealed.
Paul describes the character of God through the word righteous. God will always act in a right way; He is just and faithful to fulfill His promises. We see this in the gospel and through the story of Jesus.
Trapped
Following the flow of Romans, Paul moves in (1:18-32) to show us how all Gentile nations have fallen into the trap of sin. Humans have turned to serve idols instead of the living God. We have degraded our bodies through impure relationships. He describes minds that are filled with wickedness, evil, and greed. We have become full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. Arrogant and boastful, people have invented ways of doing evil. Paul is describing the human condition we are all trapped in. Following the pattern of (Genesis 3-11), Paul describes a broken human condition, spiraling downward into destruction.
Paul's picture of the Gentile nations might make some of his fellow Israelites thankful they are not Gentiles. Thankfully, God had delivered them from captivity and provided the laws of Torah so they could live as God's holy and chosen people. Following the flow of Romans (2:1-3:8), Paul says, hold up, not so fast! Torah and the story of the Old Testament shows Israel is just as guilty as the Gentile nations. Paul concludes in (3:9-18) that Jews and Gentiles are both trapped in sin.
Romans 3:10–12 (NIV)
"As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."
Paul creates a tension we can all relate to—God's righteousness and our sin. The human condition is trapped by sin, a tension we can all understand.
We have each felt the pull to honor God and do what is right. We have each failed in some ways and turned from His truth. If we are all trapped, how is the tension resolved?
Salvation
In resolving the tension, Paul circles back to the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation (1:16-17).
Romans 3:21–24 (NIV)
"But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."
Jesus frees us from the trap we find ourselves in. He takes on our failures and the consequences of sin through His resurrection from the dead. Through Him, we can participate in new life because of Him. Through Him, we are justified freely by his grace.
Justification, like the word righteousness, is an important word for Paul. It's one of those Bible words we tend to read over because we don't use it often in our culture. However, as Paul understands, it is essential to the good news found in Jesus. Because of what Jesus accomplished, we are found right with God. Through Christ, we are given a new status before God, one not of guilt but of being in a right relationship with Him. We are brought into a new family as God's covenant people, Jew and Gentile alike. Through Jesus, the downward spiral of the trap is reversed, and in Him, we find new life and a new future.
In chapter 4, Paul will continue to explore the blessing of being justified by faith and the gift of Christ's sacrifice for all those who believe in Him.
All Things Made New
God's love makes all things new. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (5:8). When we were powerless to free ourselves from the downward spiral of the trap, Christ died for us (5:6). In Christ, we are justified by his blood and saved from the wrath of God. Paul teaches us that God, in His love, did this even when we were still in opposition to God and were enemies of God. Through His Son Jesus, we are saved. We are brought into a right relationship with Him (5:9-11).
The trap of sin entered the world, resulting in the human condition—a condition leading to death (5:12). God's love, Jesus, is newness of life. Paul talks about how we are united together in the life of Christ as he continues in his letter.
Romans 6:3–4 (NIV)
"Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
God's love makes all things new, and in Jesus, you and I have new life.
The Gift of Life
I know that we still feel the tension. Living in a fallen and broken world, we struggle with the tension of honoring God. Even though we struggle with the tension, we don't have to fall into the trap. The gift of God's love in making all things new, the gift of His Son Jesus allows us to live. Your future in Christ is not a downward spiral; your future is life in Christ. Life in Him means that we focus on the future. Traps of the past do not define life in Christ. His righteousness defines our today and our tomorrow; His justification defines them. God's love makes all things new. The past traps do not define us. Our purpose is to walk in the newness of life we have been given through Christ. That is our focus.
God's love makes all things new. Our lives, as Christ's followers, should reflect His love. Our lives need to point into a broken world so our friends, neighbors, and world can know life through the love of Jesus.
notes:
Scripture references and quotations are from the: Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
