Chapter 12 & 13

Paul turns now to the topic of living the life of faith in Jesus Christ, of being one of the redeemed of the Lord by the grace of God through faith in the gospel.

Several Points:

1. The law will never be the means by which we are made righteous with God.

2. Our righteousness comes from outside of our ability to live in the grace God; it comes through faith in Jesus Christ who made us right with God at the cross.

3. It does not, however, eliminate the need for the law.

a. The Law reflects God’s will and demand upon us. That never ceases.

b. The Law reflects back to us that we are sinful and unable to live in the righteousness that God demands.

c. However, once we have been brought into the state of Grace by the forgiveness of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Law takes on a third use. It becomes the guide for the righteous to live as God wants us to. No longer to do we do “good works” to please God, or to sway God’s anger. Since Jesus has taken care of that at the cross, we are now free to act as God’s righteous because we love the Lord and because we know that is what God wants. Living according to God’s law becomes a response to the righteousness already provided by Christ.

The Two States:

1. We live in a state of sin. Sinfulness is a state into which we are born and in which live until the day we die. There is no escape from this. It is what is called “original sin.”

2. Since Christ has died and since we have been brought into the death and resurrection of Christ through our baptism we live also in a state of grace. This is a gift of God purchased with the death of Christ attained through faith in Jesus Christ.

3. Human life is lived in the tension between these two. Luther described us as both sinners and saints all at once. This life is a tension, a battle fought in the human consciousness between sin and repentance, requiring constant tending and constant faith in Christ because “the good that we would do that we don’t do and the evil that know is against God, that is what we do.” This how Paul described life in Romans.

What follows sound a great deal like the law, the way that we are to live. He continues “present you bodied as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – What is good and acceptable and perfect.”

There is the injunction. Here is now it now manifests:

· Don’t think to highly of yourself but find your place in God’s world according to the gifts that have been given. Thinking of the church as “the body of Christ” each member has a place and serves a function according the gifts that they bring to the whole.

· Love genuinely, hate what is evil, and hold fast to what is good. Love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor

· Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering

· Persevere in prayer

· Contribute to the needs of the saints, extend hospitality to strangers.

· Bless those who persecute you

· Bless those who curse you

· Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep

· Live in harmony

· Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly

· Don’t repay evil for evil but seek the noble route

· Be subject to civil authority “for there is no authority except from God and those authorities have been instituted by God.”

Two Kingdoms:

The Kingdom of the Right is roughly speaking the church. It is God’s authority which is administered by pastors and bishops. They are responsible for seeing that the Gospel is preached and the sacraments are administered and that the people know of the forgiveness of sins.

The Kingdom of the Left is the God’s kingdom of civil authority. Here the laws are administered by those in authority to provide for good civil order, justice, and peace in the world. They rule, in Luther’s thinking, by divine right and are to be obeyed. A Note: this does not negate civil disobedience when those in authority leave the ways of justice and the common good. This does not mean tyrants should not be thrown down, or those who are clearly off the mark should not be removed. It does provide, however, for the security of knowing that all governance is under God’s care.

· Pay taxes to those to whom they are due

· Owe nothing but love to one another. Those who love already obey the law.

Paul ends this section with the warning that the end is approaching. It is time to wake from sleep. Look how he speaks of this, “salvation is near.” As those who have been transported from darkness into light. Paul engages us in living as thought we have already been taken into the light. Put on the armor of light. That is to take hold of the spirit that God has given and do battle in the life of tension between sinner and saints that we have been placed. Life as those who are redeemed.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009