Paul then speaks to the Jews about their history, as he teaches who can become born again. He reminds them about their Patriarch Abraham and tells them it was only by Faith in God that moved God to call Abraham righteous. (see Ro 4:3) Paul also talks about Adam, comparing him to Jesus. Adam disobeyed God and sin came upon every human. Jesus obeyed the Father, even to death, and has made The Way for humans to become righteous through Faith in Jesus. Apart from this saving Faith, no one can become New, and so, no one may enter God’s Kingdom. Of course, what is beautiful is that, you and I do not need to DO anything, just believe. Salvation is a gift that we cannot earn. Listen to this wonderful verse: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ro 6:23) By Grace, through Faith. Grace is God’s part, and He already did everything that is required for us to receive this Grace. Faith, then, is our part…and all it consists of, is a broken and weak and humbled child lifting his or her hand up to God to receive what God already desires to give us. We do nothing, understand? Salvation, Eternal Life, is a gift.
Paul then talks about baptism, not to save us, but as a symbolic event to display we have been saved. It is our witness to the rest of the Church, and the world, that we have died to our old self, and have been raised to this New Identity in Christ. So next Paul preempts the question from the Jews saying, what good was having the Law then? The Law is good, and was never meant to make humans righteous. It was to reveal the fact that we could not achieve God’s standards, and we are all desperate for The Savior! The Human problem has always been the heart. And this is exactly what Jesus fixes. He pays for our debt, to save us from this prison of sin that we were trapped in, and gives us the Holy Spirit so we can be, and live, saved. What an indescribable gift! (see 2Co 9:15)
2023’s Got A Minute? Book Club
January: The Bible
<>< Peace, Diane
