Yes, of the Gentiles also

Continuing with Romans 3:28-29:

For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also.

All are justified. Everyone. What does that mean for us? Well, I for one think it is good news. If all are justified, then so am I. 

In Sunday school, we talked about boundaries. Do we like to draw boundaries? Do we like to say, "God love me; I'm not so sure about you. Look at the way you live and act? God can't love you."

The truth is, God is the God of the Gentiles, also. God is the God of all, and that ought to change the way we treat people.

Pastor Terry ending the service today with a benediction that ended with, "We take ourselves to you and allow you to change us so that we can love the way you do." That's the good news. We are loved so that we will love the way God loves. God loves everyone. And it's a good thing, too, because we are the (metaphorical) gentiles.

In or Of

A couple of weeks ago in Sunday School, Jeff taught a lesson based on Romans 3:21-31.  Here is something very interesting (to me) that he pointed out. Look at Romans 3:22:

New Revised Standard Version: the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction

Common English Bible: God’s righteousness comes through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who have faith in him. There’s no distinction.

In the passage, Paul is writing that all have sinned and fall short, and that they are justified through the grace of God. Read those two versions closely. In the first, the righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ. In the second, it comes through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. One word - one preposition, and the whole meaning seems to change.

Are we justified through our faith in Jesus or through the faithfulness of Jesus? The Greek doesn't have the preposition, so it's been filled in by those who do the translation. 

I worry that when we say that we are saved by our faith in Jesus that we create a litmus test - that our salvation is based on something that WE do. Our justification comes from God - it is a gift of grace through the faithfulness of Christ. Our faith in Christ is a gift of prevenient grace - we only believe because we have been given faith by God. We can take no credit or boast in our faith. All is grace.

Justified

I taught Sunday school last Sunday.  Since it is stewardship "season," I decided to tackle the concept of stewardship.  I used some of the introductory material from Dan Dick's book Beyond Money.  He talks about the idea that the "so that" of discipleship is stewardship.  Discipleship is learning about God, creating a relationship with him, following in his footsteps, learning to live a life that is shaped by God.

Stewardship is putting all of that into action.  It's using our gifts and our talents, our time and energy, in the way God has taught us for the tasks God has given us.  Stewardship puts feet on discipelship.

And the other way around.  As we act as stewards, we learn more about God, follow him more closely, and come to be more Christ-like.... so that we can act more Christ-like.

Near the end of the lesson, a person in the class asked me, "I don't understand how anyone can call himself a disciple if he hasn't been born again."

I think "born again" might be one of those terms that has been corrupted, just like "stewardship" has.  I don't argue with the idea that we are and will be born again.  I just argue with the idea that it must be at one particular moment, with a blinding flash of light (metaphorically speaking).  We can be justified by God in a moment, in a month, in a year.  We are justified once and then again and again.  Daily, I must make the decision to follow God.  Daily, he provides the grace to create in me a new heart, justified. 

I am troubled by the judgement in the question, "Are you born again?"  Sometimes I feel as if my answer is requested so that my worthiness for God can be judged by the person answering the question, and I don't like that feeling.

God has brought me to the point where I can say, "yes" to him, and he continually moves me on to perfection.  I have nothing in it in which I can brag; it is the work of God.

Believe it

I heard a story this week of a woman who is very much afraid that she will go to hell when she dies. She worries about it daily; prays about it daily.

At the same time I heard the story, I was reading Romans and Galatians. If Paul believed anything, if he wanted us to understand anything, it seems to me that he would want us to know that we are justified by faith. Our faith in God brings us into right relationship with God, and then God's grace helps us to grow toward perfection (sanctification - holiness).

It's not something we do. It's not based on how good we are. It's all God's action. All we need to do is to have faith. Believe. Trust.

You are loved by a God who would die for you. He will not leave you alone. You are his child, and he will bring you to where he is. He is the way, the truth and the life

Believe it.