Missions Paul

Just before I wrote this blog this morning I was asking an African Church Planter where they lived because I was sending them a gift for the work. He told me where he was at that time but didn’t understand that I was wanting to know his home address linked to his Mobile Money account. Where he was and where he lived were different and it impeded him receiving the gift. Where you are and where you live can be different. Where you spend most of your time and where your home is can be different.

My address is not under the rule of the Law of God which only reminds me I am a sinner. My address is His grace, His unmerited favour. That’s where my home is. But the question is where do I live?

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6 v 12-14)

If my home is His grace why would I choose to live under the law?

Every day, I bring my mind, my words, my heart, my actions and indeed every part of me, as an offering to Him. For there are times when I find myself in a place/position where the surroundings are difficult. There are times when looking ahead to the weeks and months fills me with gloom. I wonder if I can get through those times that lie ahead. But what I have is today. Whatever takes place today I remind myself of my home address, the place where I truly live and I offer myself to my master, my Lord again knowing that I will need to do it again tomorrow and the day after.

God to enfold me,
God to surround me,
God in my speaking,
God in my thinking.

God in my sleeping,
God in my waking,
God in my watching,
God in my hoping.

God in my life,
God in my lips,
God in my soul,
God in my heart.

God in my sufficing,
God in my slumber,
God in mine ever-living soul,
God in mine eternity.

(Ancient Celtic oral traditions – Carmina Gadelica)

We have learnt how to accommodate fears and sins, addictions and anxiety because these things have a deceiving comfort by focusing on ourselves rather than living our lives in freedom which causes us to think of other people’s problems.
We have left Egypt but Egypt hasn’t left us. We decided to let go of things but things would not let go of us.
We are told we are free so why do we still feel chained to the past, to our fears, to our feelings?
How do we break free from this cycle?

“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6 v 8-11)

Every day I need to continually take what I know of the work of Christ and apply it to my life. This is the meaning of the word ‘count’ which is in the present tense. I must daily claim what Christ has done, for me and by doing so sin no longer characterises me but Christ’s work does.

There are times when we are more aware of our sin than our Saviour.
For vast periods of our lives we have been more aware of what is wrong with our lives than what is right.
Do you know? Do you truly know the impact of the cross?

“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised 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. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.” (Romans 6 v 1-7)

In the previous section of this letter (chapter 5) Paul has told us how God has secured our salvation from His judgment in the future. But this is not suggesting all we do now is wait for that day to come. Paul rather moves into the impact of our relationship to God in the present.

Is it true we can live free? YES!

In using the illustration of baptism Paul is showing us the identification change that took place when we first started to follow Jesus.

“…don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised 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.”

We were dipped into the same scene of the cross. There was blood, a slaughter, our crucifixion, “For we know that our old self was crucified with him…”

Crucial to our understanding is this: sin and death was not overpowering Jesus on the cross, Jesus was overpowering sin and death.

The blood of Jesus overpowered all fear.

The blood of Jesus justified us.

The blood of Jesus redeems from the hand of Satan.

The blood of Jesus totally forgives.

The blood of Jesus gives access to God.

That’s the scene: the overcoming of all fear, justification, redemption, forgiveness, access, freedom.

That’s the scene we were dipped into.

We then went where Jesus went. “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death…” We were dead.

Therefore, His resurrection then becomes our resurrection. His new life becomes ours. His power becomes our power.

Do we really know this?!

One of the privileges of my life has been to journey with church members and friends through their terminal illness into their death. They died as I will because that is what happens to us. We are in ADAM (it means man). Because we are human beings descended from the first genes of humanity we will all die. That’s an accepted fact.

But the privileges of my life that I refer to is seeing these church members and friends not die because they are in Adam but be made alive in Christ. They go through their death into Life because they are in Christ and were made new men and women, a new humanity.

The difference between dying in Adam and dying in Christ could not be more opposite.

This is the Gospel message. And when we are despairing of this life the most it is our greatest comfort.

The Apostle Paul is moving in his letter to expand more about the connections between the first ADAM/MAN and a second ADAM/MAN, Jesus Christ.

“Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5 v 18-21)

Adam committed a trespass by disobedience in the Garden.

Christ committed a righteous act by obedience (on the cross).

The result of Adam’s sin was that many were made sinners and were condemned.

The result of Christ’s righteous act is that many will be made righteous and be justified.

Why is this important to us?

When Adam/MAN disobeyed the law in the Garden that was every man taking that forbidden fruit. That was you. That was me.

BUT when Christ came as a man/ADAM and was placed on that cross that was also you and me. I have been crucified with Christ and raised 3 days later a new man in Christ.

This is the Gospel!

It is now over a month since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. However, it isn’t Russia as a nation who are being blamed but it is one man, Putin.

From one man has come such traumatic pain that it is hard to put into words what we are seeing and hearing.

I use this as a present-day illustration to show the damage a human being can make.

The Apostle Paul is using a historical and much greater illustration, that of one man/Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden, comparing this influence with that of one man/Jesus Christ:

“But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!” (Romans 5 v 15-17)

If so much damage came from the sin of one man/Adam then think of how much more impact and influence into the lives of people God has had through another man: Jesus Christ!

Sometimes we cannot help but dwell on the sin of the world and the destruction it brings. But “can you imagine the breath-taking recovery life makes, absolute life, in those who grasp with both hands this wildly extravagant life-gift, this grand setting-everything-right, that the one man Jesus Christ provides?” (The Message) Let’s dwell on those words and know that God’s best met man’s worst in one man, Jesus Christ!

A question we have asked before and we get asked still today. What happens in terms of God’s judgment to those who have never heard the gospel? Paul is answering a similar question about those before the Law of Moses. I find it a difficult read in terms of its grammar but here it is:

“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned— To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.” (Romans 5 v 12-14)

So if there is no Law then there can be no sin? So those before Moses, were they sinners? Yes says Paul.

He takes us back to the beginning. The Hebrew reader when hearing the name Adam is actually hearing “man” or “human being” because that is its meaning. It is helpful to them for from the first story of sin they see all have sinned, man died because of their sin, just as much as Adam the first man did.

The law that they broke before the Law (of Moses) was the eating from the tree of good and evil in the Garden of Eden.

The Law of Moses brought clarity to the extent and separation that sin brings from God. The Law was God stepping in to say look what man is doing, look how far short man has fallen and the resulting death and separation. The Law created an opportunity for change but it pointed to the change-maker. As did Paul dropping in the thought of Christ who Adam was a pattern of.

How would Christians live differently if they had complete assurance of their future? That there was no doubt whatsoever. God had already made up His mind about them and it was good news. Perhaps they would not feel the pressure to perform? Maybe their lives would be more peaceful and loving because of this knowledge that God had totally accepted them?

This is what the Apostle Paul is trying to deal with. He is writing about the hope that we have for our future state. He has said we can be sure because of the outpouring of the Spirit in our lives and the cross of Christ all demonstrating God’s love. But there’s more:

“Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5 v 9-11)

Look what God has done for you? He has declared you innocent/justified and has removed the barrier between you and Him/reconciled you.

If God can do the hard work of bringing His enemies into relationship with Him through the cross of Christ then surely He can do the easier task of bringing us home. Paul is convinced, we will be saved! We was saved (I was saved in 1974!), we are being saved (our daily life) and we will be saved at our death.

Let’s boast about this.

It seems a strange question that anyone with hope/absolute certainty could doubt. Well, it does happen, doesn’t it?! But of course the critics are never far away with these and other questions.

Paul answers the question in 2 ways.

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5 v 5-8)

There it is. We know our hope will not be disappointed because of God’s love for us; seen in the activity of the Holy Spirit and the cross of Christ.

See that word ‘poured’? I wonder what Paul must have been thinking when he used it. Was it the great outpouring of Pentecost? Though Paul wasn’t a receiver on that day he certainly knew the Holy Spirit filling his life post-conversion and so do we. The Holy Spirit in your life is constantly reminding you of God’s love for you. “You are a child of God”; “You belong to Him”; “You are under His gaze”; “He will bring you home”; and your responses are filled with even more hope, “It is well, with my soul”. That’s our answer. This hope will not be disappointed because we are reminded inwardly by the Holy Spirit of the love of God.

Some might say to us well all that is subjective.

So our proof of God’s love is the cross of Christ. To die for a loving person is one thing but to die for someone who is a sinner is another. He died for you and me whilst we were not worshipping Him and with our backs turned against Him.

Subjective and objective proof that God’s love means our hope for the future will not be disappointed.

But there’s more …

Ever had a day when you think something is going to go wrong? It’s hard to describe but a disturbing feeling that just around the corner is your looming doom. Thankfully it doesn’t happen every day as I am an optimist on most days. But without Christ I don’t think I would be all that positive. Look what Christ does for each one of us: We have peace with God, access to God and now the Apostle writes, we also have a hope to live by.

And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. (Romans 5 v 3-4)

We have joyful confidence in the absolute certainty that we have a future past our death.

This is how we live and it carries us around every corner and through every storm.

Even through suffering this hope/absolute confidence is growing more and more because we don’t give up in the difficult days and a resolve develops because of what lies ahead, our glorious eternal life. That’s how people survive their persecution and their heartaches in this life: He gives hope!

Paul is confident of the future for all believers; there is reconciliation/peace and so no looming judgment; and this is nothing of us but all of His grace. This future state seems to be in his mind in this section of his letter. But it is also for now:

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand (Romans 5 v 1-2)

We don’t just receive this act of grace for our future security but we live in it and live out of it; every day is a grace day.

U2 wrote a song called Grace and it finishes with these lyrics:

Because Grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things

Grace finds beauty
In everything

Grace finds goodness in everything

Inspiringly challenging. To see God in a fallen yet created world; To see God in a manger; To see God on a cross; these are the starting points of finding and stepping into grace.

Whatever happens today from the moment you rise it is all because of His grace to look upon you, bless you, love you, favour you and He does that through every single thing around you.

The more you understand that every part of your physical world is both the place where God is revealing who He is and where He also hides to be searched for, then you will begin to understand what it is to have accessed by faith into this grace in which you now stand.