Saturday 10 March 2012
- Bible Book:
- Romans
"Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith." (vv. 23-25)
Background
The laws recorded in the Torah (the first five books of theBible) were given specifically to the Jews, but in turn the wholeworld was meant to see its wrongdoing and relationship towards Godthrough the Jewish experience. With the coming of Jesus thingsmoved on and the writer refers to Jesus as disclosing therighteousness of God. Jesus shows us what God is truly like betterthan any rules and no one, Jewish or non-Jewish, comes close tomatching the goodness and quality of his life. The unwrittenproblem is clear: How can anyone get into a good relationship withGod? The answer suggested by the writer is that it is given as agift from God.
Three terms arise in this passage and give us different views ofthe gift:
- "Justified" (ie being made right with God) has connotations ofa legal term in the sense of an accused being acquitted of anycrime and free to leave the court.
- "Redemption" was used in a society where slavery was common andhad the meaning to free a slave through a payment of money.
- "Atonement" refers to the Jewish practice of animal sacrificesthat were made to get rid of and deal with sin.
It is faith, a trusting belief and reliance, in JesusChrist that makes this work of justification, redemption andatonement possible or effective for the individual.
The gift from God, like any true gift, is given because thegiver chooses to give it; it is not a prize for good work. The giftcomes out of God's undeserved favour and love towards human beings,summed up in the simple but powerful word, grace.
The person of Jesus Christ brings into clear focus the deepproblem for humankind and is also the gift of a solution foreveryone through faith in him. It is faith in Jesus then thatbecomes the focus for all, both Jews and non-Jews. There is norestriction to any particular set of persons: all people arechosen, special and given grace. It is faith in Jesus that is thekey.
To Ponder
How do you respond to each of the aspectshighlighted of legal acquittal, payment to bring freedom fromslavery and religious sacrifice, given for you in the person ofJesus? How can you understand them in your society and culture?
Where do you see grace, or undeserved kindness,at work in your daily life?
In the light of today's passage what does faithin Jesus mean for you?