Thursday 06 February 2014

Background

In this passage, Paul describes our salvation in Jesus Christthrough faith. He said we are justified through faith. To bejustified is to be made righteous - a way of saying that Godenables us to recover our divine image and fitting place increation. We are empowered to become the people God created us tobe.

This gift came to us through faith in Jesus Christ, and wereceived God's peace. In the account of God making the world, Godrested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2) and in the commandments told thepeople that they and all their people were to rest on the seventhday (Exodus 20:8-11), because they should rememberthey had been slaves in Egypt. The opposite of rest, was strivingand ceaseless labour all week. When creation was restored to itsoriginal perfect form, there was a natural rhythm of labour andrest. When God restores us to our fitting place in creation we knowthe deep peace of this rest.

This gift came to us in Jesus Christ, in whom our hope ofsharing God's glory (beauty) rests.

Paul tells us we should boast in our sufferings. We should valueall the ways we have had to work through less than perfectsituations because these produced the character of perseverance inus and character builds hope. The hope would be fulfilled becauseGod's love had been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.Our hope is empowered by God.

The extend of God's love for us had been proved because JesusChrist had died for us when we were still in a state of beingunrighteousness, weak and far from God through our actions. Eventhough we had been far from God, and could not help ourselves, Godhad still had the ability to draw close to us through the JesusChrist. If therefore we are now made righteous by Jesus Christ, howmuch greater his love and delight would be in this righteousstate.

The sacrifice of Jesus (through his blood) brings usreconciliation with God, and rescued us from God's wrath. This isGod's judgement at our not fulfilling our potential as the peopleGod created us to be.

To Ponder

• Describe a time where you have felt your striving cease and atpeace with God, yourself and others. What did it feel like?

• Describe a time where you could not save yourself, but you wererescued because of the character of the one who rescued you.

• How do you understand the meaning of the wrath of God in thecontext of our communal living?