The Glorious New Hope

After contrasting the two principles of life, one after the flesh and the other after the Spirit, Paul goes on to elaborate the future glory that awaits those who had received sonship and could cry ‘Abba Father,’ in Romans 8:18-25.

Paul’s contention is that whatever suffering we may undergo for the name of Jesus on this earth, is nothing compared to the glorious hope that awaits us, rather that would be revealed in us.

Christians are persecuted and attain martyrdom in the West Asian countries today. Coptic Christians are beheaded in Egypt; Syrian Christians are massacred; in the other Muslims countries, both in Asia and Africa, Christians are put through prisons and other travails. In our own country Christians are persecuted. Where is God in all these? One might ask. May be in the 1^st century, the persecuted Christians did ask such questions. 

Today one might lose money, if in Christ you want to be honest and not accept black money or disclose your full income and end up paying more income tax. One may lose friends, if you stand up for Jesus and are in the danger of being branded a fundamentalist.

Paul’s reply is none of these sufferings could compare with the glory that will be revealed in us, the sons and daughters of God. In 2 Corinthians 4:17, Paul writes, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” Even if this earthly tent is destroyed, we have the hope of an eternal house in heaven, built by the very hands of God. 2 Cor.5:1.

So, these troubles that we face on earth are nothing.

More so, the whole creation is eagerly waiting for the sons of God to be revealed. The whole world, with all the creatures, have been groaning under the weight of sin, death and decay. They have been unwittingly dragged down the path of sin and suffering by man, when the First Adam sinned. It was not their fault at all, but they lost their capacity to fulfil the potential for which God had created them. The earth was cursed by God, when Adam sinned and in punishing him, God had cursed the earth. Genesis 3:17.  

Even though it is subject to frustration, creation itself is eagerly anticipating liberation from this curse. And it is waiting for the day, when the believers will be resurrected and attain their glorified bodies as promised by God and revealed as ‘sons of God.’ Along with man and woman, nature itself will be redeemed and liberated from death and decay.

That is a great hope.

Yes, we do see today everything in decay, and evil abounding. Among animals, jungle law that ‘might is right’ prevails; ‘survival of the fittest,’ is the law of life among the animals; nature looks awesome, but terrible, when she lashes the earth with her cyclones and tornados and typhoons and volcanic eruptions.

In Paul’s words “the whole creation has been groaning,” but there is hope. All's not lost. we need not be pessimistic. A Christian can be optimistic, because of the promises of God and His power to accomplish those promises. ‘The key note of the Christian life is always hope and never despair. The Christian waits, not for death, but for life.’[1] This world of sin, suffering and death and decay will pass away and a new earth and a new heaven, without even a trace of sin and suffering will replace them by God’s design.

As the creation awaits that day with groans, we too groan inwardly as we eagerly await that glorious day.

Yes, we do groan and sigh, either with our personal sufferings or while observing the sufferings of mankind on earth. Don’t we see sickness and death, the physical sufferings; divorce and broken families with the attendant loneliness and emotional problems; violence against human beings, abandoned babies, child abuse, trafficking in girls, gang rapes, and more, everything that a sick mind can invent and do.   

Amidst it all there is hope, the hope of our adoption as sons and daughters and the redemption of our bodies. In resurrection, we become the ‘first fruits,’ the down payment of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us now, as the guarantee of our bodily resurrection. 2 Corinthians 2:22, 5:5. The Holy Spirit is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. Ephesians 1:14. And we receive a glorified body like that of Jesus Christ after His resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:42-44.

This is our hope.

And we wait patiently for that hope to be fulfilled, which will happen, when Jesus Christ returns in glory. Our salvation is past, present and future. We were saved in the past, when we first believed in Christ. Our new life on earth began at this very moment.

We are being saved everyday as we go through the process of sanctification in this very life; we receive the power through the Holy Spirit who resides in us, to fight sin and temptation and lead a victorious Christian life. But the full benefits and blessings of salvation, we will receive only when Jesus Christ returns and establishes His Kingdom on earth. That will be the consummation of our salvation.

We are saved by God’s grace, Ephesians 2:8-9; we are justified by faith, Romans 5:1 and we are saved in hope, Romans 8:24. God starts the process of our salvation, He continues it by daily saving us from the power of sin and He completes it, by fulfilling His promise to us.  Philippians 1:6.

What a great hope and a great promise to look forward to!

Hope of a glorified body! That is the promise of God to those who believe in Him! A ‘new heaven and a new earth’ will be formed; the first heaven and the first earth world pass away. Revelation 21:1. It will be inhabited by the redeemed of God, who would meet the glorious Christ in the air. 2 Thessalonians 4:17. And our lowly bodies will be transformed into glorious bodies. Philippians 3:21. And we will be changed for ever. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52.

As we wait for this glorious moment, we have work to do. We need to live a life that glorifies God, and do our best to alleviate sickness and suffering from the world around us in our own small neighbourhood. As Paul says, “Always give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord,” 1 Corninthians 15:58.

Well, friends, don’t we have a marvellous hope, a hope that will be revealed, when even the belaboured creation will heave a sigh of relief, as it watches the redeemed be transformed into glorified bodies at the Second Coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?

It is the hope of a glorious new life, lived in the presence of our beloved God the Father and the Jesus Christ our Saviour and the Holy Spirit our Companion and Counsellor. Jesus said, ‘me and my Father’ will come and live in such a person on earth now John 14:23, but imagine living with Him through eternity!

What a beautiful and lovely hope! What a privilege!

Do you have that assurance?

If not ask the Lord to day to give you that assurance and the peace that passes understanding will be yours.  Amen.

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[1] Barclay, The Letters to the Romans, Theological Publications in India, reprint 1992, p.111. 

The Two Principles of Life

In verses 5 to 13 of Romans 8, Paul contrasts life according to the flesh and life according to the Spirit. These are two different principles of life and are diametrically opposite to each other.

One set of people live according to the sinful nature. The sinful nature is the ‘flesh,’ which is weak and prone to sin. This nature we inherited when Adam and Eve, our forefathers, sinned. Such people set their hearts and minds on satisfying what that sinful nature desires.

The focus here is ‘self,’ and what that ‘self’ desires. ‘It is passion-controlled, or lust-controlled, or pride-controlled, or ambition-controlled’ life.[1] It is the life led by the common human being under the assault of various passions, lusts and ambitions, common to mankind.

The other set of people, try to lie in accordance with the Spirit. Their life is dominated by the Spirit of God. Such a person is Spirit-controlled, Christ-centred and God-focussed and he would set his mind on what the Spirit desires and not on what the human nature desires.

 The mind of sinful man is death, whereas the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind of the worldly man is so full of the desires and the pulls and pressures of the world’s attractions, that he has no time for God and godly life. Such a person gets more and more away from God, who is the source of life. And that leads him to his death, physical as well as spiritual.

Whereas the man who is controlled by the Spirit, would want to please God and would set his mind to follow the desires and commands of God, as it is written in the Bible, the Word of God. It is a close walk with God as Enoch did. Genesis 5:22.

This would lead him to life, the life eternal and peace on earth. Peace would mean the inward harmony, which a person would have, when all elements of his personality are organized around a single centre, leading him to become an integrated person, without conflicts in his inner self.

Moreover, the mind of a sinful man is hostile to God. By not adhering to the commands and wishes of God, as it is revealed in His Word, such a sinful man turns against God in his mind and life. This wilful disobedience and insubordination to God’s law will not please God. Only God’s wrath will be on such a person.

Paul addresses the Roman believers now and says that they are not controlled by the sinful nature but by the Spirit. But there is a catch: they could be said to be controlled by the Spirit, only if the Spirit of God lives in them. A person who does not have the Spirit of Christ in him does not belong to Christ. In such a case that person is condemned to death, eternally.

The Spirit of God, who is also the Spirit of Christ, when lives in a person, it would mean that even when the body of such a person dies physically, which is the due of every man and woman born on earth, owing to Adam’s sin, still that person’s spirit would live, because of the righteousness imparted to him by Christ.

The ‘flesh,’ man’s physical body with its natural instincts, ends in sin and death; but the real man, the spirit, who has the Spirit of Christ in him, would go on living eternally. Christ is ‘a life-giving spirit,’ 1 Corinthians 15:45; but the requirement is the Spirit of Christ must live in you. In such a case, we can boldly say along with Paul that “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Galatians 2:20.

The Spirit of God raised Jesus from death, and if it resides in us, then we can also be sure that God would raise us from death, through the same Spirit. Those who die in Christ would be raised, for ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory,’ by the risen Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:54.  

So, Paul exhorts the believers in Roman church to live a life according to the Spirit by putting to death the wrong deeds of the ‘flesh,’ so that they will live. It is an obligation on the part of believers, a moral duty to live like that. Once we accept Christ we start living the eternal life here on earth itself.

The mental and physical habits and inclinations acquired under the old regime persist as tendencies and these must be fought tooth and nail by strong self-discipline. In 1Corinthians 9:27 Paul states, ‘I beat my body and make it my slave,’ to win the price of his eternal calling. That is practicing self-control.

Such sacrifices and self-discipline are not without their reward. The people who are led by the Spirit of God become the sons and daughters of God. Everybody cannot become sons or children of God, though it is correct to say that God is the Father of all, because He created everyone. But, the privilege of being called the sons and daughters of God, is reserved only to those who have the Spirit of Christ in them.  

Those who have accepted Christ have not received the spirit that makes them slaves again to fear and death, but the Spirit of sonship, so that we can call and address God as ‘Abba Father.’ It is the Spirit of sonship that we receive, which emboldens us to address God as our Father.  

Adoption was commonly resorted to in Rome during the time of Paul, especially, when one didn’t have a son to inherit the wealth of the parents. Such an adopted person would lose all connections with the original family and become a part and parcel of the new family. As such he would gain all the rights of a legitimate child of the new family and become an heir to his new father’s estate. Any debt he had in his old family will be written off.  

Similarly, once we accept Christ and his Spirit lives in us, we become members of the new family, family of God and get all the rights and inheritance. We also lose all connections with our previous, ‘fleshy’ life of sin and rebellion. Our debts, our sins are forgiven and written off. If we are God’s children, then we are also heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.

As the inheritance we receive eternal life, but also as duties of God’s children, we get the responsibility of extending God’s kingdom on earth. To achieve this, we may have to go through suffering as did Jesus on the cross. Christian life, as a sons and daughters of God, is not a bed of roses, but one may have to suffer like Christ did, for His glory.

Again, suffering on earth for His kingdom will also ensure that we partake in His glory in the future. Suffering would be the price we pay for such a glory.  

As God’s adopted children we are under His care and protection; God will have absolute right over our lives; our old debts and sinful past life are cancelled; we begin a new life with God as His children and inherit eternal life, along with Jesus Christ. But we also suffer as did Jesus, so we can enter into glory that the risen Christ entered before us.

What a wonderful news?

Let’s therefore shake off the old life of sin and ‘flesh,’ and behave and live like the children of God on earth, with duties and responsibilities to perform, along with the abundant hope that we will also enter the glory, just like Jesus Christ, our ‘co-heir’ did.

Hallelujah! Praise God for His miracle of love and salvation!

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[1] William Barclay, The Letters to the Romans, rev.ed., The Theological Publications in India, Bangalore, India, 1975, reprint 1992, p.104

The Law of the Spirit of Life

Having declared at the end of the 7^th chapter that Christ has set him free from his predicament of his body waging a war against the law of mind and becoming a prisoner of the law of sin, Paul in chapter 8 gets into the empowerment of the believers, including himself, by the Spirit of God.

Paul first declares that there is no condemnation for those in Christ. This is made in the language of a law court. Condemnation would mean a punishment pronounced by a court following a sentence. It is the penal servitude. For those who are in Christ, there is no punishment. Verse 1

The whole human race is on a death row. But God declared us ‘not guilty,’ because of Christ. We have been acquitted in the case against us. We have been acquitted from two things, from the guilt of the past sins and delivered from the present power of sin. We have been offered freedom from sin and have been left scot free.

Thus, we have a new position in Christ. Those who believe in Christ as their Saviour, will not come into judgment of God, with respect to sin. Such people have been totally absolved from their crimes and sins, committed in the past.

In the next few verses Paul explains how this came to be.  

Through Christ, the law of the Spirit of Life, has set Paul free from the law of sin and death. Verse 2. Not only Paul, but all those who believe in Christ. In this chapter, Paul mentions the Holy Spirit many times over.

The Spirit of Life is the life lived in the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God and Christ, who was active in the creation of the world in the very beginning, Genesis 1:1, and who was given to us as Helper and Counsellor, after the Ascension of Christ. John 14:26

Spirit is a supernatural power and the strong breath of Yahweh, the Lord God Almighty. When the Spirit comes to man, it is a supernatural phenomenon, a divine element breaking into human life, empowering them. Act 2:1-4 describes the inauguration of a new age, a power from the very God, imparting the power to the believers to live after the pattern of Christ.

The Holy Spirit is the power behind the rebirth or being born-again of every believer, as Jesus would tell Nicodemus in John 3:5-6.  The Holy Spirit is the one who will convict the world of its sins. John 16:8. He gives us the power we need to live the Christian life.

 This law of the Spirit, which has come to us through Jesus Christ, has set us free from the law of sin and death. The wages of sin is death Romans 6:23 and if humanity were to revel in sin, it will definitely lead us to death and destruction once and for ever. At this juncture comes a new deliverance, through Jesus Christ.

Paul further explains that what the law was powerless to do, because it’s cause was weakened by the sinful nature of human beings, God did by sending His Son. The law could point out to us what is wrong and what is correct, but it could never give us the power to not do the wrong things. It was powerless to empower us.

Especially so, as it was weakened by the sinful nature of man, the ‘flesh.’ This sinful human nature has a vulnerability to sin. ‘Flesh’ refers to the lower side and the corrupt side of the human nature.

To deal with this weakness of ‘flesh,’ which rendered man weak to counter sin, God sent His Own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. Verse 3. Jesus, who is sinless, took the form of human nature to deal with the sin in human nature. Man was created in God’s image Genesis 1:27, and Jesus was the glory and image of God. Hebrew 1:3.

Jesus was offered as a sin offering to God for our sins. He died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. In the Old Testament times animal sacrifice was offered at the Temple continually. Blood had to be shed to procure forgiveness of sins, according to the law. Leviticus 17:11. “It is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.”

These sacrifices were pointer to the ultimate sacrifice, Jesus Christ on the cross, for animal blood is not sufficient to take away sin. Hebrew 10:4.

By offering Jesus as a sacrifice, God condemned sin in sinful man. Christ entered the realm or sphere of ‘flesh,’ which sin had claimed as its jurisdiction or territory. Sin pressed this claim against Christ and lost the case, because Jesus met sin head long and refused to bow down to it or be enticed by it. Matthew 4:1-11.

Sin stood condemned in the place of man, for man had been redeemed by Christ in His sinless form in His human sojourn on earth. Sin had lost the case. Jesus achieved this as a representative of mankind. And therefore, those who are in Christ are no longer condemned.

Liberation of humankind from sin is the work of God. It can never be done by human effort or by adhering to the law. God did what the law couldn’t do. Sin was the master and man a slave to it, and a prisoner. But in Christ, the slave found a new master and was set free from the prison.

Sin was condemned and not us, so that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us. Verse 4. The righteous requirements of law cried death to any violator for the law. To atone these sins, God introduced the Old Testament animal sacrifice, so that the shed blood will atone the sins. But is Christ, in the blood He shed on the cross, every righteous requirement of law is fully met on our behalf.

With that taken care of, now we live not according to the old sinful nature, but according to the Spirit. In Spirit, we are empowered to live a life modelled by Christ, which on our own strength or the strength of law we cannot do.

Does this new life empowered by the Spirit mean anything to you?

Are you washed in the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross?

Can you say, there is no condemnation for you in the eyes of God?

Are you free in Christ?

Ponder these thoughts and questions in your mind and choose to live a life of freedom in Christ, free of sin and death. 

The Battle Within: The Struggle of a Christian Life

Paul has established that God’s Law is holy, righteous and good, in Romans 7:7-13. Now he is acknowledging that the Law is spiritual and goes on to describe the battle that rages within him, in Romans 7:14-25. In this section, Paul describes the battle in personal terms.

The Law is spiritual as it was given by God to Moses and through him to the Israel and it shows how Israel could live a life pleasing to God. But, Paul laments that he is unspiritual and sold as a slave to sin. Verse 14.

Paul is a spiritual giant and he looms large in our estimate. We cannot even imagine that he could be hassled by sin. He is above sin, we think. But, in these verses, Paul shows how he is also an ordinary mortal assailed by sin and inner turmoil.

Paul’s dilemma is what he wants to do, as shown by the Law, given by God and taught by parents, church, school, he does not do. But what he hates and knows is not right, he does. It looks as if he had no power over his own choice between the right and the wrong. Verse 15.

This conflict is something that is common to all human beings. Satan, the ruler of this world, incites us to the glittering things in the world, of power, money, fame and name. Our flesh, pushes us into envy, greed, hatred, fear and avarice. Our ‘flesh’ constitutes the tendencies we have inherited from our first parents and forefathers and what heredity and environment in which we grew ingrained in us.

This ‘flesh’ is the root of our moral malady or moral depravity. By nature, we seem to have a bias towards lower desires, and as we grow, especially from a child to a young adult, we react to the restrictions imposed by the law and rebel. Once we become a Christian, then there ensues a moral perplexity, a conflict. It is a struggle which every Christian will face as he tries to adhere to God’s law and fails every time.  

Paul further states that he wishes to be good, but every time he acts against it, and then he knew that the law is right. This is so, because he does these by his ‘flesh’ which is naturally inclined to fulfil base desires. Verse 16.

Next Paul argues that if he does what he does not want to do, then it is not he who is doing it, but the sinful nature that is living in him. We seem to sin against our wish, which only shows the power of sin over us. Verse 17

This sounds like a good excuse for sinful actions. You can always try to escape saying, ‘It is not me, but the sin in me that did it!’ Seems like an irresponsible person trying to escape the consequences of his actions. But Paul is only trying to show the severity of the sinful nature that lurks in us.

These sinful tendencies of his human nature, forces the conclusion on Paul that nothing good lives in him. Even when he has a desire to do what is good and correct in the eyes of God, sin in him does not let him to do so.  Verse 18

Again, Paul laments that he does not do the good he wants to do, but keeps doing the evil that he does not want to do. Verse 19. This is typical of a ‘carnal Christian.’ Such a person, though has been saved and accepted Christ as his Saviour, has not experienced deliverance from the power of sin in his life. He is still struggling.

Paul is again forced to conclude that if he does what he does not want to do, then it is no longer he who does it, but the sin living in him that does it. Verse 20.

This acknowledgement leads Paul to discover a law that is at work in his life. When he wants to do good, evil is right there with him. Verse 21. In his inner being, Paul delights in the law of God and wants to carry it out in his life. Verse 23. But there is another law in his body that is sinful and is waging a war against his desire to do good. Both good and evil seem to be within him side by side.

His desire to honour God’s law, Paul calls as the ‘law of his mind.’ The other law, which is making him a prisoner of sin, Paul calls as the ‘law of sin.’ This law of sin is at work in the members of his body and thus seem to be deep-rooted and contrary to his law of mind. Verse 23.

Our inner being or the spiritual being or the inner self consisting of our mind and reason desire things of higher order. It is able to appreciate the good in God’s command. But the law of the flesh or the body pulls the person down to dwell on the desires of the lower order.

Paul now cries out as any of us would do under such circumstances. Paul calls himself a wretched man, a man without hope. What shall I do? Where shall I go for deliverance? Who will rescue me from myself? It is as if he has a split personality or a divided personality, wherein two men residing inside his body, each pulling in different direction. Verse 24

Paul says, ‘In my mind, I am slave to God’s law but in my flesh, that is my sinful nature, I am a slave to sin’s law.’ It is a moral conflict. Paul seems to be losing the battle, for the body is dragging him to death as the wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23.

The final victorious battle cry of Paul is God, through Jesus Christ, will rescue him from this body of sin. Verse 25. Deliverance comes through Christ, someone outside us and not from something within us. Paul could do nothing at all to save himself, but Christ did everything on the cross, paying the price for his sins. All he had to do is to accept that and give thanks to God.

We need a power greater than the power of sin to help us lead the life pleasing to God. It is not possible by our own effort. A carnal man fails, because he is trying to tackle sin on his own strength. It will never be possible to do so.

There is limitation to human knowledge, inadequacy to human resolution and limitation of diagnosis. Paul diagnosed that there was something wrong within him, but he was not able to prescribe the right medicine to cure himself. Only Christ could correct the wrong to right.

Becoming a Christian will not stamp out sin and sinful tendencies. When temptation presents itself, we will fall if we depend on our own strength. Being born again is probably a minute’s job. But becoming like Christ is a lifelong process, called sanctification. Flesh indeed is weak. Matthew 26:41.

We need to take hold of the power of Christ that is available to us through the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us. We need to look to Him for power to deal with our sinful nature, and never try to deal with sin on our own strength. That is the golden rule for Christian life.

Are you still struggling with sin in your life?

Are you still being a carnal Christian?

Are you discouraged and weak and failure in your walk with God?

May be, you are trying to fight the battle on your own strength.

Turn your life over to Christ and let Him do the fighting for you.

Then you can be a victorious Christian, by the power of the risen Christ.

Hallelujah!