Friday, July 15, 2022

 

Friday, July 15, 2022


Psalm 37:1-17

Amos 4

Romans 1:1-15


I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and the foolish – hence my eagerness to proclaim the gospel to you also who are in Rome.


The idea that all humans are, on some basic level, equal to each other, is so widely spread that it may be easy to ignore the fact that it was God who invented things this way. Take, for example, the ancient nation of Israel. While chosen by God, this didn’t change the fact that God had no problem with administering the same corrective punishment on them as He did with the Egyptians. God’s judgement is holy, and we are all equal under God’s Law.


When considering God’s system of justice, His judgement is not the only thing applied equally. God’s mercy, as proclaimed in the good news of Jesus of Nazareth, who was born as a human and therefore capable of bearing our sins, while also being God and Lord, and thus able to raise us up to the place of glory, is not influenced by external attributes. Whether we are Greek (Greek culture was so widespread, someone could be considered “Greek” if they had the ability to read and write and had a few lessons in art and culture), or whether we are barbarian (that is, someone who does not hold a Masters in Greek philosophy and couldn’t care less) has absolutely no bearing on what God thinks of us. What God wants is to demonstrate His mercy. How God demonstrates mercy is through our obedience of faith for the sake of the name of Jesus. We are therefore humbled, because while we should be getting our just desserts, God has forgiven us, and not just forgiven, but through the power of Jesus’ incarnation, raised us up into the spiritual realm of glory, to be with God forever.

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