Friday, July 29, 2022

 

Friday, July 29, 2022


Psalm 69:1-16


Hosea 4:10-5:4


Romans 6:1-11


Feast Day: Mary and Martha of Bethany


So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.


What is “free will”? It is a concept that the church has considered as either a rank heresy or a fundamental premise for the order of salvation. Some consider the issue a biblical paradox: for example, we read about the Israelites being trapped in a “spirit of whoredom”, yet also being held responsible for their actions. What are we to make of this?


The Reformed position holds that our will is not so much “free” as it is always inclined to follow what we most desire. A popular example revolves around two men in a dark alley late at night. The first man asks the second for his wallet. The second man refuses. Then, the first man pulls out a very sharp, scary-looking knife. The second man changes his mind and hands over the wallet. Is the second man exercising his “free will”? Or is he simply obeying what he most desires (in this case, his life moreso than his wallet)?


Having dealt with how we are saved, Paul now moves on to the practical implications of this good news. He is teaching us how that part of us which was looking out for its own interests, that sinful, rotting, part, has been nailed to the cross with Jesus. It was, by its very nature, dying; now it is dead. And, just as Jesus is raised from death, we are raised with that same life – the abundant life of God. We have a new nature. Our will is still looking to please what it most desires. But that which it most desires is no longer temporal pleasures – anything that rots and decays – but rather that which pleases God. We now have God's best interests at heart. And we know what God is most interested in: to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves. Everything hangs on this love, this eternal divine action of growth and life.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Monday, September 12, 2022

  Monday, September 12, 2022 Psalm 33 Habakkuk 1:1-11 Ephesians 1:1-14 In Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. The lectionary has taken us from the beloved disciple to one of the most beloved of Paul's epistles: Ephesians. Paul must have loved this church very much: we get a sense of his fondness for them and their shared sense of purpose and worship just from the introduction. In what is likely just an introduction to a letter in the style of the ancient Roman world, Paul has managed to squeeze in the entire, wondrous story of God's work of redemption. Paul has framed it the way it ought to be framed: in a pastoral, encouraging tone. He has three main points here (remember, Paul proceeds logically to build up an argument, unlike John who circles around his main point). First: God intended to save us before the world was formed. Think back to the first l
Read more

“Short time or long – I pray to God not only you but all who are listening become like I am, except for these chains.”

  Monday, September 11, 2023 Psalms 28; 29 1 Kings 7:51-8:21 Acts 26:19-32 Observance: Deiniol, bishop (d. 384) “ Short time or long – I pray to God not only you but all who are listening become like I am, except for these chains.” The great many blessings of being under the protection of the blood of the Lamb fill our hearts with joy and peace. To have the Almighty Creator of the universe, the One who sits above the flood, filling the temple of our being with the cloud of His presence is what it truly means to be human. Every day is filled with adventure; every night turns to the rest of the victor. Certainly there are chains: sometimes they are physical chains, the suffering of being a Christian among people who do not love the Lord. Sometimes they are spiritual; the attacks of the powers of the air who try to distract us from the One we love. But they always fall away. Our Rock of Ages always frees us; always brings us out of the pit of despair. A won
Read more

Monday, September 19

  Monday, September 19 Psalm 45 Nahum 1:15-2:9 Ephesians 4:17-28 ...be renewed in the spirit of your minds... It is far too easy to read some of these Pauline lists of virtues and vices and feel like we have gone back to the dark days before the Reformation. The idea that if we behave ourselves then we can call ourselves “good people” is pagan, not Christian. Paul feels very strongly about how Christians behave, he “affirms and insists” upon it. But it is because of what has already happened that we should mind our step, not because of where we are going. Christ's resurrection is many things, but one aspect relevant for Paul's teaching this morning is that it demonstrates to us the radical new reality in which we now live. We too have passed (spiritually) from death to life; therefore, we experience a “renewal of our minds”. Instead of treading water until we die, we live lives. Everything now makes sense: God has spoken, so we have logic. God made us in His im
Read more