A COROLLARY TO MY LAST BLOG!

I cited Romans 11, 32 in my last blogpost:

“For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.” Rom. ‬ ‭11,32

That he may have mercy on all, means that ALL may be elected in Christ – for salvation on the basis of grace.

God wants ALL to be saved (1Tim. 2,4), and his mercy extends to ALL. That does not mean that all will be saved – each of us must respond with faith to the Gospel message – God’s outstretched hand.

Thus to be a Christian according to Paul, is to be ‘in Christ’. The expression means to be part of God’s new creation in Christ, part of the new age of the Spirit. The implication of this for our relationship with God, is that we are justified and made righteous before him in the name of Jesus.

I want very briefly to explain three important words: sin, justification and righteousness. For so much of our thinking in ethics, is based on the legacy of Greece, and Greek philosophy – without us even knowing it. It is super important, that we give these words the meaning they have in their biblical context.

SIN

When we think of the word sin, we often think of individual wrongdoings. However, sin is not in the Bible first an ethical, but first a relational word. It denotes a wrong relationship with God, leading to wrong actions. In Romans 1,18-32, Paul describes Man without God: This non-relationship is idolatrous and based on human pride. Man has replaced the only true God for a no-God that is in the last instance, himself. This he has been able to do by wilfully suppressing the knowledge of his Creator, knowledge that should have been his, had he but contemplated the natural world. He is without excuse!

This is what the Bible terms sin, and it leads to sinful actions. It is the sin of Adam, whose story is lurking in the background of Paul´s mind, as he describes the heathen world.

The only way to have a right relationship with God, is through faith in Christ. When you became Christians says Paul,

“…. you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Cor.‬ ‭6,11‬ ‭

JUSTIFICATION

The verse above says that we were justified. What does that mean? It means that God does not impute our sins to us, but instead declares us to be righteous because of what Jesus has done. We are by no means declared to be sin-free! That we are declared to be righteous, means that we are declared to be in a right relationship with God. We have not yet ceased to sin, but we have ceased to live in it.

RIGHTEOUSNESS

Righteousness is thus, like sin, a pre-ethical word. It stands first for being in a right relationship with God. But being in a right relationship with God leads to right actions, leads to righteousness (ethically).

CONCLUSION

Dear Christian friend!

This means that God has accepted us in Christ! We are justified! And we are righteous! We are still sinners, in the sense that we still commit sin. But we are no longer sinners in the sense that we are without God! We are very much with God, and he is very much FOR US!

This affects the way we think about ourselves and our relationship with God! It is SO MUCH his will that we come before him without any condemnation and fear; that we come BOLDLY before his throne; that we are able to come with faith!

And those of you who read my blog know that great word παρρησια/parrhesia – confidence, boldness – to speak freely without fear! See my blogpost BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT!, for more info on that word, and examples of places where it is used in the New Testament.

SO BE ENCOURAGED! HE IS ON THE THRONE! IN THE END ALL THINGS WILL BE WELL!😀👍