One of the ministries I've been entrusted while serving this community in South Korea is a bible study. People from in and out of our community as well as non-Christians have been attending all with differing motivations; some to grow in their English speaking, some unsure and sometimes even hostile towards the idea of Christianity, and finally the people who are genuinely seeking to grow more in their faith. This has made for a very interesting blend of discussion but I've been gleaning so much from our times and I want to tell you about it!
The last couple months we've been battling through the book of Romans. A book written by our good friend Paul who by the Holy Spirit began to unpack the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Christians in Rome. Unfortunately for us bible students over 2000 years later, trying to follow Paul's symbolism, illustrations and elusive techniques of communication have been a struggle to follow. Fortunately, a couple years ago I had the privilege to invest 9 months of my life to carefully dissecting all 66 books of the bible and what God was trying to communicate to us today. It's been a great opportunity for me to put into practice all the knowledge I had obtained from my bible school.
Dead to the law, alive in the grace of Jesus. This is the blanket theme of the book of Rome. Paul was speaking to a group of people who, for thousands of years were programmed and accustomed to the Law of Moses, a rulebook of almost a thousand laws and prohibitions. Their relationship with God was defined by sacrifice. They understood that their sin required an offering in order for them to be forgiven and declared (by the priests) justified before a holy God. They would need to adhere to an impossible list of commands to be good. This 'mission impossible' (in terms of pleasing God) was to cause a sense of failure in themselves. This helplessness forced the sinner to find a solution to his sin problem outside of himself. He needed a Savior since sin was and continues to be the separating factor between us and our great Father.
Good News! When God sent his Son Jesus as the atoning (perfect and satisfying payment for sin) sacrifice for all mankind, the institution of the law became void. There was no need for the law anymore because Jesus lived a sinless life making that law ineffective for the rest of human experience. Jesus paid the price that man just couldn't pay. Because of Jesus there was no more need for performance and a sense of striving to get into God's 'good books'. This is why the good news was and is SO GOOD! God has not only forgiven our sins through Jesus' death and resurrection but has put the Holy Spirit inside of the Christian to move and direct them in a personal way. The barrier between God and man was restored through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The GREAT news is that we can be in communion with God through the Holy Spirit. GRACE, the free gift that we didn't deserve!
Amazing Grace! Paul's mission in this book of Romans was to communicate to a people who were so inclined by the concept of performance in their relationship with God that all they had to do was accept this idea of grace. God's unmerited favor! Paul knew that this would be a challenge for them to grapple with since humans operate on the mentality that nothing is free but that everything is earned through hard work.
Interestingly, even as Paul was so intent on communicating this idea of grace we still struggle with accepting it today. After exploring the first few chapters of Romans one of our members came out in all honesty and said "I just don't understand justification, (justification=Jesus making us justified before God) how can our sins be just excused without us somehow earning it". It's too good to be true isn't it? I think it was this same question that drove John Newton to write the most popular hymn in Christianity 'Amazing Grace..how sweet the sound'. I love how Brennan Manning puts it in my favorite book 'Ragamuffin Gospel':
"The poor man and woman of the gospel have made peace with their flawed existence. They are aware of their lack of wholeness, their brokenness, the simple fact that they don't have it all together. While they do not excuse their sin, they are humbly aware that sin is precisely what has caused the to throw themselves at the mercy of the Father. They do not pretend to be anything but what they are: sinners saved by grace."
What a freeing reality! I think God's problem isn't with our sin, its our denial of our sin. Have you ever felt that you're so messed up and beyond repair? There is one member in our group who is a non-Christian. She complains that every time she comes to church or Bible study shes confronted with how sinful she is. I say to her 'Praise God!' Why? Because the consciousness of her sin and brokenness is only going to lead her to the only one who can free her from this condemnation and guilt.
I know God is faithful to reveal himself to those who call out to him with a pure heart. Bible Study has been a time great to just submit and let Gods word permeate into every corner of our lives. My prayer is that we would lay hold of our nothingness before God and therefore enter into the deepest reality of our relationship with Him!
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
May the Slaughtered Lamb receive the full reward for his sacrifice!
