Sometimes portions of scripture seem elusive. Remember, it is translated from an ancient language, often using illustrations and metaphors from an ancient time, from an ancient culture. Not all portions of scripture are like this, but some certainly are. These verses in Romans can be confusing, especially verses 5 through 8. Here is re-write I feel captures the essence of the truth God conveys.
People, all of us included, have a terrible habit of arrogance. We even try to tell God what is best, and worse, we become deeply offended when the sovereign God of all creation reminds us that He has everything under control...and that while He loves us deeply, He doesn't need our help. On the contrary, we are the ones desperate for His help.
Each of us are born with a curse, human nature. Our natural inclination is selfishness and while we may have commendable moments, we are sure to slip back into our self-centeredness. We think that if we just try harder, make a stronger effort, we can change. That too is part of the curse of our humanity, the arrogance of total self-reliance.
There is only one hope for humanity and that hope is Jesus. He came from heaven to earth to live a perfect life, never once a moment of selfishness, and then submitted Himself, voluntarily, to a physical death from which, He rose from the dead. In doing all this, He broke the power of the curse over mankind. Even if you discover some power, a power that no one in all of human history has yet to discover, to begin living a perfect life...and you should know that God says no such power exists apart from Him...but just for the sake of argument you discover such a power...you still are left with the pressing question, "What about all the wrong, all the mistakes, all the hurt, all the sorrow I've caused already?"
Jesus' death on the cross stands as the greatest act of courage in history, never to be surpassed as long as the human race endures. He took the punishment for every selfish act ever committed by every human being ever to live and who will ever live in the tomorrows of history. There is only one way to be forgiven and that is to give Jesus our complete devotion and in that moment, we become the benefactor of His death, we stand forgiven.
But there's more, Jesus doesn't just offer forgiveness, He promises true power to change, to be transformed, to begin to break free from our natural inclination for self-centeredness. In the moment of our giving complete devotion to Jesus, in that moment of being forgiven by God because He sees we've accepted Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf, something miraculous occurs. God comes and fills us with His Spirit, amazing isn't it! And now, with His power at work in us, the same power that created the Universe in all its splendor, the same power that raised Christ from the dead, we can begin to learn how live a life free from the curse of our humanity. We still won't get all the way to perfection, but we'll make it farther than we could have ever dreamed possible, and we'll make it into eternity with God because of the forgiveness we have now received. And oh yeah, by the way, this promise is for anyone, I mean anyone who would only believe.
Believe!
Pastor Fred
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