Thursday, March 22, 2012

Romans 10:5-8


5 For Moses writes that the man who [can] practice the righteousness (perfect conformity to God's will) which is based on the Law [with all its intricate demands] shall live by it.
   
Why would anyone want to have to live by doing everything right, 100% of the time, through their own abilities, when we can live by Grace? Think about it, if we mess up under Grace there is no problem, we still are righteous, still favored, still blessed beyond expression, and everything still works out for our good, Romans 8:28! If you want to live under the Ten Commandments, there is a curse and misery if we mess up. Grace and laws cannot abide together.   

6 But the righteousness based on faith [imputed by God and bringing right relationship with Him] says, Do not say in your heart, Who will ascend into Heaven? that is, to bring Christ down;
    
7 Or who will descend into the abyss? that is, to bring Christ up from the dead [as if we could be saved by our own efforts].
    
8 But what does it say? The Word (God's message in Christ) is near you, on your lips and in your heart; that is, the Word (the message, the basis and object) of faith which we preach,

What our Father is telling us here is that it is always Christ empowering us to ever live to serve. Our Father’s power, or Christ, is always with us. He is always leading us and guiding us. It doesn’t matter how smart we are. It doesn’t matter how old we are. It doesn’t matter if we are sick, or have cancer, or have had a stroke, or are on medication, Christ is not limited by our flesh. We do not do works, or keep laws, to bring Him into our life’s. The power of our Father is always with us and because He is, there are no limitations whatsoever for us. We can be used to raise the dead, heal the sick, give to the poor, forgive those who are killing us, walk two miles when we are only asked to walk one, and bless those who curse us. 

Because we have Christ we can ask amiss and the Holy Spirit will take what we ask, turn it around and make it conform exactly to our Father’s will. 

So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groaning’s too deep for utterance. Romans 8:26

The Law doesn’t permit such Grace. Jesus has made us free and because He has, we are free indeed, John 8:36. 

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