Well we did it. We got through 16
chapters of the book of Romans. As I’ve stated before, if you held a gun to my
head and told me to pick my favorite book of the Bible, it’d have to be this
one. Let’s see what Paul has to say to them (and us) in these last few verses.
I know that I ended yesterday’s
verse with vs. 20, so I guess I shouldn’t include it with this one, but I love
it too much to exclude it. He starts with a wonderful promise (“The God of
peace will soon crush Satan under your feet”), then with an intended blessing: “The
grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” That’s the essence of the Good News—God’s
unmerited favor shown towards us through Jesus Christ. Sorry if you've heard this before, but someone told me a long time ago that grace stands for “God’s riches at Christ’s
expense,” and that’s a great way to put it.
He takes a moment to send greetings
from the people who are living and working alongside him. There are just a few
that I’d like to note: Timothy (whom he considered
a son, about whom he said
“I have no one else like him), Tertius (who was Paul’s amanuensis for the
letter), and Gaius (with whom Paul and others were staying). Even though he wrote the letter under the
inspiration of the Spirit, behind him were countless servants who (humanly
speaking) made it possible.
Per usual, Paul squeezes 10 pounds
of theology into a five-pound bag. These last three verse summarize (or at
least touch upon) the main points of Romans. What do we learn about God and
ourselves?
·
He
is able to establish us. That means we’re safe and secure, not just safe in
the arms of Jesus, but as safe as an arm of Jesus. Even though we
might fall from time to time, we don’t fall very far or very long. Not because
of our strength (duh!), but because of his.
·
He
establishes us “according to” the Good News about Christ. It’s in line with,
and empowered by, the Message. This Message
“is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” It’s how
God saves us, not just from the penalty of sin, but from the daily power of
sin, and ultimately from the very presence of sin.
·
It
was a “mystery hidden for long ages past.” Remember, the word “mystery” isn’t
referring to something we figure out on our own like a detective novel. No, it’s something so deep and so beyond our understanding that any human endeavor to
unwrap it only ends up in frustration. It’s something that God’s hidden from
us, but has now revealed it to us.
·
Tense
is important: It was hidden, but now it’s been revealed “through the
prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God.” There are lots of things
that we’re never going to figure out about God, such as the nature of the
Trinity, the human/divine nature of Christ, how his sovereignty interacts with
human choices, etc. But the Good News of Christ has been revealed to all
humanity—at least in the sense of being available to all—and is now being
spread to the furthest reaches of the earth. We certainly don’t understand
everything about our salvation, but we know enough.
·
Why
was the Message given to us? Why were we saved? Well, yes, God loves
us and didn’t
want to see anyone perish. But another big reason—which we tend to overlook—is obedience.
Depending on how you translate it, you
could render it “the obedience that comes
from faith,” (which is certainly biblical)
but literally it says “the obedience of faith,” meaning that the Message is not
just an offer to be accepted but a command to be obeyed (like here).
·
The
Greek language didn’t have parentheses, but if it did, Paul would've used
them. He started verse 25 by saying “Now to him who is able to establish you. .
.” and finally closes his thought in vs. 27 by answering who this “him” is: The only wise God. To him be
glory forever and ever through Jesus Christ. It all started with him in
eternity past, it’s sustained by his grace, and the end of it is to give him
glory through his Son forever and ever. That’s what it’s all about.
Father God, what else can I add to this?
It all started with you, and everything rolls back around to give you the glory
you deserve. With everything I am and everything I do, I want to add to that chorus
of glory. In Jesus’ name.
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