Romans 5 begins with Paul’s message that the atoning sacrifice of Christ restored and secured our needed relationship with God. We have been given peace (shalom) with God.
Meeting God
Whenever we encounter the divine, we are called to leave changed; we should leave behind everything we’re holding, and accept the newness that He is eager to provide.
Finding Meaning
After his conversion to Christianity, Tolstoy wrote a gut wrenching novel on the lesson to live a life of purpose and avoid superficiality.
Romans 4
Paul’s message in Romans 4 that righteousness has always been bestowed through faith and the grace of God is pivotal to the understanding of his letter. There was never a moment in which we earned a position of righteousness through acts of piety.
Permission To Be Honest
In the most honest account of grief and suffering available, we are invited to join in Wolterstorff’s grief as well as his discovery of a God suffering with him. Lament for a Son invites us to grieve with a level of honesty few dare to consider.
Avoiding Encounters
Intellectualism is often a defense mechanism against the life changing dangers of intimate encounters. Our intellectual pursuits should exist to increase the expense of our encounters with God and others.
Romans 3
In Romans 3, the apostle Paul engaged in the debate regarding the value of the law. Paul boldly stated the necessity of upholding and uplifting the law but only with the understanding that redemption and righteousness come only by faith.
Remembering Wise Teachings
Works of Love is a powerful call to the Church to pursue a life defined by “you shall love your neighbor;” Kierkegaard’s message from nearly 200-years ago cannot be lost to the dusty libraries of only a few. If we are to grow as the body of Christ, we must remember and value the wisdom of the saints that came before us.
Romans 2
Romans 2 shouts the unwavering warning to not stand in judgment. Paul, early in his letter as preparation for the foundation of the gospel message soon coming, eliminates any inclination toward judgmentalism by remind us that we are all equally guilty.
Facing Addiction
The Christian understanding of addiction should always inspire understanding, grace, and compassion; we should not turn a blind eye to those suffering through the captivity of self-inflicted consequences and nor should we condone or enable addictive behaviors—but we should always proceed from grace.