September 5, 2021
Scripture Intro Rev.
Peter Hofstra
Our
passage today is from Romans chapter 8.
This is Paul’s letter to Rome and it is considered by many theologians
to be his magnum opus, his grandest achievement. It was written later in his life, after his
missionary journeys, in consideration of his final journey, to the capital of
the Empire. To that end, instead of
being a letter than answers the practical issues of the churches he helped
found, as is the usual structure of his correspondence, this is written to
introduce himself to the church in Rome.
The
themes Paul deals with come from his own experience, the themes of death to new
life, of speaking of the renewal of the creation, of the power of the Holy
Spirit.
In
speaking of coming from death to life, remember Paul’s beginning. He persecuted the church, arrested its
members, actively participated in killing its members, Stephen in
particular. Then Jesus came upon him and
he was converted to the cause. He spent
his life in the gratitude of that forgiveness that Jesus gave him. Yes, there are sinners, but what special
punishment awaited the sinner who persecuted the assembly of the forgiven? This transition affects his writing
powerfully.
It is
commonly assumed that Paul is of the Pharisaic class, given how well he knew
the Old Testament, and how he realized Jesus fit into its patterns. In today’s passage, that is reflected in his
reference to creation. Humanity was
created as the caretaker, the steward of creation. When we fell, creation did as well. And creation is awaiting the emergence of the
children of God to carry out God’s work of redemption.
Over
both these themes is Paul’s work to reveal to us how God is not simply going to
redeem us, but also unite humanity with Godself. The power of God, exercised through our
Savior, Jesus, brings this unity, carried out in the work of the Holy
Spirit. In Paul’s thought, an order of
salvation has been drawn, with big words like justification and sanctification
and glorification, all working to describe in human terms what God has
accomplished in Jesus on our behalf.
These revelations can be found throughout Paul’s writing, but they seem
to be concentrated in this particular letter to the Romans.
In
writing to the Romans, Paul appears to be laying the foundation for systematic
understanding of God’s work in Jesus. As
his life continues and the Second Coming had not yet come to pass, Paul seems
to understand that the knowledge of Jesus, the work of the Spirit, and the love
of God have to be laid out for coming generations to understand. In our verses this morning, our focus will be
on how God has adopted us as God’s children, through Jesus as the firstborn of
all creation.
No comments:
Post a Comment