Exposition by Max A Forsythe
Christ Covenant Reformed (PCA)
A
long time ago, the story was told of a math teacher who wondered why things fell
to the ground.
After wrestling with the forces of gravity through experiment and
formula, he took a break from his studies for a walk through the country.
According to the well-told tale, he laid down for a nap under an apple
tree.
And when he was rudely awakened by a gravity-drawn fruit, he awoke with
more understanding than when he lay down.
Now there have been many experimenters and questioners about the
phenomenon of gravity before and since.
Yet, all of those who lived before Newton were still under the force of
Newton's laws just as those who live after Newton.
Gravity and its pull on things has been with us since creation.
In a higher theological sense so has Jesus Christ been with the Father
and the elect since the beginning of time.
Since that beginning our triune God has been calling people to Himself
and instructing them in His righteousness.
In fact, just as gravity worked before we understood it, so has the
marvelous grace of our Lord worked before the plan was revealed in Jesus.
The
problem is that the Lord's people in all ages have not been overly enthusiastic
about being righteous!
Before Jesus Christ, life under the law may appear to have been
marginally possible.
After all, the reasonableness of the ten commandments is almost
approachable by many pagans.
“Do
this and live,”
God encouraged the Israelites through the prophets.
But the people's hearts were not on fire to obey the Lord their God.
Instead, they were continually drawn after other gods and habits of
living which were thought to be more fulfilling.
Isn't that the general argument today for all sordid types of lifestyle:
fulfillment?
Counselors
have argued for most of this century that it is bad to reign in heartfelt
desires.
The true paranoids in this century, we are taught, are those who would
repress their feelings and desires.
Well, do we have the wide open freedom hoped for by many, or are we
people under certain regulations?
Paul
does not have to think twice about these questions in our passage from Romans.
He would argue that we are slaves to our Master and our God because we
are bought for a price.
Now, there is a novel idea not dwelt on much in our time.
We Americans would be free from any and all such notions.
I remember when one of our couples at Seminary took the Christmas tour to
Israel.
While this couple was in Palestine, the husband was approached in an
open-air market by an Arab who had admired his wife.
He was offered a camel in trade.
My friend became curious.
How valuable, in Mideastern terms, was his lovely wife -- two, four, six,
eight camels?
Or was she as valuable as a princess with an offer in double digits?
After fifteen minutes of haggling the offer was all the way up to
twenty-six camels.
Quite a valuable sum at the time.
The Arab went into a rage when he was told that it was all a game and
that no, no price would be accepted.
Now, not too many Americans may know what their true value is quite as
well as this particular wife.
And as I remember the situation, like Queen Victoria, she was not amused!
But
our price is much more than a mere twenty-six camels, or even the six million
dollars needed to build an appropriate size robot with a humanoid appearance.
The price paid for us is the very broken body and spilled blood of God's
only Son: Jesus Christ.
Yes, very many Christians can accept that teaching.
However, almost as many believe that there are many and assorted freedoms
that come with the purchase price of God's grace and mercy.
Too many people believe that their lives are their own to live any way
they see fit.
Paul would certainly argue with that concept.
He would have us understand that there are real limits to our lifestyle
and behavior.
We cannot continue in sin by choice if we belong to Jesus Christ.
If we regularly choose to sin, he would have us understand that we are
slaves to an entirely different master, an evil one.
But thanks be to God, he says, you who belong to Christ learn to obey His
form of teaching.
By accepting this teaching, we should note that the nature of our Master
is exposed as being Jesus Christ.
It
is a wonderful thing to affirm our calling by obeying our Lord because we
earnestly desire to please Him who died on the cross for our sake.
But, you may well say, this calling to holiness is not easy.
Paul realized that, and he recognized our human weaknesses.
So he argues from that very human standpoint.
If you were once naturally weak, then you must remember when you followed
your own way and did whatever pleased you the most.
At that time, as the Bible would allow, we were natural men and women; we
were untamed and wild in our abandonment of our Lord.
In
the last few weeks, our extended family of felines have been affected by the
weather, and by some seasonal diseases that affect many cats.
Also, one of the Tomcats has been bullying the growing kittens.
All in all, the health of the neighborhood cats has declined considerably
in spite of the food and water that we make available in several places.
As usual this time of year, their numbers have begun to decline.
Even the half dozen chosen pets, who actually have names, are loosing
weight and sniffling.
Of course the store cat, the only one with a flea collar and regular
access to the air-conditioning, was taken to the veterinarian when she caught a
cold.
We even have to pry her mouth open to squirt in her daily dose of
medicine.
How little does she appreciate the calling of her election to be worried
over and given the medicine that is for her benefit.
We may well wonder whether Lady B Good would prefer a wilder life, to
take her chances without the life-preserving medicine?
Paul reminds us that we, too, were once free from restrictions; we did whatever we darn well pleased and we never used to worry about the Lord's will. Where, Paul asks bluntly, did that mindless, sinful condition lead us? And what benefits were offered for a life of sin? One of my students was once very interested in a particular young lady until he met her previous boyfriend. At that point he lost all interest, because he knew what the competition was like. He did not want to date anyone who thought so little of herself that she would go out with such a character. Do you really want to hang around with the Devil and all his kind? If you would, the Lord will not have you at the end. For four years I worked with a young man who was drawn to the wicked lifestyle of the Sodomites. But every step back from the brink of death and destruction increased his desire for what he ought not to have ever wanted in the first place. How much more should he have wanted to be finally free from sin in the eternal presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we grow in grace, our attraction to our Lord also increases. And like glue that thickens and firms up while it is held up close, so may our attraction to the claims of Christ and our desire to obey His law increase as we regularly seek to do His will. Would we be slaves to our Master? Then let us learn to please Him well and in so doing put on more and more His righteousness as He prepares us for eternity in heaven.
Resources Used: The Holy Bible, New International Version
Places Preached:Bruce, F.F. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: Romans. Dodd, C.H. The Epistle of Paul to the Romans.
Christ Covenant REFORMED (Presbyterian Church in America) Post Office Box 13926 - Columbus, OH 43213-7926
Rom06c.htm 03 October 89 & 20 August 95
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