Romans 1

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Romans 1

The Power of the Gospel

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, ‘The one who is righteous will live by faith.’ &#10013” Romans 1:16-17 nrsv


Bravery is not one of my strongest suites. Acknowledging my faith and position used to come so naturally when I was in college but now is wrapped up in fear of how people will perceive me. Nevertheless, I am not ashamed to call myself a Christian nor of the message of salvation it brings. I have consciously decided not be a Jew or Catholic and have comfort in my home within the Episcopal Church.


The gospel is based in faith to both Jews and Gentiles. This resonates with me coming from a Jewish heritage with Gentile components. Christianity is my spiritual home and where I have laid my head since high school.


God is revealed through faith. His existence and works are not a proposition that is proven in a court of law. Despite Jesus’ witness and acts to reveal God’s love and presence, the spiritual key to start our journey is faith. Once we overcome this barrier of entry, our compass’ align, our needs for proof diminish, and our joy begins.

The Guilt of Humankind

The Open Door

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse; for though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened.” Romans 1:18-21 nrsv


The true atheist will quickly point out the illogical, contradictory, fallible, statements of faith. His or her need to be in control of their beliefs and actions creates a steeple chase of obstacles. When pushed to reveal their view of science or systems of order, often they concede without hesitation on nature. Accepting an invisible force that guides the plants and planet is never really questioned. Why then is it so difficult to take the next step and place the same belief into God? Their faith in a set of invisible rules that randomly came into existence is so easy to accept; however, the same framework bars acceptance into a cosmic understanding of spiritual forces. The letter to the Romans, in the first eight chapters, tackles this paradigm head on and forces the unbeliever’s understanding of the world to be placed upside down, shaken vigorously, and viewed from a different perspective, hopefully with a clear path out and forward to a new journey.


The scene in The Longest Day of the trapped soldiers on Omaha beach, clinging to the little shelter available, as death rained down upon them from entrenched positions above, comes to mind. In the Hollywood reenactment, the brave General gathers whatever explosives are left, pushes the engineers to enact a plan to blow up a section of the sea wall, and the troops poor through a crack overwhelming the German enemy. Faith is the force that will open an exit.



“When one door closes, another opens;
but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door
that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”


Alexander Graham Bell


I experience this every day. Colleagues and department members try to make logical and informed decisions which I find are riddled with errors and bias. My impression of their attempts to make sense of this world without the recognition of God seems senseless.

Gender Identity

“For this reason God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error.” Romans 1:26-27 nrsv


I have enjoyed the past seven years television series The Game of Thrones. One element of the story line is the defense of the Wall, made of solid ice, that separates the peoples of the North from the wildings and dead people resurrected as zombies. Civil war has erupted between the kingdoms just as the Night King is summoning his forces to destroy the Wall with myriads of zombies and kill all of civilization. The battle is on two fronts.


The hero, John Stark, knows he needs to embrace the wildings, people banished from society and left to live on their own on the other side of the wall. They face freezing temperatures and contact with zombies that should annihilate them all, yet they survive and in some manner, even flourish in some instances.


The key to victory is a small band of ambassadors venturing off to first find and then seek peace from with wildings. To destroy the wall and defeat the powers of death would require all humans to unite together.


Each generation deals with a social issue that challenges, or more poignantly attacks, their beliefs and understanding of Scripture. In my lifetime, issues of racial inequality, women’s rights, abortion, and slavery, have all impacted my life at times. I still live in the shadow of the Holocaust and stand as a third generation survivor, a Gentile living among Jews.


It is gender equality that has defined my spiritual journey and at times professional life more than any other social issue. As I began to empathize with my gay friends, I found myself standing on one side of the ice wall and witnessing gay people living in isolation as wildings, humans separated by society, but accepted if they conformed.


Befriending a gay Christian man in college, who was in the process of embracing his own identity by “coming out,” at a time in the early ’80s where there was great peril to reveal yourself, where the “gay disease” of AIDS was just making national news, was a life transforming event. I witnessed and shared in his struggle, listened and cried with him, and befriended a life long friend. He was the best man at my wedding.


The issue has transformed other classmates. My senior year roommate became a Methodist minister and fights publicly and unashamedly against the pain inflicted on gay Methodist followers and the injustice inflicted by the Church as year after year the Methodist Synod either tables or refuses to change their canon laws to accept fully gay brothers and sisters. He risks censorship or banishment for performing weddings within the church. He was a groomsman and God parent to my son.


My biases and understanding of gay people were formulated by my childhood growing up in New York city. Gays were queers who populated Greenwich Village and the term was used as an insult. I was open to socializing with gay men, in fact a friend from another private high school was flamboyant and shocking, but written off as attempts to draw attention to himself. He denied his homosexuality when my social group knew before he did where his desire lay. In hindsight he was attracted to me but never crossed a line to approach me. When I began to date a girl seriously for two years, he faded from orbit and memory until several years ago when we reconnected on Facebook.


My closest friend in college could not open the book of Romans. These two verses were the Wall in his life, tall impregnable as well as cold and filled with hate. As we served as leaders of our college’s Christian Fellowship group, we never studied or tackled Romans 1:26-27.


Similar to John Stark, I ventured outside my element to listen, learn, and empathize with my gay friends. The truth to unlocking an understanding of very condemning language was incorporating all God’s children perspectives within the same definition.


Understanding sexuality requires learning all points on a scale. Shattering the traditional interpretation of natural vs. unnatural requires a new paradigm.


The second half of the sentence, has traditionally been used to condemn gay men, claiming they have wild sexual passion for each other. Their actions were “shameless” and they would “receive their due penalty.” Conservative and literal interpretations have surmised this penalty would be amongst the worst sins committed and places such people into a state of hell.


I am of the belief the verse is more directed to sexual assault and one person forcing him or herself onto another person either through a power situation or rape.


More recently, I was introduced to the Genderbread Person.

In this scientific study diagram, new definitions of gender are revealed. A person’s gender is not a binary choice if either male or female. It is not determined by your anatomical parts. The issue is far more complex. In fact gender is divided into four pieces:

Biological Sex

What physical characteristics do you have that have resulted in society labelling you as either male or female.

Sex

Recently this has been divided further.

Sexuality Attracted To

Who are you physically attracted to?

Romantically Attracted To

With whom do you wish to engage into a relationship?

Gender Expression

How you you present yourself to the world in terms of dress, character, mannerisms, style

Gender Identity

How do you perceive yourself in terms of gender that can range from none to fully male or none to fully female.

Gender Identity is therefore your “natural” deposition. It is following your understanding of your own sexuality. To pretend or appear as someone different is “unnatural.” While Paul uses this binary choice for “women” given our modern understanding, I believe a pronoun is used to encompass all people.


Seen through this perspective “intercourse” ceases to be a sexual act. It shifts to more to Gender Expression and relationships. If we remove the restrictions of the pronoun “men” and replace it with “people with different gender identity” the two verses would read:

For this reason God gave people expressing false gender identities up to degrading passions. People expressing false gender identities exchanged their gender sexuality attraction for false sexual attractions, and in the same way also the people expressing false gender identities, giving up sexual acts with others with similar identities, were consumed with passion for others not similar to themselves. People committed acts of sexual misconduct and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error.

Of course this a cultural interpretation that is open for debate. The Gay Christian’s website⁴ offers similar views and others as it relates to the overall context of these verses within the arc of chapters 1-3. Of note, Paul does not single any other group of sinners in these three chapters; therefore, it is inconsistent to believe he would condemn homosexuality in this argument against idolatry.


My gay friends have ultimately searched themselves, their thoughts, their hearts, their desires, and their actions. They have gone through deep soul searching and contemplated the Gospel. They tend to know themselves far better than my heterosexual entourage.


Those who embrace their true gender identity and live in an open society express the pease they have received. Those who find a path back into the Church, when they are welcomed, often express how close and strengthen their relationship to God has become. Living in the truth is living with righteousness.

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” Psalm 145:18 nrsv

“Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness.” (6:14) nrsv

“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.” Ephesians 13:4-6 nrsv

Godless or God-fearing

“And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind and to things that should not be done. They were filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, they are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious toward parents,foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. They know God’s decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die—yet they not only do them but even applaud others who practice them.” (1:28-32) nrsv


A debased mind is one of a lower standing. A framework void of a relationship with God begins a second journey. The faithful path becomes obscure and at times impossible to locate from this more common road. Traveling for some distance on the popular road leads to the onslaught of several conditions that each appear in your personality. These are the symptoms:

wickedness

Not a term I use often, suggests actions performed by a person that are in nature evil or intent on causing harm. I see this more in people with their words or actions rather than physical harm. Wickedness suggests to me actions that intentionally result in emotional pain or discomfort.

evil

Evil to me is a noun. It is a supernatural force that acts upon humankind in the absence of goodness. The more self absorbed or narcissistic a person becomes, the father he/she/they moves away from God and the closer to evil they become.

covetousness

One of the ten commandments: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. ” (20:17) nrsv Being happy with what you have and with whom you live is a daily challenge. Getting rid of stuff is liberating and downsizing can change your perspective dramatically.

malice

Unlike wickedness, malice is thought to do harm to another person. Plotting to cause pain shows intent beyond merely a reaction; it is a desire to see others suffer.

envy

Recognizing someone else’s advantage over other people and wanting the same power in your life. Envy leads to malice and selfishness.

murder

“You shall not murder.” (20:13) nrsv. Simple enough on the surface in the most literal interpretation. We should not kill each other. As a verb, murder has other meanings including tease, torment, mutilate, mangle. We should not dress down others verbally. We should not harass others.

strife

A verbal fight or contentious argument. These can be very painful.

craftiness

Skillful or clever but with a note of deceit or a sense of “getting away with it.”

gossips

Someone who spreads information about other people and delights in the reaction it causes. Often the story is slightly scandalous. Gaining pleasure in sharing other people’s expense. This has been a particular weakness of mine in the context of office politics. Knowledge is power; people often only share if you can provide gossip.


Interestingly, Choate has a published Statement of Expectations⁵ which includes these statements:

• Use words constructively, avoiding gossip and other inappropriate or unproductive
  
  dissemination of information.


• Maintain high standards of honesty, avoiding deception, half-truths, and deliberately misleading words or behavior.

slanderers

Where gossip is sharing truths about a person, slanders are spreading lies to defame a person’s character. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” nrsv

God-haters

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me”(20:2-3) nrsv and by extension you will worship me. “He said further, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.” (3:6) nrsv

“You are my witnesses, says the Lord,

and my servant whom I have chosen,

so that you may know and believe me

and understand that I am he.

Before me no god was formed,

nor shall there be any after me.

I, I am the Lord,

and besides me there is no savior.

I declared and saved and proclaimed,

when there was no strange god among you;

and you are my witnesses, says the Lord.

I am God, and also henceforth I am He;

there is no one who can deliver from my hand;

I work and who can hinder it?” (43:10-13) nrsv

insolent

or overbearing. This is a result of not listening to another person and having empathy for their position. To be insolent is a state of judgement and arrogance.

haughty

Interestingly, I often find the English a bit arrogant and know it alls. They are haughty, “showing an attitude of superiority and contempt for people or things perceived to be inferior,”

boastful

The desire to promote our accomplishments in a braggadocio manner is another means of trying to exert position over someone else.

rebellious towards parents

“Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” (20:12) nrsv.

foolish

Lacking good judgement or discretion. Poor managerial qualities.

faithless

Untrustworthy, a mortal sin in my department. If you make a mistake own it and take responsibility. If you lie, can not work on your own to accomplish tasks, then there is no room in my inn to work.

heartless

Spiritless, cruel.

ruthless

Merciless

In an era where we are taught to think positively, instead of looking at we should not do; instead, let’s examine each term’s antonym.

wickedness	virtuous (having standards, morality, valor)
evil	goodness (beneficial, uplifting, favorable character
covetousness	fulfillment (execute, satisfy, potentialities)
malice	affection (fondness, disposition)
envy	benevolence
murder	delight
strife	agreement (craftiness, candidness)
gossips	listeners
slanders	respect
God-haters	God-lovers
insolent	humble
haughty	acquiescent
boastful	shame
rebellious towards parents	obedient towards parents
faithless	trustworthy (dependable)
heartless	benevolent
ruthless	kind

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These antonyms align with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (5:3-12) nrsv

Romans 2

The Righteous Judgement of God

Do Not Pass Judgement

“Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things…” (2:1) nrsv


These verses stings a bit. It is almost natural to look at the world through a binary lens, us vs. them. While it is hard enough to maintain one’s own journey, it is far too easy to claim exclusive knowledge and judge others for their religious beliefs or lack of them. Evangelism when I was younger was so much more clearer—believe in Christ or be open to all the bad things the Bible promises. Now my life is much more a beacon and I wait for people to ask instead of approaching first. “No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lamp stand, so that those who enter may see the light.” (8:16) nrsv

Listen to Your Conscious

“They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, to which their own conscience also bears witness; and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them on the day when, according to my gospel, God, through Jesus Christ, will judge the secret thoughts of all.” (2:15-16) nrsv


We often speak of our conscious, the morality within us to know intrinsically whether a thought or action is right or wrong. This debate peaks my interest in philosophy and accounts for my undergraduate major. Does the confirmation of Jesus, and subsequent deliverance of the Holy Spirit, result in the formation of a conscious? Is baptism part of this gift? Those who are evil, how does it come to be that they lack a conscious? How is slavery justified with such morality?

The Jews and the Law

“For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. Rather, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart—it is spiritual and not literal. Such a person receives praise not from others but from God.” (1:28-29) nrsv


Since the entrance to God’s acceptance is an act of faith, confession, and then transformation with the acceptance of the Holy Spirit, the emphasis is on an internal, conscious, decision. No public display of conformity or ritual act is sufficient. One of the main tenets of this epistle is introduced regarding hypocrisy of Jews who publicly embrace the Law but inwardly have not accepted God into their lives. Do you believe what you say? Do you live your life searching for the meaning of Scripture or is it merely ritual habit of reciting phrases as a part of a religious service?

Romans 3

Righteousness through Faith

Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For “no human being will be justified in his sight” by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. (2:19-20) nrsv


The argument made by Paul is the law applies to all (Jew and Greeklater Gentile) and not strictly to the Jews. Adam’s actions are inherited to his off spring. The law pertains to those descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Not all children are accepted into the household of Israel and their paths are left out of the testaments. The law, nevertheless, pertains to them and therefore is born from the knowledge of sin. Here I view “sin” in the context of the aforementioned conscious a knowledge of good versus evil (or sin). 21 But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe…


Paul now turns to the new covenant between God and his people. He has finished his argument that God is no longer exclusive to Jews. Entrance is open to all by faith in Jesus Christ and belief in his part of the Holy Trinity.

The Gift of Grace

…For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus. (3:23-26) nrsv

Grace

God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.

“For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” (8:9) nrsv

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” (2:8-9) nrsv

Grace is a gift from God, to us through the crucification and resurrection of Christ Jesus, activated by faith, and once accepted, leads us to salvation. The acceptance of grace and in return having faith in Jesus results in forgiveness of our sins. The core message of the gospel is outlined here. The gift hints at the arrival of the Holy Spirit in our lives, a them upcoming in Paul’s work.

One God for Jews and Gentiles

“Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one; and he will justify the circumcised on the ground of faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.” (3:29-31) nrsv


All who seek to know God are welcomed to do so. Entrance into the Kingdom is no longer a product of who your mother was or physical attributes, There is one God and a new law to guide us all.

Romans 4

God’s Promise Realized Through Faith

“For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith.” (4:13) nrsv


The shattering of the exclusivity access to Jehovah to only the descendants of Abraham is revolutionary. To convince his audience of a change in theology is as difficult to faith in a risen Lord. In chapters 4 and 5, Paul walks through the traditional teachings on first Abraham and then Adam to hammer his central tenant of righteousness through faith and not works, or obedience to the law.


These are arguments for the Jews to accept. They are important but the logical proof at this time did not resonate with me. His conclusions are more interesting starting in chapter 5.

Romans 5

Results of Justification

The Joy of Salvation

Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony is among my favorite pieces of music. Before I heard my first Beetle song, I knew all of Beethoven’s nine symphonies and could distinguish one conductor’s interpretation from another. My father thought the fifth was overplayed and popularized into the mainstream with it four note brass announcement that spelled the letter V in morse code, or Victory for the Allies landing at Normandy.


I liked the third symphony, especially the third movement “Scherzo (Allegro Vivace)” a playful interlude with the strings racing around the main theme. I had played the ’cello since third grade in my elementary school orchestra. The third was wonderful to play as well difficult due to the speed of the piece.


The seventh was Beethoven’s masterpiece, despite the popularity of his later and last symphony the ninth. The seventh is monumental with the exploration of themes and different phrases that are instantly recognized around the world today. I still internally find myself singing portions of the seventh especially the fourth movement “Allegro con brio.”


My father was on his third marriage in 1963 when he became a parent for the second time. He would manage to stay together with my mother until he passing nineteen years ago. A German immigrant in 1942, who denied his Hebrew background, served proudly in World War II for his new country to defeat his home, a people that stripped his citizenship in 1938 and threw him any my grandparents out seizing all their belongs.


I grew up with classical music playing everyday from his overpriced stereo system. The living room of my parents apartment still have a wall full of classical recordings on aging vinyl. He rarely watched TV, except for sports, and if the turntable was not spinning he tuned into WQRX, the all classical New York radio station, broadcasting both live and recorded productions. Classical music, as long as there was no singing, which he thought ruined the music, was his spiritual and mediative place of zen. He was most at peace drinking a Cognac, smoking a pipe, and listening to Germanic composers. Beethoven was only one of his old friends, Bach, Mozart, Hayden, Brahms, Richard Strauss also found their time filling our apartment.


There was no better conductor in the world that Hebert von Karajan, principle conductor of the famous Berlin Philharmoniker. One of my father’s most triumphal days was a trip with me and my mother to West Berlin in 1974 to hear the master conductor conduct the greatest piece of music ever written. I remember it vividly and it ranked among the best experiences of my childhood.


Beethoven’s seventh was provocative in 1811-12. His work was written shortly after the defeat of Napoleon and celebrated the restoration of Vienna from French forces. Some understood the genius of the work while others speculated out loud if Beethoven had gone crazy. Overall, the symphony is a grand exhale and subsequent celebration after a long war.


While the more famous slower and more somber second movement, the Allegretto, is part of any classical pops repietour, it is the fourth Allegro con brio movement that makes my favorite playlist. Exploding with a frantic pace, the movement has a heralded announcement that is carried by the horns and kettle drums. The emotional response in the Austro-Hungarian court was a great desire to dance.

“Later writers characterized the Seventh Symphony in various ways, but it is striking how many of the descriptions touch on its frenzy, approaching a bacchanal at times, and on its elements of dance. Richard Wagner’s poetic account is well known: “All tumult, all yearning and storming of the heart, become here the blissful insolence of joy, which carries us away with bacchanalian power through the roomy space of nature, through all the streams and seas of life, shouting in glad self-consciousness as we sound throughout the universe the daring strains of this human sphere-dance. The Symphony is the Apotheosis of the Dance itself: it is Dance in its highest aspect, the loftiest deed of bodily motion, incorporated into an ideal mold of tone…







“The Symphony’s dance elements, vitality, and sense of celebration are conveyed principally through rhythm. It is not the melodies that are so striking and memorable as the general sense of forward movement. (At times there is no melody at all, but simply the repetition of a single pitch.) The first movement (Poco sostenuto) opens with the longest of Beethoven’s introductions—indeed the longest yet in the history of the symphony, that leads (by way of repeating just one note) into the main body of the movement (Vivace). The famous A-minor Allegretto is framed by the same unstable chord to open and close the movement. The form is ABABA with the opening section using a theme that is once again more distinctive for its rhythmic profile than for its melody. The movement builds in intensity and includes a fugue near the end.

“The Presto scherzo brings out the dance aspect even more. As in some of his other instrumental works, Beethoven includes two trio sections. The Allegro con brio finale offers a tour-de-force of energy and excitement. As throughout the Symphony, part of the distinctive sound comes from Beethoven’s use of the horns. The work is in A-major, which gives a brightness not found in the composer’s earlier symphonies.”⁶

“Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (5:1-5) nrsv


The pronouncement in the beginning of chapter 5 are exaltations with words such as justified, faith, peace, grace, rejoice, hope, glory of God. They are triumphal words of joy. Pease usually follows war and is valued far more when lives are lost to secure it. After a prolonged war, the victors celebration inspire sudden relief often in the forms of dancing. The Allegro con brio.


Whether the sufferings are extreme, war, or personal, Parkinson’s, they are parts of the journey. These challenges shape our lives by the gift of the Holy Spirit that molds us in stages from endurance to character to hope.


Hope is our lifeboat allowing us to paddle forward.


Why think so much of the Allegro con brio with this passage? There is a spiritual component to music which is mysterious. Music is thread which ties experiences in our past to memories or understandings of today. I think it can bundle scripture as well.


My poor handicapped father had to endure my teenage rebellion as I blasted Led Zeppelin through the walls of my stereo system. The music he shared with me is as natural as a second language.

Adam and Christ

“Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. But law came in, with the result that the trespass multiplied; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, just as sin exercised dominion in death, so grace might also exercise dominion through justification leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (5:18-21) nrsv


The concept of sin is always a stumbling stone that needs constant attention. It is similar to brushing our teeth. No matter how diligent we are with brushing, flossing, and receiving regular dental checkups, left untreated, our teeth will rot, cause infection, be a source of great pain, and ultimately potentially kill us without proper care. Despite our best intentions, sin returns in our lives requiring acts of contrition by asking for forgiveness.


An interesting side note is God’s attempt to provide us a owner’s manual, the law, did not have the intended consequence of decreasing sin. Instead the opposite occurred, sin multiplied where God had to go to plan B with the “nuclear” option.

Romans 6

Dying and Rising with Christ

“What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” (6:1-4) nrsv


The first five chapters of Romans outlines the qualifications and agreements between us and God. To summarize:

• God is Lord of the Jews and the Gentiles (or non-Jews). All who wish to seek him are welcome.


• We have free will to either believe in God or not.


• Those who choose to believe will exhibit qualities traditionally considered “good” or pleasing; those who don’t will drift ever more into a self-centered cosmos whose path may lead towards evilness.


• The bridge from our current position to communion with God is belief in Jesus as the Christ and the crucification and resurrection as passage way out to a new relationship with God.


• The first and foremost action required from us is faith.


• The second action on our part is baptism (although this outlined more in detail later on the book).


• In return, God gives us the gift of grace.


• Additionally, God resides inside of us with the arrival of the Holy Spirit with our acceptance of grace.


• There is great joy and pease at this moment of acceptance.


• Our lives will not be easy or void of suffering; however, the events we encounter will shape our character and strengthen or belief as long as we continue in faith.

With the end of chapter 5 and continuing through chapter 7, Paul turns his attention to the issue of “sin.” What forces sweep us off-course? Why? How will our lives change?


He begins with this question: If we are forgiven of all our sins through Jesus Christ, sins committed in the past, now, and in the future, can we engage in sinful behavior without consequence? His answer is a resounding no!


The impetuous child will ask “why not?” Paul begins his answer by outlining exactly what happened when we agreed to believe in Jesus.


Whether we realize it at the time or not, our transformation or rebirth, is tied to Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. We have a new life, we are reborn.


“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (6:5-11) nrsv


Two aspects of sin are revealed here. The first is our old nature is enslaved to sin. We are bound and ruled by sin until we die and live again without sin through Jesus Christ.


The second is sin leads to death, Christ’s death and rebirth has broken our enslavement to a new standing in freedom.

Romans 7

The Law and Sin

’But now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we are slaves not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit. What then should we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart from the law sin lies dead.’ (7:6-8) nrsv


Paul is in deep thelogoy at this point. (Queue Beethoven’s 7th Symphony second movement the Allegretto.)If we are freeded from sin through Jesus Christ, does that mean the law which shaped our Jewish ancestors is equivalent to sin? Was the law so difficult to abide in our lives the only result possible was to sin?


There is a management expression “knowledge = power.” Ten years ago I dabbled in writing a frequent blog. My best entry during the brief flurry was titled “IT Director = Campus Bartender”


”I have always thought that my tell-all book chronicling experiences with information technology in the secondary boarding school world would be entitled “I am the Campus Bartender.” One chapter would compare the types of people served:

Regulars

Similar to the pub down the street, I have regulars who seek me out on my travels across campus and at various tables in the Dining Hall. They are quick to share experiences, gossip, and stories reflecting their journey with technology. There are good days of excitement (usually when I give them a new computer) and frustrating days when things crash. They need a daily technology fix, brag about a tidbit of cyber information, and generally want to share more than listen. Regulars tend to share much more than just technology factoids. They also probe for other general news. They are beer drinkers.

Misery

Some people only go out for a drink when they are at their lowest points. They want a great deal of attention and empathy, their world is coming to an end, and basically all they want is a ear to flush out their anger or desperation. This group never visits an IT office except in these situations and hates any form of change imposed by the technocrats in their upper campus red brick offices. We seem them when a hard drive fails and nothing has copied to another hard drive or file server. In fact, when offered a new computer every third year, the old one often has to be yanked from their hands, as they grasp for life to the familiar, letters worn off the keyboard, filthy machine, that has the fan running constantly from clogged dust inside the CPU. They never concede the joy of a new computer, instead, they ”get used to it.” Time is always problem and any interaction with IT is wasted time. They drink shots of the hard stuff.

Party

This group is often identified with students. One person arrives with an issue and a company of friends or an entourage flows into the Help Desk for “moral support”. However, this behavior does not escape the adult faculty members. Traveling in packs, one seeks help and suddenly the others in the group suddenly remember some lingering issue that has beset them for months. When questioned why assistance has not been sought, the answer is often “I know you are busy and I didn’t want to bother you.” We see these flocks of happy people from time to time. They are always pleasant and courtesy and are welcomed any time. They often leave with laughter surrounding them. They drink wine or fruit based drinks.

The Big Tipper

Some faculty and staff members, who have repeated issues and feel guilty about their constant visits and pleas for help, often feel the need to say “thank you.” This group returns with homemade chocolate chip cookies, beer, sweets, and other gifts of gratitude. An army may march on its stomach, my Help Desk loves sugar. The big tipper is spotted from the moment they arrive in the office and is greeted with open arms and big smiles. They drink mixed drinks.

The Drunk

Completely addicted, a nerd to the core, the drunk wants the latest and greatest immediately when it is available on the market. They are sensitive and try not to monopolize my time. They suppress their excitement until critical mass has been reached. Then a long session of sharing occurs. It more of a vocal volcano erupting. The line between personal and school technology is blurry as this person will often buy the hottest items if the school is too slow in responding. Always willing to try something new, the drunk changes his or her classroom constantly and leap frogs from one technology lilly pad to the next. They drink whatever is affordable or the special of the day.

The Old Timer

This has nothing to fo with physical age. It is more people who have been through generations of technology. They tend to be happy, go luvky, folk who will always remind you of such things as the mimeograph, triplicate green bar paper with the rip ogg holes on the sides, the days before email or phones in every dorm room, life on the DEC VAX, CompuServe, and the list can go on and on.They have a particular passion for history and reflect back on the progress or lack of it in technology. They drink seltzer water but on an occassion one glass of very expensive winre or champagne.

The Family

Often two parents who are both teachers, this group may also contain children who are students at the school. This group tends to be unpredictable. In some cases one parent plays good cop and the other bad cop, and in others both are as gracious as possible. They have many prospectives but are generally physically and mentality tired. They are looking for the quickest resolution with the least inconvenience possible. The adults hardly ever consult their own children for technical help because at this stage it is awkward to have a conversation on any topic other than the absolute basics. They drink soda with the kids, vodka without.

The Younger Single Guy or Gal

This is a group I like to serve. They have not become cynical. They have recent experiences to share and are open to pilot new things for us. Hard to classify, their interactions with the Help Desk is more of potpourri of the previous types. All in all they seek technology for a variety of reasons. They only drink mixed drinks with cool names.

The Bartender

That’s me. My role is to meet each of these people on their turf. Technology has become a common denominator in their lives. What often starts as a saga in technology often drifts into their personal and professional lives. A requirement for our relationship is my ability to keep confidences. They trust me. I am a constant. I listen. I serve them in their time and at their barstool. They feel comfortable. Sometimes they tip. They always come back.”

To succeed in office politics is to create trust relationships and as a result have knowledge of how people think and feel. It in times involves gossip, which Paul warns against in Romans 1:29. Knowledge of a person’s situation is showing emphathy.


Where the trouble begins is when we begin to use this information for own gain. Keeping the confidence of others and doing nothing, except pray, is the law. Our temptations to profit from the knowledge is the beginning of the misligned car, forcing us off course towards the guard rail and into an accident.


‘So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.’ (7:21-23) nrsv

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1. www.episcopalchurch.org/way-of-love↩︎


2. There are a few expectations where I have transformed actually Scripture due to conviction and belief. Romans 1:26-27 is one such example.↩︎


3. Sam Killermann. The Genderbread Person v. 3. Part of the site “It’s Pronounced Metrosexual.” https://itspronouncedmetrosexual.com/2015/03/the-genderbread-person-v3/↩︎


4. https://www.gaychristian101.com/does-romans-12627-condemn-homosexuals.html↩︎


5. Choate Statement of Expectations↩︎


6. NPR Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92. Interview with Conductor Christopher Eschenbach.
   
   https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=548166↩︎

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