Today Paul continues his theme about the gratuitousness of God’s love and salvation for us (Romans 4:1-8). He uses Abraham as an example. Abraham is the father of the Jewish people, the great patriarch of the Jewish nation, the true example of a “justified” person. But he also preceded the introduction of the Mosaic Law and knew nothing of such a law. How could he be “justified” by works, by adherence to the law, when no such law even existed when Abraham lived. Much of what Paul is saying is directed to his fellow Jews and his choice of Abraham, the ancestor of all God’s people, is not without significance.
Could Abraham have been justified before God merely on the basis of what he had achieved in his lifetime? Jewish tradition, preoccupied with Abraham’s loyalty and his fortitude under trial, had made him the outstanding example of “justification by works”. The Jews believed his greatness was in what he achieved. Paul agrees that Abraham certainly could have grounds for making that claim. However, he asserts that this justification and these works have, at their source, Abraham’s faith. Paul asserts that Abraham was justified by his faith alone.
Paul believes that he has Scripture on his side. He quotes from Genesis (15:6): “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” There is no mention here of him doing anything. He was rewarded purely for his trusting faith in God. Abraham had kept no law (it did not yet exist), rendered no service and performed no regular ritual that earned credit to his account before God. It was his belief in God, who had made promises to him, that were credited to him as righteousness.
There are three ways in which the quotation can be understood. Because of his faith, God had conferred on him an uprightness that was not his when he came to believe. Paul argues that in God’s eyes, faith and uprightness are so interdependent that they are inseparable. A person who has totally surrendered to Jesus and his Way, in faith and trust, is going to be a good and loving person, or at least, moving inevitably in that direction.
The story of Abraham gives several examples of this faith and trust. He was first asked to leave his homeland and go to a distant land where his descendants would live. He did so. Although his wife was well beyond the age for childbearing, God promised that Abraham’s descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the skies or the grains of sand on the seashore. Abraham put his trust in the Lord’s word, and he did indeed have a son, Isaac. Then, sometime later, God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, the only legitimate heir who could give him descendants, and Abraham trusted God and proceeded to do the Lord’s bidding. Once his faith was proved, God stopped him at the last moment.
Paul finishes by quoting David (Psalm 32): “Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity and, in whose spirit, there is no deceit.”
It is as if God no longer chooses to see the bad that we have done and removes from us all guilt. Even so, that does not mean we can just sit back and relax and continue doing what we know is sinful. We cannot say, “Why worry? All I have to say is, ‘I believe in the Lord Jesus’ and God covers over all my sins.” We need to open our hearts to that loving compassion of God that has been revealed by the pouring out of Jesus’ blood on the cross. That must have an effect on my behavior. I have to say a big and unconditional ‘Yes’ to Jesus’ invitation actively to follow him, even though it will happen only with his help all the way. It will mean saying an equally big ‘No’ to many things that I know are in conflict with the Way of Jesus.
It is important to remember, too, that the root of the sin is not in the action, but rather in one’s relationship with God. Once I am fully reconciled with Jesus by throwing myself at his feet in faith and sorrow, he takes me back in exactly the same way that the father of the Prodigal Son took his wayward son back. All is forgotten; healing has taken place. The relationship is fully restored even though the effects of my act may still endure. God only sees me as I am here and now. And I respond to him in faith, here and now.
After yesterday’s confrontation with the Pharisees and Scribes, Jesus now turns to the crowds (Luke 12:1-7). We are told that they were gathering round him by the thousands, so densely packed that they were trampling on each other. They were hungry to hear a man who had spoken in such extraordinary and daring ways to their religious leaders. But Jesus begins by first speaking to His own disciples.
“Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, their hypocrisy.” The fermenting characteristic of yeast is seen by the Jews as a corrupting agent. That was why they only use unleavened bread at Passover. The corrupting agent in the Pharisees was their hypocrisy. On the outside they pretended to be what they were not on the inside. “Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known.” Eventually, the hypocrisy of the Pharisees will be laid bare. In contrast, the followers of Jesus must practice transparency. And, although much of the teaching that the disciples received was in private, ultimately all will have to come out and spread what they have learned in the open.
The Church is not a secret society. The Church is, of its very essence, evangelical. Its purpose is to share the vision of Christ with the whole world. This is crucial to the setting up of the kingdom, the accepted reign of God in the world. “Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops.”
But spreading the Good News will, at times, involve dangers. The Gospel will be resisted; it will be seen as a dangerous threat to other views of life. Christian teachings will be called “hate speech” by those who do not believe. Christians will die simply because they are followers of Jesus.
But physical death is not the worst enemy. It is an end that we will all have to face one day, sooner or later. We should not fear death, in and of itself. What we should fear is being one who denies Christ and dies in a state of denial. When we have faith in Jesus, whatever threats hang over us, we are not to fear. We have the example of many before us who have gone to their deaths in peace and without hesitation. They knew they had a clear choice: everlasting life and joy in Jesus, or condemnation to the eternal hell of our own making.
Our duty is clear: to proclaim the good news of the Gospel with openness and integrity and not to fear the consequences. We are not alone. God is with us.
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!