Christian Life in Holy Spirit

Introduction

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Paul’s apostleship came to his as a gift through Jesus Christ. This is a reference to the call that was extended to him by the glorified Christ on the Road to Damascus. As an apostle, Paul was told to work specifically among all the Gentiles. Gentile nations are the ones that are distinct from the Jews. The purpose of his apostleship was to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. The ultimate goal of the apostleship was to bring glory and honor to Christ’s name.

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The recipients of Paul’s letter include all Christians of all times. In the Book of Romans, Paul teaches that what is integral to our salvation is the Spirit. He teaches that if one is bound to the law, he or she lives according to the flesh. Paul further states that continual to live under law mean that one is yet under sin. However a person who is in Christ is no longer under condemnation due to justification by faith. The Holy Spirit has come to set us free so that we can be transformed and offer our bodies to God. I believe that the evangelic church is yet to take advantage of the new law that sets us free.

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                                                               Christian Life

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Paul’s Opening Remarks

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The Book of Romans opens with Paul’s remarks regarding the power of the Gospel. Paul proclaims that he is not ashamed of the gospel. The reason behind this is the fact that the gospel is not weak and foolish as the world thinks, but instead, it is a tool of omnipotence, the almighty power by which sinners are saved by God. In some cases, a proper reason for shame may indeed be weakness and not power, and certainly not God’s power. Power is derived from English words such as dynamite, dynamo and dynamic to mean a sense of competence and capability to accomplish a given task. The world’s perception of the gospel being foolish and weak is totally untrue and could not be further from the reality[1].

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The power of the gospel is able to save those who believe. Hence, it is God’s power unto salvation. This is reflected in Romans chapter 1 verse 4 which makes the declaration of the risen Jesus being God’s son with the power to fully save mankind. In order to determine the sense in which the gospel is the power of God unto salvation, it is essential to differentiate between the gospel as a verbal message that is proclaimed by a preacher, and the gospel as the actual reality of which that verbal message communicates.  It is not the message on its own that plays the role of salvation, but Christ’s saving work of which the message informs mankind. The gospel is not only words that have an impact in human minds but also the works that have an impact on human sinful condition and its role in deliverance[2].

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Just like Paul’s critics in his own time, many Christians today suppose living apart from moral guidelines, principles, patterns, laws, rules or codes can not result to true righteousness. Paul was sure that this could be the case if one was rightly connected to Christ. According to him, true relationship with Christ entailed loving a neighbor, which resulted to fulfilling the fundamental purpose of the law. A novel life in Christ was a life controlled by the Spirit. Urgent tasks for today’s church include understanding, encouraging and proclaiming this alternative[3].

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The laws or rules can never be a justification for settling the issues that arise in Christian life in an arbitrary nature. On the contrary, these issues are to be thoughtfully considered in terms of the requirements of love. It is rather uncertain whether such reflection always leads to the right answer. But it remains if vital importance to take Paul’s reflections on such issues serious since they are perfect representations of our reflections[4].

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It is equally emphasized that, conforming to laws need not be legalistic. One may make the decision of conforming for various reasons. Paul often conformed and encouraged the Jews who believed in Jesus to do so too. Hence forbidding conformation would be as legalistic as to demanding it. Much of Paul’s letter shows devotion to discussing the nature of the said law-free life that is informed by the Spirit. Paul struggled with the fact that, even as the faithful experienced the Spirit working in them, they still experienced the flesh opposing and resisting. Freedom from the law does not signify freedom from intense struggle and tension. It is thus essential to comprehend Paul’s view of life of the faithful in addition to considering its importance in the on-going life of the evangelic church[5].

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                                           Salvation and Justification

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It is possible to describe salvation in both positively and negatively, in terms of what it saves mankind from and what mankind is saved to accomplish. Salvation delivers mankind from all the perils and consequences associated with sin. Salvation saves mankind to the blessed levels of glory and grace. Hence, the salvation that the gospel brings about is a form of process. With reference to the past, the faithful have already been redeemed from the penalty of sin into justification state. In regard to the present, the faithful are being delivered from the power of sin by sanctification process. As for the future, the faithful will be saved from the presence of sin in the end glorification.

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Today’s protestant churches confusedly and confusingly speak on the fundamental question of what salvation constitutes and how its can be attained. For the most part of Romans, Paul refers to “salvation” as the future. Paul spoke of their having been declared and made righteous and of the work of the Spirit within them, in reference to what already characterized Christian life. The faithful anticipated being resurrected with Jesus and the final glorification entailed in that, along with all creation attaining freedom. For Paul, that was “salivation” in the full sense, though he could use the word to mean the entire process that moved to the final termination.

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Closely linked to the question concerning the nature of salvation is the question of what enables people to enter Christ’s path. In this regard, Paul points to the death of Jesus as a vital event. The most popular explanation given today is that the death of Jesus led to atonement of human sins, and the redemptive effects associated with this attainment can be claimed through faith. This doctrine is supposedly Pauline[6].

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The doctrine of justification by faith alone was famously thematized by Luther. He primarily derived it from Romans. The questions of salvation and legalism are clearly linked to this doctrine. Recognition of the importance of the two aspects lead to asking what the translated words meant to Paul. The debate has mainly focused on “justification”. This idea is important to Paul and even more integral to reformation. It is unfortunate that the term has lost its currency in the evangelic church[7]. There is the need to recover its natural and essential usage, and close attention to Paul will enable the attainment of this goal. Forensic justification, which refers to God’s judgment of humans as righteous apart from actual righteousness on humans’ part, is necessary.

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The relation between faith and the gospel is another aspect that is worth noting. It is clear that faith has been represented as a condition for receiving salvation that the gospel provides. This implies that salvation as well as grace itself is conditional. This is contrary to Lutheran ideology that is given unconditionally solely to those whom God chooses to save unconditionally. In this regard, faith is not a condition for salvation, but rather among the gifts bestowed upon selected sinners in an unconditional manner[8]. The Lutheran ideology further holds the view that preaching of the gospel is a mere occasion in connection with which faith is bestowed by God. This implies that the gospel lacks the power to induce faith in the hearer[9].

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This is contrary to biblical testimony regarding the Gospel’s power. Paul clearly says in Romans chapter 10 verses 17 that “faith comes from hearing the message”. This means that the message contained in the gospel exerts a drawing power upon everyone who hears it. As free-will beings, it is possible for sinners to resist this power. Hence, the word’s calling is resistible and universal. This is contrary to the Lutheran idea, that God’s call is choosy and irresistible[10].

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After examining the fact that salvation is conditional, it essential to note that faith is not the only condition. Hence, it is true to say that faith is an essential condition for salivation, but it is an inadequate condition[11]. This statement has a likelihood of gaining immediate objection from a large section of Christendom, both non-Calvinist and Calvinist. After all, Protestantism has always been identified with the sola fidei principle, “by faith alone”. The idea of faith being the only condition for salvation is not right, and its basis entails faulty hermeneutics and false assumptions. For example, repentance is an additional condition that is necessary for salvation.

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                                     Righteousness of God

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Another point that Paul teaches is the heart of the gospel, which refers to whatever gives the gospel its power. It is identified in Romans as God’s righteousness. The biblical usage of the term righteousness demonstrates its meaning to be conformity to the appropriate and relevant standard norm. The law of God is the proper norm for human righteousness. Hence, when God’s law is applied to mankind, righteousness refers to conforming to the law of God or satisfying the law’s requirements. Paul point out that we are under grace and not under law. Moreover, we are not justified by works of law or personal conformity to the law of God but instead, we are justified by faith in the righteousness of God. Those with any hope of heaven do not trust their own righteousness but rather, God’s righteousness. Since many people are ware of the fact that their personal righteousness falls short of the standard norm, an alternative way of salvation, which is the revelation of God’s righteousness is good news[12].

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Martin Luther was unable to understand “the righteousness of God” phrase hence; he became angry with God and was totally unable to comprehend the book of Romans and the gospel. He later held the view that righteousness referred to something that was established by God and bestowed upon sinners as a redemption gift. This novel insight changed Luther’s entire approach to the gospel and resulted to the Reformation. The evangelical church has followed Luther’s thinking on this subject[13]. The gospel reveals righteousness as a gift given to sinners with the condition that they conform to the norm of God’s law or satisfy the requirements of the law. The gift is given to mankind in the form of a “robe of righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10), and it is worn as a covering that conceals “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Paul teaches this as “the righteousness coming from God” (Philippians 3:9), and as something that is owned by mankind in the same sense that mankind’s sins became Christ’s as he was dying on the cross[14].

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God imparts a righteous character to mankind through the gift of the Holy Spirit which is received in Christian baptism, so that Christians can become more righteous and holy as they mature in their faith. It is generally accepted that the righteousness of God is established by Jesus Christ, and set down to Christians’ account and counted as their own. This results in a righteous status and not a righteous character. The state of being justified is this righteous status. Therefore, justification is not the same as the righteousness of God, but is rather the result of God’s righteousness[15].

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Righteousness as an attribute of God requires Christians to be true to His nature in everything He does. Moreover, they must be true to His law through making sure that all the law requirements are fulfilled. A question that emerges is how God can save sinners and at the same time uphold the integrity of the very law that those sinners have sinned against. To answer this question, it is essential to consider the act of logos becoming flesh, which is the centerpiece of Christ’s work or the heart of the gospel. In reference to the law Jesus came as mankind’s substitute. This implies that he came to uphold the integrity of the divide law through satisfying the requirements of the law in place of mankind. To the evangelic church, this means that Jesus kept all the requirements of the law on behalf of mankind; then this active righteousness is bestowed upon mankind so that they many be counted as righteous. But this is a serious mistake. Jesus kept all the commandments of the law, according to 2corinthians 5:21, but this was something that was required of him just as it is of any other human being. This was also a necessity for his atoning sacrifice[16].

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In examining the sense in which Jesus satisfies the requirements of the law in our place so that God can save us and at the same time remain true to his nature as a righteous God, it is essential to consider the components of law. There are two components pertaining to the law. The fist component is that, we all have the obligation to obey. The second component is that, we must pay penalties if we disobey. Hence, if we fail to satisfy the law’s requirements for obedience, we must satisfy the law’s requirements for penalty. Either way, there is preservation of righteousness and upholding of the law. This is therefore the key to gaining an understanding concerning the righteousness of God. Jesus’ coming was to establish the righteousness of God by satisfying the requirements of the law in our place. His death and suffering constitute a kind of additional merit that can be shared with those needing it. In this way, God can justify sinners and cont them as righteous[17].

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Though the good news of the righteousness of God is the integral concept of the gospel, it is not the gospel’s sole content. The gospel also speak of Christ’s resurrection, and the saving gifts of justification and the Spirits indwelling as well as the gracious conditions for receiving the gifts, particularly faith[18].

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From the above discussion, it is evident that the evangelical church holds differing views from the actual teachings of the gospel. This is especially the case with salvation, where by the church believes every sinner is entitled to salvation unconditionally. The church fails to recognize the conditional nature of salvation and the essence of satisfying the requirements of God’s laws. The other ideology is the notion that faith is the sole requirement of salvation and Christian life. The truth according to the gospel is that there are other requirements in addition to faith for example repentance and baptism. These are just but a few opposing ideologies between the evangelical church and teachings from the gospel[19]. It is therefore evident that the evangelical church has yet to take advantage of the new law that sets us free.

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                                                   Conclusion

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The focus of Paul’s apostleship as well as the focus of the epistle to the Romans is the gospel, which is the good news of God. It is good news since it speaks of redemption rather than being lost. It gives a contrast between law and grace. Therefore we can be saved by grace through faith, apart from the works of law. Moat of the serious errors committed by christens such as the evangelical church is the ideology held that the gospel can be understood solely as contrasted with law. The problem is that they limit law to the Law of Moses, and hence see the gospel as standing in contrast solely with the Law of Moses. This contrast between grace and law has been present ever since God started presenting the good news of forgiveness, as far back as Eden. Those who lived under Moses’ Law knew God’s grace, though obviously not as fully as those who know Jesus himself.

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                              Bibliography

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Cobb, John, B., and D. John Lull. Romans. Danvers, MA: Chalice Press, 2005

Cottrell, Jack. Romans. USA: College Press, 2005

Kasemann, Ernst, and Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Commentary on Romans. Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1994

Magda, Ksenija. Paul’s territoriality and mission strategy: searching for the geographical awareness paradigm behind Romans. Mohr Sierbeck, 2009

Moo, Douglas, J. Encountering the Book of Romans: A Theological Survey. USA: Baker Academic, 2002

Moo, Douglas, J. Epistle of Romans. Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1996

Moo, Douglas, J. Romans. Michigan: Zondervan, 2009

United EvangelicalChurch. The Doctrines and Discipline of the United Evangelical Church. General Books LLC, 2010

Mulcahy, Eamonn. The cause of our salvation: stereological causality according to some modern British. Gregorian & Biblical Bookshop, 2007

Westerholm, Stephen. The Blackwell Companion to Paul. John Wiley and Sons, 2011

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