Reconciled and Enduring

Virtue of Fortitude by Botticelli

                                                              

Scripture:

Rom. 5:1   Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² 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. ³ And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ 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.

Rom. 5:6   For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. ⁸ But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God.  ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. ¹¹ But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Observation:

The “therefore” connects this section with the previous where Paul made it clear that all of humanity, including Abraham, were justified by faith, and not by works. This reiteration sets the stage for the next portion of the letter to the church in Rome. Because we have been justified, we are set at peace with God. Paul again used the language of “boasting” — but the only thing we can boast in is the hope that we find in Christ which results in “sharing the glory of God.” After Moses was on the mountain with God he returned to the Israelites and his face shining, reflecting the glory of God. This was temporary and the people asked him to cover his face for they were uncomfortable with God’s glory being revealed. This new sharing in God’s glory is not temporary, but is eternal, and about this we can boast. 

Paul went on to speak about suffering, a subject which we may not particularly want to embrace. Basil of Caesarea commented on the benefits: “For those who are well prepared, tribulations are like certain foods and exercises for athletes which lead the contestant on to the inheritance of glory. When we are reviled, we bless; maligned, we entreat; ill-treated, we give thanks; afflicted, we glory in our afflictions” (Basil, HOMILY 16). In other words, how will character be developed, if we do not experience difficulties in life and learn to endure? Chrysostom goes on to say:

Endurance produces character, which contributes in some measure to the things which are to come because it gives power to the hope which is within us. Nothing encourages a man to hope for blessing more than the strength of a good character. No one who has led a good life worries about the future. . . . Does our good really lie in hope? Yes, but not in human hopes, which often vanish and leave only embarrassment behind. Our hope is in God and is therefore sure and immovable (Chrysostom, HOMILIES ON ROMANS 9).

This sure and immovable love comes to us from God, and this is hope, which comes to us in our weakness. The early martyrs died for the sake of Christ, because Christ was worthy. Paul emphasized the fact that Christ died for us while we were still living in sin. We were and are not worthy of his death. It’s the death of Christ that brings about reconciliation between God and humankind, and this becomes another thing about which Paul can boast. Wesley says, “The whole sentence, from the third to the eleventh verse, may be taken together thus: We not only ‘rejoice in hope of the glory of God,’ but also in the midst of tribulations we glory in God himself through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the reconciliation” (Wesley, Notes). 

Finally, Chrysostom sums up this section:

Paul means here that we should stop sinning and not go back to the way we used to live, for that is to make war with God.

How is this possible? Paul says that not only is it possible, it is also reasonable. For if God reconciled us to himself when we were in open warfare with him, it is surely reasonable that we should be able to remain in a state of reconciliation (Chrysostom, HOMILIES ON ROMANS 9). 

Application:

Suffering and hardship are not things that I necessarily like. However, at my age (now over 60), I recognize that it was in the difficult seasons of life that I have learned the greatest lessons. Early on in our married life we learned the importance of working out our differences and figuring out how to work together and now, after 40 years we have discovered the beauty of endurance. When we were young and very poor we learned the importance of creating and living within a budget. We learned how to clip coupons and shop for the best buys on groceries during the week. I remember inviting people to our home for Sunday dinner because it was cheaper than going out with people (and also much easier to put our own kids down for a nap!). It may have seemed like extra work, but there were valuable lessons that I learned along the way. 

When we moved to Russia in the early 1990’s, I thought I had stepped into some kind of a time warp where the joke was that the local time was 1948. I learned to stand in line for food and rejoice at the arrival of frozen food from the “west.” I began to appreciate the phrase, “give us this day our daily bread” as the stores sold out of bread on a daily basis. We taught our children, “we are not picky people” — as we learned to appreciate all the little things in life. And while I know there are still lessons for me to learn, all of these experiences have gone into shaping who I am today, and I pray that they reflect the glory of God. 

Now, let us think about our spiritual lives. Because we have been reconciled to God — we are not his enemies. Enemies are engaged in an on-going battle to undermine those whom they are fighting. We are now on God’s team, and as such, should not be involved in anything that would sabotage the kingdom’s work. God’s work can become sabotaged by our own selfish behaviors. When we allow the daily focus of our lives to be on the things of this world, we will drift away from the endurance that Paul had in mind and not realize that we may have become engaged in discussion and/or behaviors which undermine the gospel of Jesus Christ. We begin working against reconciliation and become agents of enmity. 

When we are reconciled, we are put on the Lord’s side, and therefore we endure for the sake of God’s kingdom work. We endure self-denial, prayer, acts of charity, and sacrifice to participate in Christ’s kingdom. This isn’t about us, but it is about God and that is why Paul says that we can boast in the glory of God. God’s glory is revealed when God gets the credit. We become who we are through the grace of God, in the power of the Spirit. 

Every follower of Christ must come to grips with what it means to be reconciled to God. As Chrysostom says, “we should stop sinning and not go back to the way we used to live.” Reconciliation with God means a new way of living our lives, and this, in enduring service to our Lord. 

Prayer:

Lord, even when I fight against you, you are there. Thank you for your reconciling work. Please, help me to see past my own worries and concerns and live in enduring faith and trust in you. Amen.