There once was a man who was very devout in his faith.
He read the scriptures and studied the laws, so he knew them by heart. He practiced his faith in his personal and social life. He defended God to all he met, and he challenged anyone who opposed his understanding of God and how God works in the world. Until one day, when he lost his sight. This is the beginning of a character development and every good story – like life – has a problem or challenge with which to deal.
Whether you recognized it or not, I was thinking about Saul, who became Paul, after his eyes were literally opened by God. Because it is in the challenges and struggles of our lives that we receive an invitation to a deeper, more genuine faith. It is also true that every life encounters some challenges or problems through which we must find our way – whether we do it well or not, whether we learn that we need others or not, whether we take the help offered along the way or not.
Our scriptures for today were written by Paul in an effort to unite the Jewish and Greek Christian communities.
Do you know what unites a community? A common goal or a common enemy. Paul actually begins his argument in the verses right before today’s scripture.
“I’m not ashamed of the gospel: it is God’s own power for salvation to all who have faith in God, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. God’s righteousness is being revealed in the gospel, from faithfulness for faith, as it is written, the righteous person will live by faith.” – Romans 1:16-17
This is the heart of Paul’s letter to the Romans. God’s salvation is a common goal the people seek. And is given because of God’s righteousness. Our failure to be God’s people as fully as God hopes is our common problem, and this is outlined in our scripture.
Paul reminds us that although we could learn about God through creation, God is God and creation is not God. Creation is a “mirror dimly,” to borrow from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, through which we can learn about who God is.
“Ever since the creation of the world God’s eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been seen and understood through the things God has made.” – Romans 1:20
But we tend to worship creation rather than the creator. We tell lies and say they are truth. We commit injustices and say they are God’s will. This is where change has to happen!
This was true of the Jews and the Greeks! This is where we, too, have to change!
But the Good News is that in Christ there is a new creation emerging.
Romans 8 is a scripture of hope in the face of all that is wrong with the world. Paul was VERY aware that he was writing to people who were expected to name Caesar as Lord and the grantor of salvation. Paul was preaching that role belonged to Jesus Christ, Son of the only true God. To Paul the hope he offered was that Jesus Christ was the beginning of the new creation and therefore, God’s redemption of the world.
In this passage those who follow the Spirit, are the children of God – adopted by God – and as such we are to inherit eternal life through Christ.
For context, it is important to understand that adoption in the Roman world was done by fathers who adopted sons to have an heir for their inheritance. Remember, women could not do anything with an inheritance without a male legal guardian.
Although the adoption of God’s children has a divine reward, like the life of Christ, there will be hardship and suffering in the process, too. And so we live with faith and hope. We make mistakes, and we learn from them so we can do better. We live and love one another with all our faults and foibles.
And we give thanks for Jesus Christ for God’s grace and the inheritance of eternal life.
May it be so. Amen.
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