Romans 6 - Wednesday 1st May

Today’s chapter is Romans 6

Tom writes:

The robustness of our hope is so extreme that some could see it as a licence to sin. If the atonement really did birth us into a new race then we can’t be un-birthed. If a glorious increase is guaranteed then why bother putting in the hard work to be a good boy? It’s the classic risk of a trust-fund kid becoming a profligate playboy. The fact that Paul has to spend significant time addressing this question shows how strongly he asserted the certainty of our huge inheritance. In no way does Paul downplay the reach or resilience of God’s favour on our lives; that is guaranteed. Instead he takes us back to the maternity ward to show us the plan behind our rebirth. He assures us that our new parents are liberators. Father, Son and Spirit are pioneer philanthropists setting new standards of glorious generosity. If you realise that, you are a numbskull if you don’t then entrust yourself to their care. Everything they do is kind and good. But Paul does not just leave it there. He reminds us that storing up future wrath was only part of the tragedy of sin. Sin was also bad because it enslaved us and ashamed us and rotted us from the inside.

Sin tormented us and abused us and pushed us ever closer to death. God’s generous plan in making us a brand new race was to free us from that toxic slavery. New birth would enable us to live a new life, a liberated life imbued with delicious holiness. Perhaps it is Paul’s understanding of holiness that packs the biggest punch in this passage. I used to think of holiness as hard work or inhibiting. But Paul presents holiness as delight. Holiness is a short-hand description for the joy-filled, love-consumed, peace-exuding presence of God. Holiness is a badge of honour. Wanting to be holy is to desire the family likeness, it is the flourishing of freedom and the fragrance of eternal life. It is becoming like a pioneer philanthropist all across your life. And - get this - holiness is within our grasp. Holiness is already being nurtured in us by our new parents. All we need to do is count ourselves dead to our old life and then to cooperate fully with the Father, Son and Spirit who have adopted us as his own.

Question for reflection

In your mind, how attractive and beautiful is holiness, how would you describe it?

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