I spent the past week or so working my way through Paul's letter to the Romans. It has been said that Romans is the "summit of the New Testament", with Chapter 8 being the pinnacle. Well it sure felt like climbing a mountain to me - steep, difficult and exhausting! Does anyone else find the middle chapters of this book, where Paul contrasts being "under the law" vs. being "under grace", rather tough to read at times?
What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet." But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death.
For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! But in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it produced death in me through what was good, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful.
Maybe it's just me, but I find that rather difficult to follow.
Anyways, back to the mountain climbing - once cresting the peak of Chapter 8, I found the descent considerably easier going. And on the way down I stumbled across this nugget:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
I love that. There is so much in there that grabbed me:
"May the God of hope" - hope in this case does not mean something wished for, but something to be sure of, something we look forward to: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1).
"fill you with all joy and peace" - no just some, but ALL!
"as you trust in him" - this is a journey, not instantaneous: your joy and peace will grow as your relationship with God grows.
"so that you many overflow with hope" - may your hope, your certainty, be so apparent that it affects others!
And how is this accomplished? Not by anything we do (lest we boast of ourselves) but "by the power of the Holy Spirit".
Amazing Grace and Eternal Peace to you today,
Bruce
May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peaceas you trust in him,
so that you may overflow with hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Romans 15:13)
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