pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: heirs


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Freed to Live

Reading: Romans 8:12-17

Romans 8:14 – “All who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons and daughters.”

Romans 8 begins with Paul reminding us that we are set free by the Spirit. As Paul develops his argument, he tells us that we have been set free from the law of sin and death. Living by and under the law of Christ’s Spirit, we receive life and righteousness. As we lean into today’s reading Paul reminds us that because we are living under Jesus Christ, we have an obligation. It is not an obligation to selfish or sinful living. That life leads to death.

Our obligation is to live by the Spirit, putting “to death the actions of the body.” Doing so we become part of verse 14: All who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons and daughters.” The Spirit of Christ adopts us as children of God. Therefore we don’t have to live in fear under the old spirit of slavery, under the ways of the world. We can remember the fears we felt back when we were children of the world: Am I good enough? Do I have enough? Amen I popular? Am I powerful?…

Living under Christ, our identity is rooted in our place in the family of God. Paul reminds us that because “we are children, we are also heirs.” Although we may suffer at times with Christ, we will also one day be glorified with him. This is the outcome of our faith: the salvation of our souls. Trusting in this we are freed to live as Jesus lived in this world, loving God and loving neighbor every day. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, what a blessing it is to live as your child, led and guided by your Spirit within us. Attune all that we are to your will and way, reflecting who and what you are to the world. Use our words and actions to glorify you. Amen.


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Unconditionally

Reading: Galatians 3: 23-29

Paul’s message to the Galatians is first and foremost that they are “Christians” – heirs to the promises of God.  Paul in implying that they are heirs to all of God’s promises.  He does not delineate to just a few of them but he implicitly states that as those baptized into Christ they are blessed with all of His promises.  This too is our view as contemporary readers of the Bible.  We see all of the promises made to Abraham, Moses, … as promises that apply to us as well.  Christians are not just a New Testament people, but a people of the whole Bible.

The people of Paul’s day felt a little conflicted about the full application of the Law.  We too walk this middle ground today.  We read and apply some of the Old Testament and the Law, such as tithing and most of the Ten Commandments, but we certainly do not follow all of the Old Testament.  For example we do not follow most of the dietary restrictions or the Sabbath laws and we do not celebrate the festival’s such as Passover.  We hold onto many of the promises and some of the Law however.  Those things that Jesus emphasized or instituted are followed – baptism, communion, serving the needy, and the two great commands.

At times our churches and we as individuals can function much like the faithful Jews of Paul’s day.  We can exclude or be non-welcoming to people who do not fit into our boxes or who do not conform to all of our expectations.  For some that’s how they dress and for others it is what part of town you’re from.  For some it is your ethnicity and for others it is your style of worship.  Our bottom line, though, is still the same: we are all children of God and therefore heirs to His promises of forgiveness of sins, eternal life, … and all are called to love all as Jesus loves us: unconditionally.  May we come to see all as welcome in His kingdom and may we live and love accordingly.