We continue with selections from The Justification Reader by Thomas C. Oden.
"Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse in order that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:8). Theodoret argues that "'refuse' means the denser and harder part of the chaff. It carries the grain but is discarded once the grain has been collected."
The grain...the Good News...the Gospel of the Reign of God, is the life that is promised by the God who gave to Israel the law. The law was not and is not bad. It is that wonderful protective covering that holds the vision of the Good News. Now that the Christ of God, Jesus, has come, the grain has been revealed in its fullness and the chaff the law...as good as the law is...is not the way of righteousness. Rather, we have this one who has made us righteous - made us the beloved community...before we are even able to do a thing to deserve it...for we cannot! The beloved of God in Christ are given our place and our world and our life...handed to us. The life is that which we see unfolded in the one we call Lord, Jesus. Yes, we fumble around and do not seem to match up to the vision in all of its glory, and yet, we are picked up and place within the vision again and again - for Christ's sake.
Connection: I am one who holds the 10 commandments as a focal point - a devotional point - as a follower of Jesus. Today, remind yourself or remind others, that our status before God is a gift to us. Therefore, we are free to look at the beauty of the life that is contained within the 10 commandments and the command to love God and love neighbor.
Forgiving God whose compassion is the overwhelming power of our lives, this moment in time is as fresh as the very first moment of time created by your Word. Remind us of the beauty of life that is available to us as your beloved children. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment