For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham…” vs. 16
Romans 4:13-17
As Paul searches the scriptures in his attempt to communicate the wonder of the gospel to the Romans, he decides to use Abraham and not Moses as the model for the new life in Christ. Abraham knew nothing of the law–all he had was faith, a deep and profound trust in the grace of God. And Paul tells us that this faith is the key that unlocks the unconditional love of God for every single one of us. We shouldn’t imagine, however, that it’s easy to trust in grace, especially when we’ve been trained from youth to believe that everything depends on what we do. “Just do your best,” say our parents and teachers. But what in the world is that? And how will we know when we’ve done our best? The best news that any of us can get is that it doesn’t all depend on us. Not only are we communal creatures, in Christ we know that salvation is already ours. We already have the gift of eternal life and all that entails. What a relief it is when we can put aside our perfectionist ways and accept the unconditional love that is ours by grace. Only then, as we bask in the joy of simply being, do we become what we have been created to be.
Thought for the Day: Have I done my best?
0 Comments