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MAKING SENSE OF SCRIPTURES DO WE HAVE A CHOICE? By Project Barnabas French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre said, “Freedom is what you do with what’s been done to you.” In Romans 8, Paul proclaims Christian liberty in a world of sin. Christians are not obliged to live a life of the flesh (v12) but are free to live a life of the Spirit (v9). Yet, all of creation groans with the imperfection of nature (v22) until its anticipated renewal. Then, Paul further compares nature with no choice (v20) to Christians with the freedom to choose to live beyond the conditioning of our circumstances. What exactly did Paul mean by that and how can we apply this to our lives today? The church in Rome was a mix of Jews and Gentile Christians who sometimes disagreed about what made a person acceptable to God and how the followers of Christ should live. With this in mind, Paul wrote a letter which encompassed most aspects of Christian living, ranging from theology to practical application. The apostle showed that the Law was incapable of producing sanctification or peace of mind but teaches that it was faith which made a person acceptable to God. This did not mean the Law was useless or that the people who followed it were no longer part of God’s people. Paul wanted to stress that only faith in Christ and the gift of the Spirit, rather than the Law, can cope with human sinfulness. To the cultural Jews, Paul was trying to explain that the gospel of Christ effected what the Law was incapable of doing in giving life (Christ came to fulfill the requirements of the Law!) and delivering from condemnation (8:1-13). The Law emphasised the soul’s captivity to sin. Christ’s sacrifice changed that and they now had a choice of living according to the sinful nature or according to the Spirit (8:4). Whatever they chose would have consequences of either death or life (8:13). We are slaves Basically, we get to choose whom we want to control us (8:6-8), whether to be a slave to sin or slave to righteousness. And that’s about as much freedom as we’re ever going to get in this life. But according to Paul, that’s not bad because it also means we get to taste what it is to live beyond the conditioning of our circumstances that is a life NOT under the control of the law of sin and death. Nature (either Jews who still live by the Law, or unbelievers who have God’s law written in their hearts) does not know the work of Christ and does not know there is an option to choose from. No matter how hard he tries, he will still fail and feel condemned by the Law. The condition of all creation is one of bondage and servitude – associated with imperfection, pain, sorrow, and death. It is just the way things are and we should not be surprised, therefore, if it is the condition of us Christians as well (8:22- 23). But Christians have hope. Practical reality shows us that the Christian is not immediately delivered from this but it is a working through which takes a lifetime of willful doggedness and daily dying to self through the renewal of our mind (12:2). No excuse Christians have no excuse to say “I can’t help it” because they have the availability of the Spirit who helps them in their weakness by interceding for them according to God’s will (8:26−27). Christian liberty comes from the knowledge and acceptance of the work of Christ on the cross, that is, Christ fulfilling the requirements of the Law. A Christian who lives by the Spirit chooses not to fulfill the desires of the flesh because he knows that it leads to life, versus living by the flesh that leads to death. The knowledge of this and the power to choose is the liberty that Christians have. According to Paul, the Spirit dwells in us and His indwelling is designed to help us live as sons and heirs of God and coheirs with Christ (8:17). We can therefore choose not to indulge in the desires of the flesh’s corrupt propensities and passions. Although the believer has present sufferings (8:18), he can experience joy and peace that transcends all understanding AND he has hope of complete deliverance from sin and death also known as the anticipated renewal. The Law no longer has power over a Christian who accepts the grace of Christ. Project Barnabas is a global online programme to study every book of the Bible in the context of its genres, intended messages and applications for our lives today. It is divided into two 20-week semesters a year and is suitable for individual quiet time or cell group studies. For more information, go to http:// www.actministry.org/project-barnabas/ 34 a s i a n b e a c o n
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