But do you recall Coleridge's poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"? He had shot the albatross and was becalmed.
Paul talks about the gospel, the good news. There's no point talking about the gospel if all is well, if there are no problems for the world and for the individual. In Romans, he sets the gospel against the backdrop of the needs of the society and the individual.
In Romans 1.17, Paul writes that "in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last" - as the Good News Bible puts it, "the gospel reveals how God puts people right with himself: it is through faith from beginning to end..." He then goes on to write in v.18, "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness..."
He then spells out the basic origin of human sin - rejection of God. The truth about the existence of God is clearly evident in the creation, even apart from special revelation.
It is said that Napoleon was out of the deck of a ship one night looking at the stars. One of his lieutenants came up and said, "How can you know that there is a God?" With a broad sweep of his hand, Napoleon replied, "Who made all that?"
In spite of the evidence of creation - God's "eternal power and divine nature" - people have made their own gods and have worshipped things rather than God. Doesn't that sound modern? Of course, Paul was alluding particularly to the idolatry of his age - the "images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles." And pagan worship involved mental - as well as metal - imaginings. But the point is that they turned from God to worship created things - "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator - who is forever praised. Amen" (v. 25).
This basic rejection of God has led to the other consequences that we see in society. Three times Paul says that "God gave them over to..." something. Part of the indictment of the human race is seen in the awful consequences that flow into our actions when we try to live without God. Paul lists their "shameful lusts" leading especially to lesbian and homosexual acts (vv. 26-27) - and a "depraved mind" - leading to doing another whole range of "what ought not to be done." He lists evil, greed, depravity, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slandering, hating God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, disobedient to parents, senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless (vv. 28-31. It sounds a fairly modern list, doesn't it?
Chapter 1 concludes, "Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death [for the moral imperative is deeply written within us], they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practise them" (v. 32). And isn't our society working fairly successfully on changing our attitudes so that we approve of, or at least tolerate, these shameful lusts and depraved minds?
But wait a minute! someone says. I'm not like that at all. I stand out against such things in society.
Yes, you are seeking to fulfil that innate law written on your conscience, and if you could do it yourself God would give you eternal life. But, in fact, in spite of your best intentions, you don't make it. And you Jews who are listening in to this, don't get all superior. Don't gloat over what the pagan world is like. You have received the Law of God, and yet you break it! (ch. 2)
So Paul begins chapter 3 by emphasising that it's a good thing that the Jews have received the Law, but it hasn't kept them from sin, it hasn't made them right with God! Rather, it has shown them up to be in the wrong! It has placed them under the condemnation and judgment of God!
Everyone is in the same boat. Jews and Gentiles alike are sinners and under divine judgment. It's not as if Jews are born right with God, but there has to be some extraordinary way to include the Gentiles. Looked at in modern terms - it's not as if some people are born into Christian families and are OK, while others might need some special rescuing. Paul is affirming that coming from a believing family and being taught the right things to say and do are a very big plus. Those things give us an example, an opportunity, a basis for living - but do not make us right with God.
There are two main ways of looking at sin. One is the positive and aggressive rejection of the rules. John, in his first letter, describes sin as "lawlessness" (1 Jn 3.4) - a state of hostility and rebellion. Some people deliberately break the rules - and that is sin. But sin can also be also negative and passive. In Romans 3.23 Paul speaks of sin as a falling short of God's glory - God's intention for our lives. The picture is taken from archery. The arrow has been shot in the right direction but has missed the bull's eye - in fact, it hasn't even landed on the target! It has missed the mark altogether. Comparing our lives with what God intends us to be, we fall short, there is a discrepancy between our lives and God's plan, and we call this discrepancy "sin". We may not all be actively rebellious. We may be trying to do our best. But we all fall short.
The little boy couldn't make it. He had been given a bow and arrows for his birthday and was determined to show how good he was. So he did his best shot onto a blank sheet of paper and then drew his target around it - a perfect bull's eye!
Our society seems to think that adjusting our values (and our criminal code) is the way to get rid of illegal gambling and prostitution. It will only lead to the advance of evil and violence! Yet this is one of our personal methods of dealing with sin. We reassure ourselves with the idea that we aren't so bad after all, that God is very understanding, that all the talk about sin and judgment and hell is just old and out-of-date. And by that means we cheat ourselves out of the good news.
Back in 1.17 Paul began to say that "the gospel reveals how God puts people right with himself." But he then digressed to say that "the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men..." Now in 3.21 he's back on the subject of the gospel again. He has emphasised that because of the all-embracing problem of sin the whole world is under God's judgment. "But now a righteousness from God [God's way of putting people right with himself], apart from law, has been made known."
God puts people right with himself on the basis of "the free gift of his grace through their faith in Jesus Christ." It is the same basis for Jew and Gentile. Since all come under the same condemnation, all are offered the same grace.
Paul is saying that Christ has suffered the judgment due to sinners - dying in our place, on our behalf. We are therefore put right with God by our faith in the one who has done that for us. "God offered him (Jesus), so that by his sacrificial death he should become the means by which people's sins are forgiven through faith in him" (v. 25). And that sacrificial death was the basis by which God forgave Abraham, Moses, David and all the others who trusted in God in earlier times, as well as for us today.
The Greek word translated "the means by which the people's sins are forgiven" is a curious word - translated "propitiation" in the KJV and "expiation" in the RSV. It is only found twice in the New Testament but many times in the Greek translation of the Old Testament. The other reference (Heb. 9.5) follows the usual OT reference - to the "mercy-seat", "the place where sins are forgiven." It was here that the High Priest went in once a year to offer the blood of atonement for the sins of the people. It was also the place where he made intercession.
Whenever we meet at the Lord's Table, we come in the awareness of the redemptive work of Christ - that is what we celebrate together.
Let us come with faith and confidence - all have sinned, but Christ has died for sinners.
Let us also picture Jesus Christ as the mercy-seat. He always makes intercession for us. Coming in faith to him we are coming to the meeting-place with God the Father.
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