The Word for today:
Romans 2:17-29
Romans 2:17-29
Rightly or wrongly, I've been accused of having deep scriptural insight. I sort of play along with my accusers because their accusations momentarily bolster my puny ego.
But here's a revelation that God has confirmed and reconfirmed: if it weren't for His Cross, I wouldn't be able to understand anything about His Word. And neither would you.
The Bible--all of it--can be thought of as the caption to the picture of the cross. I know it's a long caption, but without the picture we wouldn't understand a word.
For an example of how intellectually (let alone spiritually!) lost we'd be without the cross, I refer you to these back-to-back verses from Romans chapter 1:
For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith, just as it is written, "The righteous by faith will live." (verse 17)
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness. (verse 18)
The righteousness of God is revealed / the wrath of God is revealed--back-to-back, simultaneously. How's a man to understand?
God's Word in general and the book of Romans in particular is just too much for us to comprehend, unless we run every idea past the cross.
For it was at the cross that the righteousness of God was given to every believer at the very same time the wrath of God was being poured out on God Himself. The cross is the only way to make any sense out of seemingly irreconcilable verses like this one:
The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation. (Numbers 14:18)
The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation. (Numbers 14:18)
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Without the cross, we'd be thoroughly lost! The cross is not only the one way to salvation, but it is also the one window that is open to spiritual enlightenment.
So don't scratch your head over the complexities of the book of Romans. Just take every idea to the cross, and it will all come into focus.
And pretty soon, people will be accusing you of deep scriptural insight! Enjoy their accusations for a while, but then you must confide to them your secret--The Secret of the Cross.
You must admit to one and all that you never understood the caption, until you saw the pic†ure.
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Franklyn: So sorry; but you do have "deep spiritual insight", that is what makes your site so close to>>> 1 Corinthians 2:10 "But GOD has revealed them to you by HIS SPIRIT, for HIS SPIRIT searches all things out, even the deepest things of GOD." It may stroke your ego some what; but it really edifies the rest of us out here and you are doing a good job; so keep up the good work. Now about the: "Secret of the cross." I think Paul was trying to paint the very picture you are referring to when he addressed the men on Mars Hill. I especially like the part about how GOD in the past:>>>"winked at the ignorance of sin."--but now no one has an excuse because HIS wrath and HIS rightness, as you pointed out above, have been revealed to all men. To me it is not only the Secret of the Cross but also the "Mystery of the Cross that was kept hidden for centuries">>> Colossians 1:26 This is the greatest "Who Done It" mystery book ever written. The ultimate answer to the mystery of who done it is JESUS!!!
ReplyDeleteYou, sir, have the rare (and getting rare-er) ability to "rightly divide the word of truth." It is obvious that you have entered into battle with the sword of the Spirit. Thus your commendation means so much to me. Thanks.
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