By: Curtis Baker
Last week as we opened up our study of Romans, we began with an essential question: What is the Gospel? Paul, who is writing this letter to the Christians at Rome, claims in the opening six verses that his whole mission as an apostle, as well as his own personal appeal in this letter, is based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As we noted last week, the Gospel, simply stated, means “good news.” The word was widely used in the Roman empire to herald any sort of good news that might be brought to the citizens of Rome, but it was most commonly used to proclaim Caesar’s birthday which was announced as “good news” for the empire who served him. That understanding of the word has long since been lost from our common understanding, so we often miss the politically subversive message that Paul presents as he proclaims to the capital of the ancient world that the “good news” is not Caesar or his birthday, but instead that Jesus Christ is Lord of heaven and earth. This is a brave thing to claim in the ancient world, especially in its capital city. But Paul is not primarily concerned with politics. He is concerned with truth. And what he knows to be true is that Jesus Christ is Lord over all, and everything about life rests upon that central fact, political or otherwise.
This is an important fact for us to consider in our time. Much of Christianity today focuses upon an emphasis to enter into a “personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” This, of course, is true, and necessary, but often the language we use is not helpful in understanding what it is that we are truly doing. For example, it is often said, “invite Jesus into your heart and make him the Lord of your life.” This implies that until you make the invitation, that Jesus is not Lord. But this is not what Paul proclaims as the Gospel. Whether or not one ever accepts the fact that Jesus is Lord, the truth is, he is Lord! Not only of the church, but of all of heaven and earth as well. God has handed everything over into his hands until all of his enemies have been defeated– the last being death itself–and then Christ will hand everything back to God where God will reign as all in all (1 Cor 15:20-28). This is going to happen whether one “accepts” it or not. The question that the gospel forces upon everyone is, “Are you going to align yourself with reality, or are you going to pretend that what is true is actually not true?”
According to the gospel message, here is what reality is: Man was created in the image of God to rule and reign in partnership with him over the earth. That purpose was deeply damaged when humans decided to be their own master, rather than to be obedient to God, and therefore God cursed both humans and the earth they rule over. While God had every right to destroy humans and the earth, he would not abandon his original purposes. So rather than destroy mankind, he sought to redeem them. That redemption comes through Jesus Christ, who was both God among us, as well as the one man who lived the life that God has called us to live. In him, and through his death and resurrection, God has made a way for us to be redeemed from our curse. The final consummation of the story will be fulfilled when all those who have aligned themselves with Christ are fully redeemed, and they take their place with Christ to reign with him for all eternity, as God always intended (Rev 22:1-5). That is reality!
Sound crazy? Well, to those living under all powerful rule of Caesar in the Roman Empire, there is little doubt that it did sound crazy to most. In our own time, it is made to sound crazier and crazier all the time. But Paul says to the Christians in Rome, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel message” (Romans 1:16-17). As crazy as it may sound to many, Paul says this message is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes it, and bases their life upon it. It is not so much an issue of simply “asking Jesus into your heart.” It is about accepting what is real, and basing your life upon it. God’s promise to those who do that is, Jesus indeed WILL come to live in your heart through his Spirit. But first things first. Have you sought to align your life with the reality that Jesus IS Lord?
(Don’t forget to join me for A Message from the Heart radio program Sunday evening at 8:00pm on KJAK 92.7FM, or streaming live at www.kjak.com)
(curtisbaker@hotmail.com)
Write to: P.O. Box 157, Slaton, TX 79364
