Paul
the apostle told the people in Rome,
“Christ
is
the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes”,
and he added,
“Moses describes the righteousness which is of the law, that the
man which does those things shall live by them.” In
chapter ten and verse six of Romans,
Paul asked his readers, “who
shall ascend into heaven?”
where
we read:
But
the righteousness which is of faith speaks on this wise, Say not in
your heart,
The
verse begins, “But
the righteousness which is of faith speaks on this wise, Say not in
your heart,
...”
Paul
began with the word, “but”
which means “moreover and” “the
righteousness”
or “the state of him who is as he ought to be and the condition
acceptable to God ” “which
is of faith”
which means “that is out of and away from the conviction that God
exists and is the creator and ruler of all things and the provider
and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ” “speaks”
which means “utters, affirms, maintains and commands” “on
this wise”
or “in this manner and thus”, “say
not”
which means “do not utter, affirm, maintain or command” “in
your heart”
or “within Paul's believing readers' souls or minds as they are the
fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites,
affections, purposes and endeavors”. Paul shared how true
“righteousness”
through “trust and conviction” purposes not to say the following.
The
verse continues, “Who
shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from
above:)”
Paul
added the words, “who
shall ascend”
which means “what person shall go up, rise, be borne up and spring”
“into
heaven”
which refers to “towards the region above the sidereal heavens and
the seat of order of things eternal and consummately perfect where
God dwells and other heavenly beings”?
“(that is”
or “which refers to the idea”, “to
bring”
which means “to lead or bring forth” “Christ”
which refers to “the anointed One, the Messiah and the Son of God”
“down”
or
“toward the land” “from
above”
which means “apart or separated from the sidereal heavens and the
seat of order of things eternal and consummately perfect where God
dwells and other heavenly beings”. Paul charged his believing
readers with a rhetorical question about who among them could
actually “bring Jesus Christ” down from the “heavens”.
When
we consider these words of Paul, we see how he began a further proof
that God is in charge of His “law”, and that no one has
the ability to “bring Christ down” from His Heavenly
position. God's idea was to send Jesus to the earth to pay the price
of death on the cross for everyone's sin. No one brings Jesus down to
their level, but He descended to be among people not only to identify
with them, but also to gain access to the Heavenly Father through a
relationship with Him. God desires to “save” everyone, and
all that is necessary is a willing and submissive heart that receives
God's Son Jesus as their “Savior and Lord”.
Next
time we
see Paul tell his readers how,
“the
righteousness which is of faith speaks,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
No comments:
Post a Comment