Anita Mathias: Dreaming Beneath the Spires

Anita Mathias's Blog on Faith and Art

How Intelligent People Can Become Stupid.

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 Blogging through Romans is one of the interesting projects I’ve embarked on. I love it, love Paul’s thinking. The Gospels are like a primary text. A child can understand them.


Romans is like a meta-text, literary criticism, analysis. 

I love thinking it through with Paul. 

 Romans 1:21

 21 For although they knew God,
 they neither glorified him as God 
nor gave thanks to him, 
but their thinking became futile
 and their foolish hearts were darkened. 
22Although they claimed to be wise, 
they became fools 


First things first.

If one neither honours God, nor gives thanks to him, one lives a life without taking the brilliant creator of life into account.

So one’s thinking lacks vital parts of the equation–the Creator, and the ultimate end of our existence. Leaving these vital elements out of the plot and equation of life–the creator, the preserver, the one who can transform our life, the ocean in which the sun of our life will set–will make our life not quite make sense

Think of a necklace–each bead perfect in itself, but they are a jumble, clutter, until strung together into a perfect satisfying pattern.

Paul tells us in Colossians that in Christ all things hang together. Without him, there is a hollowness in all things–beauty, people, art, sex, money, writing. 

With him, all the things we love and love doing and having join together into a beautiful, satisfying pattern.


Christ, and the Holy Spirit fill the hollowness at the heart of all things, and bind the beads of our lives into a beautiful necklace.


Or in Dante’s metaphor, Love binds the scattered leaves of the universe into a single book.


We are created for worship, created for intensity, created for rapture.
When we do not worship god, we will worship

money,
success
the praise of man
social acceptance
popularity
power
significance
work
sex
friendship
children
the success of one’s children
spouse
gardens
possessions
add your own addiction:)

None of these is a solid rock to build our lives on. All of these will lead to disappointment. None of these can love us back–with the exception of the people–and they cannot fill the longing of our hearts, which are created to be filled with infinity, the infinity of God. 


If we do not honour and thank God, our thinking becomes futile, and our hearts become darkened, and in effect we become fools, because we are investing our life, our energy and our hope in what ultimately does not matter.  

Building our lives on sand, not rock, not the rock.  

 

How Intelligent People Can Become Stupid.

By

Blogging through Romans is one of the interesting projects I’ve embarked on. I love it, love Paul’s thinking. The Gospels are like a primary text. A child can understand them.

Romans is like a meta-text, literary criticism, analysis.
I love thinking it through with Paul.
 Romans 1:21
 21 For although they knew God,
 they neither glorified him as God 
nor gave thanks to him, 
but their thinking became futile
 and their foolish hearts were darkened. 
22Although they claimed to be wise, 
they became fools 
 
 
First things first.
 
If one neither honours God, nor gives thanks to him, one lives a life without taking the brilliant creator of life into account.
 
So one’s thinking lacks vital parts of the equation–the Creator, and the ultimate end of our existence. Leaving these vital elements out of the plot and equation of life–the creator, the preserver, the one who can transform our life, the ocean in which the sun of our life will set–will make our life not quite make sense
 
Think of a necklace–each bead perfect in itself, but they are a jumble, clutter, until strung together into a perfect satisfying pattern.
 
Paul tells us in Colossians that in Christ all things hang together. Without him, there is a hollowness in all things–beauty, people, art, sex, money, writing. 
 
With him, all the things we love and love doing and having join together into a beautiful, satisfying pattern.


Christ, and the Holy Spirit fill the hollowness at the heart of all things, and bind the beads of our lives into a beautiful necklace.


Or in Dante’s metaphor, Love binds the scattered leaves of the universe into a single book.
 
 
We are created for worship, created for intensity, created for rapture.
When we do not worship god, we will worship
 
money,
success
the praise of man
social acceptance
popularity
power
significance
work
sex
friendship
children
the success of one’s children
spouse
gardens
possessions
add your own addiction:)
 
None of these is a solid rock to build our lives on. All of these will lead to disappointment. None of these can love us back–with the exception of the people–and they cannot fill the longing of our hearts, which are created to be filled with infinity, the infinity of God. 
 
 
If we do not honour and thank God, our thinking becomes futile, and our hearts become darkened, and in effect we become fools, because we are investing our life, our energy and our hope in what ultimately does not matter.  
 
Building our lives on sand, not rock, not the rock.  

 

What Nature tells us of God

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Romans 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

What may be known about God from nature? What is plain?

That God is a God

* of order.

* Of economy–in brilliant ecosystems in which everything is recycled and nothing is wasted. God values efficiency it seems, everything has its purpose.

* who loves beauty

* who is creative

* whose goodness is extravagant–orchids which no eye ever sees

* who works for the joy of work, creating animals, insects, plants, stars, which will never be seen except by himself

* whose generosity is built into creation–in general, one reaps more than one sows, a multitude of fruit from a single apple or tomato seed.

* whose love is built into creation, in the parent-love most living creatures have for their offspring (and the longing to/for a mate).  All living creatures are made to serve and be served, (to love and be loved–to take it a bit further). Everything is alive because of food and sustenance provided by other plants and animals, and they and their body, and life and endeavours will in turn provide food and sustenance for others. 


* who has made variety in his creations, and treasures human variety too


* who is both fierce and gentle–Lord of hurricanes and earthquake and gentle winds

* That life contains light and darkness, winter and summer, rain and sunshine, abundance in summer and autumn, paucity in winter. As there is no reason to doubt the return of spring in winter, or dawn in the middle of the night, there is no reason to doubt God’s goodness in times of sadness or reverses. One might even say that times of both plenty and paucity are encoded into creation.

* creation rewards diligence-the planting and tending of seeds



The Righteous will Live by Faith, Romans 1 1-17

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And now, deep breath, I tackle Romans. 

The Gospels give you a ground level view of Jesus. There have been quiet seasons in my life, 2003-4, and this year, when the first thing I have done in the mornings is read a short Gospel passage.

And it is as if Jesus strolls into my room, full of energy, full of love, interacting, healing, blessing, teaching.

The Epistles give you a meta perspective, a grand-stand view of the action. You see Jesus from a distance, and see the loving friend in his cosmic role, “He was before all things, and in him all things hang together” as Paul writes in Colossians. 

Romans is Paul’s theological masterpiece, but also a graveyard of preachers. Many have attempted sermon series and books on it; many have not finished them.

As a non-professional, I am bravely tackling Romans for the good of my soul in what has been called exegetical blogging. 


The Righteous will Live by Faith, Romans 1 1-17



Paul reveals a new way for the righteous to live–by faith.

What does it mean to live by faith?

Some thoughts:
How do we face our worries? Do we take them to God? 
How do we deal with our hopes and ambitions for our future? Do we prayerfully take them to God?
How do we deal with our hopes and ambitions for our children’s future? Do we prayerfully take them to God?

How do we deal with these things?
Fears.
Hopes.
Dreams
Ambitions
Plans

Do we discuss them with God, ask him for his wisdom and perspective on them, follow his directives, and leave the outcome in his hands?

 I am aware that I am just scratching the surface. What else does it mean to live by faith?

Romans 1

 1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus,
called to be an apostle
and set apart for the gospel of God—
Gospel, euangelion in Greek, means good news. It includes not just a call to initial saving faith, but Paul’s entire message about Jesus Christ, and how Christ’s saving activity transforms all of life and all of history.
Servant, Doulos, or bondservant.

2 the gospel he promised beforehand
 through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures
3 regarding his Son,
NIV The central figure of the gospel is Jesus, in and through whom the history and promises of the Old Testament are fulfilled.

 who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David,
4 and who through the Spirit of holiness
 was appointed the Son of God in power
 by his resurrection from the dead:
Jesus Christ our Lord.
NIV The resurrection was the authentication of Jesus’s divine nature, the climax of his earthly ministry, and the focal point of the apostolic proclamation.
5 Through him we received grace and apostleship
to call all the Gentiles to the obedience
 that comes from faith
 for his name’s sake.
 6 And you also are among those Gentiles
 who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
 7 To all in Rome
who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:
   Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace, God’s unmerited favour. Peace, echoes the OT concept of shalom, where a person’s life with God and with everything else is in ordered harmony, both physically and spiritual, and “all is well.”

Grace and Peace is the initial greeting used by both Peter and Paul in their letters. It combines the traditional Greek and Hebrew greeting, but links them with the only true source of “grace,” (God’s unmerited favour, esp. that which comes to sinful humanity through the work of Christ on the cross) and “peace” (the total well-being and security that only God can provide. The greeting is echoes in the conclusion of Peter and Paul’s letters so that they stand framed in what amounts to an apostolic benediction on those to whom they are addressed. 
See blog on the greeting Grace and Peace.

ESV Notes–

This is the longest introduction of any of Paul’s letters.  Paul goes into more detail here because he had never been to Rome, and he wanted to summarize the Gospel for the Roman readers. 

Interestingly, many of the themes mentioned here also conclude the letter in the final doxology, Romans 16 25-27.
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 
A pattern of prayer. First of all, thank God for the person.

God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.
Pre-evangelistic work. Pray for the person.


 11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. 
As the spirit transforms him, Paul becomes honestly loving and caring.


13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

 14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.
An obligation laid upon him by Jesus.

 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
The Gospel saves everyone who believes, saves them from the power of sin, and reconciles them to God.
Because of their lack of size, fame or honour in the Roman corridors of power and influence, Christians might be tempted to be ashamed. But Paul says it is nothing to be ashamed of, because it is a message that comes with the power of God.


 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” 

Through the Gospel, we are grafted into Jesus by faith. When the Father sees Jesus, he sees us, and vice-versa.
We only have this righteousness imputed to us by  our faith in Christ.

And Paul reveals a new way for the righteous to live–by faith.

What does it mean to live by faith?
Some thoughts.
How do we face our worries? Do we take them to God? 
How do we deal with our hopes and ambitions for our future? Do we prayerfully take them to God.

How do we deal with our hopes and ambitions for our children’s future? Do we prayerfully take them to God?
How do we do these things?
Fears.
Hopes.
Dreams
Ambitions
Plans


Do we discuss them with God, ask him for his wisdom and perspective on them, follow his directives, and leave the outcome in his hands?


What else does it mean to live by faith?

  

Grace and Peace, Paul’s Letter to the Romans

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Romans Word Cloud




In most of the New Testament letters,  rather than the typical Greco-Roman greeting chaire,   literally joy, one finds the formula “grace and peace” (charis kai eirene).


The typical Jewish greeting is shalom, which the Greek Old Testament usually translates eirene. “For the Hebrews and the people of the New Testament peace was not so much the absence of war or strife as the presence of positive blessing” (Wright, 53). 

Thus Paul incorporates a variation of the usual Greek greeting and the usual Jewish greeting into the blessing that he offers these Roman Christians–Grace and Peace. 


Grace (charis) is central to the Book of Romans.   

Christ encompasses both worlds, the Greek and the Jews. He offers unmerited free grace, and peace for the soul.

Immense concepts worth lingering and praying over.

Paul wrote immensely long sentences. Some of his sentences are the longest in the entire Bible, particularly those in Ephesians. It sometimes helps one to grasp his thought better if we split them up, almost as if they were a poem.

And so–deep breath– I embark on the Book of Romans. 

Romans 1

 1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus,
called to be an apostle
and set apart for the gospel of God—
2 the gospel he promised beforehand
 through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures
3 regarding his Son,
 who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David,
4 and who through the Spirit of holiness
 was appointed the Son of God in power
 by his resurrection from the dead:
Jesus Christ our Lord.

5 Through him we received grace and apostleship
to call all the Gentiles to the obedience
 that comes from faith
 for his name’s sake.
 6 And you also are among those Gentiles
 who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

 7 To all in Rome
who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:
   Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.