Lent
February 24, 2018

Scripture Reading: Romans 4:13-25

For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.

 For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations’)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.—Romans 4:13-17

My Sunday School Class studied Joan Chittister’s The Ten Commandments: Laws of the Heart in which she shines a light on the difference between following the laws of God and living the laws of God. We also have studied A. J. Jacob’s book The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. The book is a funny look at the whole question of what is a law and how do we incorporate God’s laws into our lives.

If we spend some time reading through the laws of our country or state, we will find some interesting history. Laws that wore out their usefulness remain on the books about horses in town or use of spittoons in bars. The second amendment to the US Constitution provides that the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. Does that mean one has the right to own and carry arms but does not include the right to use them? It also does not define what arms are. Someone reading it today who does not know the history of weapons might wonder what arms they are talking about, the ones attached to our torsos? We have a whole judicial system charged with the responsibility to ferret these things out.

In writing our scripture today, Paul is helping us understand the heart of the laws as he works to meld together into one his fellow Jews and the Gentiles who do not share the same histories. The Abrahamic history is rich and meaningful to all students of the acts of God. I appreciate those who help us glean from that history the things of faith as set in antiquity.

Prayer: God of Abraham and Paul, show us your ways and truths that remain as relevant today as in ancient days. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.