For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page.
Rom. 3
Summarize in your own words the gospel as Paul presents it in v. 21-24. The fact that we are free from the law does not mean that we are free to do whatever we want. Remember that freedom is a relational concept; it does not stand on its own. The only way that we can be free from the law is to be made righteous. Because we can’t do that on our own, we must, by faith, accept Jesus’ sacrifice as the atonement for our sins. Which means we cannot have righteousness apart from God’s mercy. So unless we make ourselves ‘slaves’ – faithful servants – of God, we cannot be free from the law. As such, we should willingly and joyfully obey His commands rather than seeking our own way.
Make no mistake – God will be glorified no matter what we do. He will be proven faithful, righteous, and sovereign. The question, then, is how will we be found by God? Will He see us as the worthless sinners that we are on our own? Or will He see us as the righteous, precious, valuable children that we become when we die to ourselves and gain new life in Christ, our atoning sacrifice?
Lev. 19-20
I have heard the argument, and perhaps even thought it to some degree myself, that since the Old Testament laws were part of the old covenant that was replaced by the new covenant in Jesus, they are no longer relevant to us. Since I was just writing about what Paul said in his letter to the Romans about being free from the law, let me just continue that thought.
Jesus did not nullify the Old Testament law. Rather, He fulfilled it. Which means that He satisfied the punishment for breaking the law for any who, by faith, accept His atonement on their behalf. So if we are in Jesus and He in us, we are free from the punishment of the law. Further, we know from the Pharisees that the law can become a ‘god’ unto itself. We were not meant to serve the law, but the God behind it. So we can say that we are free from the burden of the law.
However, God gave us the law so that we, as Paul said, “become conscious of our sin.” (Rom. 3:20b). So there is an intention in the law. It is worthwhile for teaching us to “Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.” (Lev. 19:2b). So we are not free from the intention of the law, which can be summed up as, to paraphrase what Jesus said, love God and love people. As a grateful servant of the holy, redeeming God, I should naturally strive to take on the thoughts, words, and deeds that the Bible teaches as loving behavior toward God and man.
Ps. 24
How do v. 1-2 affect the way you think about caring for our world? God is sovereign. The earth and all that is in it – everything and everyone – belong to God because it is He who established it all. God’s word tells me that His desire is for me. I know, then, that because I am His, He cares for me. So I know that I can trust Him completely for all things, both because He is faithful and because there is nothing He cannot do or give. I am His, and everything I need is His – I need not fear. But I also know that whatever I have, it is not my own. It is a gift from my loving Father. I need to honor Him by respecting and caring for what He gives.