Have You Considered The Absolutely Stunning Beauty Of Romans 8?
Stunning Beauty
Stunning is an adjective, a term that describes something as extremely impressive or attractive. Beauty is a noun that speaks of an excellent or outstanding quality that gives pleasure to the mind or senses. We often think of stunning beauty in relation to something we see in our physical world such as a person, a sunrise or sunset, jewels and stones, land or landscape, bodies of water, and buildings or other man-made objects.
However, this past week as I read through the first half of Romans, I discovered the stunning beauty of Romans 8. Paul wrote Romans and while he focused on the law and sin in Romans 7, his emphasis in Romans 8 extremely impressed me with the excellent and outstanding quality of our salvation. With pleasure, I took in the words, the truth of Romans 8 and marveled once again.
In Romans 7, while Paul emphasized the law, how the law illuminated, stirred up and motivated sin, revealed our propensity towards sin, and even motivated more sin, the theme that stood out brilliantly in Romans 8 undergirded Romans 7. When I finished reading and studying Romans 7, I understood that Paul preached with the focus on the law and sin to illuminate the contrasting gift one receives in Christ. Paul had not pointed fingers, but accepted the human experience of battling with our flesh and things opposed to God’s will, ways, and word as his own. Surely our own hearts and minds identify with Paul’s infamous words in Romans 7:15.
“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate to do.”
Romans 7:15
Who Will Deliver Me?
The next several verses Paul seemed to drown himself in the wretched state of his own soul and in a split second, he flipped the switch back to his spiritual reality with a rhetorical question he fully knew how to answer.
Oh wretched man that I am. Who will deliver me from this body of death?
I thank God – through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 7:24-25
Paul’s awareness of the belief and hope he had in Christ redirected his message to emphasize our “in Christ-ness.” In Christ, the law lost its power over us. In Christ, the deceiving power of sin and death is wiped out. When I finished reading and studying Romans 7, I wrote this sentence down in my journal:
Jesus will deliver and rescue me from my flesh body. (My hope)
Yes, Paul existed, and now me and you exist, in an unredeemed body of human flesh. We all long for, “we ourselves groan,” “the whole creation groans and labors,” waiting for the completion of our redemption. (Romans 8:22-23) In the meantime, we have a stunningly beautiful assurance in Christ.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1
In light of our present struggle, when we don’t measure up as we know we should, when pride inside towers over humility, when our words pierce instead of heal, when we judge others rather than access ourselves, we have this incredible gift. The gift of God is Jesus as our sin offering, a gift of freedom, life, and underserved righteousness. That is stunning beauty that doesn’t fade, but only gets better.
Our Living Hope
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3-5
What an incredible picture of the stunning beauty of our salvation and our “in Christ” position!
Let’s go back to Romans 8. When I read and studied Romans 8, I took the time to write down all the things that are mine personally because of God’s great gift through Jesus Christ.
Here is my personal list I recorded from chapter 8
Jesus met the righteous requirement of the law for me.
Setting my mind on the Spirit’s desires means my mind is governed by the Spirit.
My mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
The Spirit gives me life because of righteousness.
The promise and assurance of the Spirit living in me is that His life will give life to my mortal body.
My obligation is to put to death the misdeeds of my body and be led by His Spirit that I received.
His Spirit brought about my adoption as God’s child and positions me to call Him, “Daddy”.
As God’s child, I am a heir of God and co-heir with Christ.
If I share in His sufferings, I also share in His glory.
Glory will be revealed in me (us – the body of Christ)
There is freedom and glory for me as God’s child.
The Spirit helps in my weaknesses and intercedes for me when I don’t know what to pray.
He searches my heart and knows the mind of the Spirit interceding for me according to God’s will.
God works for my good because I love him.
He called me according to His purposes.
He predestined me to be conformed to Christ’s image.
He called me, justified me, and glorified me.
Now that is the absolute stunning beauty of Romans 8!!!
What then?
Paul in his usual reasoning and persuasive form, asks another question designed to bring about a right response.
What then shall we say in response to these things?
If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:31
I too say, What then shall we say in response to the truth that God chose to bestow such lavish gifts on us even in our broken and weak humanity? How can we not bow down to worship Him? How can we not seek to serve Him and honor Him more and more with our lives?
I will finish out with more of Paul’s words from Romans and a prayer.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.
Romans 12:1
Most Precious Heavenly Daddy,
I am stunned by the beauty of Your gift. Help me to keep my eyes on You, Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith. Thank You for enduring the scorn and shame of the cross for a further and future joy. Help me by the power of Your Spirit to give You the honor due You. Empower me to offer my life in worship to You, knowing that in all things, my reward is sure, in Jesus’ name. Amen!
