Theology of the Cross (Romans 1:15-17)
Each of us is a theologian, whether we want to be or not; we all have some sort of belief system that we have developed, whether from our spiritual background, our culture, our logic or scripture.
From my perspective, Paul had a radically different approach to understanding God than most theologians or most people for that matter. Personally, I believe Paul regarded the cross as the ultimate revelation of God, at least as the beginning point of most of Paul’s theology. It seems that the cross is what most revealed God to Paul, what he looked through, to think deeply about the value of humanity, about ethics, about himself. The cross left Paul's pride crushed, leaving him broken and in awe.
Here, in this section, Paul alludes back to Habakkuk 2:4 in order to establish the principle that being right with God has always been by faith. The shift from Old Testament to New Testament is not as radical as it appears to many believers on this point. Faith has always been what has pleased the heart of God. From the point we first believe to our dying breath, the Christian journey is a walk of faith. Faith, even today, right now, is our salvation from whatever attempts we have to manage life without God; it rescues us from self-reliance and independence to trust in the One who does have the love, wisdom and resources to manage our lives. Faith, therefore, is inherently self-deprecating; it exalts the object of the faith, not the possessor of it. Faith shows off God. From Genesis to Revelation, God honors faith, not human effort. Faith is my journey and the cross is my lens.
In order to follow Paul's example, we have the opportunity to consider everything-ourselves, our friends, a lost world, our families, our vocations, our calling-everything-through the cross of Christ.
From my perspective, Paul had a radically different approach to understanding God than most theologians or most people for that matter. Personally, I believe Paul regarded the cross as the ultimate revelation of God, at least as the beginning point of most of Paul’s theology. It seems that the cross is what most revealed God to Paul, what he looked through, to think deeply about the value of humanity, about ethics, about himself. The cross left Paul's pride crushed, leaving him broken and in awe.
Here, in this section, Paul alludes back to Habakkuk 2:4 in order to establish the principle that being right with God has always been by faith. The shift from Old Testament to New Testament is not as radical as it appears to many believers on this point. Faith has always been what has pleased the heart of God. From the point we first believe to our dying breath, the Christian journey is a walk of faith. Faith, even today, right now, is our salvation from whatever attempts we have to manage life without God; it rescues us from self-reliance and independence to trust in the One who does have the love, wisdom and resources to manage our lives. Faith, therefore, is inherently self-deprecating; it exalts the object of the faith, not the possessor of it. Faith shows off God. From Genesis to Revelation, God honors faith, not human effort. Faith is my journey and the cross is my lens.
In order to follow Paul's example, we have the opportunity to consider everything-ourselves, our friends, a lost world, our families, our vocations, our calling-everything-through the cross of Christ.
posted by John Hever at
7:52 AM
3 Comments:
O.K. now I am feeling insecure; how come there are no comments on this yet?
By
John Hever, at 3:33 PM
Say "Habakkuk" 5 times fast...that's funny stuff...
By
amy, at 9:05 AM
I've noticed that up until recently I worried about everything. My mind was always racing, making plans and back-up plans for various life decisions I was having to and going to have to make. I was spending so much time planning...and most of it was for things that either I had no, or little, control over or may, or may not, happen until far in the future.
I felt a tremendous need to be in control of my life and I didn't want to leave it in the hands of anyone, not even God. It seems foolish to me now, because God has shown me how faithful He is and what amazing things He's capable of doing, not only in my life but in that of others. Yet, when it came to important things that had a significant impact on me, I still did not have faith that God could handle it. Somehow I believed that my idea and plan would produce better, or more immediate, results (which usually is going to be a poor and unfulfilling result)...even though in my head I know that what God can do is far greater than anything I could produce or even imagine being done...it's just not that easy to live out all the time.
Over the years I have been getting better about it, and today I am less anxious and not so much of a control freak, but I still have a long ways to go.
What helped me the most was the lesson about being faithful in a little and moving on to more responsibility and being faithful with that. As I've begun to practice this over the last few years I've noticed that my life has fallen more in line with God and that not only am I more faithful with my responsibilities to my family, church, friends, etc. but I also have more faith in God and what He can do in my life. I find that I trust in Him more and don't rely so much on my own understanding, perspective, and desire for things.
I think that living my faith daily in all aspects of my life is probably the most challenging thing for me. I'm sure that I have failed in this area more than anything else in my life, but in that failure I have come out stronger and closer to God...and it reminds me on a daily basis of how much God must love me to have this much patience with me and understanding with me...
By
Usagi, at 12:42 PM
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