Worthy is the lamb, the Darling of Heaven crucified! The Lion of Judah on a cross. To God be the glory!
”Draw close to Me to see the wounds on My face and limbs, to see the blood running out of them, all for you, for each one of you so that you can draw close to Me – the barrier of sin, represented by the imperative veil in the temple, torn from top to bottom. Draw near that you may appreciate the relationship opportunity I have created and notice – relationship means contribution from both sides. So experience this huge blessing I have given you through the shedding of the blood of the “Darling of Heaven” when He was crucified.
Paul is continuing to unravel the battle every Christian experiences with the sinful nature, which can lead one to feeling separated from God, described in 7:25b. He has come to the argument via the discussion about the law and he is going to give us a timely reminder of the fact that we as Christians are not involved with religion but rather the expression of a real, vibrant relationship with our Creator through His Son Jesus. The law represents religion of any form, where one is called upon to perform and act according to certain prescribed ways to please a God who is waiting to act in judgement upon those who fall short.
Read Roman’s 8:12-17. Having described how we are set free from the burden of the law through Jesus’ sacrifice to be able to serve through the work of the Spirit, Paul reminds us that we cannot just “let go and let God”, but we rather have an obligation to actively serve through the power of the Holy Spirit.
He then adds an additional layer to his teaching by moving and from vs 15 to describe the effect of the work of the Spirit. Those who are led by the Spirit have the huge privilege of being brought into a close family relationship with the Creator God Himself. Flowing from this relationship he draws the logical result that we are therefore also heirs, co-heirs with Christ of all God has given Him. We are treated like full family members, just as true adoption gives the full privileges of being family to the adoptee.
Then comes the link to the next section, which is also a timely reminder. If we are to be regarded as a true brother/sister of Christ, it will be demonstrated by the fact that we will also share in His sufferings. It is an inevitable part of Christianity that the real sign of a true relationship with Christ is that we will also in some way share in His sufferings. In many parts of the world this is far more apparent than in our affluent Western society.
This statement then also leads Paul into the discussion of the other great reason that we may feel separated from God and that is suffering, which the next section of the chapter deals with.
As you read this I trust that each one of you experiences and practices this dynamic relationship with our Father God rather than trying to serve Him by obeying the law. God bless till next week.