Tag Archives: Romans

Adoption into Glory

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For more than a week we have been reading from The Letter to the Romans.  We transitioned from hearing about Abraham as an example of faith working its way through human imperfection to the source of that imperfection: sin. “Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death.” (Rom 5:12) The readings that followed traced the unfolding of the consequences of sin unleashed into the world. But St. Paul offers us hope in the person of Jesus Christ. “…just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so through one righteous act acquittal and life came to all. For just as through the disobedience of one person the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one the many will be made righteous.” (Rom 5:18-19)  St. Paul is making the point that now it is the obedience of the faith that keeps us on the path of righteousness as an antidote to the death brought about by sin.

That obedience is necessary because we live in a world where temptation roams unrestrained emerging from an evil that St. Paul describes as an entity seeking to corrupt the good of the world and people so that we experience death rather than glory. Evil seeks to reign over all, and rob us of the glory God intended for us. It is as St. Peter (1 Peter 5:8), evil is on the prowl and means to devour you. And it is not just you. It is as Paul describes in Romans 8, “…creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (Rom 8:21). The whole world waits for us to accept our adoption as daughters and sons of God. That acceptance brings us into the presence of God.

Being in the presence of God is a big deal, as big as it comes. Being in God’s presence was lost in Eden and perhaps the rest of Scripture can be thought of as God’s efforts to restore us to that intimate presence afforded to the family of God.

What could keep us from that presence? In the language of the Old Testament it is because something has rendered us “impure” in that we have come in contact with Death. Death that entered the world through the sin of one man. The Book of Leviticus has two whole sections on ritual and moral purity. Leviticus provides rituals of thanksgiving and atonement with one purpose in mind: that we be mindful that we worship the God of Life – Life that is meant to be whole, complete, and without the corruption of decay. Life that is meant to be lived in the presence of God. Life that is Holy as God is Holy.

In the Old Testament, there were regulations to keep the faithful from contact with that which would make them impure and not ready to enter into the presence of God. These regulations were designed so the impurity of forbidden things (e.g., a corpse) would not “infect” the person. The rituals were to restore the person.

In the New Testament, Jesus reaches across those regulations to touch the ritually impure. The lepers, the blind, and in today’s gospel, the woman who was “crippled by a spirit” and as a result was so “bent over” that she was “completely incapable of standing erect.”

Jesus reached out to touch her. Was Jesus made corrupted and rendered impure? No, his holiness “infected” the woman, removing that which was never desired or intended by God. Now she stands upright, a child of God, an heir to the glory of God. 

Now she may draw near into the presence of God as the taint of death has been removed.

May we realize that in this Eucharist we are again touched by Jesus that we may be made holy and live fully in the presence of God. We are “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ … that we may also be glorified with him.”

Image credit: Healing of the Crippled Woman. By Theophylact, Byzantine Archbishop of Ochrid and Bulgaria. 1055 AD | PD USA

Through One Man: Sin and Death

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In today’s first reading our selection from The Letter to the Romans moves on from its prior focus on Abraham as a model of trust/belief/faith even when he has moments of doubts. Moving ahead to Chapter 5, St. Paul now takes on the matter of sin and death. Paul’s claim that “Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death” would have been nothing new to anyone familiar with Genesis chapters 2-3 and the Jewish understanding of those chapters. This “man” is, of course, Adam, whose very name means “man.”

Throughout Romans Chapter 5 and well into Chapter 8, Paul attributes to “sin” a very active role: 

it “reigns” (5:20; cf. 6:13, 14), can be “obeyed” (6:16–17), pays wages (6:23), seizes opportunity (7:8, 11), “deceives,” and “kills” (7:11, 13). In a word, he personifies sin, picturing it as a power that holds sway in the world outside Christ, bringing disaster and death on all humanity. Through this personification, Paul shows that individual acts of sin constitute a principle, or “network,” of sin that is so pervasive and dominant that the person’s destiny is determined by those actions. In the present instance, then, the “sin” that enters the world is more than an individual sin; it is the bridgehead that paves the way for “sinning” as a condition of humanity. The fact that Paul attributes to Adam this sin is significant since he certainly knows from Genesis that the woman, Eve, sinned first (cf. 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:14). [Douglas J. Moo, The Epistle to the Romans, 1996; p.319]

The verse above is incomplete. The entire verse reads: “and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch (houtōs) as all sinned.” The word houtōs is one of those words that depending on how it is translated has lots of different implications. Remember it is all tied to the expression “through one man.” That being said, the majority of commentators think that “houtōs” draws a comparison between the manner in which death came into the world—through sin—and the manner in which death spread to everyone—also through sin. The implications are death is universal because sin is universal: “all sinned.”

But it is not the only possible rendering. Perhaps the most famous alternative is the translation “in whom,” adopted by Augustine and others. For, assuming that “the one man” is the antecedent of the pronoun, we have then an explicit statement of “original sin”: “in Adam all sinned.” St. Paul’s single verse has resulted in centuries of debate and caused deep divisions among Christians over the “transmission of original sin.”

However, St. Paul’s main interest is not to talk about sin or death, but rather to draw a contrasting picture of Adam and Christ, prominent figures of the beginning and the end time respectively. Adam is a “prototype” of the person to come, namely, Jesus, who would far surpass what Adam did. The world was changed by both of these individuals.

Adam unleashed an active hostile force into the world (sin), which had the power to cause definitive alienation (death) from God, the source of all life, inasmuch as or because all individuals have sinned through personal, actual deeds (v. 12). Thus death has two causes in human existence: Adam’s sin and personal ratification of that deed by individuals who sin. This was Adam’s effect on the world. In contrast, Christ’s effect is starkly different. Through the gracious gift, namely, the redemptive death of Jesus Christ uprightness and life superabound for all individuals who accept him. [Collegeville Bible Commentary, 1989, p.1086]

Debates aside, it is good to remember sin and death are real, but more real are grace and eternal life found in Christ as Lord and Savior.

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Trust and Human Imperfection

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“How could God listen to me after all that I have done?” Not an uncommon question asked of priests. The person asking is a sinner…and a saint…a complex person. Today’s first reading is from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, one of the most challenging and complex of all the New Testament books – and addresses an equally complex character in the person of Abraham. Known for his unwavering faith in God he is a person who is not always righteous and forthright; a person who sometimes acts in ways not in accord with the will of God. Consider some moments in the story of Abraham.

Early in his journey, Abraham doubted God’s promise of protection, which led him to lie about his wife Sarah being his sister to Pharaoh in Egypt, putting her in a compromising position. This act showed a lack of trust in God’s ability to protect them.  And this tale was repeated to King Abimelech making one wonder about his honesty and trust in God.

Both Abraham and Sarah laughed when God promised them a child in their old age. While this laughter can be seen as a natural reaction to an incredible promise, it also reflects a degree of doubt or disbelief, a lack of trust that led to actions reflecting that doubt.  At Sarah’s urging Abraham had a son via Sarah’s maidservant, Hagar. He essentially took on a concubine who bore Abraham’s son, Ishmael. The rivalry between Sarah and Hagar, and their descendants, the Israelites and the Ishmaelites, persisted for generations – even to this day.

Abraham’s negotiation with God over the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah could be considered his hesitation to accept God’s judgment without question.

That is one side of the ledger. Abraham’s choices for and with God are a far longer list and one might say, on balance, Abraham “did good” and it was credited to him as righteousness.

Except it isn’t a ledger. 

It is a story that serves as a testament to the idea that faith can coexist with human imperfection. Abraham’s journey, marked by both faith and human flaws, is a central narrative in the Book of Genesis. It is as St. Paul notes it is not about the works, even when called for by God. It is not about the failings – for St. Paul notes, quoting the Psalms: “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not record.”

It is a story to accept the grace to trust in the One who can justify even the ungodly. It is a story about accepting the grace to take action in the world. It is a story about accepting the grace of forgiveness. It is a story about trusting and continuing the journey.

That’s how God can listen to us after all we have done.

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Suffering and Glory

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The first reading for today begins as St. Paul tells us: “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us.” (Rom 8:18) I suspect that when we hear that, we are able to solemnly nod, hoping that once we are in Heaven, all our sufferings will be done away with. And glory? Unimaginable and mysterious – and we are OK with that. We want the world fixed, but at the same time are ready to move on to Heaven – maybe not today, but eventually. Continue reading →

Sin and Grace

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In yesterday’s reading St. Paul writes that “Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death and thus death came to all men, inasmuch (houtōs) as all sinned.” If you are interested in how the translation of the simple Greek word “houtōs” affects everything, please review yesterday’s post. As noted yesterday, throughout Romans Chapter 5 and well into Chapter 8, Paul attributes to “sin” a very active role: Continue reading →

Sin and Death

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In today’s first reading our selection from The Letter to the Romans moves on from its prior focus on Abraham as a model of trust/belief/faith even when he has moments of doubts. Moving ahead to Chapter 5, St. Paul now takes on the matter of sin and death. Paul’s claim that “Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death” would have been nothing new to anyone familiar with Genesis chapters 2-3 and the Jewish understanding of those chapters. This “man” is, of course, Adam, whose very name means “man.” Continue reading →

Being Mindful

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Today’s first reading is from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, one of the most challenging and complex of all the New Testament books. After opening his epistle, Paul provides a summary of covenant history in just a few verses.

For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made. As a result, they have no excuse; for although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks (Rom 1:19-21).

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What should be evident

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In St. Paul’s letter to the Romans he quickly addresses gentile people’s culpability for knowing – or at least having an strong inclination of – the one true God given they did not have the benefit of the covenant relationship with Him. Paul writes: “For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made. As a result, they have no excuse; for although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks. Instead, they became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened. While claiming to be wise, they became fools.” (Romans 1:19-22) Continue reading →