Saturday 20 April 2024

Psalm 119:65-80

Background
What is at the heart of Paul’s theology? The traditional answer has been ‘justification by faith’, but there is a strong argument for another candidate, the two words ‘in Christ’, used twice in the two verses above. For Paul, life ‘in Christ’ sums up how Christians flourish within the new reality that has come into existence through Jesus. This is so much more than a set of beliefs. It is a whole way of being, within a space created and defined by the presence of Christ. Here, the governing authority is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus and not the law of sin and death.

Earlier in his letter to the Romans Paul explored the tension between life in the present, where sin’s power is broken but still a force to be reckoned with, and the life to come, where Christ will be all in all (Romans 6:11, 14). In these verses, however, he explores contrasting pairs because he is describing the core reality of life in Christ. He focuses on the contrast between life in the flesh or body and life in the Spirit.

‘Flesh’ is Paul’s shorthand for the way human life is shaped by its vulnerability to desires and failings. This creates the space for sin to enter, as it did for Adam and Eve right at the beginning of time. ‘Spirit’ sums up the alternative, a life defended by God’s power against the pressures of sin, within the space of being ‘in Christ’.

These contrasts help us grasp the big picture of Paul’s thinking, but leave us wondering how it relates to the messy experience of day to day life, where there is so often tension between how we would like to live and the way we actually do live (see Romans 7:15, where Paul almost certainly uses ‘I’ to mean ‘people in general’ rather than telling his personal story).

Today’s reading brings us back to everyday reality in v. 11, where Paul reminds us once again that in the future God will make us alive through the Spirit dwelling within us. Until then, Christians continue to live in the ‘now and not yet’ in-between world, suffering the attacks of sin but confident in life ‘in Christ’ as our hope and our present reality.

To Ponder:

• What pictures come to mind in response to the phrase ‘a space created and defined by the presence of Christ’?
• Paul’s concern is for a community living ‘in Christ’, not primarily for individuals. How does this help us understand the life of the Church today?

Prayer
Loving God, you sent your son to renew your creation. As we live with the tensions and vulnerability of everyday life, help us to trust that love is stronger than evil and life is stronger than death, and that one day, you will make all things new. Amen.

Bible notes author: The Revd Dr Caroline Wickens
Caroline currently serves as Superintendent for the Manchester Circuit. She has previously worked in theological education in the UK and overseas, mainly teaching biblical studies, and enjoys exploring the ways in which theological studies interact with life in the circuit.