Tuesday 16 April 2024

Psalm 119:1-16

Background

Paul has spent several chapters exploring what it means to be ‘justified by faith’, to be put right with God through belief in God’s son Jesus as Lord and Messiah. But what difference does this make to the way we live?

Paul outlines this new way of living by highlighting three core ideas: peace, grace and hope.

Here the central meaning of ‘peace’ is that we are no longer at odds with God. This is a formal statement, similar to the peace agreement that ends a war. Paul expects his hearers to be delighted that they are now at peace – like the crowds partying in the streets at the end of the second world war. However, their feeling of joy, their relief that danger is past, is a result of the peace deal now existing between God and humanity, creating a proper relationship at last. And this new way of relating to God underpins the stability and well-being that Jewish thinking associated with peace: "they shall all sit under their own vines and their own fig trees, and no-one shall make them afraid" (Micah 4:4).

In speaking of grace, Paul invites us to focus on the undeserved generosity of God. He links this to Jesus’ self-giving love, which reunites us with God and makes it possible for us to live with the confidence of people who know God’s kindness. The word for grace, charis, links with the word for the gift of the Spirit, charisma, enriching our understanding of the consequences of God’s gracious presence in our lives.

Paul also invites us to look towards the future horizon of our life with God. There is great confidence in his use of the language of ‘hope’ because the ground of our hope is the reliability of God, not a vague expectation that things may one day get better. We hope to share the glory of God, a phrase that sums up the joy and wonder of the Christian gaze to the future.

This new, justified life is marked by joyful awareness of being in right relationship with God, experiencing God’s undeserved generosity and putting our hope in a faithful, steadfast God. Whether we ‘boast’ of this or ‘rejoice’ in it – translations differ – it is indeed worth celebrating.

To Ponder:

• Paul lived in turbulent times, when the colonialising impulse of the Roman Empire destabilised many communities. Yet he could still speak of peace. In our own turbulent times, how and where can we speak of God’s peace?
• What difference could God-centred peace, grace and hope make in your life?

Prayer
Steadfast God, we trust that even in the chaos of these times, you are with us. You help us stand firm, knowing that we are at peace with you, that your grace shapes our lives, that hope in you gives us a future. Help us to reflect that confidence to those around us, so that others too may learn the good news of your saving love, made real in Christ. 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.