Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Today’s Scripture Reading 
Romans 1:16–25

For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, “The one who is righteous will live by faith.” For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth.

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse; for though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools; and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. (NRSV)

Reflection

Paul unabashedly extols the gospel, the truth of Jesus’ life and teachings. Through “the power of God” Jesus brought salvation to both Jewish and Gentile believers and revealed God’s righteous nature to them. Paul declares that the “righteous will live by faith,” almost suggesting positive correlation as causation between faith and righteousness, defined as “acting in accord with divine or moral law; free from guilt or sin.”

Yet Paul describes the peoples’ “godlessness and wickedness,” observing that “they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him”; “though they claimed to be wise, they became fools.” What happened to these believers? Verse 25 describes the bad deal that they made: they “exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator.” Did the believers abandon their faith and become ashamed of the gospel as a result? How can we avoid their state of being?

The context provided by the season of Lent is conducive to pondering these questions as we engage in reflection and prayer and prepare for Christ’s resurrection. We can assemble ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25), virtually and in person, to glorify and give thanks to God for sending our Savior. We can study scriptures that build faith, perhaps starting with Hebrews 11, which describes faith as “the substance of things hoped for, [and] the evidence of things not seen,” and enumerates the many great miracles that God promised and worked through faithful humans who had understandable fears and doubts.

Prayer

Dear God, increase our faith as we prepare for Easter. Help us to overcome the tribulations and temptations that threaten to overwhelm the gospel’s call on our lives, and enable us to serve. Amen.

Written by Jeanne Griffin, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection and prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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