"A New Take on Romans 7: For Fellow Pharisees!" (Grace Note #102)

 

A New Take on Romans 7: For Fellow Pharisees!

(Grace Note #102)

By Gary L. Clendenon, March 26, 2013

In the Message Bible version of Romans 7, I find a new take on the role of Biblical Law in my life. The Law has been a well-defined box which has served the purpose of defining good and bad, right and wrong. The challenge is that sin, according to verses 8-13,

...found a way to pervert the command into a temptation, make a piece of 'forbidden fruit' out of it. The law code, instead of being used to guide me, was used to seduce me. … Once sin got its hands on the law code and decked itself out in all that finery, I was fooled, and fell for it. The very command that was supposed to guide me into life was cleverly used to trip me up.... Sin simply did what sin is so famous for doing: using the good as a cover to tempt me.... By hiding within God's good commandment, sin did far more mischief than it could have accomplished on its own.

Paul, who wrote these words, was a former Pharisee. As a recovering Pharisee and Perfectionist myself, I can so see the above words playing out in my own life's experience. We Perfectionistic Pharisees types have an unnatural fear of messing up—God forbid, doing something—anything—wrong! We grab a hold of the Law Code with all its rules and regulations and snuggle into the comfort of its clear and all-encompassing guidance. If there is any doubt about a particular rule, we quickly convene a Pharisee Council of our best and brightest and come to a consensus that we all then follow.  Ah.... Safety.

This is our temptation and sin. The Law was meant to guide us, not hide us! But, in our fear, we hide from life. We fence life out; we box fear in. Our fear of making any mistakes leads us to risk nothing. We live quiet, safe lives resigned to believing this is “as good as it gets”. At least, we tell ourselves, this side of Heaven.

We've been duped—swindled! We've been suckered by Satan's snares! We've calmly and cluelessly walked right into the web of woe prepared for us by our desire for comfort and safety. This is the Pharisees' temptation and sin.

Jesus says in John 10:10, “I came to give life—life in all its fullness” (more and better life than they ever dreamed of”, says The Message Bible). Fellow Pharisees, Jesus isn't talking about some future figure of speech. He means now! “Today, you will be with me in Paradise.” Today! “This is the day that the LORD has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Those over 3,000 plus promises that the Bible makes, they are not for tomorrow. “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Today! “...now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.” Now! “The Message is as true among you today as when you first heard it. It doesn't diminish or weaken over time. ...The Message bears fruit and gets larger and stronger.” (1)

Fellow Pharisees, in our fear, we found the Law a perfect fit, and so we stayed. But Jesus is calling us forward—upward, higher. Through His Spirit, he calls us to come out of hiding behind the Law in fear. GOD's Law is not the issue. The issue is that through our fear the Enemy tricked us into embracing the false security of The Law instead of moving on—growing up (as GOD intended) into the Law of Love.

GOD's Law grows with us as we grow—from Fear to Love. If we are not experiencing the love of GOD's Law, we are mostly likely stuck and not growing. John says, “There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out all fear.” And Paul says, “If you love...you will never do wrong; to love, then, is to obey the Law.” (2)

When we focus on the rules and regulations of GOD's Law, our concern is perfection and failure. When we focus on receiving GOD's love, acceptance, and forgiveness and sharing that with others, we can begin to embrace a life full of freedom: freedom to live fully, freedom to be who we are, freedom to try out different things, and freedom to make mistakes and learn from them. We can know that we are human and GOD does not expect perfection from our broken lives. How could He? He knows, as any parent does, that we are gonna mess up, and He's gonna be there to help us pick up the pieces.

GOD's love is calling us to push through our Satanic fears and embrace a life full of freedom—in GOD's perfect Law of Love. Life is meant to be a sometimes exciting, sometimes scary "Adventure".  Fellow Pharisee, won't you join me? It's OK. We can do this! We are meant to do this! One little “Baby Step” at a time. This is our Great Adventure!  (Click for inspirational video)

FOOTNOTES:

1. Luke 23:43; Psalms 118:24; Luke 4:21; Colossians 1:5 (The Message)

2. I John 4:18; Romans 13:10