A TEXT THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

Romans 5: 1-5

Thomas Friedman, in his book THE WORLD IS FLAT, points out many events over the ages that have changed the world. Among them: the invention of the printing press in the 15^th century; pasteurization in the 19^th century, the use of a production line in the 20^th century along with the automobile, and the invention of the internet along with good search engines just before the 21^st century to make information sharing occur at light speed. There are also some books that have changed the world; certainly they include the Bible, the works of William Shakespeare, Einstein’s book on the theory of relativity, the work of Emperor Constantine’s Council that produced the Nicene Creed, and the ingenious musical writing of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Two of the aforementioned events affected those who could read our Romans text today: one, the printing press, allowed more people besides the wealthy or educated to be able to read a Bible. The second event was sacrificially produced by John Wycliffe and others: seeing that the Bible was translated into native tongues instead of just Greek, Hebrew, or Latin. When that happened, more and more people could read God’s word and begin learning it, discussing it, and sometimes questioning what they had been taught. One such period of time was the convergence of print, distribution, unrest, when God’s Holy Spirit urged troubled souls to speak out. It was the period known as the Reformation, and people like Martin Luther from Germany, Ulrich Zwingli from Switzerland, John Calvin from France, and later John and Charles Wesley from England and John Knox from Scotland to name a few, each rested their theological cases not on what had been taught to them, but on what they themselves had read in what they called Holy Scripture. I will be leading a study on these leaders in August and September. To a church that, in its misguided days, tried to put a price on salvation in addition to the blood of Jesus; had convinced people that the ultimate fate of the dead could be influenced even after death by the prayers and contributions made by loved ones; and had a leader who, over the years in un-Christlike fashion, was coercive, abusive, and enormously powerful. One of the passages to which these Reformers returned time and time again was Paul’s letter to the Romans. Among their eye-opening texts was the 5^th chapter, verses one through five. There are people in our world even now who find themselves in desperate situations: a loved one’s health is in jeopardy, a marriage is failing, a child or grandchild is in harm’s way, or job cuts have made it so that money is gone before the bills are paid. In desperate times, some people can be talked into magic fixes, refinancing with balloon payments, new age remedies, and products from snake oil salesmen. As an alternative to those questionable choices for guidance in life, Paul wrote these masterful words, words that have redirected and inspired countless numbers of persons over the years.

“Since we are justified by faith” (not through works, good deeds, or the actions of others), “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jesus is the reason we have peace, he paid the price, he took the nails, he pleads our case, he wins our case in Heaven) “and it is through Him that we have obtained access to this grace” (unmerited favor but thankfully imparted) “in which we stand” (on Christ, and the promise of God’s grace, we stand, all other ground is sinking sand) “and we boast not in ourselves, but in the hope of sharing the glory that surrounds God.” Following this famous “justified by faith” passage came a logical argument, a favorite debate strategy used by the Greeks in Asia Minor: “We even boast, though we suffer, for we know that if we suffer, it produces endurance, and if we endure, it produces character, and character produces hope, and hope in God never lets us down.” Such are the brilliant, inspired words of Paul; Romans is unparalleled in the New Testament. His words gave Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, Knox, Newton, and countless others the fortification of their faith in time of need. Ages earlier St. Augustine was troubled, tormented by the weight of his sins, and he found guidance in Romans. “First I shall try to grasp the apostle’s purpose which runs through the whole Epistle, and I shall seek guidance from it.” Later Martin Luther, after reading Romans, wrote “Trying to merit grace by preceding works, therefore, is trying to placate God with sins, which is nothing but heaping sins upon sins, making fun of God, and provoking His wrath.” John Wesley read the words on grace and wrote “In all my trials I had always a confidence in Christ … but it was a confidence mixed with fear: I was afraid I had not done enough….But now the clear light shined.” And John Calvin observed: “Faith is a firm and sure knowledge of divine favour toward us.” The world will offer you many choices when you deal with your troubles, doubts, or sorrows. Some seem more tangible and attainable. Those who have followed these five verses have been among those who changed the world. From that great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us who were set free by Romans, I hear, ever so faintly, shouts of encouragement from the saints, to hold fast, to not give up, and to not give in. No matter your dilemma, these words can be the lamp unto your feet and the light unto your path. They have been such for others for centuries. May they guide your feet, and hands, and eyes, and mouth also, because you are already blessed, by God’s amazing grace.

Jeffrey A. Sumner June 2, 2007