Culmination/Romans 10
Isn't it troublesome that it is possible to have the revelation of God and not know what He means by it? I have to be careful to think of myself here instead of thinking what idiots those Jews must have been that tried to establish their own righteousness and so cut themselves off from receiving what Christ brought.
If you have a righteousness like they were trying to create, you have to keep the law. Which also means you break it if you don't keep it. Jesus brings righteousness into us in such a way that it is part of us. If you believe the word is near you, in your mouth and heart. It starts to get lived out. Saying Jesus is Lord, then, means a life of righteousness, and ability to be good and live right, that we had never achieved. But we achieve because Jesus did and still is achieving it in us. And this is available to everybody. There is no difference in people. The only difference is the experience of life for those who call on the name of the Lord and those who trust their own ability to keep the law. Calling on the name of the Lord is a huge category of experience that means dependence and receiving the transformation of life He would bring. But it won't happen without Jesus in our lives as our Friend, Companion, Savior, King. What a shame that such a life is available, but not everybody accepts and experiences it.
If you have a righteousness like they were trying to create, you have to keep the law. Which also means you break it if you don't keep it. Jesus brings righteousness into us in such a way that it is part of us. If you believe the word is near you, in your mouth and heart. It starts to get lived out. Saying Jesus is Lord, then, means a life of righteousness, and ability to be good and live right, that we had never achieved. But we achieve because Jesus did and still is achieving it in us. And this is available to everybody. There is no difference in people. The only difference is the experience of life for those who call on the name of the Lord and those who trust their own ability to keep the law. Calling on the name of the Lord is a huge category of experience that means dependence and receiving the transformation of life He would bring. But it won't happen without Jesus in our lives as our Friend, Companion, Savior, King. What a shame that such a life is available, but not everybody accepts and experiences it.
