Wednesday, December 17, 2008

The Fixed Point













He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
-Romans 4:25

I remember Friday nights as a kid very well. I remember waiting eagerly on Friday nights for TGI Friday's to start. For those of you who remember, this was a series of shows including Full House, Perfect Strangers, Family Matters, and Step by Step. I think these were shows that parents did not have a problem letting their kids watch. Why? Because there was some type of moral dilemma. For example: Laura Winslow (Family Matters) might have been hanging out with a low-life thug that could be compared to a Boyz in the Hood character and might be influenced to do drugs with her future welfare recepient of a boy toy. Then, her good friend Steve Urkel would come along and with a good-hearted, un-sexual intention, tell her she is better than that. Laura would struggle a bit and finally realize Steve was right and give him a big hug and enjoy giving him a hard time the rest of the show.

Now, you are probably lost on what this has to do with Romans 4:25...Hang in there!

Now, the end of 2008, what are our kids watching? Reality shows like The Hills, Tila Tequilla, and Real Sex on HBO. These shows have no moral dilemma and are filled with young adults on a mission to get drunk, layed, and most likely end up with a sexually transmitted disease. What has shifted in our culture? I believe with the teaching of evolution, the subtraction of God in school, and shows like The Hills we have clearly deleted our countries moral conviction. There is no "fixed point" in our secular culture. There is no authority, no guiding line, or even a final goal. So no wonder people are in enormous debt, in adulterous relationships, and in deep despair and depression.

Is there a "fixed point" we can focus on? Romans 4:25 makes it completely clear that there is. That term justification is a theological term that can be defined simply as being seen righteous or pure in the sight of God. Now, if two men, a husband and father of two, and a child abusing pedophile were about to be hit by a bus, and you could only save one of them, who would you save? Duh, the hubby with two kiddos. Look back at Romans 4:25 and notice the claim that Christ was "delivered over" for our sins. That means that Jesus was a substitution for us, the pedophiles, the sexually immoral, the judgmental jerks. 

By this beautiful substitution we are justified. We are given hope. We are given a "fixed point" to where we have an overall authority, a guiding line, a final goal. We have a God so loving and so just, that He gave his only son for us so we can spend eternity in a loving relationship with Him.