Lent 2010 #18

Romans 2:12-16 (NRSV)


All who have sinned apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in God's sight, but the doers of the law who will be justified. When Gentiles, who do not possess the law, do instinctively what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, to which their own conscience also bears witness; and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them on the day when, according to my gospel, God, through Jesus Christ, will judge the secret thoughts of all.

THOUGHTS:

God's judgement is pervasive, reaching both those who are "apart from the law" (the Gentiles), and those who are "under the law" (the Jews). Death and judgement will come their way, no matter who they are. This is a terribly humbling thought, especially for those of us who grew up watching Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society climb on desk tops, let out barbaric yalps, and dramatically implore his students to carpe diem, to seize the day. Seize the day and let out barbaric yalps all you like, Paul might say, but God's judgement remains.

Notice that in this text Paul speaks of judgment in a future context - all who have sinned will also perish ... will be judged ... will be justified ... on the day when Jesus Christ will judge. The Christian tradition has understood the Day of Judgment as that day when Jesus returns "to judge the living and the dead," (the Nicene Creed) and to fully inaugurate his reign, a kingdom that will have no end.

Judgment, then, is the final reordering of all creation to conform to and to truly become his holy Kingdom. Judgment is the eve of eternity for a renewed creation, for the Kingdom of God.

In baptism we receive the forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life, for Jesus - whose life, death, and resurrection is the first flowering of the New Creation (1 Corinthians 15:20) - grafts us to him and takes us into his own self. We are his, and nothing is going to shake that (Romans 8:38-39). Do we sin? Do we merit judgment? Yes, and yes. But on that Day of Judgment we are promised that Christ will hold us close to him (1 John 2:1-2), perfect us in love (Colossians 1:22, 28), and make us new creations in him (2 Corinthians 5:17). Is this an escape of judgment? A cop-out? No. Instead it is the renewal that takes place as part of God's judgment, slaying our sin (Romans 6:1-11) and birthing in us new hearts (Psalm 51:10) for a new kingdom.

PRAYER:

Gracious God, you judge the world with justice and mercy. Forgive us our sins, and grant us in this world the strength to live according to your love. Hold us in your embrace, so that on the last day we might be remade to stand with Christ at the dawning of a glorious and holy kingdom. Through your Son Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we pray.

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Thoughts by the Rev. Chris T. K. Duckworth, Associate Pastor, Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church, Arlington, VA

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These devotions for young adults are provided by:

Lutheran Campus Ministry at George Mason University
http://www.gmu.edu/org/lutheran

Lutheran Student Association at the University of Maryland
http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~lutheran/lsa/

DC Young Adults
http://www.dcyoungadults.org/

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