The Bible as Literature

While browsing some blogs today I ran across two separate posts that are too good not share. The first comes from David Black, the Greek professor I studied under in seminary.

Media philosopher Marshall McLuhan turned 100 yesterday. In absentia, of course. It was McLuhan who uttered the famous line, "The medium is the message." Of course, it isn't. But McLuhan was almost right. The media is indeed a big part of the message. That's why I study and teach rhetoric to my Greek students. I am a firm believer that how something is said is almost as important as what is said. I am convinced that the rhetorical level of language is a significant level for receptors. That's why I asked my esteemed colleague Michael Travers (an expert in English poetry) to lecture in my New Testament class last week.

His lecture emphasized several points, not least that the text is an object of study in and of itself, as a whole. Nor is the aesthetic level to be overlooked. Of course, many people object to this way of thinking. Denotation -- not connotation! they cry. It seems to me futile to waste one's energy trying to refute the obvious: the New Testament is as much literature as any other writing from the ancient past. For a profession already suffering from being atomistic and fragmented, it seems incongruous for New Testament scholarship to overlook the rhetorical nature of the text. The best protection against eisegesis is not suppression of tools but elimination of fallacies.

The second comes from an interview with Russel Moore by Tim Challies. Moore was asked to defend fiction reading against those Christians who claim that anything that isn't true is a waste of time. He explains,

I’ve found that most people who tell me that fiction is a waste of time are folks who seem to hold to a kind of sola cerebra vision of the Christian life that just doesn’t square with the Bible. The Bible doesn’t simply address man as a cognitive process but as a complex image-bearer who recognizes truth not only through categorizing syllogisms but through imagination, beauty, wonder, awe. Fiction helps to shape and hone what Russell Kirk called the moral imagination. My friend David Mills, now executive editor at First Things, wrote a brilliant article in Touchstone several years ago about the role of stories in shaping the moral imagination of children. As he pointed out, moral instruction is not simply about knowing factually what’s right and wrong (though that’s part of it); it’s about learning to feel affection toward certain virtues and revulsion toward others. A child learns to sympathize with the heroism of Jack the Giant Killer, to be repelled by the cruelty of Cinderella’s sisters and so on.

On the surface, these two comments seem unrelated. One professor is discussing the importance of rhetorical analysis when reading the Greek New Testament, the other is promoting fanciful stories. However, both of them make their arguments based on the same foundational truth - God is not only concerned with what we know, but with how that knowledge affects our hearts.

Allow me to ask you a question; how do you read the Bible? Is the Bible more than a collection of facts? Even a collection of the most important facts is not enough. The Bible is a grand narrative, full of poetry and wisdom. It uses stories and letters, and even wild apocalyptic literature in an effort not only to teach us truths, but to stir our hearts as well.

There is much to learn in our study of the Bible. However, we must recognize that the literature of the Bible is pushing us to kind of comprehension that not only engages our minds, but captures our souls. Consider Paul's stirring prayer in Ephesians 3:14-19:

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father... that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

This type of comprehension can be allusive when we simply read the Bible for content. Instead, we must be careful to slow down to appreciate the beauty of the Bible. We must allow ourselves to get lost in its grand narrative and captivated by its beautiful poetry. We must studiously attend to the arguments of Romans and sit in fanciful wonder as we approach the apocalyptic revelation of John. If we want the Bible to stir our hearts, we must read it as literature.

Unfounded Fear and the NC Marriage Amendment

Two weeks ago our local newspaper printed an article that featured a homosexual couple and their adopted son who in Wake Forest. The article was written in light of the Marriage Amendment to the NC Constitution that will be voted on tomorrow. The general sentiment of the article was that this couple and their child, along with many others, will lose vital privileges such as health care if the amendment is passed. Others, have argued similar concerns, including one facebook comment which stated that "at least 911,186 children will lose health care coverage if the amendment is passed." That means at least 10% of the states population would lose their health insurance.

These fears, which I believe to be unfounded, seem to have gained a lot of traction in our area. For this reason I thought it might be helpful to submit an article to the local paper. I originally wrote a 500 word letter, but trimmed it down to 300 words per the paper's request. I will include the 500 word essay below. If you prefer the 300 word essay, you will have to buy a copy of the Wake Weekly.
____________________________________

Fear of change is something that almost everyone can relate to. Sometimes it is a legitimate fear, other times it’s not. In the case of Shawn Long, the subject of last week’s article concerning the marriage amendment (4/26, Faces of Opposition), we may be happy to learn that many of his fears are unfounded.

The article explained that he was concerned that if the marriage amendment passes, much of the life that he, his partner, and their adopted son take for granted may be hampered. For instance, he expressed concern that he might lose the ability to secure medical benefits for his partner or his son. Further, he worries that if the amendment is passed, it may deter companies from coming to North Carolina to do business. Carrie Causey, the article’s author concludes, “no one knows for sure what will happen and who will be affected.”

Fortunately, the future is not nearly as murky as the article suggests. In fact, the same basic law has been on the book in North Carolina since 1996. The law, known as “General Statute 51-1.2” states,

Marriages, whether created by common law, contracted, or performed outside of North Carolina, between individuals of the same gender are not valid in North Carolina.

If the amendment is passed, the law will read,

Marriage between one man and one women is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State. This section does not prohibit a private party from entering into contracts with another private party; nor does this section prohibit courts from adjudicating the rights of private parties pursuant to such contracts.

Thus, the only substantial change is that the right for anyone, including homosexual couples, to enter into private contracts is more expressly defended.

An amendment to the NC constitution defining marriage will not change any of the rights that Shawn Long and his family currently enjoy. Last week’s article states that “the fact that they are a homosexual couple hasn’t made a big difference.” This amendment won’t change that in any way.

While the actual law would not be substantially changed, the ease in which that law could be overturned would be. By moving the law from the general statutes to the NC constitution, it effectively takes the law out of the hands of local and state judges. For instance, voteformarriagenc.com explains,

...without a marriage amendment in our constitution, activist judges can substitute their values for those of the people of North Carolina. This is exactly what happened in Iowa, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and California. Similarly, legislators can redefine marriage without permission of the people, as was done in New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire. The marriage amendment ensures that if activists want to redefine marriage in the future, they must receive the approval of the voters to do so.

It seems that fear of the future is, in many ways, driving both sides of this debate. Some of those fears may be legitimate, however it is helpful to realize that many are not.

Boring Bible Study and its Great Reward

I have just started reading a book titled Perspectives on Family Ministry by Timothy Paul Jones. I am only 9 pages into the book and I have already come across a very compelling question. Jones asks, "what if boredom isn't always bad?"

The founder of Young Life once commented, "It's a sin to bore a kid with the gospel." Is this statement true? How has this statement been applied in youth and children's ministries? How have these attitudes affected ministries to children and youth? After considering your own response to these questions, read what Mark DeVries has to say in response to the Young Life attitude: "It might be more of a sin to suggest to young people that the Christian life is always fun and never boring. Keeping teenagers from ever being bored in their faith can actually deprive them of opportunities to develop the discipline and perseverance needed to live the Christian life. It is precisely in those experiences that teenagers might describe as boring that Christian character is often formed." (Mark DeVries, Family-Based Youth Ministry, 1994)

If it is a sin to bore people with the gospel, then I wonder how Moses plans on explaining books like Leviticus and Numbers. Let's face it, the Bible isn't always a page-turner. At times we have to wade through mind-numbing lists of laws and tedious genealogies. I have never met someone who honestly considers those parts to be exciting literature. Yet, it is God's word, and it is purposeful. In fact, if you are willing to endure a little boredom, you may realize these boring sections are exactly what prepare us to understand and love the whole message of the Bible.

While Christians may be afraid of boring their children, and even themselves, not everyone in our society shares this fear. Kanon started a new job as a writer for the local newspaper. One of her assignments allowed her to interview William Henry Curry, the resident conductor of the North Carolina Symphony. Maestro Curry was visiting a local elementary school's music performance, which gave Kanon the opportunity to ask the conductor what advice he would offer these young, aspiring musicians.

Maestro Curry explained to Kanon, and to the children, that he recommends listening to difficult music and reading difficult books. He admitted that his first encounters with Shakespeare were less than enthralling. Yet, as he continued to plow through the dense reading he began to recognize the beauty and brilliance of Shakespeare's work. He insisted that classical music is much the same. That while it may seem boring to a novice, as you train your ears and your mind, you begin to realize and enjoy a depth and beauty that no pop song could ever hope to emulate.

I believe Maestro Curry's advice is also true of Biblical study. Our fear of boring Bible study prevents us from ever gaining the ability to appreciate the beauty and wisdom of the Bible. Because we are unwilling to suffer through serious study, we forfeit a great reward.

So is it a sin to bore a kid with the gospel? My response is a resounding no. In fact, at times it may be the most loving thing we could do. If we love our children we must teach them that just because something isn't fun, doesn't mean it's not worth it. Instead, as my dad used to say, "if it's not worth working for, it's not worth having."

The Bible, Devotionals, and the Road to Hell

Are you familiar with the phrase, "doing devotions?" If you want to sound cool you can try the more casual term, "devos." To be honest, I don't hear the phrase as much anymore, perhaps you had to go to church in the 80's and 90's to learn the cool lingo.  Nonetheless, devotions have been around for a long time now, and they are still a popular concept in the Christian world.

If you hear someone talking about devotions they are typically talking about a time that they set aside every day to read their Bibles and pray. In high school we were encouraged to dedicate 5 to 10 minutes every morning to these tasks, and because 5 or 10 minutes of Bible reading felt like an eternity at the time, we were given little guides to help us through the process. We read little booklets by "Youthwalk" or "Our Daily Bread," but always knew that the real devotion pros read things like "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers.

Most devotionals follow the same basic structure. They provide a verse for the day followed by a short thought on that verse meant to encourage or inspire the reader. With a little bit of discipline, you can begin each day with a Bible verse and mini-sermon. The results, at least they hope, is that you find yourself inspired and encouraged by the Bible on a more regular basis.

Certainly the intentions behind devotionals are good, but as you know, "the road to hell was paved with good intentions." I often wonder if the devotions mentality is one of the reasons so many Christians know so little about the Bible. We have been tricked into thinking that the Bible is a devotional, and because of that, we don't know how to read it.

Consider again how a devotional works. For instance, if you were working through the "Our Daily Bread" devotional, on Sunday you would have read 2 Timothy 3:14-17, Monday you would have looked at 1 Thessalonians 5:12-18, yesterday was Proverbs 4:1-7, and today you would find yourself in Joel 2:18-27. Each morning you would look for an inspiring nugget for the day, and the next day you would go mining for a new nugget. There is no effort given to understand how one day leads to the next or to understand how today's passage fits into the larger context of the book or the rest of the Bible.

This type of study trains our minds to scour the Bible for the inspiring one liners that can get us through the day. We begin to read the Bible like a twitter feed. We wade through all the boring parts in search of the jewel that we can "retweet." The problem is that the Bible is not a twitter feed. It's not a collection of one liners and helpful, though unrelated, stories. Instead it is a single book, made up of sixty six books, with a cohesive message.

Reading the Bible like a devotional deters us from ever asking what the author is saying. Reading the Bible like a devotional, for instance, never presents us with the need to ask why Paul would spend three chapters in Romans on sin before ever bringing up justification in Romans 3:21-25. Reading the Bible as a devotional means that we never have to ask what the main point is, as long as we find a point that "speaks to us."

Let us return to the saying, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." Should we really expect devotionals to be the cobblestones of the road to hell? Perhaps that is a little strong, but consider again John 5:37-47:

And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life... Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

In this passage, Jesus condemns the Jewish rulers of His day. The problem is not that they failed to read the Bible, but that they read it wrongly. They had their favorite passages and their favorite laws, but they never understood the main point of the Scriptures. They never realized that the entire Old Testament was about Jesus. And, because they read their Bibles wrongly, Jesus said they stand accused. It isn't Jesus who accuses them, it is the very Bible that so diligently read every morning.

I am worried that typical devotionals put us at risk of the same problem. We read our five minutes every morning and never walk away with an understanding the main idea of the text. We spend an entire year of daily reading and are never able to articulate how Jesus is the hero of all the Bible. Typically speaking, devotionals rarely offer any advantage over the way the Jewish leaders read the Bible in Jesus' day.

I am not suggesting that there is never a time and place for a devotional. However, I am afraid that we have let devotionals hijack our brains and our hearts. The Bible is a book that requires serious study. We have become content with spit-baths with a single verse every morning before we run out of the door. We must also strive for times that we can soak in His Word. We can no longer be content with a quick word of encouragement, we must press ourselves more deeply into His word in search of how Christ is revealed in Scripture.

Southern Baptist Convention: God's Strength in our Racism

When I first started seminary I was annoyed that Baptist History was a required class. I came to school to study the Bible, not Baptists. I couldn't imagine how a class on Baptist history would ever hold my interest. However, my one semester with Dr. Keith Harper quickly changed my mind. I became fascinated with the history of the Baptist movement. It was marked with some amazing achievements, and some shameful failures. The more I learned the more I felt simultaneously proud and embarrassed to be counted among their ranks. Perhaps most of all, I loved that the Baptists were, in many ways, a group of misfits that God decided to use to shape America and the world. At many times I wondered why God would choose to use a group like the Baptists to accomplish anything. It is my suspicion that God choose us so that we might learn the same lesson God taught Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

Racism and the History of the SBC

Perhaps the most shocking thing I learned in Dr. Harper's class was the origin of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). In 1845 the Southern Baptists separated from the Northern Baptists over the issue of slavery. The issue was that Northern Baptists not only wanted to send out white missionaries, but black missionaries too. In 1845 this meant that some slave owners ran the risk of losing their slaves to the mission field. The cost of reaching the world for Christ was too high so we bowed out and started our own little pro-slavery denomination.

The fact that God did not immediately wipe us from the face of the earth for so defaming His name is still somewhat shocking. There is no angle from which you can look at our origins and see a good light. We implicitly denied that fact that all men and all women bear the image of God. We tacitly asserted that our "property" was more valuable than the call to make disciples of all nations. And rather than give up our supposed "rights," we were willing to cause division and disunity in the body of Christ. If anything is clear in our origins, it is that we are a group of weak and unworthy vessels.

Yet, God has seen fit to use the SBC in some amazing ways. Certainly there have been some growing pains and learning curves, but he has transformed us into what is perhaps the most mission focused denomination in the world. When many other denominations began to forgo the essential tenants of the Christian faith, God used the SBC to defend and promote the truth of Scripture and the truth of the gospel. Surely God's power has been, and is being made, perfect in our weakness.

Interpreting Our Success
So what does our success mean? Does it mean that we finally got all of our ducks in a row so that God could use us? I don't think so. There are too many examples of our continued failures to think that we have fixed all our problems. As proof, Nathan Finn, a professor at SEBTS, recently tweeted:

Talked to a SBC pastor yesterday whose former church wouldn't allow African Americans to become members. In 2009. I hear this far too often.

Following this, Russell Moore, a professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kentucky, responded that he recently heard a similar report. There are still far too many examples of racism in our denomination to suggest that we have completely overcome this sin.

Instead of thinking ourselves as worthy of success, we do better compare our success with Israel's.

Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people. Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness... (Deuteronomy 9:6-7).

Our history proves that God has not blessed the SBC for our righteousness, but in spite of it. God loves to work in that way. The Bible is full of stories where he calls the most unlikely characters. If we are honest, most of us could agree that it doesn't make very much sense that God choose any one of us (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). Nonetheless, God has decided to specialize in showing His strength in our weakness.

3 Takeaways
Thinking through this has led me to challenge three faulty assumptions. These assumptions are wrong thinking both in regard to the SBC and in regard to my own life. They are:

1. We are too bad for God to use us - In fact, the exact opposite is true. We are so bad that God just might decide to show His strength through our weakness. It is our weaknesses that give me hope. Not hope in my weakness, but hope in the God who loves to come through for those who don't deserve it.
2. God chose to use us because we have it together - If Deuteronomy 8-9 teaches anything, it is that God doesn't share his glory. As soon as we believe that God chooses to use us because we got it right, we are in more danger than we realize. In fact, because we are at risk of forgetting our embarrassing history, our continued public blunders are perhaps a blessing in disguise.
3. God's love for showing His strength in my weakness encourages me to continue acting weak - Though God chooses us in our weakness, He never intends to leave us there. Deuteronomy 9 tells us that he choose Israel in spite of their weakness, but chapter 10 tells them how to respond to His gracious choosing.

And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)

God wants to show his strength in our weakness. That means we can never be too bad for Him to use us. At the same time, His strength does not leave us in our weakness. I desire that the SBC will be properly embarrassed of our past and recognize our continued failures and still not lose hope. We are the exact kind of people that God chooses. I have full confidence that He can and will continue to train us to love everyone the way he first loved us.

The Best $3 I've Ever Spent

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word - Psalm 119:9

After church my friend, Greg Bowers, decided to show off his son. They have downloaded a Bible memory app on his phone and the two of them have been working on memorizing Bible verses together. I was thoroughly impressed and pumped to see a young man memorizing the Bible. Plus, I felt a bit embarrassed to be shown up by a 8 year old.

As soon as I got home I downloaded the app to my phone and I am already convinced that it is the best $3 I will ever spend. The app is called fighter verses and is designed by Children Desiring God. Though I was initially skeptical because it was designed for children, I am glad that I didn't let that deter me. The app is beautifully designed and immensely helpful. It has a memory verse for each week and several fun games and exercises to help you learn it.

If you love technology and you love God, I can think of no reason not to spend your next $3 on this app. It's fun, well designed, and can help you keep your way pure. It was the best $3 investment that I can remember and I expect it will be the same for you

Here is a link for apple users,
Android users can click here,
Or, go directly to their website to learn more about fighter verses.

Enjoy

Can Salvation Come Apart From the Law? - Romans 5:12-21

The hermeneutics class I am teaching recently worked through an exciting argument in the book of Romans. It was fun to read through their papers and see some of the excellent work they did. This post is to offer my own contribution to all their hard work.

One problem that many students had was figuring out how Romans 5:20 fit with the rest of the passage. The passage seemed to focus primarily on Adam and Jesus, which made a comment about the law seem out of place. Adam died way before the law was given, it seemed like a verse about the law would be more fitting in a conversation about Moses.

The answer to this problem is found by looking back through the book of Romans. The context of the argument lets us see that vs. 20 is actually less out of place than Adam is. Paul's argument is about how salvation and justification can happen even if we don't have or don't keep the law. The question now is, why bring up Adam if you want to show us how to be saved apart from the law? Hopefully this outline can help make sense of that question.

Romans 5:12-21
The Context: 
After a brief introduction to the book, where Paul tells us that he will be explaining the the gospel, he launches into a nearly three chapter demonstration that we all fall short of God's righteousness and therefore we all deserve God's wrath. Then in Romans 3:21-22, he presents the most exciting and most shocking claim of the entire book, "But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe."

I say that claim is exciting because Paul has just proven that our lack of righteousness brings God's wrath upon us. It marks us for death. But now, we have access to the perfect righteousness of God through Jesus Christ. We have access to a righteousness that can keep us from death and from the wrath of God. No news could be more exciting.

But the claim is also shocking. In fact, especially if you were a first century Jew, it is almost too good to believe. How in the world can righteousness come apart from the law? Why would God give us righteousness for what we believe instead of what we do? Why would God even give us the law if it can't provide us with righteousness? It is easy to see why Paul's readers, especially the Jewish ones, might receive this news skeptically. This is why Paul spends the next few chapters proving salvation can come apart from the law, and that this belief is completely consistent with the Old Testament. In Chapter 4 Paul uses Abraham as exhibit A, in our passage he turns to Adam as exhibit B.

Introducing Exhibit B - Romans 5:12-14
To prove that righteousness, and salvation, can come apart from the law, Paul uses an argument from precedent. He is claiming that we should allow a past event to explain and interpret the present dilemma. The precedent that he offers in verse twelve is the case of Adam. He explains that Adam's one sin brought two consequences. His sin immediately introduces death which reigned over all people. It also set all people into a pattern of sin which perpetuated the problem, continually extending death over all mankind.

After introducing Adam for comparison, Paul explains why this is a legitimate comparison to Jesus. Remember that the argument is that Jesus can offer righteousness and salvation apart from the law. For this reason Paul has to demonstrate that Adam offered sin and unrighteousness apart from the law. Paul makes this clear in vs. 13-14. ISV translates the verses clearly.

Certainly sin was in the world before the law was given, but no record of sin is kept when there is no law. Nevertheless, death ruled from the time of Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the same way Adam did when he disobeyed.

Though sin may not have been recorded the same way, or known the same way, before the law was given, it was nevertheless still there. We know this because its effects were still there. People obviously sinned because death was there, reigning over mankind.

Thus, if Adam's gift to the world, though it is a gift we don't want, can come apart from the law, there is no reason to believe that the same isn't true of Jesus' gift. Adam's situation is legitimately comparable to Jesus'. Or, we can say, Adam is a legitimate precedent. Or if you prefer to use Paul's language, Adam is a type of Jesus.

• Introducing Exhibit B: Adam - Romans 5:12-14
• The Relevant Data: What About Adam Compares to Christ - Romans 5:12
• The Reason the Data is Admissible: What Makes Adam's Situation Similar to Christ's - Romans 5:13-14

Jesus Is Like Adam, But Better - Romans 5:15-19
While Adam is a type of Jesus, or a precedent for Jesus, it is not true that they are exactly the same. The difference isn't how they interact with the law, that is how they are the same. Instead, the difference is in the quality of their gifts. Paul gives several reasons that though Jesus is like Adam, he is way, way, better.

First, we expect Jesus' gift to be better because it comes from a better source. Adam's gift was given to all men even though it came simply from one man's offense. Certainly then, Jesus' gift must be available for all men because it comes from God's grace, and is the result the God-Man's obedience. Second, Adam's disobedience brought condemnation and death, a reward that no one wants. But Jesus' gift far exceeds Adam's in that he offers justification and life. Finally, Adam's disobedience set the pattern, which all men followed, each one of us disobeying God like our first father. But Jesus, again proving to be superior, makes us righteous and establishes a new pattern of righteousness for us to follow. Truly, Jesus gift exceeds Adam's in every way, just as Jesus himself exceeded Adam in every way.

• Jesus is Like Adam, But Better - Romans 5:15-19
• Jesus' Gift Comes From a Better Source - Romans 5:15
• Jesus' Gift Brings a Better Reward - Romans 5:16-18
• Jesus' Gift Establishes a Better Pattern - Romans 5:19

The Law Has The Same Effect On Jesus' Gift as It Had On Adam's - Romans 5:20-21
Having already put forward why he could compare Adam and Jesus, and then demonstrating how Jesus surpasses Adam in every way, Paul now comes back to the question that started this discussion in the first place; "why the law?" While we find other answers to this question in other places in the Bible, here Paul is content to focus on the law's ability to highlight the greatness of Christ's gracious gift.

The argument is simple. Sin obviously existed before the law, he already proved this in Romans 5:13-14. Therefore, the law simply makes sin worse. Scholars debate exactly how it makes sin worse. For instance, does it mean we sin more or that our sin is worse because we should have known better. The answer to this debate, however, isn't extremely important to Paul's point. Instead it is enough to realize that the law demonstrates in excruciating detail how disobedient we are. Yet, the worse our sin is and the more we realize the depths of our depravity, the greater God's grace is proven to be. The point is, the law wasn't needed to kill us and the law isn't needed to save us. However, the law does show us how dead we are, and the law does show us how great God's grace is.

The point is made. There is very little room left to question why God would save us regardless of how well we kept the law. All Paul has left to do is present his final closing argument. Here, in vs. 21 he recaps the entire argument showing that just as sin once ruled, now grace rules. And this new rule, the rule of grace, is glorious indeed for it results in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

• The law has the same effect on Jesus' gift as it had on Adam's - Romans 5:20-21
• The Purpose of the law - Romans 5:20
• Closing Statement - Romans 5:21

So What - Some Practical Applications
As we all know, it is not enough to simply know what the Bible says, we must let it affect the way we live. Some passages challenge us to do things, some challenge us to think things. Regardless, every passage challenges us to respond.

This passage is clearly trying to impress us with the greatness of God's grace in Jesus. This mean we want to ask how this passage can lead us to a greater appreciation of the greatness of God's grace. While there may be several ways, let me suggest three that correspond with the three points of Paul's message.

1. Spend time thinking about the depths of your sin. - David said in Psalm 51 that he was conceived in sin. This passage helps us understand what that means. But David also recognized that he continued in that pattern set by Adam. Or consider Luke 18:9-14 and ask yourself, are you more like the Pharisee who thanks God that you are not like the sinners, or more like the tax collector who beats his breast and cries, "have mercy on me, O God?" If you are like the Pharisee, you will never see the greatness of the grace of God.
2. Consider whom your life more closely resembles. - Adam set a pattern of disobedience, death, and destruction. Ever since then, all men have naturally followed in their father's footsteps, disobeying God, setting off on a path that leads to death. Is this the same path that you are on? Or have you followed Christ? Are you trusting in His gift and following His pattern. He offers the only road toward eternal life.
3. Marvel at and give thanks for the incredible grace of God. - God gave the law and He gave His Son so that we might catch just a glimpse of how amazing He is. The angels describe Him in Isaiah 6:3 as "Holy, Holy, Holy." He is wholly good, without any blemish. He hates all sin and injustice and vows to destroy all evil. Yet, He is simultaneously full of mercy, abounding in love. Only by grasping these two truths can we begin to see the incredible nature of His free gift of grace, in which he delivered His own Son so that we might share in His righteousness. This kind of grace deserves unending praise.