Although it was about 40 years ago, I still remember his comment. I was taking a Greek class taught by my New Testament professor, Dr. Arden Autry. We were working through Romans 1, much of which describes the sinful state of the Gentiles apart from God.
When we got to verse 31, Dr. Autry said that sin removes anything that makes people human.
Sin dehumanizes.
It appears to satisfy, offering fulfillment and pleasure. But this verse claims the opposite happens.
Under such conditions, it’s “every man for himself!” Sin is self-centeredness; it keeps people focused on their own interests and desires. Dependability disappears; all that remains is a scramble to take care of oneself. It’s dangerous to trust others because they’re treacherous.
Such a world is a poor environment for affection. It can’t endure, so it dries up. With the sense of connection fading, people must fend for themselves. They’re isolated and alone.
There’s no room for the weak and no reason to be gracious to them. In a word, cruelty reigns.
Rejecting the Lord, chasing after false gods, and surrendering to unrestrained passions don’t benefit anyone or improve society. What we have is a recipe for ruination.
The further we sink into sin, the less human we become.
Salvation
But God cares about us. He feels the hurts and the harms endured and inflicted. We can rely on Him because He knows what we need.
Through Jesus Christ, we have forgiveness and new life.
“Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.” – Romans 4:7-8, quoting Psalm 32:1-2
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23
Receiving salvation serves us at our point of deepest need, but does it change us? Does God transform us?
Yes, He does.
Jesus restores our damaged humanity. He rehumanizes us.
Consider how Paul perceived the spiritual condition of the Roman Christians.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 14I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another.” – Romans 15:13-14
God’s Spirit makes us more like Jesus, and He does so in the context of the church community.
As we share our lives with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we grow in God’s wisdom. We become trustworthy and trusting. We care for one another. And compassion beats within our hearts.
And within the life and ministry of God’s people, we develop Christlikeness. Jesus is giving us back humanity, but not the old one.
The title sounds like it’s referring to the power of God. There are many words that the writers of the New Testament use for God’s power. A single verse contains four such terms.
“What is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might.” – Ephesians 1:19 (NASB)
The first word, power (dunamis), means “strength, power, ability.” It occurs 124 times in the Greek New Testament, so it’s a general term.
The second word, “working” (energeia), deals with work and efficiency. You can tell by looking at it that the English word “energy” derives from it. Of these four terms, this one is the least common, occurring only seven times in the GNT.
The third word, “strength” (kratos), has several meanings, including force, power, and dominion. It’s used 13 times in the GNT.
The last word, “might” (ischus), conveys ability, force, and strength. It’s found ten times in the GNT.
Paul went out of his way to stress our access to the power of God. If this verse assures us of anything, it confirms the Lord’s abilities are right there with us. No matter what we’re going through, God’s power is present to help us. Hallelujah, what assurance!
But “God’s might” has another meaning, at least in English. The phrase can refer to the possible or potential.
“Maybe.”
“God might do that.”
“God could work it out.”
The power of God shows up in the maybes of life.
Here’s one example.
“‘Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?’ 16Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18But even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’” – Daniel 3:15-18
Three young Jewish men refused to worship an idol, even though the king of Babylon insisted they do. If not, they’d get tossed into a furnace. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego said no, but they explained their reasoning. This group was convinced God had the power to rescue them from the fire. But they weren’t sure He would. Yet even if He didn’t, their minds were made up. They would worship God alone, not idols.
They didn’t know what would happen. Maybe the Lord would deliver them. He had the power to do so, without doubt. But would He?
God did!
“Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, ‘Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?’ They replied, ‘Certainly, Your Majesty.’ 25He said, ‘Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.’ 26Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!’ So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. 28Then Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.’” – Daniel 3:24-29
God saved His loyal servants, but not at a distance. His presence manifested His power. King Nebuchadnezzar could describe the fourth being in the furnace with the only language at his disposal: “a son of the gods,” “his angel.” From the New Testament perspective, Christians know he’s talking about Jesus. The pre-incarnate Christ is demonstrating God’s power and presence in dire circumstances. He honored the faith of these three Jews when they weren’t sure of the outcome. They neither compromised nor quit, and the Lord rewarded them.
It’s a lesson we can practice in the situations we face, too. Here’s another instance.
“For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. 15But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. 16How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?” – 1 Corinthians 7:14-16
It’s wonderful if a whole family comes to faith in Christ, but that’s not always the case. What should Christians do when their spouses aren’t believers and exhibit no interest in the gospel? There are three options.
One is to take off. If the spouse doesn’t believe in Jesus, leave and find someone who does. That’s one extreme. At the other end is a second option: to confess them into the kingdom of God. Some Christians get aggressive in their prayers, declaring the salvation of their spouses before they receive Jesus into their hearts. These believers suppose their assertions demonstrate confidence and determine the future.
But Paul lays down a third path. Be faithful, even when you don’t know what’s going to happen. If God is powerful enough to reach us, he can reach our unsaved spouses, but He works in response to our trust in Him. We should take advantage of the opportunities God gives us, but we leave the results up to Him. We don’t know what will happen, but we can be certain that the Lord honors our trust. We can live with the “maybe” because God is good.
And here’s one more example.
“The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, 25with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, 26and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” – 2 Timothy 2:24-26 (NASB)
Notice all the conditional terms in this passage: if, perhaps, may (twice). Paul isn’t advocating a wishy-washy mindset; that would misrepresent his teaching. He doesn’t want Christians to meet force with force. Don’t fight like the world does. When challenged, react with the character of Christ. And again, leave the outcome to God. We don’t know if people will be open to our correction, but we must act with courage and patience. A Spirit-sensitive approach will do more to free someone from the enemy than threats and coercion will.
God’s might refers to His power, His ability to act, even to work miracles. But our experience and the testimony of Scripture point out a second meaning. Maybe. It’s possible. We won’t know for a while. How do we live with uncertainty? We trust the God who loved us so much He gave us His Son.
Recent Comments