Paul a servant of Christ. What would cause someone to become a servant voluntarily? It would take a force so powerful that it would have to override an individual’s own wants, needs and dreams. The only force capable of doing so, is love. It is the compelling nature of love (Romans 5:14-15). Love can cause an individual to give of themselves as one lover gives themselves to the other (Song of Songs 6:3).
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, enslaved and enraptured by the love of God, called to be an apostle, sent out, given the assignment to declare the love of God through the Goodnews of reconciliation of man to God through Christ our Lord, King and lover of our soul. (Romans 5:8)
Paul’s calling is our calling, a calling to give of ourselves. As Oswald Chamber’s once said in “My Utmost for His Highest”, “a reckless abandonment.” It is the abandonment of our own will and trusting in the guidance and direction of God. What Paul did is take upon the very nature of Christ. A nature that would abandon ones will, and say not my will but your will be done, as Jesus displayed in the garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:39). Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane in His agony, in the flesh, abandoned His will, for the will of His Father. In doing so Jesus communicated the extent of the love of God for the world. A love that is willing to lay down His own life for the sake of others. (Romans 5:8, John 3:16, Phil 2:7). He voluntarily submitted His will because of the Love of the Father compelled Him, His very own nature, compelling Him to give of Himself (John 17:23-26).
As we daily face our own proverbial Gethsemane’s. It is the nature of God Himself we are called to put on and we shed our own (1 John 4:7-21, Ephesians 4:22-24). Paul displays this very nature as he pours out his life in submission to the will of the Father for the glory of Jesus. In doing so, Paul shows that he is compelled by the love God to obey the very command of God that is based on the love of God, and the love of others. God’s commands are not based on cruelty and coercion this is not His nature. The nature of God is communicated to us through scriptures —a nature of love based on peace and not evil, one that promises a future and hope (Jeremiah 29:11). It is this obedience we are called to, promising peace, a future, and hope. (John 14:15, 1 John 5:3, Isaiah 1:19).
Lord God, that we know the depths of your love, giving ourselves over to you, being driven by the law of love in obedience to your command. That we would learn to live as conduits communicating this love to a world disconnected. Calling them into your glorious grace abounding in the love of God.
I like how Paul then turns to his own story into a example. The Christians that had demanded circumcision of those that are not Jews in the book of Galatians are still causing trouble for Paul. They remind him of his own troubled past when he was a persecutor of Jesus’ followers and tried to show his right standing before God by spending lot of time in energy to the five books “Torah”. Like Jesus, Paul gave up his status and honor, now regarding it all as filth ….the Greek word he uses is less polite! “Crap” “Dog Dookie”
He contrasted this with the knowledge and love of knowing Christ, emphasizing that these former accomplishments were worthless compared to the love of following Jesus.He became a servant like Jesus, participating in his suffering and sacrificial love. Paul does it all in the hope that the grace and love of Jesus will carry him through death and out the other side into resurrection life.
Paul says that, for followers of Jesus, their true citizenship is in heaven (Philippines 3:20). For Paul, this does not mean that we all should hope to get away from Earth and go to Heaven. Rather, Heaven is the transcendent place where Jesus is King of creation. To a place where there is nothing but love. Paul says that we’re eagerly waiting for our royal savior to come from there and return here, bringing his healing justice and transforming love to bring about a new creation.
Wonderful study on Romans Nick.