Scripture
Psalms: 87, 90 & 136
OT: Jer. 13:1-11
NT: Rom. 6:12-23
Gospel: John 8:47-59
Reflection
Do you ever wonder if there is a point to anything? Is your life heading anywhere? I wonder that a lot. It seems like we do the same things over and over and over and over and…
The circle and cycle of life gets a little weary. Something that I like about the Scriptures is they point us to this big macro picture. They show us that there is a “telos” or an end to things. Our lives are heading somewhere. At some point we will come to an end and there is progression.
Check out this bit from Paul,
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end (telos) of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end (telos), eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:20-23, ESV)
There are two story arcs for humanity. One arc leads first to shame and ultimately death. Shame that leads to death is a story that is carried throughout the Scriptures from the very beginning. When Adam and Eve sin they feel shame and then they experience death, being separated from God.
The second story arc is one that of sanctification and life. I really dig that a lot. At its foundation Christianity teaches that the follower of Jesus will grow and change (sanctification) we don’t simply arrive. The life that we gain through this is an eternal life, life forever in relationship with God.
One last thought from this little passage, notice that we earn our death but we don’t earn life. In other words, we are held responsible for our actions. We choose to sin and to serve sin. We get what we deserve. On the other hand, life is given freely by God. This end, this telos of life is not something we earned. It something that is given!
Oh what a gift!
