The Community of God

The Community of God

Confirmation Sunday. I suppose that this is a common term through out the states and beyond. Just last week I attended the second of two services dedicated to my sister-in-law’s confirmation class. In a couple of weeks I will attend my cousin in laws confirmation. And today, we join to celebrate our own confirmation class from this past year.

I myself, as we all recently may have realized, was never confirmed into a church. It came out of the fact that I would rather sleep in on Sunday mornings then go some where that early on my Sunday. No, I wasn’t interested into religion or anything to do with God when I was just entering into 10^th grade. I suppose I believed in other things. You see, all of my life was constructed by what I did. Everything fell into place accordingly, and I was considered a good kid.

But as I reflect on what the verses that have been read thus far I realize just how badly I had missed the mark. And as I continue to reflect on these verses, I am wondering how much confirmation Sundays have become about what we do, and not about who we know.

First though, I might need to clarify what Paul is getting at in Romans. What many of us don’t realize is just how huge of a debate the early church had over how a person is justified. Many early Jewish converted Christians believed that it was still by the law that they would be justified, but on the other side of the debate was a coalition whose views can be seen through Pauline theology. He took a different approach. This approach can be found through out Paul’s ministry, but is articulated very well in our NT lesson for today.

Paul states “But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ for all who believe.”

As Matt and I discussed earlier this week this small section within Paul’s bigger layers of theology could be the subject of a sermon alone. Yet, this is very important to today’s cause; for Paul in this section alone is able to account for all of the Old Testament only to lead to Jesus. One of the things I like to ask people is what is atonement. The kids I ask usually respond with ‘atonewhat’? So for all of you who do not know, Paul just stated it very clearly, because in this first section of our New Testament lesson our answer can be found. For as the law is given to instruct, the prophets sent to lead, so also was Jesus sent by the same loving and righteous God to save this fallen race we are all a part of. Atonement then, is the reconciliation of humankind through out history. God gave humankind different sorts of methods to try to bring them back to him. But it would not happen through the law or the prophets—ultimately it had to happen through Jesus.

But as Paul progresses we learn just how incorporating the giving of the law into his theology is important. For if we were to obtain righteousness through what we do, then any one of us could brag all day long about our achievements. But this though is not about us, it never was. No, Paul is clear to point out that it is not about a certain set of people in stating “Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of gentiles also?” Then his answer is a firm no, God will judge the circumcised, or what would have been the Jews, through the same faith he judges the Gentiles. So also he will judge each of us not by if we are the best person at a certain sport, the best at quoting scripture, or even if one is baptized or not. No, he points out very clearly that since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is Christ Jesus whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith.

Therefore, Paul leads, nothing is accounted to us: all grace and righteousness must come as a gift from God so that no one can boast. Paul would probably say that being good at sports, or at quoting scripture, and most certainly baptism are all worth while. If, though, if we leave these things to be simply about what we do, then everyone will have missed the mark just as I did growing up.

Paul further proves his point through the example of Abraham. Once again he shows that through all the avenues that the Old Testament has to offer—the law, the prophets, and so on—our salvation never came through these types of avenues. Just as we saw in our Old Testament lesson that even before Abraham had done anything, it was his faith and trust in God that was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness. No matter how much Abraham tried to do things to try to bring about God’s will, it didn’t matter. At the end of the day Abraham believed in God’s promises. At the end of the day, God credited Abraham’s faith as righteousness.

Thought out the years we will do many things. We will go through great trials, endure the elements, and achieve goals we only dream about. It has been said that it is not about who you are, but about what you do. If Paul were here, I suppose he would disagree. I think he would say no, it is not about what you do, but who you know, trust, and ultimately who you put your faith in. Then, as we have faith in Christ Jesus, we will find that what we do will stem from the change that Christ brings into our hearts. We no longer will be self centered thinking only about our own gain, but we will realize that Christ gave himself up as a living sacrifice so that everyone might experience true communion with God. Our actions will then turn outward and become the actions that the Church, the bride of Christ, ought to be doing.

So, as we continue through Confirmation Sunday it is my prayer for every individual being confirmed through out every church that there focus would not be on the family that shows up to celebrate with them, or that it is just another step as you are brought up as a child of that particular church. I hope it is not about what you do or what anyone else will do.

I hope that it would be about a public affirmation of a much deeper conviction. Then, no longer will you be left to your own mechanisms, but that through faith you will be justified by that very faith through the redemption that is Christ Jesus brings, thus giving you entrance into the Community of God.