In every language there are certain words or phrases that guide us as readers or listeners to better understand what is going on around us. For example, we have the classic, “Once upon a time” to let us know that whatever is about to follow is drenched in the dew of fantasy. We have an even more modern example in the space opera known as Star Wars. If you’ve seen the films, immediately after the screen goes black simple font appears in that light blue tinge which reads, “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away….”. Both examples are so common that when encountering them we recognize precisely what is going to happen next.
When I first began formally studying Scripture one of my first professors always reminded the class that whenever we come across the word “therefore” we ought to ask the question, “What is it there for?” Now this may sound trite, but it is such a helpful reminder to us that when we read the Bible, we ought to be engaging ourselves in such a way that we consider with much care whatever we read or hear. Like any conversation, words must be understood in proper context. The Apostle Paul likewise uses language in Romans 12:1 which introduced a little word only three letters long in its original tongue but containing far more than that. I am speaking of that English word “Therefore”.
Well then, what is the “therefore” there for in Romans 12:1? There is a real sense where this single word delivered by the Apostle Paul contains everything which he has already said in Romans chapters 1-11. Paul’s desire for his listeners is for them to know that everything he is about to say in Romans 12-16 must be seen considering what he’s argued already in Romans 1-11. Paul pointed backwards to help frame and explain all that lies ahead. But he does something even more to help remind his readers of what came before.
If you’ve ever read a lengthy work, whether the Bible or otherwise, sometimes we can forget bits and pieces. Paul doesn’t simply drop a “therefore” without assistance. He helps his readers recognize that all which came before can again be summarized by these simple words, “by the mercies of God” (Rom. 12:1). It is the eternal gift of salvation to which Paul alluded; a salvation not built by our efforts or performance, or anything we’ve done. Our salvation from God’s holy wrath is the outworking of the plan of redemption promised before the foundations of the world in that eternal covenant between the persons of the Holy Trinity in what is often called the covenant of redemption.
Martin Luther, in his 1515 lectures on the book of Romans highlighted even then (two years before what is often considered the beginning of the Protestant Reformation) this merciful reality: “Christ offers Himself as our righteousness, peace, and security of conscience without our efforts, so that then we may always build our good works on Him.” (Luther’s Works, vol. 25, p. 104) If we do not find every subsequent command given by the Apostle Paul for the Christian life as rooted in the perfect work of Christ we will inevitably find ourselves either living as self-righteous religious people or as those hopelessly crushed under the weight of trying to be “good enough” to get into heaven; neither will do.
Paul’s “therefore” then is properly a hinge to transition his listeners focus from the reality of becoming a Christian by grace alone to living out that grace-originated Christianity in our ordinary and everyday lives. One scholar described the reality of Paul’s ethical teachings or how to live as a Christian as “the great disturbance” because “human behaviour must inevitably be disturbed by the thought of God.” And this is true, isn’t it? If your Christianity has never forced you to rethink how you think of people, how you speak to people, how you act towards people, both inside and outside of the church, then what good is it?
God makes very clear demands of His people and none of us are born knowing them perfectly and completely. This means that we need to be taught, which is why God gifts people faithful pastors. But we’ll never grow as disciples (of any sort) unless we are teachable. There is nothing quite as useless as an unteachable Christian. It is more likely to find an icy flame than an unteachable Christian making a positive impact for the kingdom of God. Likewise, if any of us remain indifferent about God’s clear demands for His people we are in for trouble. To be indifferent about God’s demands on your life is no indifferent matter. If your body begins to lose sensation so that you regularly are without feeling in a part of your body this is not a sign of superhuman strength but that something may be very, very wrong. The same is true spiritually.
We must remember that to be a Christian is to be a slave of God (cf. Rom. 6:18). We are called to live according to the commands of our Master. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, not us. Unfortunately, for so many in today’s Christianity the roles have become reversed. God is expected to do what we say, or else we are done with Him. Sadly, for some the so-called “Christian life” is a compartmentalized life where it does not affect our thinking, or spending, or family interactions, or anything else for that matter. It’s like a caged bird which is meant to be viewed when desired but trapped in a certain place an unable to go anywhere else. This must not be so.
Instead, when we examine Scripture, the Christian life is one where a person seeks to live a holy life according to God’s definition of holiness, not ours. Such God-honoring holiness delights in the law of God because it is a clear image of what it is like to live like Jesus (cf. Psalm 1; Matt. 5:17-20). The Christian life is rooted in apprehending and resting in the mercies of God revealed to us in the work of Jesus. The Christian life is lived in gratitude for what God has already done for us in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Christian life from beginning to end is the outworking of God’s grace where we receive by faith all the benefits Christ earned by His perfect obedience and sacrificial death on the cross.
If this grace of God does not motivate you to live for Christ, what is motivating you? Is it an attempt to earn God’s love? Is it an attempt to keep God’s love? Or is it just an indifferent matter for you? We must return to Scripture hearing God’s voice in every word and learn that to be a Christian is to love God with all that you are wherever you are.