As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one”… (Romans 3:10)
I hold tightly to the understanding that Christianity is the ultimate paradox. What I mean is that our faith is two seemingly opposed ideals moving and pushing forward in Grace and in Power and both are completely true. Romans 3:10 highlights this paradox. St. Paul tells us that there is none righteous… Yet, just a few paragraphs before he tells us that the doers of the law will be justified… He also tells us that our Father will bring glory, honor and peace to everyone who works what is good. Does Romans 3:10 eliminate personal virtue? It cannot, all the while it is entirely true. More simply, no one is righteous; yet personal virtue persists.
What can one say to this? I believe we have to start here: I am part of the problem. Take a quick walk through the philosophy/advice/self-help sections of a book store and briefly browse a few books. I bet you will find a singular theme in most of the books. It will be something all these lines, “You are a unique, authentic, and good person; your problem is letting other people or society stifle your life and waste your time. Here are the solutions”. This is more or less watered down existentialism and even Christian authors swim in these waters. I must be honest, there are useful thoughts and habits in many of these books; but they miss the point Paul begs us to admit, I am part of the problem.
We must understand that the world has a sin problem and we are drowning in it. Here the paradox returns, as we are told as fact that our Father honors those who work and strive for what is good. Yet, even our best intentions often create negative outcomes for others around us. We can make lists, but that would be akin to making rules. What Paul, I think, desires that we grasp is that as long as we are on earth we are personally responsible for sin that we cannot even begin to understand. And as long as we are, we remain part of the problem.
Ok, thanks Jason for being a bummer this morning. Not so fast, here is discipleship. We need this understanding as it gives us freedom. We cannot work against the problem until we know the problem. We cannot be self-righteous when we know that we desperately need our Savior. We cannot help another soul until we admit that ours progresses through muddy and bloody trenches of our own creation. We cannot bother to lay blame on others or concepts like society when we understand that it is me who is destitute without His Spirit. Discipleship begins at the alter of repentance and virtue springs forth.
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