Life in the Spirit

478.doc

Scripture: Lectionary 478: Romans 8:1-11. Psalm 24:3-4.5-6. Luke 13:1-9

After the dreadful yet inspiring introspection of Paul in chapter seven of Romans, we now are greeted with the awe-inspiring chapter eight. It needs very little comment for we are directly in touch with the Holy Spirit who speaks clearly in this chapter about our sanctification. It is often entitled as “Life in the Spirit.”

Paul turns to the Holy Spirit to talk about the magnanimous gift of God’s overwhelming love for us shown in the redeeming love of Christ whose death on the Cross has liberated from all the bonds of sin and death; even the difficulties of struggling with the law and with ourselves is now under the power of the Holy Spirit and the Son of God who gave his life for all of us.

There is no condemnation for us when we live the life of the Spirit dwelling within us. Paul shares with us his conviction about this inward experience of the Holy Spirit which makes us aware and appreciative for what Jesus, the Son of God has done for us. We then have the joy and peace of God within us and we are being sanctified. We become aware of the Trinity even though we cannot fathom the mystery of what the Trinity is or means. Paul keeps reinforcing the dwelling of the Spirit within us as he explains his own efforts to express what life in the Spirit means. Paul is helping us to ponder, to meditate on God’s mercy and loving-kindness and to pray through the Spirit dwelling within our hearts. God has graced us from making us in God’s image and likeness; then Jesus, the Son of God ransoms us from sin and death by his total gift of love, and the Holy Spirit confirms that love and is that love of God and the Son of God.

Justification by faith alone is the beginning of this greater gift of love through life in the Spirit. Jesus then continues to instruct us as to how to be his disciples and share in the love and life in the Spirit. We see from the Gospel that Jesus was historically present and knew of the secular things going on around him. The governor Pontius Pilate is mentioned in our selection from Luke and it shows how cruel this man was even though some early Christians considered him to be saintly. Jesus explains what he means through another parable which shows us how patient God is with us. We always are given another chance to turn completely to God through the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. In this way the eight chapter of Paul shows us how to live this life through contemplating the living word of God inspired by the Holy Spirit in Paul and already lived out in Jesus who was more than the Scriptures. He as a divine Person was made flesh and lived among us as the Word of God. Glory! to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit in every time and in every age. Amen.