Here\u2019s the singular principle of Paul that enables Christians to dwell together in unity is to live \u201cto the Lord.\u201d The alternative is to live to the flesh, or as Paul puts it in Rom 14:7-9, \u201cto ourselves.\u201d It is easy to reduce all problems to selfishness, and the reason it is easy is because the accusation penetrates so deeply and explains so much.
\nTo live to the Lord means, in this passage, to live out the death and resurrection of Christ \u2014 which means, dying to sin and being made alive to righteousness.
\nPaul doesn\u2019t really draw out the connection, but living to the Lord means living in light of a final judgment (14:10-12). \u201cFor we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.\u201d The logic, as Wright pulls it together, is Jesus was raised, Jesus was raised to be judge, therefore live before the raised Jesus who is also Judge.
\nI believe the emphasis of many today on the redemption of the world is salutary, and I believe that many have constructed gospel preaching far too much on the \u201cit\u2019s all about heaven\u201d platform, but if we are discovering the former again with renewed force, we can\u2019t do at the expense of the eternal.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Here\u2019s the singular principle of Paul that enables Christians to dwell together in unity is to live \u201cto the Lord.\u201d The alternative is to live to the flesh, or as Paul puts it in Rom 14:7-9, \u201cto ourselves.\u201d It is easy to reduce all problems to selfishness, and the reason it is easy is because […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1752],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-romans"],"yoast_head":"\n