Blog

by Nathan Buck

Let’s recap – up until this part of Romans, Paul has been talking about what it looks like when we act the OPPOSITE of our design and practice living in a way other than God intended for us to live. That is BOTH a community set of designs/standards, and specific individual designs complete with gifts, talents, personality, passion, etc. When we live opposite to our God given identity, it is called sin. In rejecting that identity, we are first and foremost rejecting God and choosing to live a life apart from His purposes and design. As we persist and practice that rebellion, we store up and gather wrath or penalty for ourselves – some of which may come by our own consequences, and some when we stand before God on judgment day. I have also used a campy analogy all the way through this section, about a lion in a duck costume (this is the last blog with it, I promise).

Most of this week’s section of Romans is again about there being no difference in how this life will turn out for the Jews versus the Gentiles. Ultimately, we will all stand before God and our own consciences will accuse or condemn us in comparison to God’s Truth and teachings. No matter who we are, or how much history we had with religion, God, or spirituality, we will reveal exactly where we walked with God, and where we rebelled. (Certainly, will all need to depend on God’s grace through Jesus Christ.)

There is one key verse in this section I want to call out. Notice Romans 2:13: “For it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.” Other translations take that word “doers” and put in “those who obey.” Either way the initial point seems clear.

Let’s get under the surface there though. The Greek word is ‘poietes’ – which means “doer” or “performer.” In the context of this verse, we assume it means one who performs the law or teachings of God, which is correct. But there is a deeper piece here. The root of the word ‘poietes’ is ‘poema’ which means “poetry” or “song.” We see Paul use ‘poema’ in Ephesians 2:10 to say, “we are God’s ‘workmanship’ (his ‘poetry’ or ‘song’) created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

So when we put this all together, Paul is saying that when we are living right before God, we are avoiding storing up wrath, and we escape the masquerade when we have the courage to stop pretending and live according to the design God has given us. We are fully alive and free when we are PERFORMING the POETRY or SONG that was written by God and given our name.

This is different than “following your heart” or “doing what you love.” Those are expressions in our culture that mostly mean to follow our passions and desires – which can lead us into that duck costume. Our SONG that God has written will be in sync with His teachings and will draw us closer to Him. That is why if we are faithful to live it out, we will be called righteous (or living rightly before God).

Have you stopped to ask how God sees you? How He has designed you? Do you have the courage to set aside the masquerade, and walk in the fullness of His design for you?

I encourage you and challenge you to set aside the worldly song and the costume party music you have been playing, and start asking God to reveal the Song, the Poetry, the Sculpture, the Painting, the unique architectural design, that He created you to be. If you are willing to go there, He will empower, strengthen, and lead you in it. And I guarantee it is a much more fulfilling and satisfying journey than the masquerade.