Living to Die, Dying to Live

Double jeopardy.  No, not the second round of the game show hosted by Alex Trebek.  It's the legal principle that forbids a defendant from being tried again on the same charges after a legitimate acquittal or conviction.  In the US, the fifth amendment of the Constitution bars double jeopardy.  

According to Paul, God's law has a similar principle.  "For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God" (v19).  The apostle uses the idea of double jeopardy to get his point across to the Galatians that we are now free in Jesus to live a life wide open for God.  

Dying to live.  Living to die.

Paul tells us that "through the law I died to the law."  When he holds God's perfect law up to his own life, it reveals just how horribly imperfect he is.  The glaring light of God's holy Word is like spiritual luminol that reveals every drop of sin in our lives.  The law makes it blatantly obvious that we are sinners.  Guilty.

As Matt Chandler uses a medical analogy to help us understand the law.  He sees the law as a diagnostic tool like an MRI, CT scan or x-ray.  Doctors use these machines to find out what's going on inside our bodies and see what's wrong.  The law and its impossible standard of perfection and behavior are means of diagnosing my sin sickness.

Back to the courtroom, we stand unquestionably guilty of a capital crime.  The judge hands down the only possible sentence.  Death.  "For the wages of sin is death" (Rom 6:23).  Death.  I am a dead man walking.

But the executioner leads Someone else out of the courtroom in my place.  It's Jesus!  Sinless Jesus.  Spotless Jesus.  The perfect Lamb of God dies in my place.  He willingly takes the full brunt of God's wrath for my sin, your sin and every sin ever committed.  And as a result, the penalty for my crime is paid in full.  Case closed.

That's what Paul means when he tells us that through the law he has died to the law.  Once the court of heaven convicted and executed the guilty, the law has no further claim on him.  The apostle uses the analogy of a widow being free to remarry after the death of her husband (Rom 7:1-6).  The law no longer bars her from marrying another.  

Verdict delivered.  Sentence executed.  Justice satisfied.  Since Jesus died to the law in our place, double jeopardy is no long possible.  "Do you knot know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?" (Rom 6:2).  We died when He died.  He died so that we could live.  The game has radically changed as a result.  "For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace" (Rom 6:14).    

Dying to live.  Living to die.

Paul goes on to say that as a result of dying to the law, he is now able to live to God.  Because of Jesus' substitutionary death in my place, I'm now able to put the pedal to the metal for the Lord.  I can live wide open for Him.  

The apostle states this idea in a slightly different way to his Roman posse.  "My brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to Him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God" (Rom 7:4).  Dead to the law. Living for God.

Dying to live.  Living to die.

God's Word is loaded with paradox.  Don't confuse this with contradiction.  Contradiction is when two things oppose each other in such a way that they can't exist together.  Paradox just SEEMS to be a contradiction.  Yet because of our Great God, these two apparent opposites coexist wonderfully and beautifully.  So it is with death and life.

Dying to live.  Living to die.

So what do we do with this?  How does that impact my life today?  This truth allows us to live with no fear of failure.  No concern about what others think of you.  No worries about tomorrow.  Jesus has died so that we could live.  Buckle up.  Pull your straps tight.  And hit the accelerator to live for God.

Dying to live.  Living to die.

©2012

Jay Jennings

Courtroom Drama

“so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7)

This is an open-and-shut case. A slam dunk. The accused doesn’t have an alibi and doesn’t have a chance. The DA has a stack of evidence that reaches the ceiling. The sentence of capital punishment is a done deal. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the judge pounds his gavel and makes a startling announcement. “Innocent!” And if that’s not crazy enough, he lets everyone know that the former defendant is not only coming to live at his house but will inherit his estate. Wow! Talk about courtroom drama!! Bet you never saw anything like that on “Perry Mason.” There’s no way Scott Turow or John Grisham ever included that crazy scene in one of their novels. You can be sure this will never happen on Court TV. But that’s exactly the scene Paul paints for Titus. From defendant to heir. From no hope to eternal hope. 

From the Greek mainland in Nicopolis (Titus 3:12), Paul writes critical instructions to his man Titus on the island of Crete. The amazing message of God’s Gospel has flooded this Mediterranean island. There are followers of Jesus everywhere. They need someone to select leaders for their local churches (Titus 1:5). They need someone to shut down the false teachers that are stirring up trouble (Titus 1:10-11). They need someone to set up a self-sustaining system of telling new believers what it means to trust in Jesus (Titus 2:1-10). A big part of that instruction is trying to wrap our heads around salvation. We know the “what.” That’s our rescue (Titus 3:5). We know the “Who.” That’s the Trinity (Titus 3:4-6). We know the “how.” That’s regeneration and renewal (Titus 3:5). Finally we learn the “why.” 

We see that when Paul writes “so that” (v7). This is the little Greek word hina, which means in order that, for the purpose of, or with the result being. As we take a look at the what, who, and how of our rescue, we come to the why. Here’s the reason God has gone to all the trouble of saving, washing, regenerating, renewing us. Before we get there, we run across this very important phrase describing how we’re “being justified by His grace” (v7). This isn’t the end game. It’s just a fantastic way of summing up the miraculous courtroom drama the universe has just witnessed.

This idea of being justified is actually a judicial term. It’s not just a declaration that the accused is not guilty. It’s more than letting the world know that the defendant is innocent. Some folks like to say that being justified is “just as if I had never sinned.” Is that part of it? You betcha. Is that all of it. Not even close!! For a judge to justify someone, his honor is also declaring that the accused is absolutely and always perfect. Not just innocent of all charges but a perfect citizen that’s never even broken the speed limit. That’s what it means to be justified.

So what’s the deal here? How in the name of Atticus Finch can we be justified? We already know that our own goodness falls short of God’s standard. Remember, God came to our rescue “not because of works done by us in righteousness” (Titus 3:5). As a matter of fact, we’re headed in the wrong direction when it comes to our righteousness. We’re like a bad offense in football that starts at first and ten and then faces third and a mile. We’re all guilty of the charges before we ever walk into the courtroom. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:23-24). There it is! Or better yet, there HE is!! Jesus gets radically and personally involved in my case. It’s only because of His perfection and righteousness that I have a snowball’s chance of getting off.

Before Jesus saved my eternal bacon, my relationship with God was completely broken and dysfunctional. Just a few verses back, Paul made it clear that we used to be fools, rebels, dupes, slaves, bullies, and haters (Titus 3:3). If that’s not bad enough, we were terrorists and rebels against God’s kingdom. We shook our fists at His authority. The apostle reminds his friends in Rome about how “we were enemies” of God (Rom 5:10). But something ridiculous happened right in the middle of our rebellion, “we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son” (Rom 5:10). Despite my revolt, “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). God doesn’t just declare my innocence despite my obvious rebellion, He goes so far as to say that I was always on His side of this war. It’s like going from being tried for war crimes and ultimately given the Congressional Medal of Honor. It just makes no sense. The only reason this happens is because of what Jesus has done for me that I could never do for myself. He exchanges His perfect life for rebellion. He dies the execution for my sin that I should have died. He rises to a spectacular new life that I absolutely don’t deserve. 

The Righteous Judge announces His jaw-dropping verdict, but He’s not done. He goes on to say that He’s done this so that “we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (v7). You and I don’t just walk out of the courtroom as the result of this amazing ruling, we’re now included in the greatest inheritance the universe has ever seen. In other words, we move from criminal court down the courthouse hall to probate court. And there’s absolutely no doubt about whether or not we’ll be in the will. The moment God scribbled our names in the Lamb’s Book of Life, He also listed us as heirs to His eternal estate. The Bible overflows with this idea of divine inheritance. When we place our trust in what Jesus has done for us, we have an already obtained a limitless eternal inheritance that we certainly don’t deserve (Eph 1:11). Romans 8 isn’t just one of the summits of Scripture, it’s also a great look at the amazing benefits of being adopted kids of the King.

A huge chunk of our inheritance from God is “the hope of eternal life” (v7). Back in the opening lines of this little letter, Paul lets Titus know that the “hope of eternal life” for Jesus’ followers is a big reason he’s writing. This hope isn’t some cross-your-fingers-and-hope-for-the-best deal. It’s a take-it-to-the-bank-lead-pipe-lock deal. This hope is a confident expectation. Remember, you and I are in the will when we placed our trust in Jesus. We can be absolutely certain of life eternal. Jesus says that those who reject God’s offer do not pass go and head straight for “eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Mt 25:46). And we don’t have to tap our toes and twiddle our thumbs waiting for this everlasting life to kick in. It starts NOW! Jesus says, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:10). God’s overflowing, overwhelming eternal life starts right now. Right. Now. Grab your towel and dive into the deep end of the pool of His grace. Right. Now. 

Meanwhile, the courtroom is still in chaos. The world has never witnessed anything like what’s just happened. From slam dunk guilty to innocent heir! Now THAT’S the kind of courtroom drama that occurs when grace gets involved!!

The Unusual Suspects

“if anyone is above reproach…” (v6)

Few things get my undies in a bundle like scandal in the church. Some knucklehead senior pastor gets caught sleeping around on his wife. Another doofus can’t keep his sticky fingers out of the offering plate. Some joker builds a palace that’s sweeter than most presidents and prime ministers have. Still another bully becomes so power hungry that he bum rushes everyone in his way to get what he wants. The interweb is chockfull of this crap. And all it does is throw mud on the wedding gown of Jesus’ bride. 

Two thousand years ago, the Apostle Paul gave serious instructions that would go a long, long way to help local churches from making bad news. Remember, we’re in the Good News business! He wrote a note to his “go to” guy deployed on the island of Crete. Paul tells Titus to set up leadership structures in all of the local churches by appointing elders (Titus 1:5). He’s NOT talking about chronological but spiritual maturity. This is what we should see in our elders, pastors, and spiritual leaders. The man from Tarsus then gives the Big T a picture of just what spiritual leadership looks like. Above all, they are to be “above reproach” (v6). All of the other qualities listed later are just specifics about what this means. 

So just what does it mean to be “above reproach?” The phrase comes from a single Greek: anegkletos. It literally means “one not called in.” Back in the first century, this was someone who is NOT called into court to appear before the judge for wrongdoing. This pertains to someone who cannot be accused of anything wrong. They’re blameless. They’re not accused. They’re without offense. They’re beyond suspicion. They are the Unaccused (yeah, I just made that word up).

Let’s talk for a bit about who an elder is NOT. Who doesn’t make the list? Who’s eliminated from consideration? Take the characters in the movie “The Usual Suspects.” After a nasty crime, police round up a group of familiar faces. These crooks run in the wrong circles and continually dance in the shadows of what is legal and illegal. The cops know them well. Very well. When the fecal matter hits the whirling device, they drag these dudes downtown for questioning. It’s not the first time. And it won’t be the last time. The each have a slimy rep. When you’re looking for an elder, you don’t choose one of “The Usual Suspects.” Just the opposite. There’s no scandal. No charges made. No indictments have been handed down. These guys are so far from the line that there’s no doubt they’ve ever been anywhere near the line. They are the Unusual Suspects. They are the Unaccused.

The Apostle Paul sets a high standard for the spiritual leaders in the local church. The list in the following verses is less about possessing a body of knowledge and specific skill set. If this quality is not there, the rest of the list is meaningless. It’s about character. It’s about integrity. Why is this a big deal? Having leaders who are above reproach goes a long way to prevent scandal and disgrace on both the church and the Gospel. Being unaccused means having a great reputation. It’s so important that Paul drops the very same word in the very next verse, just in case we may have missed it the first time around. Yeah, integrity. It’s a big deal in our spiritual leaders.

Check out how other translations handle this idea. “[These elders should be] men who are of unquestionable integrity and are irreproachable” (v6 AMP). “An elder must be well thought of for his good life” (v6 NLT). “Men having a good record” (v6 BBE). “Is this man well-thought-of?” (v6 The Message). “Elders should be without fault” (v6 CEB). “They must have a good reputation” (v6 CEV). Unquestionable integrity. Irreproachable. Well thought of. Good record. Good reputation. These are the character traits we’re looking for when vetting our leaders. They are the Unaccused.

Maybe you think that you’re off of the hook at this point. Whew, looks like nobody’s ever picking me to be one of the elders! Not so fast, my friend. You and I may not be a pastor or an elder, but the Holy Spirit is recreating each of us in the image of Jesus, not just those at the top of the org chart. An elder’s life should be worthy of imitation. Integrity and blamelessness should be our goal. No way, dude. You have NO idea what’s on my resume (or should I say “criminal record”!). I’m sure every one of us has stuff in our rearview mirror we’d rather forget. 

The guy writing this letter has quite a rap sheet. Before he was Paul the missionary, he was Saul the murderer. Yeah, he killed the followers of Jesus. He ran the coat check table at Stephen’s stoning (Acts 7:58). He was all in favor of it (Acts 8:1). He led a black ops team to hunt down believers (Acts 8:23). The apostle admits to trying to wipe Jesus’ church from the face of the earth (1Cor 15:9; Gal 1:13; Phil 3:6; 1Tim 1:13). Despite his bloody background, the former Pharisee is the man Jesus handpicks to reach the world. If God can use Paul, He can use you and me. He’s eventually going to wipe our records clean when He returns for His spectacular encore. Eventually, Jesus will make sure that every one of us is “guiltless (Gr. anegkletos)” (1Cor 1:8) and “above reproach (Gr. anegkletos)” on the day of judgment (Col 1:22). 

Yup, one day we’ll all be the Unusual Suspects. We'll all be the Unaccused.