Choices

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law – indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 

—Romans 8:1-8

 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

—Romans 8:18-25

After watching a sermon on YouTube I pondered the message and was slow to turn off the feed, allowing the next video to start. A Jewish man appeared explaining how he came to know Jesus as his Messiah. Over the next few days I watched a few more testimonies produced by One for Israel, each showing a Jewish person describe how he or she met Jesus. Some common threads emerged. Many involved a person seeking spiritual fulfillment, searching many different avenues and then encountering someone who told them about Jesus. They then described their resistance to the notion of Jesus, but each ultimately surrendered to Him. 

Descriptions of personal longing, searching for fulfillment remind me of my own search, and their attempts to communicate the joy they felt upon meeting Jesus remind me of other encounters. Most of the testimonies involve a person, a follower of Jesus, usually someone they barely knew, who took the time and risk of asking whether they knew Jesus. Christ Jesus uses His people to spread the good news. We are branches abiding in Him and fruit is borne through our loving actions. I consider the choices involved in the stories – the choice of the follower of Christ to speak about Jesus and the choice of the other to reluctantly listen. 

Salvation is through faith in Christ Jesus, not action, but His indwelling and our resulting spiritual transformation compel us to act. Action does not create or replace spiritual transformation, but poor choices hinder it. Our choices are significant. They matter. Our decision to follow Jesus as Christ is of utmost importance, and all the seemingly small choices after that determine our path and whether we are moving towards him. 

Consider Judas’ choice. He followed Jesus for a while. He acted as a minister and apostle of Christ, and then for reasons we will probably never understand he chose a different path. Scripture tells us, “Judas turned aside to go to his own place” (Acts 1:25). He stopped focusing on Christ Jesus and veered off course, and the consequences were tragic.

Paul writes to followers of Christ in Rome. He describes his readers as people who are “in Christ” (Romans 8:1), who have been set free (v.2), and who are “in the Spirit” (v.9). He presumes that the Holy Spirit dwells within his audience, and he encourages them to behave the way children of God ought to behave. It should come as no surprise that our behavior influences others’ perception of us, our relationship with them and, for some, their understanding of God. Our choices and actions also influence our relationship with God.

As a child my mother warned me before we entered the grocery store that if I behaved poorly I would regret it. She wanted me to act the way she taught me to act. I recall a later episode of a father giving his child a pre-game pep talk. The father urged his child to remember who he was saying, “You’re a ______[insert last name], never forget you’re a _______, and when you go out there play like it.” He reminded his child that he represented the family name and he should try his best to uphold it. Parents teach their children how to behave in a variety of situations, hoping they will carry the lessons with them as they move forward in life.

God’s holy word reminds us that we are children of God, we bear His holy name, He dwells within us, guiding us, teaching us, transforming us and He urges us to behave like it. He urges us to “walk” and “live” according to the Holy Spirit and to “set [our] minds on things of the Spirit” (v.4-5). While He dwells within us and His holy indwelling transforms us, we still have free will and throughout each day, we make a variety of choices, and our choices reveal whether we are walking in, living in and setting our minds on the Holy Spirit. Our choices reveal who we are and establish the path we are on. 

The Spirit of the One who conquered death abides within us, so we have His light, love and life, but we must set our minds on Him to realize this amazingly awesome blessing (see v. 6-8). “To set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (v. 6), to live by the Spirit is to truly live (v. 13), and “all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God” (v. 13). We have Him. We are secure in our salvation, but if we want to experience His wholeness, His abundance, His life, we must live our lives in ways that foster relationship with Him.  

We suffer with Christ, we will be glorified with Christ (v. 17) and His glory will be revealed to us (v. 18), and this involves choice. While people who are led by the Holy Spirit are children of God (v. 13), the act of following involves choosing to be led. If we are led we have chosen to follow and His glory will be revealed to those who follow.

In the same way that good choices lead to life and peace, bad choices lead to chaos, darkness and death. Paul writes,

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Romans 8:19-21

Creation was subjected to the “bondage of decay” by Adam’s choice to eat forbidden fruit. His choice has impacted all of creation since he made it. Speaking to Adam, God says,

“[C]ursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”  Genesis 3:17-19

Because of Adam’s choice, the earth is cursed. Just as choice caused the curse of death, our choice to receive God’s holy grace leads to salvation and our continual decision to follow Him, to seek Him, to commune with Him, to live in true relationship with Him leads to life and peace. Minute by minute, day by day, we continue choosing the path leading to Christ Jesus. He came offering the gift of abundant life to everyone, but we must choose to receive it. So I must regularly ask myself whether my choices are consistent with a life seeking Christ. Am I walking according to the Holy Spirit, living according to the Holy Spirit and setting my mind on things of the Holy Spirit? If not, which choices are leading me astray? Which choices are taking me away from God?

And if we are truly followers of Christ, if we truly love Him, we will obey His commands, including His command to spread the good news. As I ponder how rarely I tell strangers about Christ Jesus I feel a twinge of guilt. Why do I shy away from this choice?

“Creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God” (v. 19). The word translated here as “revealing” is transliterated as apokalupsis, which means an unveiling or uncovering. Like the revelation afforded John as he prayed in a cave on Patmos, it is taking something once hidden, once imperceptible and exposing it. All of creation eagerly awaits, longs for the children of God to be unveiled, uncovered, exposed. You are a child of God, how is that fact revealed and to whom do you reveal it? And how many people do you encounter each day who are not children of God, but are people whom God loves just waiting for you to tell them about Jesus, eagerly awaiting the revealing?

Each day we make a myriad of choices. May you continue setting your mind on Christ Jesus, walking and living in Christ Jesus and following Christ Jesus with each choice you make.