Jumper

What then?  Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?  May it never be!  Romans 6:15  NASB

What then? – “Questions of faith are not philosophical, sociological or psychological; they are intensely personal.  Everyone has to find his or her own way of dealing with them.  The point at which a person is ready for a change, for a jump, is when that person becomes aware of the existence of the question.  Once we become aware of the questions, this awareness pushes us toward the brink at which we have to leap.”[1]

I have often told my students, “You come to this class with all the answers.  The problem is you don’t know the questions.”  In this culture, the culture of Babylon and Greece, people feel incredibly uncomfortable when they do not have the answer.  We might say that pagan culture can be summarized as a quest for certainty apart from revelation.  Perhaps that’s why Steinsaltz notices that the real questions of life are intensely personal.  I have never met anyone who became a follower of YHWH on the basis of an intellectual argument, but I have known many who became followers when they were confronted by tragedy, conflict, uncertainty and deeply emotional issues.  Perhaps the most powerful evangelistic question is not “Where will you go if you died tomorrow?” but rather “How’s life working out for you?”

As a rabbi, even the enormous intellect of Paul finds its way into the very practical, intensely personal issues of life.  “What then?” (ti oun)[2] is Paul’s way of bringing a complex theological argument to a simple behavioral conclusion.  “Will you continue to sin just because you have experienced God’s grace?”  “Once you realize that God did not give you His favor based on your prior obedience, will you use that as an excuse to keep doing what you did before?”  The rhetorical question demands the answer, “Of course not!”  Actually, Paul says it even more forcefully.  “May it never ever be the case!”

Notice the required assumption behind this expected answer.  The reader must assume that Paul absolutely expects a believer to change behavior following the experience of grace.  There is no justification for the idea that grace does not result in new obedience.  Sin must stop!  Anyone who teaches that there is no post-grace requirement stands in opposition to Paul’s exhortation.

Practically, I’m guessing that all of us know this.  We don’t need to be reminded that sin must be eradicated from our walk.  We just don’t know how to do that.  Of course, Paul did know how.  He was a student of the Tanakh – of God’s instructions about how to stop sinning.  I suppose we could always follow Paul’s advice and his plan of action.  If you are ready to jump!

Topical Index:  what, ti, sin, grace, law, Romans 6:15