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During the sermon yesterday God gave me a wonderful example of the glory of the Father. The pastor shared with us the story of the prodigal son and I was impressed inwardly that this was part of what I am searching for in relation to understanding what the glory of the Father means. In this story Jesus conveys to our minds and hearts a more accurate picture of the Father's attitude toward sinners. The more clearly we perceive this spirit displayed by the father in this story the more we are attracted to our Father in heaven. I know that the last few times that I really got into this story I was deeply moved, even to tears as I personally felt the power of the love displayed toward the two sons.
One of the common elements that makes this so powerful is the key word “with”. Romans 6:4 says that “we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”
“With” brings to my mind the true meaning of the word “joy”. Again, joy is when someone is glad to be with me, who values and cherishes me no matter what is going on, through thick and thin. The father in the story Jesus told displayed an overwhelming desire to be with his sons, and that included the elder son as well. The reason he was so excited about the younger son returning home was that he could once more be with him. And his sadness over the elder son was that even though he had physically been with him, emotionally he had not yet returned “home” to really be with his father and enjoy his love. This father was the embodiment of a person who thrives on joy. And this story I believe sheds a lot of light on Romans 6:4. Luke 15:32 quotes the father as saying “we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live....”
I am reminded of a statement that I learned when I was young that is very appropriate here.
Every true turning to the Lord brings abiding joy into the life. When a sinner yields to the influence of the Holy Spirit, he sees his own guilt and defilement in contrast with the holiness of the great Searcher of hearts. He sees himself condemned as a transgressor. But he is not, because of this, to give way to despair; for his pardon has already been secured. He may rejoice in the sense of sins forgiven, in the love of a pardoning heavenly Father. It is God's glory to encircle sinful, repentant human beings in the arms of His love, to bind up their wounds, to cleanse them from sin, and to clothe them with the garments of salvation. {PK 668.3}
The only reason the prodigal son returned home in the first place was not just because he thought he could get a better job there than in the pigpen but because in his deepest heart he knew that his father really cared about him. He decided to bank all of his future on the hope that his father would still want him to be with him even if it was in a diminished relationship of that of a servant. What he didn't realize was the overwhelming intensity of his father's undying passion for him that would swallow him up in the arms of love as soon as he appeared on the horizon. Likewise, “It is God's glory to encircle sinful, repentant human beings in the arms of His love, to bind up their wounds, to cleanse them from sin, and to clothe them with the garments of salvation.”
So how does this relate to Romans 6:4? The phrase “as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” describes the “formula” for how we are to live “in Christ” as thriving Christians. I believe that it is crucial to have a deeper understanding, at the heart level, of the attitude of our Father Who is passionate and eager to encircle us in His arms of love just as we are if we are willing to come to Him. He longs to bind up our wounds, to cleanse us from sin and clothe us with the righteousness of His own Son.
“As Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father” also tells me that God's passion to be with His own Son (joy) was so powerful that not even death could prevent them from being reunited. At this point we must not forget the verse in 4:25 that inextricably links us in with this event as well. Jesus was “raised because of our justification.” According to this, Jesus could not have been raised if our justification had not been accomplished. So the very fact that Jesus is raised from the dead “through the glory of the Father” proves that we really are justified. And we can not only know that we are justified but can also have the glorious assurance of the very same passion toward us from the Father as He had for Jesus when He raised Him from the dead so they could be reunited in joy. “It is God's glory to encircle sinful, repentant human beings in the arms of His love...”
This is just the beginning my understanding of this part of Romans. Paul goes on to emphasize the importance of being identified with Jesus death if we are to live in the joy of His life. Romans 6-8 address this point over and over. But I will leave that for another time.
Father, I want my heart to really believe the truth about You that I am uncovering here. My head can acknowledge the words but my heart is much slower and often still suspicious of Your feelings toward me. Give me the heart of flesh that You promised in Eze. 36 that can respond and come alive with Your love. Remove my heart of stone and fill me with Your Spirit. I want to feel encircled by Your arms of love, not just theoretically but intensely. I need constant reassurance of how You really think about me to dispel my fears and doubts and replace the hundreds of lies about You that still hide inside of me. Fill me and surround me with Your presence and Your joy – for Your name's sake.
