For example, the tension
between having new Holy Spirit given desires but still having an unredeemed
body afflicted by sin, famously leading to the anguished cry:
I have the desire to do what is good, but I
cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do
not want to do (ch.7).
Cosmic Lockdown
In chapter 8, he highlights that such tensions extend even to the level of the Cosmos itself. So
even though the new age of freedom & liberation in Christ has broken into
the world through the Gospel - the Universe itself remains in bondage & decay. The
consequence of which is felt in our lives every day.
God’s Lockdown
The middle section of
Romans 8 paints a very vivid picture of that strain. We continue to inhabit a creation,
including our bodies, that is still subject to decay & death. It’s a creation
where things go wrong, malfunction and fail. It’s a universe longing to be free
but is held back & suppressed under the ongoing ‘lockdown’ of God Himself (v20).
It is a state of affairs, Paul is very aware that can
be particularly testing and wearisome for Christians. Indeed, it can even cause
them to doubt their faith. Is the Gospel really true in promising new life and
blessings? Why do my greatest hopes often seem so out of reach? Am I really a
child of God when life seems such a challenge and feels so messy?
Which, of course, is why Romans, supremely ch.8, is written - to
encourage & reassure us as we wrestle with this tension.
Our current ‘Covid-19 Lockdown’ is a microcosm of such frustration. It’s
a living reminder of how tiring it is to live in state of limbo and restriction.
Even after just a few weeks and despite the relative comforts many of us enjoy –
many are getting bored by the smallness of life, its limitations and restricted
routines. Many feel fatigued and worn-down by the confinement and lack of stimulation.
Others are understandably anxious about the constant threat lurking out there
to their security and health.
Getting back to normal
Not surprisingly then, most of us are longing to get back to normal. For
the day when we’ll be able to go further than the local park and visit
somewhere more interesting than Aldi - whether that be the thought of climbing some
remote hills, or walking along a beach, going out for meal or flying abroad and
exploring a foreign market.
We want to be able ‘to do life’ without the worry of harming others or
being harmed. Of getting back to work without the inconveniences and worry of financial
loss or economic calamity.
And oh! – to have the physical human company again of separated friends and
family. To sit around in the same room, to share a meal, and greet each other with
a hug.
The lifting of our Covid-19 lockdown will be a great day but, as Romans
8 reminds us, the greater Cosmic Lockdown will still be in place. Our lives
will still be restricted by our frail bodies and we’ll continue to contend with
a cursed and dysfunctional world. Our work and best efforts will still be
subject to uncertainty and decay. And those we love will continue to be
separated from us (death is not reliant on Covid-19).
Life after Cosmic Lockdown
So, as we long for the lifting of our Covid lockdown it’s a reminder to
keep longing for Christ and His Return. Because only then will there be the
final liberation from all that binds and frustrates us. Only on that day will
there be complete:
Liberation: freedom from sin, no more hurt and no more hurting;
Restoration: the reversal of decay & decline, no more loss;
Reunion: no more tears, no more separation.
But best of all, we will see Jesus and be like Him. We will experience,
finally and fully, life lived in the inexhaustible joy & blessing of God. The
‘full meal’ - satisfied forever!
This is our true hope, so wait patiently for it (v25) - the great and ultimate
lifting of all Lockdown.
