Today we read about God gathering his people from the nations where their sins have scattered them. He will gather them together under one shepherd, into one flock, prepared to serve him in righteousness. In Romans we also see that God has called his people together through the justification they receive by faith in Jesus' death on their behalf.
This passage in Romans is often used to urge people to, in effect, earn their salvation. "Present yourself to God. Maybe he will forgive you. Maybe you can live a holy life and receive God's blessing. Maybe you can hold fast to the Lord and desire him like none other. That will show you are serious enough about God that he should keep you in his life and salvation." This is a dangerous teaching. While paved with good intentions of urging people to live a life which is pleasing to God in Christ, it leads to discouragement, separation from God, and dependence on the self rather than on Christ's righteousness. We are urged to live a life pleasing to God. Certainly that is God's command. It is what we are to do always. But our life of holiness, good works, and service to God earns us nothing. We fail every day. Every day we find some way to take the glory for our good behavior as our own glory. Every day we sin and we then sin again when we justify ourselves. Every day we do something which the people around us see as good but we realize we were doing it to be praised by them rather than entirely to serve God by serving our neighbor.
What then is the purpose of the passage in Romans? Paul exhorts people to turn their actions and attitudes to the Lord knowing what he has done for them. We are to live for and serve God in Christ because he died to serve us. And that is the minimal expectation of God. We are to engage in perfect, 24/7/365 obedience. Paul is not encouraging us. He is bringing us face to face with our sin. Then we look back to the promise God gave through Ezekiel. He is in the process of drawing his people together out of their sin and bondage, presenting them to himself, purifying them for his service, and nourishing them, protecting them, leading them as a shepherd leads his sheep. The sheep continue to wander. The shepherd continues to guard them and provide for them.
Let us turn in repentance to the Lord our shepherd. And let us receive his forgiveness with thanksgiving. Will we sin again? No doubt. And when we do let us remember that when we sin, when we grieve our Lord, we turn back to him in repentance for forgiveness, which he has provided freely.
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