Knowing I was headed to inner city ministry, I decided it could be useful to have my ear pierced as a conversation starter. How'd that work? I'd go to the local park to play basketball, often getting picked first so I could go home and tell my friends about how I got to hoop with the boys in the hood. I'd point out that I was living about two blocks over, in their neighborhood, which typically garnered the response, "Why?" I'd then tell them about the ministry where I was serving.
Someone would inevitably suggest that I couldn't be a minister, I was wearing an earring! I would respond, "Let me tell you about my earring," and proceeded to share how in the OT, an indentured servant could decide that he liked how his master treated him and become his slave for life. The master would then pierce his ear by using an awl against a doorpost and the servant would become his servant for life. I had chosen to wear a small hoop to represent God's unending love for us and to mark that I am his lifelong servant.
Seeking a way to end the conversation, a lot of guys would respond with something along the lines of, "Well, I've got too much dirt. There's no way God could love me!" I'd come back with, "Let me tell you about a man named Barabbas." I'd then explain how this criminal was released so Jesus would be crucified and Jesus literally died in his place. Legend has it that Barabbas returned to his old rebellious, murderous ways and was eventually arrested and sent to an island work camp where most of the other prisoners were persecuted Christians. Over time, Barabbas learned exactly who this Jesus was who had died in his place and decided to repent and become a follower of Christ. All the prisoners were tagged with an earring that had a symbol of Caesar to show that they belonged to him. Barabbas took his earring, rubbed off Caesar's symbol, and replaced it with a symbol of Christ to show that he now belonged to Jesus.
Now, if someone with as much dirt as Barabbas could become a follower of Jesus, do you really think you have too much dirt for God to handle it? Sometimes, this was received with a shrug and an, "I just don't know." Other times, guys would agree that maybe they did need to take a closer look into being Christian.
Let’s take a look at today’s scripture to see how this concept of too much dirt gets addressed. Read Romans 5:6-11. What an amazing thought is expressed here. While we were weak (NIV says powerless), while we were still sinners (covered in our dirt), while we were God’s enemies, Christ died for us. As a result, we have been reconciled with God, avoiding His wrath, and given a life full of rejoicing.
Just think about how incredible this idea is. Paul tells us in verse 7 that one will scarcely die for a righteous person, let alone a good one. The world tends to agree. Many of our hero stories involve someone making a sacrifice, some even make what we call the ultimate sacrifice- giving their life to protect another person. They do it because they see value in the person being saved.
For example, the movie Hacksaw Ridge tells the story of Desmond Doss. His convictions of faith led him to become a pacifist. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the army as a medic, determined to serve in a role in which he wouldn’t have to carry a gun. Being in the military and refusing to carry a gun didn’t make him very popular. He had to face dishonorable discharge and beat the charges before being sent overseas to serve as a medic. During a battle in Okinawa, Doss was able to save the lives of 75 injured men while never wielding a gun. He was the first conscientious objector to ever receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was willing to risk his life for those soldiers because he believed in their cause. In a manner of speaking, he felt they deserved a chance to live. Jesus, however, gave His life even though NONE of us deserve His sacrifice.
The account of Barabbas that I shared at the beginning is a legend- I can't prove whether or not it actually happened, but it does give us something to think about. However, I can share the events of Paul's life with complete confidence that what I am sharing is historically accurate because he shares these things in the Bible- God's inspired word passed down through generations so we can know Him and make Him known. When Paul wrote these words in chapter 5, I believe it was as much a reminder for himself as it was for the Romans. Allow me to explain. Imagine you’re a jury and I’m presenting evidence.
I give you exhibit A. Paul’s life before knowing Jesus. We first meet Paul in Acts 7:57-8:1, where he is more commonly known at the time as Saul. In this passage, we find Paul (or Saul) standing there as a captive Stephen witnesses about Jesus Christ, following the crowd outside the city, and collecting the witnesses’ cloaks with approval as they stoned Stephen to death. Luke describes him in Acts 9 as breathing threats and murders against the disciples of the Lord. With letters from the high priest granting permission to bind followers of the Way and bring them back to Jerusalem to be put on trial, Paul, thinking he was being properly zealous for God, traveled to Damascus.
Here we see the very definition of someone who was an enemy of God. Overseeing the execution of a deacon, locking up other believers because of their faith, traveling to spread the persecution of the Way, Paul was most definitely an enemy of God. Even though he thought he was acting with great zeal on behalf of God, he was actually sinning against the God he proclaimed to love. Being a Pharisee, he likely was there for the crucifixion and watched Jesus die for his sins. Paul even gave testimony to the Jews in Jerusalem, governors Felix and Festus, and King Agrippa. He later described this former life to Timothy- “formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief” (1 Timothy 1:13).
So what does God do with this enemy? In Acts 9, we find Paul traveling along the road to Damascus. A bright light shines down on him, rendering him blind. Jesus confronts him directly- “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Jesus identifies Himself to Paul and gives him instruction for what to do next. Following three days of prayer and fasting, Paul receives instruction from Ananias to get baptized and begins a new life as a follower of Christ.
For exhibit B, I present the life accomplishments of Paul as a Christian. After spending some time among the Jews, he went on four missionary journeys and planted new churches everywhere he went. He followed up with those churches by writing 13 or 14 letters with instruction for developing leadership, conducting worship, and handling various situations in which these churches found themselves.
Now, one may think what an amazing change in Paul’s life. He’s done some wonderful things after getting baptized into Christ. Surely, life became a bed of roses for Paul once he became a follower of Christ. So let’s take a look at just how wonderful Paul’s life became.
In 2 Corinthians 11:21-30, Paul summarizes a pretty hefty list of troubling times that he endured in the name of Christ (read). He’s a Hebrew, an Israelite, an offspring of Abraham, a servant of Christ- and what did all that get him? Imprisonments, beatings, stoning, shipwrecks, danger from nature and man, suffered hunger and thirst, and exposure to the elements. Eventually, it’s believed that Paul’s faith cost him his life.
That takes us to exhibit C. We’ve seen how Paul lived before Christ confronted him. We’ve heard how Paul did some amazing things to further the cause of Christ yet suffered a lot of hardship as a result. Exhibit C explains what motivated him to go through it all. Recognizing that his time for this world was growing short, he penned these words in his second letter to Timothy (read 2 Timothy 4:6-8). Look again at verse 7 and how Paul was able to reflect upon his life (read). I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. I don’t know about you, but I want to be like Paul. I want to be able to look back on my life and be satisfied because I know what’s about to come. Paul writes about the crown of righteousness that God will award him on the day of judgment.
I think my favorite part of this passage though, is that Paul tells us that the crown hasn’t been saved only for him, but for all those who have loved Christ’s appearing. What does that mean? That all who have loved Christ and have looked forward to His return, will receive a crown of righteousness. Who’s that? Well, that’s all of us who have turned from our sin, put our trust in God through Jesus Christ, and were baptized to put our old selves to death and be brought up as a new creation.
You know, there are days when I look back on some of the dirt in my life and I have similar thoughts to those guys on the basketball court I talked about at the beginning. I’ve done so much dirt that there’s no way God could forgive me, let alone love me. And yet, Paul’s words to the Romans are very reassuring during those times. I’m reminded that because I sin, because I have dirt, I chose to be an enemy of God. Even as His enemy, He sent His son Jesus to die on the cross. Jesus did all the work to reconcile me to God.
It doesn’t matter how much dirt I had before I came to know Christ. Even in those times when I get myself dirty again, I have assurance that Christ has reconciled me to His Father. In fact, I can rejoice because I know I’ve been saved from all my sins and will be forgiven as I turn to God. I can look forward to the day when I can quote Paul and declare, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” That is possible because God refuted the lie I’ve got too much dirt by sending His Son to die on the cross, even while I was still His enemy. I’ve heard this song a lot on the radio lately and I believe it does a great job of capturing this sentiment. The song is called “Thank God for Sunday Morning” by Cochran & Co.
Neon lights and stained-glass windows, old bar stools and back row pews
I ran to one more than the other, but I couldn't out-run you
Trying to fill up all the empty, trying to numb the pain inside
Thinking you'd never forgive me for all those Saturday nights
Now I know that you're no stranger to the broken hearts like mine
It's what you do, yeah, somehow you bring dead things back to life
And it might look like it's as over as a stone over a grave
But I've seen you move, I'm living proof You still roll stones away
Thank God for Sunday morning, thank God for 316
And the words in red that say you bled and gave your life for me
Thank God for a choir singing and a voice saying, "Come back home"
Saturday night looked like the end of the story, but thank God for Sunday morning
Sunlight through the stained-glass window feels like freedom on my face
Really is a new beginning, it really is amazing grace
I recognize that most of us have already experienced this for ourselves. We’ve taken the plunge and accepted the gift of grace that God offered through Jesus’ sacrifice. If that’s you, I encourage you to give thanks as we sing our next song. But some of us may not have gotten there yet. You may still be holding on to the status of being an enemy of God. That’s why we offer this opportunity to change your status. You don’t have to remain an enemy of God. I encourage you to trade that identity in to become His child.
Invitation
