ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ

1. Mgeuko Mkuu: "Lakini Sasa…"1. The Great Pivot: "But Now…"

Maneno mawili kati ya yaliyo muhimu zaidi katika Agano Jipya lote ni pia mawili kati ya madogo kabisa. Warumi 3:21 inaanza na maneno "Lakini sasa." Baada ya mistari sitini na minne ya mashtaka, baada ya kila kinywa kufumbwa na ulimwengu wote kutangazwa kuwa na hatia mbele za Mungu, Paulo anageuka kona. "Lakini sasa, haki ya Mungu imedhihirika pasipo sheria, ikishuhudiwa na torati na manabii; ni haki ya Mungu iliyo kwa njia ya imani katika Yesu Kristo kwa wote, na juu ya wote waaminio."Two of the most important words in the entire New Testament are also two of the smallest. Romans 3:21 begins with the phrase "But now." After sixty-four verses of indictment, after every mouth has been stopped and the whole world declared guilty before God, Paul turns the corner. "But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe."

Mwanamatengenezo Martin Luther, aliyeishi miaka mingi akimwogopa sana Mungu huyu huyu, alipata uhuru wake katika aya hii. Aliuita Warumi kiini hasa cha Agano Jipya, na Warumi 3:21-26 kuwa sehemu kuu ya waraka mzima. Miaka mia tano baadaye bado tunasimama katika nuru ileile aliyoiona Luther.The reformer Martin Luther, who spent years terrified of this very God, found his freedom on this paragraph. He called Romans the very heart of the New Testament and Romans 3:21-26 the chief place of the whole letter. Five hundred years later we are still standing in the light Luther saw.

Mpaka hapa katika Warumi, Paulo amefanya kazi kama mwendesha mashtaka anayeweka wazi kesi dhidi ya wanadamu. Kila mshtakiwa — mwovu wa wazi, mwenye maadili aliyetulia katika kujiona bora, mtu wa ndani wa dini — amechunguzwa, amepimwa, na ameonekana kuwa na hatia. Kila njia ya kujiokoa imefungwa. Na sasa, ndani ya chumba hicho cha mahakama kilichonyamaza kimya, Paulo anatangaza hukumu ya ajabu: Mungu ametoa haki ambayo wanadamu hawangeweza kamwe kuizalisha. Ameitoa bure. Na ameitoa kwa kila mtu atakayeamini.So far in Romans Paul has functioned like a prosecutor laying out the case against humanity. Every defendant — the openly wicked, the comfortable moralist, the religious insider — has been examined, weighed, and found guilty. Every avenue of self-rescue has been closed. And now, into that silent courtroom, Paul announces an extraordinary verdict: God has provided a righteousness humans could never produce. He has provided it freely. And He has provided it to anyone who will believe.

2. Haki ya Mungu Imefunuliwa (3:21-22)2. The Righteousness of God Revealed (3:21-22)

Maneno "haki ya Mungu" yanapita katika kifungu hiki chote. Hapa Paulo hamaanishi ubora wa kimaadili wa Mungu mwenyewe — ingawa hilo pia ni kweli. Anamaanisha haki itokayo kwa Mungu, haki ambayo Mungu huitoa, haki inayokuwa mali ya mwamini kama zawadi. Luther aliiita "haki ya kigeni" — haki inayotoka nje yetu. Hatuizalishi. Hatuistahili kwa kazi. Inawekwa katika hesabu yetu kutoka chanzo kilicho nje ya maisha yetu wenyewe.The phrase "righteousness of God" runs throughout this passage. Paul does not mean God's personal moral excellence here — although that is also true. He means a righteousness from God, a righteousness God gives, a righteousness that becomes the property of the believer by gift. Luther called it "alien righteousness" — a righteousness that comes from outside ourselves. We do not generate it. We do not earn it. It is credited to our account from a source outside our own life.

Angalia mambo matatu ambayo Paulo anasema kuhusu haki hii. Kwanza, ni pasipo sheria. Sheria ingeweza tu kutambua ugonjwa; haki hii inaponya. Haiji kupitia Sinai. Pili, inashuhudiwa na torati na manabii. Ingawa haiji kupitia sheria, Agano la Kale limekuwa likiielekeza tangu mwanzo — katika kila dhabihu iliyokufa mahali pa mwabudu, katika kila nabii aliyeahidi Mtumishi atakayekuja, katika kila agano lililotegemea uaminifu wa Mungu badala ya uaminifu wetu. Tatu, ni kwa njia ya imani katika Yesu Kristo, kwa wote na juu ya wote waaminio.Notice three things Paul says about this righteousness. First, it is apart from the law. The law could only diagnose; this righteousness cures. It does not come through Sinai. Second, it is witnessed by the Law and the Prophets. Although it does not come through the law, the Old Testament has been pointing to it all along — in every sacrifice that died in the worshipper's place, in every prophet who promised a coming Servant, in every covenant that depended on God's faithfulness rather than ours. Third, it is through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.

"Maana hakuna tofauti," Paulo anaandika. Maneno hayo madogo yana uzito mkubwa sana. Hakuna tofauti kati ya Myahudi na Mmataifa katika hitaji lao. Na hakuna tofauti kati ya Myahudi na Mmataifa katika suluhisho linalotolewa. Injili ileile inamfikia Farisayo na mpagani. Imani ileile inamhesabia haki mtu wa maadili na muuaji. Damu ileile ilimwagwa kwa ajili ya wote watakaoipokea."For there is no difference," Paul writes. That little phrase carries enormous weight. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile in their need. And there is no difference between Jew and Gentile in the offered solution. The same gospel reaches a Pharisee and a pagan. The same faith justifies a moralist and a murderer. The same blood was shed for all who would receive it.

3. Wote Wamefanya Dhambi, Wote Wanaweza Kuhesabiwa Haki (3:23-26)3. All Have Sinned, All May Be Justified (3:23-26)

Sasa unakuja mstari ambao karibu kila Mkristo ameukariri: "kwa sababu wote wamefanya dhambi, na kupungukiwa na utukufu wa Mungu." Huu ndio muhtasari wa hukumu ya tukio la mahakamani. Lakini Paulo haiachi hukumu isimame bila kutangaza mara moja uokoaji. Maneno yanayofuata mara moja yanaanza, "wanahesabiwa haki bure kwa neema yake, kwa njia ya ukombozi ulio katika Kristo Yesu; ambaye Mungu amekwisha kumweka awe upatanisho kwa njia ya imani, kwa damu yake, ili aonyeshe haki yake."Now comes the verse most every Christian has memorized: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." This is the summary verdict of the courtroom scene. But Paul does not let the verdict stand without immediately announcing the rescue. The very next phrase begins, "being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness."

Soma maneno hayo polepole. Yana bawaba tano ndani yake, na kila moja inabeba uzito wa injili.Read those phrases slowly. There are five hinges in them, and each one bears the weight of the gospel.

Kuhesabiwa haki ni neno la kisheria. Halimaanishi "kufanywa mwenye haki" kwa maana ya kuwa mkamilifu kimaadili ghafla. Linamaanisha "kutangazwa mwenye haki" — kutamkwa kuwa huna hatia katika mahakama ya Mungu. Ni hukumu, si mchakato. Mungu anapomhesabia haki mwenye dhambi anayeamini, hasemi, "Sasa wewe ni mtu bora kidogo." Anasema, "Deni lako limelipwa lote. Umeachiliwa huru mbele ya mahakama hii."Justified is a legal word. It does not mean "made righteous" in the sense of suddenly being morally perfect. It means "declared righteous" — pronounced not guilty in God's courtroom. It is a verdict, not a process. When God justifies a believing sinner, He does not say, "You are now a slightly better person." He says, "Your debt is paid in full. You stand acquitted before this court."

Bure (Kigiriki dorean) maana yake ni "kama zawadi, bila sababu." Ni neno lilelile Yesu alilotumia katika Yohana 15:25 aliposema adui zake walimchukia "bure," yaani bila sababu. Tunahesabiwa haki bila sababu yoyote ndani yetu. Hakuna sifa ya kustahili, hakuna mchango, hakuna malipo ya awali kutoka upande wetu. Muamala huu unakwenda upande mmoja tu.Freely (Greek dorean) means "as a gift, without cause." It is the same word Jesus used in John 15:25 when His enemies hated Him "without a cause." We are justified without a cause in us. There is no merit, no contribution, no down payment from our side. The transaction is one-directional.

Neema ni kibali cha Mungu tusichokistahili. Kwa tafsiri yake, neema ni kile tusichostahili. Mara tunapoanza kuhisi kwamba tunaistahili, si neema tena.Grace is God's unearned favor. Grace by definition is what we do not deserve. The moment we begin to feel we deserve it, it is no longer grace.

Ukombozi ni neno la sokoni. Linachora picha ya mtumwa anayenunuliwa ili atoke utumwani. Gharama ilikuwa damu ya Kristo. Tulikuwa watumwa wa dhambi; tumenunuliwa.Redemption is the marketplace word. It pictures a slave being purchased out of bondage. The price was Christ's blood. We were enslaved to sin; we have been bought.

Upatanisho ni neno la hekaluni. Neno la Kigiriki hilasterion linamaanisha kiti cha rehema — kifuniko cha dhahabu cha Sanduku la Agano ambapo damu ya upatanisho ilinyunyizwa katika Siku ya Upatanisho. Paulo anasema Mungu alimweka Kristo awe kiti cha rehema. Ghadhabu ya Mungu dhidi ya dhambi ilikuwa halisi. Haki ya Mungu ilidai kutoshelezwa. Msalabani, ghadhabu hiyo ilimwangukia Kristo, na mwenye dhambi anayeamini anaondoka akiwa huru.Propitiation is the temple word. The Greek hilasterion refers to the mercy seat — the gold cover of the Ark of the Covenant where the blood of atonement was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement. Paul says God set Christ forth as the mercy seat. The wrath of God against sin was real. The justice of God required satisfaction. On the cross, that wrath fell on Christ, and the believing sinner walks free.

Paulo anamaliza aya hii kwa sentensi mojawapo iliyo muhimu zaidi katika Maandiko: Mungu alifanya haya yote "ili aonyeshe haki yake wakati huu, ili awe mwenye haki, na mwenye kumhesabia haki yeye aaminiye Yesu." Mungu huwasamehe vipi wenye dhambi bila kuwa dhalimu? Mtawala wa kimaadili wa ulimwengu huwaachilia vipi wenye hatia bila kuuhatarisha utakatifu wake mwenyewe? Kuna njia moja tu. Anatoa mbadala anayebeba adhabu. Yeye ni "mwenye haki" — haki yake imetoshelezwa kikamilifu. Naye ni "mwenye kumhesabia haki" — anawatangaza bure kuwa wenye haki wale wanaomtumaini mbadala wake. Msalaba unalinda pande zote mbili kwa wakati mmoja.Paul ends the paragraph with one of the most important sentences in Scripture: God did all this "to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." How does God forgive sinners without becoming unjust? How does the moral Governor of the universe acquit the guilty without compromising His own holiness? Only one way. He provides a substitute who absorbs the penalty. He is "just" — His justice is fully satisfied. And He is "the justifier" — He freely declares righteous those who trust in His substitute. The cross protects both halves at once.

4. Kujisifu Kumefungiwa Nje — Imani Inaithibitisha Sheria (3:27-31)4. Boasting Excluded — Faith Establishes the Law (3:27-31)

Kama wokovu ungefanya kazi kwa utendaji, waliookolewa wangefika mbinguni wakijisifu. Paulo anasema kujisifu kwa namna hiyo hakuwezekani. "Kuko wapi, basi, kujisifu? Kumefungiwa nje. Kwa sheria gani? Kwa sheria ya matendo? Sivyo; bali kwa sheria ya imani." Kwa tafsiri yake, imani inazuia kujisifu, kwa sababu imani hutazama nje yake yenyewe ili kupata uokoaji. Mtu aliyetolewa baharini hajisifu kwa uwezo wake wa kuogelea; anamshukuru yule aliyeinama chini na kumshika.If salvation worked by performance, the saved would arrive in heaven boasting. Paul says no such boasting is possible. "Where then is the boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith." Faith excludes boasting by definition, because faith looks outside itself for the rescue. The person who has been pulled from the ocean does not boast in his swimming ability; he is grateful to the one who reached down and grabbed him.

Kisha Paulo anatarajia pingamizi moja la mwisho. Kama tunahesabiwa haki kwa imani pasipo sheria, je, hiyo inamaanisha sheria sasa haina thamani? Je, tuitupilie mbali? "Basi, je! Twaibatilisha sheria kwa imani? Hasha! Kinyume cha hayo twaithibitisha sheria." Sheria haijafutwa. Inaheshimiwa. Kristo aliitimiza kikamilifu kwa niaba yetu, kisha akaibeba laana yake yote msalabani. Sheria imethibitishwa kikamilifu zaidi katika injili kuliko ambavyo ingeweza kuthibitishwa kwa juhudi zetu pungufu za kuishika.Then Paul anticipates a final objection. If we are justified by faith apart from the law, does that mean the law is now worthless? Should we throw it out? "Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law." The law is not abolished. It is honored. Christ fulfilled it perfectly on our behalf, then bore its full curse on the cross. The law has been more completely upheld in the gospel than it ever could have been by our incomplete attempts to keep it.

5. Ibrahimu, Baba wa Wote Waaminio (4:1-12)5. Abraham, the Father of All Who Believe (4:1-12)

Kwa miaka elfu mbili kabla Paulo hajaandika Warumi, Ibrahimu alikuwa mtu mkuu wa imani ya Kiyahudi. Ndiye aliyepokea agano. Ndiye alikuwa baba wa taifa. Ndiye alikuwa Ushahidi wa Kwanza wa haki. Kwa hiyo Paulo anafanya jambo la busara sana: anamtumia Ibrahimu mwenyewe kuthibitisha kwamba kuhesabiwa haki kumekuwa daima kwa imani.For two thousand years before Paul wrote Romans, Abraham had been the central figure of the Jewish faith. He was the recipient of the covenant. He was the father of the nation. He was Exhibit A of righteousness. So Paul does something brilliant: he uses Abraham himself to prove that justification has always been by faith.

Anarudi nyuma hadi Mwanzo 15:6, iliyoandikwa muda mrefu kabla ya sheria ya Musa, muda mrefu kabla ya tohara, muda mrefu kabla ya mfumo wowote wa dhabihu. Mstari huo unasema tu: "Ibrahimu alimwamini Mungu, ikahesabiwa kwake kuwa haki." Paulo anajenga hoja yake yote juu ya maneno hayo. "Ikahesabiwa" ni neno la mtunza hesabu — katika Kigiriki cha Paulo, logizomai — maana yake ni kuweka kitu katika hesabu ya mtu. Mungu hakumtazama Ibrahimu na kukuta haki tayari iko pale. Mungu alimhesabia haki mtu ambaye hakuwa na haki yake mwenyewe hata kidogo. Ibrahimu aliamini; Mungu akaweka katika hesabu; hesabu ikamalizika.He reaches back to Genesis 15:6, written long before the law of Moses, long before circumcision, long before any system of sacrifice. The verse says simply: "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Paul builds his entire argument on those words. "Accounted" is a bookkeeper's term — in Paul's Greek, logizomai — meaning to credit something to an account. God did not look at Abraham and find righteousness already there. God credited righteousness to a man who had none of his own. Abraham believed; God credited; the account was settled.

Kisha Paulo anaisukuma hoja hiyo mbele zaidi. "Basi kwake yeye afanyaye kazi ujira wake hauhesabiwi kuwa ni neema, bali kuwa ni deni. Bali kwake yeye asiyefanya kazi, lakini anamwamini yeye amhesabiaye haki asiye haki, imani yake imehesabiwa kuwa haki." Angalia maneno haya: "yeye amhesabiaye haki asiye haki." Huyu si Mungu anayewalipa wanaostahili. Huyu ni Mungu anayewatangaza kuwa wenye haki wale wanaostahili kinyume chake. Huyo ndiye aina pekee ya Mungu ambaye angeweza kumwokoa mtu yeyote, kwa sababu hakuna hata mmoja wetu aliye kitu kingine zaidi ya asiye haki wakati neema inapotupata kwa mara ya kwanza.Then Paul pushes the point further. "Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness." Notice the phrase: "Him who justifies the ungodly." This is not the God who rewards the worthy. This is the God who declares righteous those who deserve the opposite. That is the only kind of God who could save anyone, because none of us is anything but ungodly when grace first finds us.

Kisha Paulo anapitia mpangilio wa wakati katika maisha ya Ibrahimu. Mwanzo 15 inaeleza Ibrahimu akihesabiwa haki. Mwanzo 17 inaeleza kuanzishwa kwa tohara — miaka mingi baadaye. Hoja ya Paulo inavunja kabisa upinzani. Ibrahimu alihesabiwa haki kwa imani alipokuwa bado hajatahiriwa. Ishara ya agano ilikuja baadaye kama uthibitisho wa haki iliyokuwa tayari ipo kwa imani. Mpangilio una maana. Imani kwanza. Kisha ishara. Kisha matendo. Daima kwa mpangilio huo, kamwe si kinyume chake.Paul then walks through the timing of Abraham's life. Genesis 15 records Abraham being credited with righteousness. Genesis 17 records the institution of circumcision — many years later. Paul's point is devastating. Abraham was justified by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The covenant sign came afterward as a confirmation of a righteousness that already existed by faith. The order matters. Faith first. Then the sign. Then the works. Always in that order, never reversed.

Hii inamaanisha kwamba Ibrahimu ni baba si tu wa wazao wake wa kimwili wanaobeba ishara hiyo, bali pia wa kila mzao wa kiroho anayetembea katika nyayo za imani yake. Kila mwamini wa Mataifa, kila aliyekuwa mpagani zamani, kila mwongofu wa siku hizi anayemtazama Kristo na kuhesabiwa haki kwa kumtumaini, ni mtoto wa Ibrahimu kwa imani. Agano lilikuwa daima pana vya kutosha kuwajumuisha.This means Abraham is the father not only of his physical descendants who carry the sign, but of every spiritual descendant who walks in the steps of his faith. Every Gentile believer, every former pagan, every modern-day convert who looks to Christ and is justified by trust is a child of Abraham by faith. The covenant always was big enough to include them.

6. Ahadi kwa Imani kwa Nyakati Zote (4:13-25)6. The Promise by Faith for All Time (4:13-25)

Paulo anaendelea mbele. Ahadi kwa Ibrahimu — kwamba atakuwa mrithi wa ulimwengu — haikuja kwa njia ya sheria. Ilikuja kwa njia ya haki ya imani. Kama urithi ungetegemea kushika sheria, basi ahadi ya Mungu ingekuwa na masharti yanayotegemea utendaji wetu, na Ibrahimu asingekuwa na kitu cha kurithi. Imani ingekuwa bure na ahadi ingebatilika.Paul presses on. The promise to Abraham — that he would be the heir of the world — did not come through the law. It came through the righteousness of faith. If the inheritance depended on lawkeeping, then God's promise would be conditional on our performance, and Abraham would have nothing to inherit. Faith would be empty and the promise made of no effect.

Kisha Paulo anachora mojawapo ya picha zinazogusa moyo zaidi katika Maandiko. Ibrahimu alimwamini Mungu licha ya hali isiyowezekana kabisa. Alikuwa karibu na umri wa miaka mia moja. Tumbo la Sara lilikuwa limekufa kwa miongo mingi. Hali za kawaida zilielekeza kwenye kushindwa tu. Na bado, Paulo anaandika, Ibrahimu "alipokuwa hana tumaini, kwa kutarajia aliamini… lakini akiitazama ahadi ya Mungu hakusita kwa kutokuamini; bali alitiwa nguvu kwa imani, akimtukuza Mungu; huku akijua hakika ya kwamba Mungu aweza kufanya yale aliyoahidi. Kwa hiyo ilihesabiwa kwake kuwa haki."Then Paul paints one of the most moving portraits in Scripture. Abraham believed God against impossible odds. He was nearly a hundred years old. Sarah's womb had been dead for decades. The natural circumstances pointed to nothing but failure. And yet, Paul writes, Abraham "contrary to hope, in hope believed… He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore it was accounted to him for righteousness."

Paulo anamaliza sura hii kwa sentensi ya kichungaji zaidi katika kitabu hiki hadi sasa. Habari ya Ibrahimu haikuandikwa kwa ajili ya Ibrahimu peke yake. Iliandikwa kwa ajili yetu. "Lakini haikuandikwa kwa ajili yake tu kwamba ilihesabiwa kwake; bali na kwa ajili yetu sisi tutakaohesabiwa vivyo hivyo, sisi tuaminio yeye aliyemfufua Yesu Bwana wetu katika wafu; ambaye alitolewa kwa ajili ya makosa yetu, na kufufuliwa ili tuhesabiwe haki."Paul closes the chapter with the most pastoral sentence in the book so far. The story of Abraham was not written for Abraham's sake alone. It was written for us. "Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification."

Sentensi hiyo ya mwisho ni injili kwa ufupi. Yesu alitolewa — akakabidhiwa ili asulubiwe — kwa sababu ya dhambi zetu. Yesu alifufuliwa — akathibitishwa na Baba — kwa ajili ya kuhesabiwa haki kwetu. Kifo chake kililipa adhabu. Ufufuo wake ulithibitisha kwamba malipo yalikubaliwa. "Amina" ya Baba kwa msalaba ilikuwa kaburi tupu. Na haki ileile ambayo Mungu alimhesabia Ibrahimu miaka elfu nne iliyopita, anamhesabia leo kila mwenye dhambi anayeamini na kumtumaini Kristo aliyefufuka.That last sentence is the gospel in miniature. Jesus was delivered up — handed over to crucifixion — because of our sins. Jesus was raised — vindicated by the Father — because of our justification. His death paid the penalty. His resurrection proved the payment was accepted. The Father's "amen" to the cross was the empty tomb. And the same righteousness God credited to Abraham four thousand years ago, He credits to every believing sinner who trusts in the risen Christ today.

Injili sasa imewekwa wazi. Hukumu ya hatia imepinduliwa na hukumu ya neema. Kuanzia sura ya tano, Paulo ataanza kutuonyesha kile ambacho hukumu hii inazaa katika maisha halisi ya mwamini — amani na Mungu, tumaini lisilotahayarisha, na upendo unaomiminika kupitia kwetu kwa Roho Mtakatifu. Lakini hakuna hata moja kati ya hayo litakalofuata kama sura hii haijatatuliwa kwanza. Basi litatue. Hukuhesabiwa haki kwa sababu ya ulichofanya. Umehesabiwa haki kwa sababu ya alichofanya Kristo, kinachopokelewa kwa imani peke yake.The gospel has now been laid out plainly. The verdict of guilt has been overturned by the verdict of grace. Beginning in chapter five, Paul will start showing us what this verdict produces in the actual life of the believer — peace with God, hope that does not disappoint, and a love that pours through us by the Holy Spirit. But none of that follows unless this chapter is settled first. So settle it. You are not justified because of what you have done. You are justified because of what Christ has done, received by faith alone.