God Gives Meaning to Our Choices, #2

These posts are based on notes from our sermon series on Ruth.

Read:  Ruth 1:19-22; 4:13-17

The genealogy at the end of Ruth is recreated in Matthew 1—the genealogy of Christ.  Ruth here—like you, I might add—is literally “in Christ.”  Without Christ, Naomi and Ruth would’ve been just some nice ladies in a tragedy-redemption story in the ancient world—even if it was recorded in a biography—it would’ve been just some moralistic story about being nice to each other.  Being faithful. 

But why should we be kind or nice or faithful to each other?  Just like the “good” non-Christian or the good pagan, one is left asking: Nice why?  Kind why?  Faithful why?  Outside of Christ, all those good choices—all those kind, nice, faithful acts--are just lost in the wastebin of history.

Actually, it’s worse than that.  All those acts of niceness, kindness, and faithfulness are recorded in books—and they all come up short of God’s goodness—they are all recorded as kind acts of rebellion against King Jesus—all those choices made in free-will rebellion against Christ are just so much free-will rope used to hang ourselves.  That’s good works outside of Christ.

But—and this is the example of Naomi and Ruth—in Christ, all those acts are redeemed.  They fall short of God’s glory, sure, but In Christ—they are redeemed or bought with Christ’s blood and raised in resurrection with His body.

And they will shine forever.