Coram Deo
For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God in the light of life.
Psalm 56:13
Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
Psalm 115:1
I have been reading Paul’s letter to the Romans. I read somewhere that not only are you supposed to study Romans, but you’re also supposed to read it like a book. Since I finished my study of it last week, I started reading it less for study and more for pleasure and insight. As I was reading chapter six, I came to a term that piqued my curiosity—“slaves to righteousness” in verse 18. Now the odd thing is—I don’t recall it piquing my curiosity within the past month or so when I truly studied it, so why now? (dontcha love it when the Holy Spirit calls your attention to something that you’ve read before but now has new meaning or curiosity to you? I love it when He does that!!)
So I Googled the interesting phrase, and of course, found a number of results. The very first one what a devotional on the Ligonier Ministries website, which calls itself the “teaching fellowship of R.C. Sproul”. The devotional talked about the processes of justification and sanctification, and then had a Latin term that I had never heard of (not that I know a lot of Latin, but it, too, piqued my curiosity and down that rabbit hole I fell): Coram Deo. I Googled coram Deo and found another blog post on the Ligonier Ministries website, this one written by R.C. Sproul himself. According to Mr. Sproul, “this phrase literally refers to something that takes place in the presence of, or before the face of, God. To live coram Deo is to live one’s entire life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the glory of God.” It literally means “before the face of God.” In simpler terms, the phrase acknowledges the omnipresence of our heavenly Father and declares that everything that we do is done unto Him.
Coram Deo provides the basis for us to understand that we should be aware of His constant presence and to live a life that demonstrates that awareness. It is God whom we live for, not ourselves nor others. It is God’s approval that we seek; His is the ultimate authority for which we live. As one website says, “coram Deo reminds us that we live for an audience of one: the Lord God.”1 He alone is worthy of our praise and worship. He alone is sovereign; He alone is glorious.
Friends, living our lives “before the face of God” is not meant to be a scary thought. It can perhaps be a sobering one, but only through the conviction of the Holy Spirit in an attempt to mature us. Coram Deo calls for us to live out our faith in utter transparency and openness, allowing our beliefs and convictions to influence our actions, even (and maybe especially) those outside of our time spent in worship, all to the glory of God. Living coram Deo informs our spiritual maturity as we yield to the teaching and direction of the Holy Spirit to become more like Christ, all to the glory of the Father.
Prayer Requests
· For travel mercies for Pastor Ray as his PCS to the Pentagon is happening now, and for comfort and support for April, Dora, and his children.
· A multitude of thanks for His bringing Skylar and Erica to Stone Oak Church and for the enhanced worship we are engaging in on Sunday mornings
· For us to be a church that believes in the power of prayer and prays continually
· For the victims of the west coast wildfires and the committed first responders who are battling those blazes
If you’re curious, Coram Deo is pronounced like “core-um Day-o”. Perhaps this two-word four-syllable Latin term can be an easy reminder for how we are all to live as followers of Christ and children of the Living God.
Quotes
“Stop listening to every dysfunctional thought. Tell your mind to align its thoughts with the Word of God and to dwell on what He says about you. You were made by a King. You are loved. You are of great worth.”
“God uses our trials to build our faith, draw us closer to Him, and give us a testimony of His faithfulness for others to see.” -- Dr. Michelle Bengtson
1 https://www.gotquestions.org/coram-Deo.html