Extra Nos
But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law. (Romans 3:21-28)
Friends,
A weird thing happened.
As I began writing this blog, I looked up the Latin phrase, “Extra Nos”. It means “outside of us”. The phrase is used to describe salvation. Our salvation comes “outside of us”. Our salvation comes not through what we have done but through what Christ has done. Thus, “outside of our selves”.
Now, here’s the weird thing. When I googled the phrase to check spelling and make sure my translation was accurate, an album by the Christian rapper Flame came up. It seems he has a new album entitled, “Extra Nos”.
I thought that was a weird name for an album, so I listened to it on Spotify. It is just under 20 minutes long. As I listened, I realized this young man knows his Christian faith and his Bible. He was rapping about some deep theological stuff.
So, I did a little more investigating of this young man. His name is Marcus Tyrone Gray. He is 38 years old. He is very successful in the Christian Rap and Hip-Hop areas of music.
Also, he has a Master of Arts from Concordia Seminary in Saint Louis. He majored in Systematic Theology (Christian teachings) with a minor in Christian History and Christian Counseling.
Wow!
I was very impressed with the album. The name, Extra Nos, seems to remind us that we are saved by a gracious and loving God apart from ourselves, apart from our good works.
Flame even refers to a quote by Martin Luther which states, “God does not need our Good Works, but our Neighbors’ do”.
I would suggest you give this album a try.
Peace
Ricky Adams
Pastor
Peace Lutheran Church
Mill Valley, California