Romans 4:11-12 - 11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.
Message: Circumcision is a visible sign to others of a change that already took place.
Time: The date of the book is
probably 60 A.D. written from Corinth on Paul's third missionary
journey. The church in Rome seems to be established and Romans does not
speak of any one error in the church that he is addressing. The church
had a large Jewish element, but also filled with Gentile converts from
paganism, both free as well as slaves.
What the Lord is Saying:
Background
Paul continues here to respond to a question that he feels like the Jew would have still. If there is one thing that Paul continues to address over and over it is that all people, whether Jew or Gentile, have the same standard and are saved the same way. There is one God, one Savior, one Lord, and one way of salvation.
In the beginning of chapter 4, Paul went back to two patriarchs, Abraham and David, to show that each believed God and was credited with righteousness. Faith in God doesn't make us righteous, but it is the vehicle in which God uses to transfer or credit righteousness to man.
Verses 11 and 12 shift back to Abraham. Verses 9 and 10 began the presentation on circumcision by stating that having Faith in Christ and believing that Jesus took the punishment for our sins, that we needed a ransom, believing God, this occurred before circumcision. And this blessing is granted or availed both to the circumcised and the uncircumcised. There is no distinction. All have sinned. All equally need God's grace.
Overview
Paul has declared the simple message that a person is credited righteousness before being circumcised, so what then happens when a person is circumcised. Here in these verses he speaks that there is value in circumcision. There is a reason we get baptized, go to church, pray, ask for forgiveness, admit our sin. It is true that those things don't make us right before God, but it doesn't mean that we have no need to ever do those things.
Verse 11 reiterates that circumcision was a sign of the change that took place in Abraham's life before he was circumcised. For the Gentile, baptism is clearly the ordinance that is closely related to circumcision and can at times take on the same level of confusion to the Gentile that circumcision has received for the Jew. What circumcision shows is that Abraham was declared righteous, not being circumcised, but when he was uncircumcised.
When a person graduates from high school they receive a diploma. The graduation ceremony and the receiving of the diploma doesn't make the person a graduate. The person became a graduate through the passing of their courses. And the diploma is simply the sign that they passed. This is what circumcision is, as well as baptism.
Verse 12 then reminds the Jew that circumcision is not imperative. To me, this is the thing that people have the most trouble with in understanding grace. Works follow grace, but works don't define grace. Works don't provide an opportunity to receive grace. We exhibit works because of grace. And we will exhibit works, but that doesn't mean that works have anything to do with acquiring grace. Galatians 3:29 states that we are spiritual heirs of Christ because of the promise.
I think more clearly what Paul is saying that the physical act of circumcision is not even what makes a person circumcised. That when Christ saves us and righteousness is credited to our account a circumcision of our heart takes place. We see circumcision as a visible change. But Christ already knows circumcision has taken place because faith credited righteousness to our account.
TableTalk note:
As I read and study through Tabletalk, I notice their belief that baptism can occur as an infant. There point is that baptism, as the sign of a circumcised heart, can occur before a person is credited with righteousness. The issue isn't that baptism saves. Church membership often follows baptism which follows conversion, but that doesn't mean that is the only way. Church membership and baptism can precede conversion. This is the point the reformers are making, I believe.
Promise: God makes a person righteous, not circumcision.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Romans 4:9-10 - A Double Transfer
Romans 4:9-10 - 9 Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, “Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” 10 How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised;
Message: How was righteousness credited?
Time: The date of the book is probably 60 A.D. written from Corinth on Paul's third missionary journey. The church in Rome seems to be established and Romans does not speak of any one error in the church that he is addressing. The church had a large Jewish element, but also filled with Gentile converts from paganism, both free as well as slaves.
What the Lord is Saying: Paul continues in these verses to explain how justification by faith is not a new concept invented by him or by anyone else in New Testament times, but has been around and was around in the Old Testament. He takes his audience back to Abraham and David, his two witnesses to this truth and has shown thus far that a person who has faith in Jesus Christ, who believes that he took our punishment, was our ransom for us, that God credits that man with righteousness and all of that persons sins are now forgiven.
For the Jew in chapter 2, Paul addressed two core beliefs for the Jew in that they believed (1) because they were called a Jew and were a Jew that they had special privileges and had been collectively grafted into salvation for the Law had been given to them and (2) through the act of circumcision, a commandment given only to the Jew that by practicing this circumcision they had the components necessary to be seen as accepted by God. Paul addresses each of these in the latter half of chapter 2 bringing attention to the Jew that (1) though they have the Law they have not practiced it and have transgressed and (2) clarifies that circumcision is a commandment that is given by God, but circumcision in and of itself doesn't save a person, but is something that exhibits our faith.
On the heals of the message of David and the quotation of Psalm 32:1-2 which stated, "How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit!", Paul once again states to the Jew that circumcision does not make a person righteous but righteousness comes about when a person is really uncircumcised.
Verse 9 states, "Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also?" Blessing is being reckoned or credited with righteousness apart from works. So, is the blessing of being credited righteousness apart from works there once the requirement of circumcision has been performed. In essence, does this blessing come with it an expectation of an act being performed? But also what is being asked is whether or not the blessing is limited to Abraham's descendants. Abraham and David's examples have been given, so is their now a connecting between the descendant or Jew and circumcision and thereby the blessing? Must a person be a circumcised Jew to inherit the blessing of righteousness being reckoned apart from works?
Paul here anticipated what his Jewish readers would be thinking.
This is an example of how it is important to understand the beliefs of the person we are speaking with about the Gospel. It is important to understand what they believe because a component of sharing truth is exposing false truth.
Verse 10 states, "How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised." This is really simple and logical. How was Abraham credited with righteousness? Was it while he was a Jew or while he was a Gentile (not circumcised)?
This text is really important because many people are told that God accepts them and they consider themselves to be religious because they have been baptized (sprinkled) or go to church or grew up going to church. Or even because they simple confess their sins once or twice a week to a priest. What makes us a Christian is not what we do, but what Christ has done for us. This is a foreign concept to many and expresses why it is so important for true followers of Christ to preach the good news of Jesus Christ.
Promise: Faith is the Lord's chosen means of transferring the grounds for His declaration to our account. Abraham was declared righteous before He was circumcised.
Message: How was righteousness credited?
Time: The date of the book is probably 60 A.D. written from Corinth on Paul's third missionary journey. The church in Rome seems to be established and Romans does not speak of any one error in the church that he is addressing. The church had a large Jewish element, but also filled with Gentile converts from paganism, both free as well as slaves.
What the Lord is Saying: Paul continues in these verses to explain how justification by faith is not a new concept invented by him or by anyone else in New Testament times, but has been around and was around in the Old Testament. He takes his audience back to Abraham and David, his two witnesses to this truth and has shown thus far that a person who has faith in Jesus Christ, who believes that he took our punishment, was our ransom for us, that God credits that man with righteousness and all of that persons sins are now forgiven.
For the Jew in chapter 2, Paul addressed two core beliefs for the Jew in that they believed (1) because they were called a Jew and were a Jew that they had special privileges and had been collectively grafted into salvation for the Law had been given to them and (2) through the act of circumcision, a commandment given only to the Jew that by practicing this circumcision they had the components necessary to be seen as accepted by God. Paul addresses each of these in the latter half of chapter 2 bringing attention to the Jew that (1) though they have the Law they have not practiced it and have transgressed and (2) clarifies that circumcision is a commandment that is given by God, but circumcision in and of itself doesn't save a person, but is something that exhibits our faith.
On the heals of the message of David and the quotation of Psalm 32:1-2 which stated, "How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit!", Paul once again states to the Jew that circumcision does not make a person righteous but righteousness comes about when a person is really uncircumcised.
Verse 9 states, "Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also?" Blessing is being reckoned or credited with righteousness apart from works. So, is the blessing of being credited righteousness apart from works there once the requirement of circumcision has been performed. In essence, does this blessing come with it an expectation of an act being performed? But also what is being asked is whether or not the blessing is limited to Abraham's descendants. Abraham and David's examples have been given, so is their now a connecting between the descendant or Jew and circumcision and thereby the blessing? Must a person be a circumcised Jew to inherit the blessing of righteousness being reckoned apart from works?
Paul here anticipated what his Jewish readers would be thinking.
This is an example of how it is important to understand the beliefs of the person we are speaking with about the Gospel. It is important to understand what they believe because a component of sharing truth is exposing false truth.
Verse 10 states, "How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised." This is really simple and logical. How was Abraham credited with righteousness? Was it while he was a Jew or while he was a Gentile (not circumcised)?
This text is really important because many people are told that God accepts them and they consider themselves to be religious because they have been baptized (sprinkled) or go to church or grew up going to church. Or even because they simple confess their sins once or twice a week to a priest. What makes us a Christian is not what we do, but what Christ has done for us. This is a foreign concept to many and expresses why it is so important for true followers of Christ to preach the good news of Jesus Christ.
Promise: Faith is the Lord's chosen means of transferring the grounds for His declaration to our account. Abraham was declared righteous before He was circumcised.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Romans 4:6-8 - The Non-Imputation of Sin
Romans 4:6-8 - 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, And whose sins have been covered.8 “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.”
Message: Sin is not put onto the account of man God has blessed with righteousness.
Time: The date of the book is
probably 60 A.D. written from Corinth on Paul's third missionary
journey. The church in Rome seems to be established and Romans does not
speak of any one error in the church that he is addressing. The church
had a large Jewish element, but also filled with Gentile converts from
paganism, both free as well as slaves.
What the Lord is Saying: Paul is in the middle of relaying the events or lives of two witnesses of the Gospel by faith, not works, of two Jewish patriarchs. Verses 1-5 spoke of Abraham being saved by faith and then being credited righteousness. Now verse 6-8 speak of David.
It is interesting that, in these verses, are examples of apologetic from Paul. He is defending the faith to the people that are in the church. However, it could be that those individuals are already Christians and he is helping them know how to be a witness to those in their community.
Verse 6 states the purpose of these verses: to show the man who God credits righteousness apart from works. And what man has received is a blessing or a gift (John 3:16). To be blessed is to have the greatest joy of man. Blessing means that between you and God all is well (John Piper).
Preceptaustin.org states that, "In the case of Abraham, righteousness was credited (logizomai from Romans 4:5) to him, apart from works, on the basis of faith. In the case of David obviously no good work is involved, but on the contrary, iniquity has been committed but is not "imputed" (from the Septuagint of Psalm 32:2, also logizomai) to the man who has received the awesome gift of justification." Using the Jewish interpretive principle gezerah shavah, which links different texts containing the same key word or phrase, Paul uses the same word to interpret the other. Paul is telling his readers and us to reflect on our position in Christ and to place two things into our spiritual bank account: (1) We are "dead to sin" (verse 8) and (2) we are "alive to God in Christ Jesus" (verse 3).
From Tabletalk: The word logizomai is a bookkeeping term that means “to put on
one’s record” or “to credit to one’s account.” In the Greek translation
of the Old Testament (the Septuagint), the term often appears where
individuals must treat a person or object as if it were something other
than what it is inherently. For example, when the Levites received
tithes, they were not to treat these tithes as actual tithes that had
already been devoted to the Lord. Instead, they had to regard these
tithes as their income and then pay a tithe to the Lord themselves from
what had been given to them. Inherently, what the people gave were
tithes. But the Levites reckoned them as income (Numbers 18:25-32). So, in this instance, here in Romans 4, to credit something to a person's account and regard that person not according to what he has done or who he is but according to what is credited to his account. The credit from Abraham was righteousness on the basis of faith. The credit from David here is a sinner not being seen as a sinner but being seen as dead to sin.
What I found very interesting from these verses is Paul is saying that the message that God makes man righteous or credits man with righteous can be seen in the idea from David that God sees man as being dead to sin. Thus, righteousness again is not on the basis of deeds or works. When someone is declared righteous there are being declared dead to sin. This is a huge contrast to the message of many in churches and other religious thought which state is is through adherence to laws of the church or belonging to a certain church that makes us or gives us cause to receive God's salvation or grace or righteousness. The problem with that thinking is how can good works in life have anything to do with being made righteous when Paul states that faith makes a person righteous and righteousness means people are dead to sin. People are bringing the notion of good works into the equation when it is clearly not there.
Promise: From Tabletalk: God knows that man has sinned, but when we stand before God in Christ, though he knows we have sinned, he does not regard us as unrighteous (evil), but as righteous (good). We receive eternal life according to Christ's righteousness, not our own.
Monday, August 11, 2014
Romans 4:4-5 - Counting Faith as Righteousness
Romans 4:4-5 - 4 Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,
Message: Work versus not working
Time: The date of the book is probably 60 A.D. written from Corinth on Paul's third missionary journey. The church in Rome seems to be established and Romans does not speak of any one error in the church that he is addressing. The church had a large Jewish element, but also filled with Gentile converts from paganism, both free as well as slaves.
What the Lord is Saying:
Background
Paul has presented in Romans many assertions, but has also backed them up with Old Testament scripture. It is clear that for the Jew or non-Jew even there was the thought that if one keeps the Mosaic law then they can be saved. It is an all too familiar assertion that is found in most people today as well, that God accepting man is based on the person and how that person lives their lives, mostly in relation to other persons. And as long as they keep fundamental laws and don't end up in jail then they are counted worthy of heaven. Paul wants to make it clear, though, so he first brings to the forefront Abraham, the Jewish patriarch to show how he believe and therefore, his faith, made him righteous in God's sight.
In verses 4 and 5, Paul contrasts a worker and a non-worker. In verse 4, he appeals to man's conscience and common sense and experience living in the world. He states that a worker that works, the wage that he receives is based upon what is due that a person and is not a gift or favor. Wages have nothing to do with grace, but with what is due.
In verse 5, for the person who does not work, I think Paul is, in a way saying, that what this person receives is a gift. This person believes in God/Jesus who justifies (makes right) the ungodly. And so this person's faith is credited as righteousness.
Once again, Paul is saying that the litmus test for a person is not whether they are good or not. Paul has already clearly put forth that no one is good (Romans 3:12), not one. Man wants to turn the tables and talk instead about how good man is. That was the conclusion of that movie, Hawaii, I saw. Julie Andrews who played the wife of the minister declared at the end of the movie that she could not believe in a God who would send to hell people that are good. She watched those Hawaiian island people and saw how good they were and therefore said God must reward goodness with heaven. But, being good is not the issue because God says no one is good. This was also conversely the problem with the message of the minister who gave the idea that no one can be bad. He gave the idea that if a person is bad and does those things contrary to God then a person can't be saved. But, we are all bad. No one is better than another. We desire to be good and follow the Law, but it is in response to what God has done for us, not as a condition.
The problem with people is they want to believe that God is about verse 4 and not verse 5.
In verse 5, it states that belief and faith work together. Belief is the word pisteuo which is not simply an intellectual assent, but is a complete belief and acceptance. If I believe that a chair will hold me up, I sit on it. If I believe the car will take my places, I get in it and drive or ride. If I believe the plane will fly me places, I get on it and become a passenger. Throughout life belief means a person accepts the belief and then will put it into action. To believe in God means that I will stake my life on what I believe.
Much is said, and rightfully so, on martyrs throughout the times. Martyrs are simply people that believed and staked their life on that which they believed. Isn't it funny how I so badly don't want to be a martyr because I fear the pain of death? But, to be a martyr is actually the greatest testimony of my faith.
Here is a faith acrostic I saw on preceptsaustin.org.
Promise: Our belief in Jesus and what He did on the cross for us, receiving the punishment for us being bad, makes us righteous.
Message: Work versus not working
Time: The date of the book is probably 60 A.D. written from Corinth on Paul's third missionary journey. The church in Rome seems to be established and Romans does not speak of any one error in the church that he is addressing. The church had a large Jewish element, but also filled with Gentile converts from paganism, both free as well as slaves.
What the Lord is Saying:
Background
Paul has presented in Romans many assertions, but has also backed them up with Old Testament scripture. It is clear that for the Jew or non-Jew even there was the thought that if one keeps the Mosaic law then they can be saved. It is an all too familiar assertion that is found in most people today as well, that God accepting man is based on the person and how that person lives their lives, mostly in relation to other persons. And as long as they keep fundamental laws and don't end up in jail then they are counted worthy of heaven. Paul wants to make it clear, though, so he first brings to the forefront Abraham, the Jewish patriarch to show how he believe and therefore, his faith, made him righteous in God's sight.
In verses 4 and 5, Paul contrasts a worker and a non-worker. In verse 4, he appeals to man's conscience and common sense and experience living in the world. He states that a worker that works, the wage that he receives is based upon what is due that a person and is not a gift or favor. Wages have nothing to do with grace, but with what is due.
In verse 5, for the person who does not work, I think Paul is, in a way saying, that what this person receives is a gift. This person believes in God/Jesus who justifies (makes right) the ungodly. And so this person's faith is credited as righteousness.
Once again, Paul is saying that the litmus test for a person is not whether they are good or not. Paul has already clearly put forth that no one is good (Romans 3:12), not one. Man wants to turn the tables and talk instead about how good man is. That was the conclusion of that movie, Hawaii, I saw. Julie Andrews who played the wife of the minister declared at the end of the movie that she could not believe in a God who would send to hell people that are good. She watched those Hawaiian island people and saw how good they were and therefore said God must reward goodness with heaven. But, being good is not the issue because God says no one is good. This was also conversely the problem with the message of the minister who gave the idea that no one can be bad. He gave the idea that if a person is bad and does those things contrary to God then a person can't be saved. But, we are all bad. No one is better than another. We desire to be good and follow the Law, but it is in response to what God has done for us, not as a condition.
The problem with people is they want to believe that God is about verse 4 and not verse 5.
In verse 5, it states that belief and faith work together. Belief is the word pisteuo which is not simply an intellectual assent, but is a complete belief and acceptance. If I believe that a chair will hold me up, I sit on it. If I believe the car will take my places, I get in it and drive or ride. If I believe the plane will fly me places, I get on it and become a passenger. Throughout life belief means a person accepts the belief and then will put it into action. To believe in God means that I will stake my life on what I believe.
Much is said, and rightfully so, on martyrs throughout the times. Martyrs are simply people that believed and staked their life on that which they believed. Isn't it funny how I so badly don't want to be a martyr because I fear the pain of death? But, to be a martyr is actually the greatest testimony of my faith.
Here is a faith acrostic I saw on preceptsaustin.org.
- F is for Facts. Faith is not based on a blind leap into the unknown and unknowable, as many liberal and neo-orthodox theologians would have us believe. It is based on the facts of God's redeeming work through His Son Jesus Christ.
- A is for Agreement. It is one thing to know the truth of the gospel; it is quite another to agree with it. The believing heart affirms the truth it receives from God's Word.
- I is for Internalization. The inner desire of a believer to accept and apply the truth of the gospel to his own life. Internalization also involves the genuine desire to obey Christ as Lord.
- T is for Trust. In some ways and in some contexts, trust is a synonym for faith. But trust also carries the idea of having unreserved confidence in God to keep His promises to never forsake us as His children and to provide all our needs.
- H is for Hope. Every believer is saved in the hope (firm assurance) of going to live eternally with God in heaven, although he has never seen heaven or seen the Lord in whom he believes. The vast majority of those who have trusted in Christ over the centuries have never seen Him. Even those who saw Him after the resurrection and witnessed His ascent to heaven had only the HOPE, and not yet the reality, of their joining Him one day in heaven. Until he meets the Lord through death or by rapture, every believer must live in HOPE of that which he has not yet fully received.
Promise: Our belief in Jesus and what He did on the cross for us, receiving the punishment for us being bad, makes us righteous.
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Romans 4:1-3 - Not by works
Romans 4:1-3 - 1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Message: Question: Was Abraham justified by works?
Time: The date of the book is probably 60 A.D. written from Corinth on Paul's third missionary journey. The church in Rome seems to be established and Romans does not speak of any one error in the church that he is addressing. The church had a large Jewish element, but also filled with Gentile converts from paganism, both free as well as slaves.
What the Lord is Saying:
Paul has just finished a statement that God is not impartial and He is the God of both Jews and Gentiles. And while the Law does not save, the Law is necessary in our life, most notably as a guide for living after we realize Jesus saved us from our sins.
Paul begins this passage in a similar way to Chapter 3, by asking questinos from an imaginary questioner, as such it is a diatribe. Paul states in verse 1, "What shall we say?" So, what is being said is if Paul's word are correct and true, then what benefit could the Jew derive from his religion.
Recently, I watched the movie Hawaii, made in 1966, starring Julie Andrews (Jerusha) and Max Von Sydow (Reverend Alan Hale). Max plays a Calvinistic missionary to the Hawaiian islands. One thing about Reverend Hale was his contempt for the people he was ministering to; he never took the time to look at what they believed to see the value in it and thereby use it to bridge to the Gospel. But instead he quickly discounted it all as evil and that it needed to be replaced with faith in Christ. Granted, there is some truth to this, but the way we approach people needs to be more compassionate. So, Paul was hearing a question, what possible value could there be in being a Jew? The Jew had basically been told that their core beliefs were of no value. The simple question is, "Was Abraham justified by works?" If so, he has something to boast about (Rom 3:27-28). However, not before God. Is Paul saying that even if the theology of being saved by works was true, man can only boast of himself before other men?
Paul, here, first, calls upon Abraham. He will later call upon David. According to Jewish law, a question was settled by 2 or 3 witnesses. Paul states that Abraham believed God and it was credited to Him as righteousness.
In the 1st century (and even some today) there is the belief that a Jew has salvation because of their offspring from Abraham. Thus salvation came about by entering into Judaism. A person could convert to Judaism and thereby be saved. I see this today, often, among people that think if they grew up Catholic, and went through confirmation, or joined a particular church, that this is what made salvation secure to them.
Yet, in verse 2, something different is stated. Was Abraham justified before God because of his works? If he was, has something to boast about, but not before God. In Rabbinical teaching and interpretation, there is the explanation that Abraham was not just good, but he practiced all the parts of the Law before it was even given.In the Mishnah’s third division, Kiddushin (4.14) makes a specious interpretation of Genesis 26:5 in which God repeats His covenant promise to Abraham's son Isaac, declaring. "And I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because Abraham OBEYED Me and KEPT My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws." The Mishnah wrongly concludes, "we find that Abraham our father had performed the whole law before it was given, for it is written, ‘Because that Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statues, and my laws.’"
But in verse 3, Paul appeals to the Old Testament to testify that the message has always been that a man is justified apart from works, but by believing and in turn, God credits man's account with righteousness. Reckoned means to take something that belongs to another and credit it to another's account. The sin of the human race was charged to Jesus so that the righteousness of God, by the act of the believing sinner, can be given to each person.
Thoughts from J. Vernon McGee: To the Jew, Abraham is our first father. And according the flesh is by natural human effort. Abraham was first chronologically and first in importance. Abraham found that his works, according to the flesh, did not produce boasting, but instead shame and confusion. Abraham did have many good works [as do many people today], but these works were not the ground of salvation, but the result of salvation and the result of being justified by faith. The works of the flesh cannot stand before God's holiness. Paul quotes from the Old Testament over 60 times in Romans and this quotation is from Genesis 15:6. Abraham believed in his heart that God told the truth. He put it on his account. By believing in God, Abraham was declared righteous.
Promise: When a person believes God, the righteousness of God is credited to that person's account or life.
Message: Question: Was Abraham justified by works?
Time: The date of the book is probably 60 A.D. written from Corinth on Paul's third missionary journey. The church in Rome seems to be established and Romans does not speak of any one error in the church that he is addressing. The church had a large Jewish element, but also filled with Gentile converts from paganism, both free as well as slaves.
What the Lord is Saying:
Paul has just finished a statement that God is not impartial and He is the God of both Jews and Gentiles. And while the Law does not save, the Law is necessary in our life, most notably as a guide for living after we realize Jesus saved us from our sins.
Paul begins this passage in a similar way to Chapter 3, by asking questinos from an imaginary questioner, as such it is a diatribe. Paul states in verse 1, "What shall we say?" So, what is being said is if Paul's word are correct and true, then what benefit could the Jew derive from his religion.
Recently, I watched the movie Hawaii, made in 1966, starring Julie Andrews (Jerusha) and Max Von Sydow (Reverend Alan Hale). Max plays a Calvinistic missionary to the Hawaiian islands. One thing about Reverend Hale was his contempt for the people he was ministering to; he never took the time to look at what they believed to see the value in it and thereby use it to bridge to the Gospel. But instead he quickly discounted it all as evil and that it needed to be replaced with faith in Christ. Granted, there is some truth to this, but the way we approach people needs to be more compassionate. So, Paul was hearing a question, what possible value could there be in being a Jew? The Jew had basically been told that their core beliefs were of no value. The simple question is, "Was Abraham justified by works?" If so, he has something to boast about (Rom 3:27-28). However, not before God. Is Paul saying that even if the theology of being saved by works was true, man can only boast of himself before other men?
Paul, here, first, calls upon Abraham. He will later call upon David. According to Jewish law, a question was settled by 2 or 3 witnesses. Paul states that Abraham believed God and it was credited to Him as righteousness.
In the 1st century (and even some today) there is the belief that a Jew has salvation because of their offspring from Abraham. Thus salvation came about by entering into Judaism. A person could convert to Judaism and thereby be saved. I see this today, often, among people that think if they grew up Catholic, and went through confirmation, or joined a particular church, that this is what made salvation secure to them.
Yet, in verse 2, something different is stated. Was Abraham justified before God because of his works? If he was, has something to boast about, but not before God. In Rabbinical teaching and interpretation, there is the explanation that Abraham was not just good, but he practiced all the parts of the Law before it was even given.In the Mishnah’s third division, Kiddushin (4.14) makes a specious interpretation of Genesis 26:5 in which God repeats His covenant promise to Abraham's son Isaac, declaring. "And I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because Abraham OBEYED Me and KEPT My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws." The Mishnah wrongly concludes, "we find that Abraham our father had performed the whole law before it was given, for it is written, ‘Because that Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statues, and my laws.’"
But in verse 3, Paul appeals to the Old Testament to testify that the message has always been that a man is justified apart from works, but by believing and in turn, God credits man's account with righteousness. Reckoned means to take something that belongs to another and credit it to another's account. The sin of the human race was charged to Jesus so that the righteousness of God, by the act of the believing sinner, can be given to each person.
Thoughts from J. Vernon McGee: To the Jew, Abraham is our first father. And according the flesh is by natural human effort. Abraham was first chronologically and first in importance. Abraham found that his works, according to the flesh, did not produce boasting, but instead shame and confusion. Abraham did have many good works [as do many people today], but these works were not the ground of salvation, but the result of salvation and the result of being justified by faith. The works of the flesh cannot stand before God's holiness. Paul quotes from the Old Testament over 60 times in Romans and this quotation is from Genesis 15:6. Abraham believed in his heart that God told the truth. He put it on his account. By believing in God, Abraham was declared righteous.
Promise: When a person believes God, the righteousness of God is credited to that person's account or life.
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Romans 3:29-31 - Upholding the Law by Faith
Romans 3:29-31 - 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one. 31 Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.
Message: Upholding the Law by Faith
Time: Paul probably wrote Romans between A.D. 57-58 while he was at Corinth in the home of his friend and convert Gaius. He planned to go first to Jerusalem to deliver a gift of money from the Gentile churches to the poor in Jerusalem. Then he hoped to visit Rome on his way to Spain. His hopes were later realized, but not as he had expected. When he finally arrived in Rome in early A.D. 60, he was a prisoner under house arrest (Acts 28:11-31).
What the Lord is Saying:
Background
The essence of chapter 3 is no one is Good. Chapter 2 was basically that no one gets a free pass. And the latter half of chapter 1 is man left to his own ways will turn from God.
In chapter 3, Paul does point to the Jew and confirm that they are chosen by God, but again, this doesn't mean they are exempt from God's wrath. The Jewish person then asks a series of questions with an attempt to catch the believer in a contradiction so as to show his way is best. For example, is God being God contingent on His chosen people choosing the right way?
And so what Paul does clearly is describe clearly that everyone is held to the same standard. And everyone is guilty. Everyone is a sinner. The important message here is not that people can be good because they can, but the message here is that people are not good and because of this they deserve a punishment but Jesus can take that punishment in man's place.
God is perfect and holy and cannot look at wrong. He cannot tolerate sin in His presence. Evil cannot be overlooked and remain unpunished. God loves people. He wants to forgive them so they can enjoy Him forever. Jesus lived a perfect life, and through his death Jesus was killed in place of people. At the cross, Jesus received the Lord's wrath in our place. His blood covers those who trust Him. In this way, God's justice has been satisfied and our sins forgiven. We receive this by faith. Faith is agreeing that we are sinners and Jesus is the only one that can save us. Faith is believing in Christ. And believing is trusting and trusting is more than just agreeing it is a complete life change.
Man has no grounds to boast for he hasn't done anything to earn his justification. Justification is by faith apart from any work.
Today's Text
Paul does it again. He repeats a message in verse 29 he has said before but uses different phrases. "Is God the God of Jews only?" Where else have we heard this so far?
2:11 - There is no partiality with God.
3:9-18 - Jews and Greeks are all under sin. No one is righteous.
3:26 - Who is justified? The one who has faith (whether Jew or Gentile). 1:16 - Salvation is to the Jew and the Greek.
Again, is God only for the Jews? No way. Most definitely He is the God of gentiles also. How do I know this? Verse 30 tells me. Whether circumcised or not, God justifies by faith. The condition of man is not important.
So, in verse 31, we have an interesting question. Verse 1 of chapter 3 started with a question to the Jew about wondering what advantage there is in being a Jew since circumcision was shown in chapter 2, at the end, to be of no value in and of itself, and God choosing the Jew, didn't give them a free pass. So, now, after the discourse on the fact that no one can be righteous and no can boast because doing things is not how a person is saved, the question then comes up, "is the Law even of any value?" Faith is the means of salvation, not the Law, so don't we nullify the Law then.
And Paul's response is once again an emphatic declaration of May it Never Be. This phrase was also spoken in verse 4 and 6 in response to some questions that were put forth. So, most assuredly not.
Paul states rather, "We establish the Law." Establish is to stand up. Histemi is to cause to stand. The law is clearer because we are saved by faith. However, what is clear is the law and the doing of it comes after salvation. God accepted His people completely and then gave them a law. He loves them and then gave them a law. I love my children and give them rules. I don't give my children in love in order for them to see if they are worth of my love.
Promise: Without the cross in Romans 3:21-26 and Jesus' work, then the Law can't be fulfilled.
Message: Upholding the Law by Faith
Time: Paul probably wrote Romans between A.D. 57-58 while he was at Corinth in the home of his friend and convert Gaius. He planned to go first to Jerusalem to deliver a gift of money from the Gentile churches to the poor in Jerusalem. Then he hoped to visit Rome on his way to Spain. His hopes were later realized, but not as he had expected. When he finally arrived in Rome in early A.D. 60, he was a prisoner under house arrest (Acts 28:11-31).
What the Lord is Saying:
Background
The essence of chapter 3 is no one is Good. Chapter 2 was basically that no one gets a free pass. And the latter half of chapter 1 is man left to his own ways will turn from God.
In chapter 3, Paul does point to the Jew and confirm that they are chosen by God, but again, this doesn't mean they are exempt from God's wrath. The Jewish person then asks a series of questions with an attempt to catch the believer in a contradiction so as to show his way is best. For example, is God being God contingent on His chosen people choosing the right way?
And so what Paul does clearly is describe clearly that everyone is held to the same standard. And everyone is guilty. Everyone is a sinner. The important message here is not that people can be good because they can, but the message here is that people are not good and because of this they deserve a punishment but Jesus can take that punishment in man's place.
God is perfect and holy and cannot look at wrong. He cannot tolerate sin in His presence. Evil cannot be overlooked and remain unpunished. God loves people. He wants to forgive them so they can enjoy Him forever. Jesus lived a perfect life, and through his death Jesus was killed in place of people. At the cross, Jesus received the Lord's wrath in our place. His blood covers those who trust Him. In this way, God's justice has been satisfied and our sins forgiven. We receive this by faith. Faith is agreeing that we are sinners and Jesus is the only one that can save us. Faith is believing in Christ. And believing is trusting and trusting is more than just agreeing it is a complete life change.
Man has no grounds to boast for he hasn't done anything to earn his justification. Justification is by faith apart from any work.
Today's Text
Paul does it again. He repeats a message in verse 29 he has said before but uses different phrases. "Is God the God of Jews only?" Where else have we heard this so far?
2:11 - There is no partiality with God.
3:9-18 - Jews and Greeks are all under sin. No one is righteous.
3:26 - Who is justified? The one who has faith (whether Jew or Gentile). 1:16 - Salvation is to the Jew and the Greek.
Again, is God only for the Jews? No way. Most definitely He is the God of gentiles also. How do I know this? Verse 30 tells me. Whether circumcised or not, God justifies by faith. The condition of man is not important.
So, in verse 31, we have an interesting question. Verse 1 of chapter 3 started with a question to the Jew about wondering what advantage there is in being a Jew since circumcision was shown in chapter 2, at the end, to be of no value in and of itself, and God choosing the Jew, didn't give them a free pass. So, now, after the discourse on the fact that no one can be righteous and no can boast because doing things is not how a person is saved, the question then comes up, "is the Law even of any value?" Faith is the means of salvation, not the Law, so don't we nullify the Law then.
And Paul's response is once again an emphatic declaration of May it Never Be. This phrase was also spoken in verse 4 and 6 in response to some questions that were put forth. So, most assuredly not.
Paul states rather, "We establish the Law." Establish is to stand up. Histemi is to cause to stand. The law is clearer because we are saved by faith. However, what is clear is the law and the doing of it comes after salvation. God accepted His people completely and then gave them a law. He loves them and then gave them a law. I love my children and give them rules. I don't give my children in love in order for them to see if they are worth of my love.
Promise: Without the cross in Romans 3:21-26 and Jesus' work, then the Law can't be fulfilled.
Friday, August 8, 2014
Romans 3:27-28 - No Room for Boasting
Romans 3:27-28 - 27 Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.
Message: No room for boasting.
Time: Paul probably wrote Romans between A.D. 57-58 while he was at Corinth in the home of his friend and convert Gaius. He planned to go first to Jerusalem to deliver a gift of money from the Gentile churches to the poor in Jerusalem. Then he hoped to visit Rome on his way to Spain. His hopes were later realized, but not as he had expected. When he finally arrived in Rome in early A.D. 60, he was a prisoner under house arrest (Acts 28:11-31).
What the Lord is Saying:
This passage begins with a question based upon what has previously been stated. I just finished reading what has been called the greatest paragraph in the Bible, namely Romans 3:21-26 which stated that a person is made right with God by placing their faith in Jesus Christ. God sent His Son Jesus as a sacrifice, to sacrifice and she His blood for all people. God is just and God will be the justifier of man's sins. Man can't justify himself because man is a sinner. God must punish sin and He does this through Jesus.
Paul then in verse 27 asks a question: What about boasting? I think what Paul is saying is, "Does many have any part in this?" If man had a part in this then there would be boasting to say, "look what I have done God for you." I don't see how anyone can look at this passage and then say that man has anything to do with salvation, either by doing good deeds to make oneself acceptable or by being good deeds in order to be worthy for the gift of salvation. +
Promise: Sinners can only be justified on the principles of faith and we cannot boast in anything we have done.
Message: No room for boasting.
Time: Paul probably wrote Romans between A.D. 57-58 while he was at Corinth in the home of his friend and convert Gaius. He planned to go first to Jerusalem to deliver a gift of money from the Gentile churches to the poor in Jerusalem. Then he hoped to visit Rome on his way to Spain. His hopes were later realized, but not as he had expected. When he finally arrived in Rome in early A.D. 60, he was a prisoner under house arrest (Acts 28:11-31).
What the Lord is Saying:
This passage begins with a question based upon what has previously been stated. I just finished reading what has been called the greatest paragraph in the Bible, namely Romans 3:21-26 which stated that a person is made right with God by placing their faith in Jesus Christ. God sent His Son Jesus as a sacrifice, to sacrifice and she His blood for all people. God is just and God will be the justifier of man's sins. Man can't justify himself because man is a sinner. God must punish sin and He does this through Jesus.
Paul then in verse 27 asks a question: What about boasting? I think what Paul is saying is, "Does many have any part in this?" If man had a part in this then there would be boasting to say, "look what I have done God for you." I don't see how anyone can look at this passage and then say that man has anything to do with salvation, either by doing good deeds to make oneself acceptable or by being good deeds in order to be worthy for the gift of salvation. +
Promise: Sinners can only be justified on the principles of faith and we cannot boast in anything we have done.
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