Romans

A Study Guide for Small Group Leaders

ROMANS

Teachings on living in Christ and with Christ

DON FANNING

A Study Guide for Small Group Leaders

ROMANS

Teachings on living in and with Christ

DON FANNING

Forest, Virginia

First Edition 2012 Published by Branches Publications 1985 Colby Dr. Forest, Virginia 24551 Branches Publications was started to publish missions and discipleship training tools to equip leaders and teachers to be strategic with their lives by making disciples and fulfilling the Great Commission.

More materials are available at www.branchespublications.com and a daily discipleship Bible study at www.obeythecommands.blogspot.com. Š 2011 Copyright: Branches Publications Don Fanning Design: Krista Freeman All rights reserved ISBN: 978-0-9855812-1-3 Printed in the United States at Snow Fall Press All parts of this publications are protected by copyright. Any utilization outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without the permission of the publisher, is forbidden and liable to persecution. This applies in particular to reproductions, translations, microfilming, and storage and processing in electronic retrieval systems.

Other books by Branches Publications can be purchased online at www.branchespublications.com: Trends and Issues in Modern Missions Six-Step Learning Workbook for Trends and Issues What in the World is God Doing? - An Introduction to Missions Mission Accomplished? - A History and Survey of Missions Theologies that have Molded Missions: A Review of Issues in Theology *Truths to Live By: A Daily Devotional Bible Study on the Commands in the NT *Ten Steps of Discipleship *Inductive Bible Study Methods *Romans: A Study Guide for Small Group Leaders *Revelation: A Study Guide for Small Group Leaders *Spiritual Gifts: A Survey and Definition of the Spiritual Gifts * These books are also available in Spanish.

CHAP CONTENTS

CHAPTER

TITLE

PAGE

1.

Introduction And Condemnation Of The Gentiles

2.

Condemnation Of Jews And Morally Upright

39

3.

Universal Condemnation For Sin

63

4.

Ot Illustrations Of Justification By Faith

97

5.

The Security Of Salvation

119

6.

The Basics For Sanctification

143

7.

The Believer’s Accountability To The Law

167

8.

The Christian’s Power For Victory Over Sin

187

9.

God’s Righteousness Choice of the Gentiles

219

10.

Individual Salvation For Anyone Is a Personal Faith Issue

247

11.

The Future Of Israel

263

12.

How The Gospel Transforms Personal Lives

283

13.

The Christian’s Relation To Authority

301

14.

The Christian’s Relationship With “Weaker” Christians

315

15.

A Final Call For Unity

329

16.

Salutations And A Final Warning

351

Bibliography

5

367

P T ER

CHAP D N A N O I T C U F D O O N R O TI I NT A N EM D S N E L CO I NT E G TH E

“The book of Romans describes the true spiritual and psychological freedom that comes as man is delivered from the guilt of sin.”

INTRODUCTION AND CONDEMNATION OF THE GENTILES

P T ER

7

R

omans always appears first in any collection of NT epistolary writings, though not chronologically the first epistle written by Paul. This suggests that it was esteemed very important. From the Reformation to all the great revivals through the 20th century, an in depth knowledge of Romans has been the transforming factor of the worldview and the understanding of “so great a salvation” (Heb 2:3) that is ours in Christ. Every theme of Romans is as contemporary today as it was in the first century. Paul describes the morality of his day as though he were writing of the 21st century describing adultery, fornication, homosexuality, murder, lying, hating, and civil disobedience. He wrote of the intellectual conflict through the development of a reprobate mind, which has distorted man’s worldview.

The book of Romans describes the true psychological freedom that comes as man is delivered from the guilt of sin. It details his responsibility to human government and the imperative of reaching all people groups with the amazing message of complete forgiveness. It describes the future of the earth and the plans for Israel. It reveals the relationship between the flesh and the spirit of man, delineates the difference between law and grace, legalism and libertinism, and clarifies the distinction between works and faith. The greatest revelation of Romans, however, is clarity of the Person and character of God.

INTRODUCTION TO ROMANS (1:1-17) Through revelation and Holy Spirit guided inspiration, the Apostle Paul wrote the clearest and most indispensable knowledge of the good news of the grace of God for sinners. Here we can find forgiveness, victory over selfishness, absolute removal of guilt, a purpose in this life and hope of eternal glory with Christ.

GREETINGS AND SALUTATIONS (1:1-7) The typical format of a letter in the 1st century began with the naming of the author, identifying the recipient(s) and a salutation. This formula is the pattern of all the NT epistles except Hebrews and 1 John. Some say that the entire book of Romans is synthesized into these first seven verses.

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ROMANS 1

1:1

“From Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.” Paul begins with a three-fold description of himself: these are the chief values of his mission in life.

1. His proudest self-proclaimed title was to be a “slave” of Christ Jesus (doulos, metaphor: “one who gives himself up to another’s will, devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interests”), a person of unquestioning obedience.

Reflection: According to Gal 1:10 what is one way to show that one is really not a “slave” of Christ?

2. Paul, “called” to be an apostle, refers to Paul’s unique apostolic authority, which enabled him to write about his “insight into the secret of Christ” (Eph 3:4). There were only thirteen men called as Apostles (the Twelve, including Matthias who replaced Judas and Paul). Though Paul had a special calling that would serve the whole church, everyone has been called to serve somewhere.

Reflection: How are all believers “called” by Christ according to Rom 1:6?

(Check out 1 Thess 2:12, 14 for more on the “call”).

3. Paul was “set apart” for the gospel of God (aphorize, perfect passive: a past completed action with present consequences – “to mark off from others, limit by boundaries, cut off”). The gospel message was so important to Paul that ostracism by others did not keep him from preaching it. Sharing the gospel was his life.

Reflection: Why was this so important according to 2 Cor 4:3?

1:2

“This gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures,” The gospel was promised earlier through the prophets in the holy Scriptures.

This was not a NT Pauline invention, but the gospel was God’s eternal plan for sinful man. The “holy Scriptures” refers to the OT. Paul will show how

INTRODUCTION AND CONDEMNATION OF THE GENTILES

9

his teachings are in perfect harmony with the OT writings. Even after being taught by Jesus for three years, some of His disciples did not understand how He fulfilled the OT prophecies.

Reflection: What continued to be a problem even with his disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:25, 27)?

1:3-4

“Concerning his Son who was a descendant of David with reference to the flesh, who was appointed the Son-of-God-in-power according to the Holy Spirit by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The divine sonship of Christ is the core of the gospel message, without which there can be no forgiveness from a Holy God. For Muslims this is the most offensive aspect of the gospel and the NT. They consider it a gross sacrilege to say that God (as Allah) had a son through a carnal relationship (as they see it) with Mary.

Since the Scriptures teach that He is both the eternal Son of God and the human-born son of Mary, the issue is not His divinity, but in what sense He is God’s Son. As a proven direct descendant of David through both parents (Mary in Luke 3:23, 31 and Joseph in Matt 1:6; 16; Luke 1:27), Jesus has the right to rule over David’s kingdom, the promised kingdom without end (see Isa 9:7). MacArthur quotes the Roman historian Tacitus who reported in AD 114 (Annals 15.44) that Jesus was the founder of the Christian religion and that he was put to death by Pontius Pilate during the reign of Emperor Tiberius {MacArthur 1991:14}. Others who wrote of Jesus’ life were a Roman statesman and prosecutor, Pliny the Younger, and the Jewish historian Josephus, who wrote a biographical sketch of Jesus of Nazareth (Antiquities, vol. 2, book 18, chap. 3).

Reflection: How did John describe anyone who would deny that Jesus came in the flesh in 1 John 4:2-3?

• If He never came in the flesh, then He never could have died physically on the cross. His blood would have never been shed and He never would have suffered the wrath of God for sinners. We sinners would still be found hopeless in sin and guilt before God. Reflection: How do these verses indicate that Jesus was always divine before, during and after the incarnation?

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ROMANS 1

Phil 2:5-8 ___________________________________________________

John 17:5 ___________________________________________________

John 1:2-3 ___________________________________________________

John 1:14 ___________________________________________________

1:5

“Through him we have received grace and our apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles on behalf of his name.”

Paul received grace for salvation and his special apostleship for ministry “among all the Gentiles,” thus the urgency of his ministry and his eventual trip to Rome, the capital of the Gentile world.

• “Grace” means “favor that is unmerited or undeserved.” Later Paul will explain how salvation can only be on the basis of grace, since no human being (except Jesus) has ever or could ever be good enough to merit God’s acceptance (we are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus,” Rom 3:24). Reflection: What are the different descriptions in Eph 2:8-9 of the salvation by grace?

• Paul likewise received the gift of apostleship (1 Cor 12:28; Eph 4:11). All together there were thirteen officially appointed as Apostles. From the following verses describe the task of the apostles: Eph 2:20 ____________________________________________________ Rom 1:5 ____________________________________________________ Heb 2:3-4 ___________________________________________________

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11

• Paul lived “to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles” (1:5b). There is no dichotomy between faith and obedience. Genuine faith (absolute trust in the Word of God) always produces obedience (practical response from trusting in His Word). If God’s Word says it, the believer trusts it; if God’s Word commands it, the believer who trusts it, obeys it.

Reflection: Read Rom 16:25-26 and Eph 2:10 then explain the relationship between faith and obedience.

• “…among all the Gentiles on behalf of his name” (1:5c). Paul lived for two things: (1) to proclaim Jesus Christ to all the Gentile nations or ethnos, “ethnic people groups” and (2) to represent the Savior in the proclamation of His message: “on behalf of,” that is “in place of” or “for the sake of” to show personal representation of our Savior. Reflection: How does Philemon 13, “in your behalf” help clarify this meaning?

1:6

“You also are among them, called to belong to Jesus Christ.”

Paul addressed the readers in Rome saying, “you” were “among them,” which is a reference to unsaved Gentiles (1:5) from whom they had been “called to belong to Jesus Christ.” This verse indicates that perhaps the majority of the church at Rome may have been Gentiles, though much of the content of this epistle is directed to Jewish readers. Regardless, the calling of all believers is to “belong to Jesus Christ.”

Reflection: How do these verses help clarify how Christ calls us to belong to Him? 1 Cor 1:9 ____________________________________________________

2 Thes 2:14 __________________________________________________

2 Tim 1:9 ____________________________________________________

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ROMANS 1

1:7

“To all those loved by God in Rome, called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!”

“To all those loved by God” or “beloved of God” appears to speak of a broader group than just the Gentile believers in v. 6, so this overarching concept included the believing Jews in the congregation as “loved by God.” Notice how richly this concept is expressed in 2 Thes 2:13.

See also 1 John 3:1____________________________________________

• “Called to be saints,” that is literally, “called saints,” which is not merely giving them the title as “saints,” but effectively communicating the message that they are unique and have a special purpose in life. Any and all who respond in transforming faith become God’s “saints” (hagios, “to be set apart for or by God, consecrated”). In the OT many elements of the Tabernacle and Temple were “set apart” for the exclusive use in religious ceremonies, and were considered “holy.” Obviously, this is not related to sinlessness. In the New Covenant there are no holy utensils, holy Temple, holy priesthood, etc. Today the only “holy” things on earth are His people, which encompass all the former concepts: we are His Temple (1 Cor 3:16; 6:19; Eph 2:21) and His priesthood (1 Pet 2:5, 9). Whether we like the term or not, when we believe in Him, He, in turn, sets us apart as His very own, “holy ones” or “saints.”

• As a classic benediction to Paul’s salutation remarks he adds, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” These two attributes of a personal relationship with God are mentioned 16 times and in every epistle of Paul and Peter.

PLANS FOR ESTABLISHING THE CHURCH AT ROME (1:8-15) Paul typically begins his epistles with a word of thanks to God for the readers, a specific prayer, and a brief personal encouragement to the readers.

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13

1. PRAYER OF THANKFULNESS

1:8

“First of all, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the whole world.”

Before Paul begins a lengthy and in-depth doctrinal study of salvation and the Christian life, he opens his heart to share his inner motivations. Typically Paul describes his prayers for the readers and his commendations for their faith as he does here. He is rejoicing over the wide spread fame of their “faith,” even though he had nothing to do with its beginning. There are different manifestations of faith: (1) Gift of faith—1 Cor 12:9; (2) Fruit of faith—Gal 5:22; (3) Household of faith—Gal 6:10; (4) Doctrine of faith—Col 1:23 and 1 Tim 4:6; (5) Prayer of faith—James 5:16; (6) Conquering power of faith— Heb 11:33; Defensive tool of faith—“shield,” Eph 6:16 and “breastplate,” 1 Thes 5:8, and other usages to be discerned within the context.

Some have a hard time rejoicing in other’s successes, because of selfish interests. As their fame spread so the “proclamation” (kataggello, present tense: “continually…to proclaim publically, make known”) of their faith spread as it explained the transformation in their lives. The “whole world” is a hyperbole referring to the Roman Empire. Reflection: What is involved in this proclamation in Col 1:28?

2. PRAYER OF REMEMBRANCE

1:9

“For God, whom I serve in my spirit by preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness that I continually remember you” Paul’s sincerity is expressed: “I serve (latreuo, present tense: “continually… to render in religious service, worship”) my spirit.” His ministry was also his worship. This is the same word used in Rom 12:1, “Present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice…which is your reasonable service” (this latter phrase translates the same word). Paul served with his whole being.

He knew the insincerity of the Jewish and pagan leaders, who often performed superficial routines. Paul was not interested in pleasing men (Gal 1:10) or himself (Rom 15:1).

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Reflection: How did Jesus demand true worship in John 4:23-24?

• “Make-mention”-prayers (poieo mneia, present tense: “continually… to remember, bring to mind”) was a constant habit of Paul’s and is mentioned 4 times in the NT (Eph 1:16; 1 Thes 1:2; Phm 4). The term “continually” (adialeiptos, “without intermission”) means that he was constantly reviewing the churches in his mind, mentioning as many as possible by name (1 Thes 1:2; 2:13; 5:17).

• There are other types of prayer, but this one flows out of a heart committed to Christ’s interests, His Church.

Reflection: As we read this verse, we have to ask ourselves, for whom and for how many are we praying every day?

3. PRAYER OF REUNION

1:10

“and I always ask in my prayers, if perhaps now at last I may succeed in visiting you according to the will of God.” The phrases “unceasing prayer” and “I always ask in my prayers” reiterate the need to pray for the saints.

Reflection: The following verses from Paul’s prayer ministry describe the purpose and objective of praying for others: 2 Thess 1:11-12 ______________________________________________ 1 Thess 5:17 _________________________________________________ Eph 6:18____________________________________________________ Rom 15:30 __________________________________________________ Eph 3:14—19 ________________________________________________ Eph 4:15____________________________________________________

INTRODUCTION AND CONDEMNATION OF THE GENTILES

15

• Paul’s prayer for his trip to Rome reveals several implicit aspects of his attitude toward God and life in general: (1) His consistency in making requests (“always ask…”) over long periods of time (“now at long last”); (2) His prayer did not give him insight into the future (“if perhaps now at last…”) yet he persisted because it was in line with God’s purpose (“I may succeed in coming to you …”) and eventually it happened; (3) His patience was evident when having to wait a lengthy period (“if perhaps now…”) until things began to work out; (4) His personal efforts were exhausted before God intervened (“at last I may succeed”); (5) His faith in “the will of God,” who controls the events of life.

Paul was not told what this sovereign future will of God was, so he had to pray; (6) His persistent plans were made for the trip (“now at last I may succeed…”) without knowing what God was going to allow or do, much less when; (7) His implicit trust in whatever the will of God unfolded for him (“…according to the will of God”); (8) His prayers were for the spiritual benefit of others (“succeed in visiting you…”), not for any physical benefit to himself.

• Notice there was no manipulation or demands placed on God to do anything, but he simply asked God to help accomplish God’s will. Paul concludes this epistle with a request for them to “join fervently with me in prayer to God on my behalf…so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy…” (Rom 15:30, 32).

Reflection: As we pray for one another, how has this discussion helped you set some priorities and attitudes in your prayers?

4. LONGING FOR MINISTRY

1:11

“For I long to see you, so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you,” The motive for the ministry is to benefit someone else. Anyone who seeks

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personal satisfaction or benefits, praise, fame, or recognition in the ministry will face painful and inevitable dissatisfaction or disillusionment in his vain quest. Paul said, “I long to see you,” even though he had never been there.

He addressed 26 individuals directly in this epistle whom he evidently knew from his travels or earlier from Jerusalem.

Reflections: How many people could you name in your home church?

How about any other church? ____________________________________

Notice how Paul described his motivations for the ministry in these verses: Col 1:28-29 __________________________________________________

1 Thess 2:7-9 ________________________________________________

2 Cor 12:15 __________________________________________________

• The desire to “impart …some spiritual gift to strengthen” them. This could not refer to the “spiritual gifts,” which are given by the Holy Spirit without human intervention (1 Cor 12:11,18), so this is a reference to a spiritual benefit through preaching, teaching, exhorting, comforting, discipling, praying, and mentoring them to “strengthen” them (sterizo, aorist tense, “to make stable, set fast, fix”) stand firm for the Lord in a hostile environment. Notice how this establishing ministry is accomplished in Rom 16:25. Here are some verses where the term pneumatikos, “spiritual gift,” is used. Do you see a parallel?

Rom 15:27 (1 Cor 9:11) How were these “spiritual things” sown?________

Eph 1:3_____________________________________________________

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5. ANTICIPATING MUTUAL COMFORTING

1:12

“that is, that we may be mutually comforted by one another’s faith, both yours and mine.”

Paul clarified the previous verse linking the two with “That is” (touto de, “the point is this,” GINGRICH). Paul wanted the ministry to be mutual. As much as he edified, he hoped to be edified by them. We see no hint of apostolic superiority, only mutual benefit from the Holy Spirit’s gifts and working in each life.

Reflection: How is this principle worked out in 2 Cor 1:4-6?

6. ZEALOUS TO BEAR FRUIT

1:13

“I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I often intended to come to you (and was prevented until now), so that I may have some fruit even among you, just as I already have among the rest of the Gentiles.”

Paul was calling attention to the fact that he wanted them to know that he had “often” (pollakis, “frequently, many times”) intended to go to Rome, but had been “prevented” (koluo, “hinder, forbid, deny”). Paul was sensitive to the leading of the Spirit even when he wanted to do something else. The same word is used in Acts 16:6, where the Spirit prevented Paul from entering into the provinces of Asia at that time (the Spirit would allow him to enter Asia through Ephesus a few years later) and likewise stopped him from entering Mysia and Bithynia, which were later reached by Peter (1 Pet 1:1). He wrote his epistle to them as though they were his disciples.

The objective of Paul’s interest was to “have some fruit” among them as with other Gentiles. “Fruit” is used in several ways in the NT – this is what Paul sought to produce in Rome: (1) Fruit of the Spirit or Christ’s character in the inner man of believers (Gal 5:22-23) which Paul sought to generate in the believers as they matured in Christ.

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(2) Fruit of godly actions: (i.e., giving generously, Phil 4:16-17); or righteous obedience to God’s Word – Heb 13:15) (3) Fruit of reproducing other believers by communicating the Gospel to unbelievers (Col 1:6).

• Everywhere Paul went he left behind men and women who were strong in the Lord and able to minister to others effectively. Every believer should be taught how to evangelize, disciple, mentor and counsel, as they become fruitful children of God. This is a basic curriculum for the training of pastors mentioned in Eph 4:11-12.

Reflection: What fruit are you seeking to leave in the lives of others?

7. SERIOUS AS A DEBTOR

1:14

“I am a debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.”

Paul felt a moral obligation to be involved (“I am a debtor…”). He felt that he had received so many undeserved benefits (offered to all believers if they only could hear about it), that he could not just take advantage of it without sharing it as well. It is similar to the obligation of warning someone whose house is on fire or of casting a life preserver to someone drowning.

Reflection: How can we help spread the gospel to the ureached parts of the world? Do we owe them a chance?

The couplets “Greeks and barbarians” are in parallel to the “wise and the foolish.” The Greeks were well educated, sophisticated and had an advanced culture, and looked on the rest of the world as “barbarians,” (barbarous, “stammering, stuttering, uttering unintelligible sounds…foreign, uncivilized person”) or those not “Hellenized,” (“made after Hellen,” el-“sun” + las“rock,” thus “land of sun and rock,” a metaphor for the culture and language of Greece). Paul sought to minister to the educated and the uneducated, the cultured and the unsophisticated. He had to be equipped for any eventuality.

Reflection: Who were the first two people to whom Jesus spoke the “good news” in John 3 and John 4? Do you see the comparison?

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8. EAGERNESS TO PREACH THE GOSPEL AT ROME.

1:15

“Thus I am eager also to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome.”

Paul knew the risks (Acts 20:24), but his excitement over the Gospel compelled him to speak it boldly. He was “eager” (prothumos, “willing, ready”) to “preach” the Gospel (euaggelizo, “announce good news”). When one is in love, he can’t help but talk about it. Yet few Christians today can explain the Gospel and far fewer are eager to share the gospel message with the lost.

As an apostle-evangelist Paul sought to practice Eph 4:11-12.

Reflection: Can you compare these two verses and describe a ministry plan that motivated Paul in this text?

9. UNASHAMED BECAUSE OF THE POWERAND RIGHTEOUSNESS-PLAN

1:16

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Paul now introduces the theme of the epistle to the Romans: God has placed in the hands of men the transforming truths that can change us for eternity.

Paul was “not ashamed” (epaischunomai, present tense: “continually…” “fear of embarrassment that one’s expectations may prove false, reluctance through fear of humiliation”) though he had been smuggled out of Damascus, stoned in Lystra, imprisoned in Philippi, fled from Thessalonica, snuck out of Berea, ridiculed in Athens, declared a blasphemer and destroyer of Mosaic law in Jerusalem, and demeaned by kings in Caesarea, and brought to Rome in chains.

Christianity was accused by pagans of everything from atheism (only one God) to cannibalism (misrepresentation of the Lord’s Supper). Powerful leaders sought to intimidate Paul, but he would not back down.

Reflection: How can you be embarrassed by learning the truth about the only way God has provided a perfect salvation for sinful man?

Few sins are worse than being ashamed of our Lord Jesus, but we have all preferred to remain quiet at opportune times instead of saying a word

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for Christ. It is difficult to be the one to expose the sinfulness of man, his lost condition and unworthiness of salvation. However, we must show how a gracious God has dealt with every sin, offers full cleansing and His own righteousness – amazing!

Reflection: In the following verses think of how not to be embarrassed the next time an opportunity to witness appears.

Rom 5:5 ____________________________________________________

2 Tim 1:8 (Note the command) ___________________________________

2 Tim 1:12___________________________________________________

1 Peter 4:16 (Note the command) ________________________________

• The gospel “is God’s power for salvation” (dunamis, “inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature”) to save men from their sins, bond them inseparably together with Christ, generate a new life within and give them eternal life. The Sadducees missed the importance of the preaching of Jesus and failed to recognize their Messiah. “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures, or the power of God” (Matt 22:29). Only the power of God within a believer can overcome the tendency to sin and enable him to become a “partaker of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). Biblical salvation is a fusion of God into the individual life of every believer.

Reflection: What can you discover in these verses on the power of God in salvation?

John 1:12 ___________________________________________________

Rom 16:25 __________________________________________________

1 Cor 1:18, 25 ________________________________________________

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1 Cor 2:5 ____________________________________________________ Eph 1:19 ____________________________________________________ Eph 3:7, 20 __________________________________________________ • Salvation is available “to everyone who believes.” The word “salvation” (soteria, “deliverance, preservation, safety”) is used by Paul 19 times in Romans and 11 more times in the other epistles to describe how God rescues people from the penalty and addiction of sin, which separates them from Him for an eternity of torment. The consequences are horrible, as the Scriptures reveal, but they were not designed for man (Matt 25:41), unless man chooses to follow Satan.

Reflection: How do these two verses describe “salvation?”

2 Thess 1:8 __________________________________________________ Col 1:13 ____________________________________________________ • The offer is free to those who “believe” (pisteuo, present tense: “continue to…to think to be true, place confidence in, depend upon”), not to those who behave in a certain manner. Salvation is not merely professing to be a Christian or doing what Christians do, and is certainly not trusting vainly in our own goodness. We must trust and depend exclusively on the Word of God, which describes what Christ did on the cross as full and just payment for all our sins. Faith is taking God at His Word and believing Him completely.

The offering is universal: Jews and Greeks without limitations, except that they would hear, understand and believe. This implies that someone first must go to them with the message of salvation.

Reflection: What meaning for “believing” can you see in Eph 2:8-9?_____

1:17

“For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith, just as it is written, ‘The righteous by faith will live.’”

The key to understanding salvation is understanding “righteousness.”

Salvation is the revelation (apokalupto, “uncover, lay open what has been

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veiled, make known”) of the “righteousness of God.” This is something man would never have imagined if it were not revealed to us, i.e. all the religions of the world have humanized gods (if any). There are two aspects of this revelation: (1) the drastic contrast between God’s righteousness and man’s sinfulness (see Rom 3:23); (2) the incredible offer of God to grant to sinful men His own perfect righteousness, which provides justification as a gift to all who believe in Him (Rom 4:5).

Reflection: How does Paul describe this gift of righteousness in Phil 3:8-9?

• The phrase “from faith to faith” has a variety of interpretations, but the basic idea is that the righteousness of God comes “out of,” ek, faith, and is “designed for,” eis, faith. Perhaps the dual implication is that the only way God’s righteousness is accessible is by faith and is transmitted to those who believe through faith.

• One thing is certain: the only way any sinful human being will ever be acceptable before God is through His righteousness through faith. Habakkuk 2:4 personalizes faith: “the righteous man shall live by his faith.” See Rom 4:3 about how Abraham acquired God’s righteousness.

THE CONDEMNATION OF THE UNRIGHTEOUS OR LOST (1:18-32) Someone might ask, Why all the fuss? Why doesn’t God just accept everyone into heaven? Every element of His character rejects this universalism because sin is real and must be dealt with. God is holy (beyond our understanding) and just, requiring that sin’s penalty be paid and sinful man be made acceptable to God. From Rom 1:18 through 3:20 Paul will describe the condemnation of man and his desperate need of salvation.

GENERAL REVELATION OF GOD’S REALITY (1:18-20)

1:18

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness,”

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The reason that the sinfulness of man is such an issue is that God’s Word and Nature demand that His wrath be satisfied against sin. Sinful humans do not appreciate a God of wrath because we do not comprehend how repulsive sin is to Him, i.e. even a little sin like eating a fruit from a forbidden tree. A humanized god would call the sin in the garden a “failure in human judgment” and would give them another chance. The only true God condemned the entire human race and all of creation for one sin!

Paul considered the fear of eternal condemnation the first motive for seeking God’s salvation in Christ. It is also the chief motive for reaching all the people groups of the world. He will spend three chapters clarifying the truth that all human beings are condemned in their sin and can do nothing to improve their status before God. The remedy (“good news”) can never be appreciated until the prognosis of the “bad news” of man’s sinful condition is fully understood and accepted. There are no second opinions, but there is a free prescription if you are willing to trust it.

The “wrath” (orge, “agitation of the soul, violent emotion, and determined indignation”) of God is “revealed” (same word as in the previous verse) “from heaven” as the second revealed attribute of God. We would never imagine God as He is revealed. We would humanize Him as the pagans did (this is called idolatry). Until a person is told and believes that he has cancer and will soon die, he will never look for a remedy. So it is with sin.

Reflection: Here are a few verses to investigate the nature of the wrath of God, with whom there are no exceptions.

Ps 2:5, 12 ___________________________________________________ Ps 76:6-7 ___________________________________________________ John 3:16, 36 ________________________________________________ 1 Cor 16:22 __________________________________________________ Eph 5:6 _____________________________________________________ 2 Thess 1:7-8 ________________________________________________ The target of God’s wrath is “all ungodliness and unrighteousness” without

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preferential treatment of any race or religion. Jews and Greeks are all condemned under this wrath against sin, because they have all sinned (Rom 3:9,23). Certainly, some are better than others, but regardless, all are guilty of sin. “Ungodliness” (asebia, “lack of reverence towards God, impiety”) refers to actions that reject any accountability to, or respect for, God and “unrighteousness” (adikia, “disregard for divine law”) refers to lawlessness and unrestricted self-will. John MacArthur states, “Men treat other men the way they do because they treat God the way they do. Man’s enmity with his fellow man originates with his being at enmity with God”(MacArthur 1991:66).

Reflection: Do you agree that God should be wrathful against sin?

• By their action they “suppress the truth by their unrighteousness.” Every human being has a natural tendency to follow sin and reject the true God. Jesus said, “The light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). They “suppress” the truth (katecho, “hold back, check, prevent”) because they prefer whatever they want in life. God is not convenient.

Reflection: How did David describe these people in Ps 14:1?

1:19

“Because what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.”

Every person on earth has enough knowledge of God around him to be led to Christ. In 2 Cor 5:11, Paul wrote, “Because we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade people…” to indicate that one of the prime motivations for witnessing is that God is going to do just what He said: the lost go to a place called “hell,” unless they are persuaded to trust Christ’s payment on the cross for their sins.

This is why this author spent 30 years in the jungles and cities of South America sharing the Gospel. It is because men refuse to respond positively to the evidence they are exposed to that God’s condemnation is just. “What can be known” indicates that not all about God can be deduced from nature, but enough can be known to seek for more answers, if one is honest with the evidence and desires the truth.

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Reflection: Does nature give evidence of a Designer or does it prove that random chance is flawless and powerful enough to produce all the variety and balance of life?

“God has made it plain to them,” implies a universal (not selective) self-revelation, at least sufficient to provoke a search.

Reflection: How did this work out in these verses?

Acts 14:15-17 ________________________________________________

Acts 17:23-28 ________________________________________________

John 1:9 ____________________________________________________

1:20

“For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes– his eternal power and divine nature– have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse.”

The specific content of the general revelation in creation demonstrates “His invisible attributes.” The circumstantial evidence of His existence is sufficient to convince any honest investigator that a powerful Designer is behind all that is life. Specifically these are “His eternal power” (e.g., creation, seasons, planetary orbits, the human body, etc.) and his “divine nature” (e.g., gracious provisions, humorous variety in creation, perfect ecology, beautiful designs and spectacular panoramas, etc.). The earth and all it contains is beyond human imagination. To believe that all this divergence and complexity occurred by random chance is so absurd that truly only a “fool” would believe it. A “fool” is one who does not want to consider a Divine Designer.

The logic of the Psalmist is obvious: “Does the one who makes the human ear not hear? Does the one who forms the human eye not see?” (Ps 94:9).

If we can hear, then surely the one who made us can hear… If we can think, then clearly the mind of our Creator can think, reason and relate as well.

Jeremiah said, “You will seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart” (Jer 29:13).

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As the Ethiopian eunuch was searching for God, the Spirit sent Philip to witness to him and he led the eunuch to Christ. Cornelius and his family were seeking the truth and God led Peter to go and preach to him the Gospel (Acts 10:2, 44, 48). If any man wants to know the truth, God will bring it to him. For the believer, sensitivity to God’s leadings can be strategic. This author was led to two tribes in the jungles of Colombia who were waiting for a messenger. Consequently, they came to accept Christ. My wife and I are so glad we went.

Reflection: Are people condemned because they rejected the Gospel?

Is there another reason in John 3:36?

MAN’S RESPONSE TO GOD’S GENERAL REVELATION JUSTIFIES GOD’S WRATH (1:21-23)

1:21

“For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened.”

Because man is “without excuse”…he tries to deny his accountability to the All-powerful God. Man has either sought to change God’s description to be more compatible with man’s ideas of God or deny that He is even there, or instead, choose to worship man himself.

Within all men there is the innate knowledge that God exists, but, in general, man has been inclined to reject this truth for a variety of reasons. This verse shows four ways man demonstrates his rejection of God: (1) They do “not glorify him as God” – Fallen man has exhibited his pride by diminishing, distorting or denying the character of God. To “glorify” God means to recognize His works in creation, experience His presence daily, give Him the honor He is due, and celebrate all His amazing attributes.

See Ps 19:1 ________________________________________________

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Ps 29:1-2 ___________________________________________________ 1 Cor 10:31 __________________________________________________ Rev 4:11 ____________________________________________________

Note the mission of Israel in 1 Chron 16:24-29.

(2) They do not “give him thanks” – When we look at the universe and see that earth is the only planet inhabitable by humans in this expansive universe, learn how perfect earth’s environment is for a vast population, appreciate the beauty of nature, the provision of rain, sun, and the cycles of all kinds of life, we are amazed that some still prefer to see such magnificence as the consequence of random chance. See Acts 14:15-17. They refuse to acknowledge He created anything at all.

(3) They “became futile in their thoughts” – The term “thoughts” (dialogismos, “inward reasoning, a man deliberating with himself, questioning about what is true”) has the idea of speculations or imaginations, which become “futile” (mataioo, “make empty, foolish”) leading them to believe fantasies and fairy tales that fed their unbelief and sinfulness.

The fable of the Frog Prince, a German fairy tale, is a story of how a frog, permitted to enter the palace, was transformed in an instant into a handsome prince by a kiss from the princess (the story is in the Annotated Brothers Grimm series). The only difference between this fairy tale and the teaching of evolution is time: with sufficient time according to evolution, the frog changes to a prince, or man, as well.

1 Chron 28:9 _________________________________________________

Prov 6:18 ___________________________________________________

(4) “Their senseless hearts were darkened” – The “senseless” heart (asunetos, “unintelligent, stupid”) is not free and enlightened, but “darkened” which forces them to cling to anything they can imagine, touch or feel for some sort of security or identity. Unless it is perceived by the senses (as a person

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groping in the darkness) he considers it unreal. Paul warned the Colossians, “Be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you through an empty, deceitful philosophy that is according to human traditions and the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ (Col 2:8).

Reflection: How does Eph 4:17-19 describe the consequences of these four rejections of man?_________________________________________

1:22

“Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools” These next two verses describe man’s rationalization and religion. In their futile thoughts and unintelligent imaginations (v. 21) they thought themselves to be “wise” (sophos, “experts, cultivated, learned”) through their hypothetical explanations that supposedly eliminated the need for God. The result was that they “became fools” (moraino, “prove to be foolish, be insane”), the origin of the English word, “moron.” By rejecting revelation, man is limited to his senses, as a man who gropes about in the dark, without any recognition or acknowledgement of anything beyond his senses.

A whole new world appears when the light is turned on. Without the reference point of God’s truth, given by revelation (someone turned on the light!), there is no basis for discriminating between truth and falsehood or right and wrong. Gifted writers and speakers articulate plausible theories blending fantasy and reality, as in the case of evolution, an unproven theory touted as scientific fact.

Many Christians are intimidated into adapting God’s revelation to man’s imaginations in the areas of morals, mind-games, and parapsychology. The conflicting theories of psychology, philosophy, sociology and anthropology are elevated above the primitive concepts of God’s revelation through His Design. Every institution that seeks to accommodate the world’s speculative systems drifts further and further from God’s truth to become acceptable to wise-fools who have rejected God. Without an in-depth knowledge of God’s Word, even Christians are deceived and conformed to a false system without knowing the difference.

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Reflection: Examine how Paul treated the wisdom of this world in 1 Cor 1:18, 20, 25.

1:23

“and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles.”

The final stage of rejecting God is the creation of man-made religions in every culture. Some want to say that all religions lead to the same God and heaven, but they are totally incompatible. For example, nirvana (Buddhism) or moksha (Hinduism) is not a conscious bliss, but a state or nothingness as one is absorbed back into cosmic energy without any awareness of a personal god. Humanistic philosophies, psychologies and theologies revere religion as the evidence of man’s upward evolution starting with primitive ignorance, going on to animism, to poly-demonism, then polytheism, and then to monotheism.

Just the opposite is true: human religions are evidence of man’s downward slide from monotheism into his own imaginations. Soon after the Fall, “men began to worship the Lord” (Gen 4:26), because He was the only deity they knew. However, their lust for sin was not abated and the flood prevented them from degenerating further into sin. The first mention of idolatry was in Abraham’s family background (Josh 24:2). After the flood, as men drifted away from the true God again, they began to represent God by different images and creative imaginations until the true God became unrecognizable.

Even the Jews fell into the temptation of idolatry until their two Captivities (BC 722-Israel and BC 586-Judah), after which they never again were idolaters. Read how they practiced exactly what the pagans had taught them in Isa 44:9-17.

• Sinful man rejected the true Creator for a god more like himself, who acted like man and coincided with their image of how a god should be. The first of the Ten Commandments says: “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God.” (NET Exodus 20:3-5). Have you heard someone say, “In my opinion god would not do this…” Their idea of a god is so exalted that if they do not think the biblical God is comparable, they reject Him. This is

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idolatry. Unaware people are being “seduced” by demons to believe a lie.”

Reflection: How did Paul describe the chief function of demonic activity in 1 Tim 4:1? ____________________________________________________

• Pagan gods are either (1) human-like (Greece’s mythological creatures) (2) birds (eagle in Rome and the stork and hawk in Egypt), (3) 4-footed animals (multitudes like the bull-god Apis in Egypt; cat-goddess Bubastis, cowgoddess Hathor, hippopotamus-goddess Opet and the wolf-god Ophois, in Israel, the golden calf or (4) crawling creatures as in Egypt which deified the scarab beetle and dung beetle and many countries worshiped snakes.

• Other pagan practices that are substitutes for God are the use of horoscopes, and occult advisers. Man’s downward spiral began with foolish thinking, moral insensitivity, and then religious stupidity in idol worship. Man becomes like whatever he worships. Furthermore, a worshipper takes an inferior position to the object of worship. Though created in the image of the All-Mighty God, foolish idol worshippers assume a position lower than animals and serpents!

Reflection: What do these verses indicate awaits these idol worshipers?

Gal 5:19-21 __________________________________________________

Eph 5:5 _____________________________________________________

Rev 9:20 ____________________________________________________

GOD’S CONSEQUENCES TO MAN’S RESPONSE (1:24-32) God’s condemnation of mankind, who are committed to suppressing truth, ignoring revelations, and perverting God’s glory, is foreseen in His abandonment of mankind to their passions. Three times God declares that He “gave them over” or “abandoned” them to their corruption that further deserved God’s wrath and sentence of death (1:32).

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1. FIRST ABANDONMENT OF MANKIND: TO IDOLATRY AND SEXUAL DEPRAVITY

1:24

“Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor their bodies among themselves.”

Men have tended to follow their own ideas of how to worship since Cain (Gen 4:3-5). We have abandoned the true God in the process, and, therefore, degenerated into worse sin, i.e. Cain murdered his brother. All men tend to degenerate into all kinds of addictive perversity. The word “therefore” ties this new section to the previous argument, which now reveals the consequences of their decisions.

The message of Romans 1:24-32 is that when man chooses to abandon God, He grants their desires and leaves them to their selfish inclinations (1:24, 26, 28). God “gave them over” (paradidomi, aorist tense: “at one time in the past…to hand over, give over to the consequences of their choices”) without any further intervention, or conviction of sin. Natural man thinks there is nothing wrong with their actions; in fact, they feel totally justified in all that they do. Men tend to be more concerned about the pain and suffering that result from sin, than with avoiding the cause of the problem. Everyone knows that unrestrained sex causes venereal diseases and HIV, but the idea of following God’s standard of moral purity by abstinence before marriage and fidelity in marriage is not the solution many will choose.

It is rare that anyone links loneliness, frustration, meaninglessness, anxiety and despair to any sin that could have been avoided. It is preferred to treat the symptom instead of the root problem, because sinful man prefers his sins.

The root cause is the “desires (epitumia, “craving, desire for the forbidden, lust”) of their hearts to impurity” (akatharsia, “uncleanness, lustful, luxurious, profligate living”). The consequence of man’s selfish and rebellious heart is “to dishonor their bodies among themselves” (atimazo, present tense: “continually to...treat with contempt, disrespect, shamefully, esteem lightly”).

In spite of the health movements today, men continue to abuse their bodies with unhealthy eating, or satisfying their immediate sensual appetites for

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pleasure, entertainment, sex, drugs, pornography or wealth, no matter what it might cost them or others.

Reflection: How common were these problems in the Early Church?

1 Thess 4:5 __________________________________________________

Eph 2:3 _____________________________________________________

2 Cor 12:21 __________________________________________________

Eph 5:3 _____________________________________________________

Ecc 9:3 _____________________________________________________

1:25

“They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”

The core issue of fallen man is that he has “exchanged the truth of God for a lie.” The biggest lie is to claim that God does not exist or is not necessary for life to exist. The refusal to believe the truth, and the ease with which man accepts any plausible explanation to avoid the implications of an AllPowerful God is impressive.

The idea that life on earth has any purpose or design to it is not even considered by secular man, because the implications point to a personal, powerful God. Jeremiah wrote, “You have forgotten Me and trusted in falsehood” (Jer 13:25) with the result that the nation was corrupted. Since man tends to worship something, having believed the lie that there is no God or He is not here, he turns his focus on the “creation” (man and nature) in different forms in different ages, but the emphasis is the same. Notice how these verses depict the lies of men: John 8:44 ___________________________________________________

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Acts 5:3 _____________________________________________________ 2 Thess 2:10-11 (He helps them believe what they want to believe) ______ 1 John 2:21 __________________________________________________

2. SECOND ABANDONMENT OF MANKIND: TO DEGRADING PHYSICAL PASSIONS

1:26

“For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged the natural sexual relations for unnatural ones,” The ultimate expression of man’s moral degeneracy and perversion is identified as homosexuality. Freedom from God is expressed in man’s progressive perversion of every normal relationship. God gave them over to “dishonorable [or shameful] passions” (especially of sexual nature). First is mentioned the “women” (thelus, “female;” a word for the sexual gender) to emphasize the perversion factor.

In most cultures women are the most reluctant toward sexual perversions, so this is meant to shock and astound the reader as to how far mankind will degenerate apart from God. Most societies recognize that homosexuality is abnormal or “unnatural” (para phusin, “contrary to nature”), except when the entire society defines sophistication as the acceptance of any form of sexual activity.

Reflection: Notice one of the first evidences of anyone who belongs to Jesus Christ in Gal 5:24. What are they?

1:27

“and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed in their passions for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.”

“Likewise” or “in the same way” the “men” (arren, “males,” a word for the

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sexual gender) became consumed in the lust for homosexuality as did the inhabitants of Sodom. Even when struck with blindness they continued to grope for Lot’s door in their desire to abuse the new male-like angels who were visiting Lot (Gen 19:11). Their perversion made the word Sodom a term for immorality and sodomy a term in all languages for homosexuality.

Psychologists, sociologists and legal systems now defend and protect this deviant behavior, yet the Bible condemns all such perversions. No unrepentant homosexual can be saved. The same condemnation is on fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminates, thieves, covetous persons, drunkards, revilers or swindlers (1 Cor 6:9-11; Gal 5:19-21; Eph 5:3-5; 1 Tim 1:9-10; Jude 7).

We can deduce from these condemnations that no one is “born a homosexual”. Man decides to become an adulterer or homosexual by choice and is accountable for his decisions. Thus, each one will receive “in himself the due penalty for his error” (plane, “a wandering, straying about, mental straying”).

The inevitable consequences for individuals include the destruction of any normal relationship, exposure to frightening diseases (AIDS and others), negative influence on society and eternal condemnation. Still sinful men persist in their lust for pleasure. A word that is used six times in the NT to describe these and other immoral acts is “lasciviousness” (aselgeia, “unbridled lust, shamelessness, indecent and outrageous sexual behavior”), which had crept into the church at Corinth (see 2 Cor 12:21).

Today many churches want to ignore the Scriptures and ordain homosexual pastors. In many contemporary cultures there is no fear or respect for God’s Word and its warnings, thus there is no limit to how perverse society will become.

Reflection: How does a politically correct or pluralistic society facilitate these perversions?

3. THIRD ABANDONMENT OF MANKIND: TO A DEGENERATE MIND

1:28

“And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done.”

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A God-rejecting mind, such as a secular worldview or philosophy is a “depraved” mind (adokimos, “not standing the test, not approved,” especially used of metals and coins). The mind that finds God to be worthless becomes itself worthless to any moral value. They say like the men of Job’s day, “So they say to God, ‘Turn away from us! We do not want to know your ways. 15 Who is the Almighty that we should serve him?

Reflection: What would we gain if we were to pray to him?’ “ (NETJob 21:14-15).

Men can excel intellectually, but morally may lack the basics of the “beginning of knowledge,” that is a fearful respect that God will do exactly what He says. The OT term for this condition is “fool.” Our English word “fool” actually translates three different Hebrew words that describe a progressive degeneration of a person into foolish thinking, which destroys his life.

Reflection: Discuss how Jeremiah (4:22) described the “foolishness” of Israel.

1:29-31

“They are filled with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with envy, murder, strife, deceit, and hostility. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 senseless, covenant-breakers, heartless, ruthless.”

Paul categorizes a general series of sins that are indications of the vices of mankind. In general, they are “filled” (pleroo, perfect tense: completed action with continual effect – “to abound…carry through to the end, accomplish, or carry out”). As in Luke 4:28 when the Jews were “filled with rage,” they were compelled to act in anger, so here to be “filled” with unrighteousness, people are controlled by these twenty passions: • Wickedness (porneia, “illicit sexual intercourse, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, intercourse with animals, etc….metaphorically, the worship of idols). (see Eph 6:12).

• Greed (pleonexia, “covetousness, greedy desire to have more” than you have) (see Luke 12:15; Eph 5:3).

• Evil (kakia, “ill-will, desire to injure, naughtiness, malice”) (See 1 Cor 14:20;Titus 3:3; James 1:21).

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• Envy (phthonos, “jealousy over the good success of another, desiring what another has, dislike or rejection of someone for a perceived undeserved benefit they may have) (See Gal 5:21; 1 Tim 6:4; James 4:5).

• Murder (phonos, “homicide, slaughter”) (See Matt 15:19).

• Strife (debate or quarreling) (eris, “contention, discord, rivalries, discord”) (See Rom 13:13; 1 Cor 3:3; 2 Cor 12:20; Gal 5:19-20).

• Deceit (dolos, “deceit, guile, treachery, fraud;” used for bait for fish) (See Mark 7:21-23; 1 Pet 3:10).

• Malice (kakoethei, “a disposition for producing mischief, spitefulness, meanness or malicious craftiness”) (Only use in the NT).

• Gossips (psithuristes, “whisperer, secret slander, harmful gossip against another”) (Only use in the NT).

• Slanderers (katalalos, “a defamer, evil speaker, one who spreads evil reports”) (Only use in the NT) • Haters of God (theostuyes, “exceptionally impious and wicked”) (Only use in the NT) • Insolent (hubristes, “one who, uplifted with pride, either heaps insulting language upon others or does them some shameful act of wrong” or “violent aggressor, especially of one who takes a superior attitude and mistreats others out of his own revolt against God’s revelation of truth.”). This was how Paul described himself in 1 Tim 1:13 before he met Jesus.

• Arrogant (huperephanous, “haughty, proud, or an empty boaster who brags of his position and despises others”). This is one of the descriptors of the end times (2 Tim 3:2).

• Boastful (alazon, “empty pretender, arrogantly presumes too much about himself, braggart”). This is one of the descriptors of the end times (2 Tim 3:2).

• Contrivers of all sorts of evil (epheuretas kakon, “inventor, thinks up ways of doing things, contriver” – “wrong, harmful, injurious”). This is one of the descriptors of the end times (2 Tim 3:2).

• Disobedient to parents (goneusin apeitheis, lit. “to parents disobedient” or “not compliant, will not be persuaded to obey, rebellious”). This is also used to describe the characteristics of the end times (2 Tim 3:2), false teachers (Titus 1:6) and Paul himself before he was a Christian (Titus 3:3).

• Senseless (asunetos, “unintelligent, stupid, foolish”). It is used to describe the Gentile people groups that will be converted to provoke Israel to jealousy (Rom 10:19; also 1:21).

• Covenant-breakers (asunthetos, “faithless, untrustworthy, not keeping a promise or bound by any agreement.”) This is one of the descriptors of the

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end times (2 Tim 3:2).

• Heartless (astopgos, “without natural affection, unsociable, inhuman, unloving” especially for close associates or family). This is a description of the end times (2 Tim 3:3) • Ruthless (aneleemon, “no mercy, cruel”). (Only use in the NT) Reflection: Do you know anyone who could be described like these descriptions?_________________________________________________

1:32

“Although they fully know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them.”

All men have been exposed to sufficient knowledge from creation (1:19-21) to recognize His reality and to seek Him. Not wanting to know Him or His righteousness, they suppress the truth in their desire for unrighteousness (1:18). In most cultures of the world men know intuitively that the previous sins are wrong, but they attempt to justify them, then rationalize them or blame them on other circumstances to deal with the inevitable guilt. The “better they deal with it” the more sin becomes normal.

Reflection: What is the problem with mankind that they don’t seek to know the Lord according to these verses?

John 3:19-20 _________________________________________________

Rom 2:15 ___________________________________________________

• What is worse than doing evil and justifying one’s own sins is the general acceptance of the public, in fact, they “approve of those who practice them” (suneudokeo, “to be please together with, consent, agree to, to applaud”).

The verb is used to describe the wife who is pleased to dwell with her husband (1 Cor 7:12, 13).

• Any society that openly accepts and exalts sexual promiscuity, infidelity, and openly defends homosexuality making it a “hate crime” to denounce

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CHAP such sins is only defining it’s own dominance of sin and defiance of the will of God. This is evident by the degeneration of TV and movie moral standards, justification of public leader’s immorality, the generally accepted pre- and extra-marital sexual activity and homosexuality, all of which are humorously depicted to build public acceptance under the guise of entertainment.

• Paul has described the general characteristics of the sinful degeneration (there is no such thing as moral evolution) of mankind to clarify why all men are condemned before a holy God and desperately need a Savior to deal with the guilt of sin before God and provide victory over its horrible effect in this life. This story will unfold in the rest of the epistle to the Romans.

P T ER

CHAP N O I T NA M E CON D S AN D T W H E G I J PR OF U Y L L A R MO “...the only hope for mankind is to confess to his total unworthiness, guilt and just condemnation before God.�

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P T ER F

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ortunately, not all of humanity fell into gross immorality and abandonment of God as those in the later part of Romans 1.

What about the Jews and the morally upright who felt distain for such corruption? Many believed that they were the exception to such pagan practices and that by complying with certain religious standards, especially by keeping the Mosaic Law and rabbinical traditions they would gain God’s favor and earn eternal life. They were convinced that God would judge the idolatry and immorality of the pagan Gentiles but that no Jew would ever face such condemnation, even if he were an unbeliever.

Today some who profess to be Christians may be trusting in baptism, church membership, being part of a Christian family, partaking of the sacraments, high moral standards, or orthodox doctrines to gain favor with God and earn eternal life.

However, the only hope for mankind is to confess to his total unworthiness, guilt and just condemnation before God. There are no exceptions. God does not measure the “good” deeds of a person against his “bad” deeds to determine his worthiness. On such a scale, any “bad” deed of disobedience would weigh tons, while the total “good” deeds of a lifetime may total to ounces. The deception of self-contentment deceives many into a false hope.

SIX PRINCIPLES THAT CONDEMN THE SELF-RIGHTEOUS PERSON (2:1-16) The moralists believe that they live on a different moral plane than the pagan world around them, which they are quick to condemn as they attempt show their own superiority. Now Paul will show that they are equally as guilty, often of the same things for which they judge others.

1. KNOWLEDGE

2:1

“Therefore you are without excuse, whoever you are, when you judge someone else. For on whatever grounds you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things.”

The connective “therefore” concludes what was mentioned in chapter 1. The “you” probably refers to the moralist Gentile or Jew. The primary symptom

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of the legalistic spirit of self-righteousness is a judgmental spirit (e.g., Jews judging Gentiles).

Many feel good about themselves because they have not sunk to the depths of moral depravity as Paul described in chapter 1. “On whatever grounds” refers broadly to either attempting to follow the Law, man-made rules of conduct, or the human conscience (2:15). God reveals that no one can be consistent even to this lower standard, much less to God’s law.

When a person judges another, he thinks that his standard of right and wrong, which he strives to follow, makes him superior and supposedly more acceptable. For the Jews it was worse, because they knew of God’s true standard in the Law, but continued to pretend to be obeying it. The selfrighteous make two mistakes: (1) They humanize or minimize God’s standard of righteousness, but Jesus taught the importance of the inner life or the heart of the believer as well as the behavior. If you hate someone in your heart, Jesus taught that this was the equivalent of murder; if you have lust for someone who is not your spouse, He sees it as adultery.

(2) They underestimate the amount and gravity of their own sins.

Reflection: How did some in Jesus’ day exaggerate the faults of others and minimize their own sins in Matt 7:1-3?

2. TRUTH

2:2-3

“Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth against those who practice such things.”

The switch from “you” to “we” means the subject is now the Jews (as Paul was a Jew) instead of the generic moralists (2:1). Since the Jews had been given the “oracles of God” (Rom 3:2) they “know” (oida, perfect tense: completed action with continual result, lit. “have known” – “to perceive with the eyes, discover, observe”). This refers to common knowledge among all Jews. “God” is described 163 times in Romans. Here his judgment is based on “truth.” This describes God’s trustworthy character. How does the Psalmist describe the judgment of God?

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Ps 9:4, 8 ___________________________________________________ Ps 96:13 ___________________________________________________ Ps 145:17__________________________________________________ • God always judges on the basis of the “truth” (aletheia, “what has certainty and validity”) because this is His nature. The character of God must be established firmly in the mind and heart of every believer in order to trust His words and truths. “As for the Rock, His work is perfect [LXX aletheia], for all his ways are just. He is a reliable God who is never unjust, he is fair and upright” (Deut 32:4).

Reflection: What is the basis of His evaluations in 1 Sam 16:7?

Paul is warning against man’s tendency to trust in his own judgment of himself instead of what God has revealed about His judgment. He not only will judge those who practice “such things” (as described in chapter 1), but also those who secretly or inwardly do the same things. Secret sinners think they are better than overt sinners, but God sees them as equally evil.

Reflection: How does this verse describe the “truth” of God’s judgments?

Heb 4:13 ___________________________________________________

2:3

“And do you think, whoever you are, when you judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape God’s judgment?”

“Whoever you are” refers either to the Gentile moralist or the Jewish reader.

Paul is analyzing the judgment of the moralists who “think” (logizomai, present tense: “continually or habitually…” – “ to calculate, count on”) they are better; they erroneously calculate their guilt. The hypocritical legalist critics of others believe that if they are better than some others, they will not be judged, or that God’s judgment is only against the “really bad sinners.”

The truth is that every sin is horrendously repulsive to our holy God. Notice how Jesus described his legalistic religious listeners in Matt 23:27 and their inescapable end (23:33).

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See Luke 18:9 3. GUILT

2:4

“Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?”

The more critical of others and less honest about personal guilt that a person is, the more guilt is being accumulated for the eventual judgment. To “have contempt” (kataphroneo, present tense: “continually or habitually…” – “to think little or nothing of, treat with neglect or disregard, of little value”) has the idea of the lack of appreciation or the presumption of benefits (or worse, the sense of being worth the benefits).

When the moralist thinks he is worthy of these benefits, he becomes presumptuous and continually expects more. Though every person, to different degrees, has experienced the “kindness [the universal benefits God gives], forbearance [the judgment withheld] and patience [the duration of both]” of God, most do not appreciate God as being good to them, but expect more.

The tendency is to be critical of God and distrusting of His character because of personal problems. God waited 800 years (BC 1400 [Moses] to BC 600 [Babylonian Captivity]) for Israel and Judah to repent before bringing judgment down on the nation. The fact that we think we deserve better from God reveals how deceived we are about our own goodness.

Instead of having a thankful heart (Rom 1:21) and a trusting spirit Israel continued to trust in their own goodness (Luke 18:9) and resources (Mark 10:24). God’s goodness should lead a person to “repentance” (metanoia, “change of mind of those who began to abhor their errors and misdeeds… recognition of sin and sorrow for it,” THAYER). The classic verse for repentance is 1 Thess 1:9.

Reflection: What changed in the repentance of the Thessalonians?

2:5

“But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you

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are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed!”

Those who refuse to see God’s providence as reason to trust Him alone reveal their own “stubbornness” (skleroteta, “obstinacy, hardness” or “refusing to think differently,” LOUW-NIDA) and unrepentant hearts. Nebuchadnezzar’s judgment came “when his mind [lebab, “heart”], and his spirit [ruwach, “seat of the mind”] became so proud that he behaved arrogantly and was deposed from his royal throne” (Dan 5:20). This is what most grieves the heart of God: “after looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart…”

He healed a man knowing it would provoke the Pharisees’ resistance to him, instead of their repentance (Mark 3:6-7). The writer to the Hebrews warned them three times not to harden their hearts by refusing to listen to God’s revelation (Heb 3:8, 15; 4:7). Indeed, the most offensive sin is the refusal of God’s gracious forgiveness for our sinfulness because we think we are good enough and don’t need to change. Our sins are being “stored up” (thesaurizo, present tense: “continually…” - “heap up, accumulate riches, and keep in store”) until, one day, we stand accountable before God. Reflection: What do these verses suggest we are accountable for?

Matt 12:36 ___________________________________________________ Luke 16:2 ___________________________________________________ Rom 14:12 __________________________________________________ Heb 13:17 ___________________________________________________ • By presuming on His kindness, ignoring His gracious offers and promises, or failing to perceive His love, we bring a more severe judgment, which will surely come. The “day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” refers to the great white throne judgment when all the unsaved of world history as well as Satan and his angels will stand before the throne to receive their eternal destinies (Rev 20:10-15).

Many people think that God’s wrath is merely a metaphor for chastisement, but not eternal damnation in separation from God forever. Any sin unresolved and unredeemed is just cause for eternal condemnation. God told Adam, “…

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in the day that you eat from it [tree of the knowledge of good and evil] you shall surely die” (Gen 2:16-17). In other words, from the beginning all sin was a capital offense. Every day we should thank the Lord that He has been so patient and kind toward us for taking our punishment on the cross. Only His daily mercy prevents another Ananias-Sapphira incident in thousands of lives (Acts 5).

Reflection: How severe are the examples of God’s judgment in 1 Cor 10:1-11?

• The reference to the “day of wrath” if isolated from other passages, appears to present a single general judgment of all mankind. The Scriptures, however, describe several different judgments at different times. For example, the Judgment of Israel at the Second Advent of Christ during the end of the Tribulation period (Ezek 20:32-38), the Judgment of Gentiles at Christ’s Advent (Matt 25:31-46); the Seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10); and the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20:11-15). The emphasis here is on the fact that God will judge all peoples, whether Jew or Gentile, on an equal basis.

4. DEEDS Paul continues with the topic of the righteous judgment of God (v. 5).

Reflection: How do these following verses describe this great day?

2 Peter 3:6-7 _________________________________________________ 2 Tim 4:1 ____________________________________________________ 2 Thes 1:7-8 _________________________________________________ Rev 20:11-15 ________________________________________________

2:6

“He will reward each one according to his works:” Men will be judged according to their works in this judgment. Though there are two judgments, Judgment Seat of Christ (for believers) and the Great White Throne (for unsaved), they both are based on works (1 Cor 3:8).

Reflection: What do these verses teach about these judgments?

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Prov 24:12 __________________________________________________ 2 Cor 5:10 ___________________________________________________ Rom 14:12___________________________________________________ • What is the test of a man’s character according to Matt 7:16, 20?_______

• A distinction is clearly made in Scriptures: the final judgment of the value of one’s life is on the basis of works, but nowhere is there a teaching of a salvation by works. Where do good works play if salvation is by faith? Outward godly deeds give evidence that there is a new life within.

Reflection: What does Eph 2:10 teach concerning why we were “created in Christ Jesus?”

• We had nothing to do with how we were saved, since God did it all.

Therefore, the only evaluation He can give us is what we did after we became a believer. For this, whatever it may be, He wants to “reward” us (apodidomi, “give back, return, recompense”). These judgments will bring ultimate justice to life’s experiences.

• Salvation is not discussed until chapter 3 in Romans, but where genuine salvation is born in a believer good deeds will follow. However, no change of life or no evidence of good deeds demonstrates the fact that the new life is not present. It is much like a newborn baby: if it immediately begins to cry and kick and move, one justly suspects that the baby is alive. If there is no movement or noise then one suspects the absence of life. The movements and crying do not give the life, but only indicate its presence.

Reflection: What are the two kinds of rewards in the following verses?

2 Tim 4:14 ___________________________________________________ 1 Cor 9:17 ___________________________________________________

2:7

“Eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality,”

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A person’s habitual behavior is determined by the condition of his heart.

A person who with “perseverance” (hupomone, “steadfastness, constancy, endurance”) “seek” (zeteo, present tense: continually or keeps on…” – “strive, aim at, crave”) “glory, honor and immortality.”

• Thus the first symptom of one who is genuinely saved is that he wants God to be glorified in his life (1 Cor 10:31) and to share in His glory some day when salvation is completed in His presence. We know that the present “momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Cor 4:17) and one day “when Christ, who is our life, is revealed then [we] also will be revealed with him in glory” (Col 3:4).

This is the glory sought; not some earthly, fleshly, passing glory.

• The second symptom is seeking honor, not the egotistical, self-promotional honor of this world, but the honor to be received from the King of Kings (Matt 25:21).

Reflection: How did Jesus describe this worthy goal in John 12:26?

• The third symptom is the desire for immortality in the day when this decaying body “must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Cor 15:53). It is not the quest for an immortal life, but preparation for life in eternity.

Reflection: How is immortality brought to man in 2 Tim 1:10?

2:8-9

“But wrath and anger to those who live in selfish ambition and do not obey the truth but follow unrighteousness. There will be affliction and distress on everyone who does evil, on the Jew first and also the Greek.”

The evidence of those who do not belong to God is seen in their evil characteristics (v. 7) and their consequences (v. 8).

• First evidence of the unsaved is “selfishly ambitious” (epitheias, “a desire to put one’s self forward, self-interest, rivalry;” “who electioneer for office, courting popular applause by trickery, work for hire,” THAYER). This word is used in James 3:14-15 so notice the implications.

• Second evidence of the unsaved is they “do not obey the truth” (apeitheo,

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present tense: “continually or keep on…” – “be disobedient, refusal to comply with authority, disbelieving,” GINGRICH). This was a characteristic of unbelieving Israel (Rom 10:21). Notice how this term is used of unbelievers who have not obtained mercy in Rom 11:30.

• Third evidence is that they “follow” (peitho, present passive: “continually done to them” - “be persuade by, be satisfied with, be induced to believe or trust in,” THAYER). They are dominated by “unrighteousness” with the consequences of “indignation” (thumos, “anger, heat, anger boiling up”) and “wrath” (orge, “anger, violent emotion, anger of punishment”). The latter is the strongest kind of anger, as when God’s grace is completely exhausted, the end of God’s patience and tolerance.

• V. 9 - Consequently for the unbeliever there will be “tribulation” (thlipsis, “extreme pressure and anguish”) and “distress” (stenochoria, “narrowest of place,” metaphorically, “extreme affliction, calamity, confinement”). Solitary confinement is supposed to be the worst form of punishment and the worst part about hell is eternal isolation in darkness.

• The phrase “the Jew first and also the Greek” which appears twice in the passage. The first use refers to those who are condemned by God. The idea that a Jew could be lost was so far from their thinking that this passage must have sounded strange. In Amos 3:2NET God told Israel, “I only have chosen you alone from all the clans of the earth,” but he quickly added, “Therefore, I will punish you for all your sins.” Israel is first in punishment because she has been given more of God’s revelations.

2:10

“But glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, for the Jew first and also the Greek.”

Anyone who “does good” (present tense: “continually or keeps on doing…”) will receive “glory, honor and peace.” This is not salvation, but is the practical benefit of wise living. The habitual behavior of a person always reveals the condition of his heart. Eternal life is not the reward for good living, but God always honors wise living according to Proverbs. God grants this benefit in life regardless of whether one is a Jew or Gentile.

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5. IMPARTIALITY

2:11

“For there is no partiality with God.” There are no special people with automatic privileges for acceptance before God. There is, “no partiality” with God (prosopolepsia, “respect of persons, respect for the outward circumstances of man and not their intrinsic merits, favoritism”). Such things as position, fame, fortune, education, popularity, race or appearance have no influence with God. Reflection: What more can you learn from these verses about God’s impartiality?

Acts 10:34 (Note: this was 10 years after the Ascension)_______________ Eph 6:9 _____________________________________________________ Col 3:25 ____________________________________________________ 1 Pet 1:17 ___________________________________________________

2:12

“For all who have sinned apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.”

God’s impartiality considers the amount of biblical understanding one has received. Those who sinned without knowing the Law, will be judged on another basis: conscience (2:15) and awareness from creation (1:20) – which has always been a vast majority of the world population. The word “perish” (apollumi, future tense: “to put an end to, be lost”) means something that is ruined and no longer usable for its intended purpose. This is the term used for those who are thrown into hell (Matt 10:28), not annihilation (used of the living “lost” in Israel – Matt 10:6). Those entrusted with the Law and the “oracles of God” (3:2) will be judged according to the light received, which now would include the NT. Both groups are equally accountable to God for a perfect life and nothing less is acceptable (Rom 10:5).

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2:13

“For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous before God, but those who do the law will be declared righteous.”

It is not enough to be a “hearer” (akroates, “disciple, auditor”) of the law . If you are going to trust in your obedience to every word of the Law, then it will be required to do all the law all the time without a single failure. The greater the “hearing” of the Law, the greater the accountability to obey and thus, the greater the judgment will be. Some might deceive themselves into thinking they are saved just because they go to church regularly to “hear” the Bible taught, as the Jews might have thought there was value in hearing God’s Word read to them.

James gave the same message to his readers (1:22-25). The point is that a person with a shallow knowledge of God’s Word either does not want to learn what he is expected to obey or he only wants enough of God to have “good luck.” He is using the Bible as a way to manipulate God. Any failure to obey what is heard from God’s Word indicates distrust or disbelief in what God recorded.

Reflection: Read the James passage and compare the two verses. How do they compare?

• The phrase “those who do the law will be declared righteous” is the standard of the Law, which demands perfect and continuous obedience. The only way to be declared righteous under the Law would be to keep every command without any failure. However, the NT reveals that no one has or can ever be justified by keeping the law. This principle reveals that no Jew or Gentile can ever gain justification by obedience.

Reflection: Compare these verses with this principle to determine Paul’s purpose of showing general condemnation: Acts 13:39 ___________________________________________________ Rom 3:20 ___________________________________________________ Gal 2:16 ____________________________________________________ Gal 2:21 ____________________________________________________

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Gal 3:11 ____________________________________________________

2:14-15

“For whenever the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things required by the law, these who do not have the law are a law to themselves. 15 They show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as their conscience bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or else defend them,” What about the Gentiles? Are they excluded from any hope of justification or eternal judgment since they do not have the law? Paul already revealed that the Gentiles, though they do not have the Law, have the ability to perceive the existence of a Designer-Creator-God, and they have an innate knowledge of right and wrong (conscience) (Rom 1:18-24 ff.).

Generally all cultures agree with most of the Ten Commandments (possible exception of the Sabbath keeping - 4th commandment, which is more ceremonial than moral). In God’s sight there are four reasons the heathen are lost: 1. Their rejection of the knowledge of God through the circumstantial Designer evidence of creation condemns them (1:18-20) 2. Their inability to obey the “Law written in their hearts” (v. 15) condemns them. Most standards of ethics from tribal to civilization are similar to the Ten Commandments. Many are the good deeds done by Gentiles, but if they thought they were doing good to off-set their bad, then they show their lostness.

3. Their inability to perfectly follow their own conscience (v. 15) which “bears witness” (summartureo, present tense: “continually or keeps on…” – “bears a joint witness, adds testimony in support, agrees with) to the fact that they are guilty. It is subjective and varied due to their knowledge of God’s Word and how responsive the culture and the individual has been to following the conscience. The more the conscience is ignored, the more it becomes insensitive and eventually there are no moral limits as happens to apostates (1 Tim 4:2).

4. Their conscious reasoning (probably provoked by their conscience) or “conflicting thoughts accuse or else defend them” (v. 15). They have the innate ability to know when they do right or wrong. Most religions and

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Animism live in fear because they know they have violated at some time one or more of their cultural mores.

• There is no doubt that all the Gentiles are guilty before God, if for no other reason than that their conscience shows them their guilt as a God designed faculty to point them to seek for an answer. If they would seek Him out, God would move a faithful witness at the right time and right place to share the truth of the gospel to them. The following three verses give hope: John 7:17 ___________________________________________________ Acts 17:26-27________________________________________________ Jer 29:13 ____________________________________________________ • The conscience, however, is not infallible and has flaws. The following verses give a coverage of the general biblical concepts of the conscience.

Reflection: Discuss these verses on the conscience. Have we perceived any of these descriptions?

“Good” conscience: Acts 23:1; 1 Tim 1:5, 19 “Clear” conscience: Acts 24:16; 1 Tim 3:9; 2 Tim 1:3; Heb 13:18 “Guilty” conscience: Heb 10:22 “Corrupted” conscience: Titus 1:15 “Weak” conscience: 1 Cor 8:7, 10, 12 “Seared” conscience: 1 Tim 4:2 “Cleansed” conscience (if people trust in the blood of Christ): Heb 9:14

6. MOTIVE

2:16

“On the day when God will judge the secrets of human hearts, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus.”

God’s motive in showing us the true status of all men is that everyone is accountable for his sins. People can live in denial of their guilt, but everyone will face the God who knows everything about every mind, heart, thought and ambition. “The human mind is more deceitful than anything else. It is incurably bad. Who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9NET). If our own minds and hearts

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deceive us, we must rely on external truth or reality, because we will one day face a reality we know is coming and we will not be able to hide behind our ignorance.

He will examine the “secrets” (kruptos, “hidden, concealed”) of “human hearts” (anthropos, “human being”) according to “my gospel” (Rom 16:25).

This refers to the apostolic authority and clarity of the gospel that Jesus taught him (Gal 1:16- it did not come from other apostles; Gal 1:20 – Paul was not lying about his message; that is, he is relating what he heard from Jesus as he stated in 1 Cor 11:23, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you…”).

Reflection: What do these texts teach about God’s ability to judge accurately?

1 Chron 28:9 _________________________________________________ Ps 139:1-3 __________________________________________________ Jer 17:10 ____________________________________________________ Matt 6:4, 6, 18 ________________________________________________

CONDEMNED BECAUSE OF THEIR HYPOCRISY (2:17-24) More than half the people of the world believe there is a continual existence beyond the grave and optimistically hope that either it will soon end, or they will enter into an impersonal, empty nothingness where there is no feeling or pain. Those who hold to a theistic God concept, have a scary thought that God will judge their sin but they hope to get by somehow. One thing is certain for everyone who has ever lived: he/she will only die once, “and after this comes judgment” (Heb 9:27). This judgment will immediately determine whether a person already possesses eternal life or whether they died lost without God. This judgment will determine the state in which they will remain for eternity.

Anyone who does not believe in Christ in this lifetime will be separated from Him forever with all those who did not want Him in their lives. God will give them their desire forever! The Christian is called to warn the world about the finality of decisions during this life and to offer the truth that God has

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revealed in His amazing plan.

Paul has shown the moralist, both Jew and Gentile, that all people will be brought before God’s judgment seat where their true thoughts and intents will be exposed, leaving them with no basis for self-confidence in their goodness or religiosity (Rom 2:1-16). Now Paul focuses specifically on the Jews who had much more knowledge and privileges, making them more accountable to God, not less accountable(as they hoped).

EIGHT AREAS OF JEWISH PRIDE

2:17-21a

“But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast of your relationship to God 18 and know his will and approve the superior things because you receive instruction from the law, 19 and if you are convinced that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an educator of the senseless, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the essential features of knowledge and of the truth– 21a therefore you who teach someone else, do you not teach yourself? …”

These verses are directly addressed to the Jews. Though this is translated as an “if” clause it should be translated “since…you call yourself a Jew…” In Greek a conditional if-clause followed by a present tense verb (instead of a subjunctive verb) is assumed to be true. After identifying his readers, now he will describe a list of eight moral and religious characteristics in which the Jews prided themselves, boasting of their superiority over Gentiles (all of which are part of the “if” clause (vv. 17-21). Before explaining God’s plan for saving sinners, Paul destroys the idea of false spiritual security that most Jews held.

Reflection: According to Matt 7:22-23, how many religious people are going to be shocked to discover in the judgment that they had never been saved?

1. Jews “relied on the Law “as a historical privilege, which they commonly interpreted as the assumption that they were the exception to the rule. How easy would it be to come to this conclusion according to Ps 147:19-20?

Reflection: Do Protestants fall into this same trap?

2. Jews “boast about their relationship to God,” but they did not know Him,

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in fact they dishonored Him. Reflection: How did they dishonor God in 2:23-24?

3. Jews “know His will,” at least they were aware of His desires and plans. Some actually taught that, since it was impossible to obey all the laws all the time, God only expected that learning the facts of the Law was sufficient to please God. Some taught that since they possessed the Scriptural texts and revered them, that was all God expected.

Reflection: How did Jesus show that this attitude of biblical privilege was insufficient for eternal life in John 5:39-40?

4. Jews “approved of” what is superior (dokimazo, present tense: “keep on…”

– “to test, examine, scrutinize (to see whether a thing is genuine or not, as metals). They had a prideful sense of spiritual superior standards. Jesus used this word to show how they missed the purpose of this skill: “You hypocrites!

You know how to interpret (dokimazo) the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how can you not know how to interpret the present time? And why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?” (Luke 12:56-57). This is a good attribute, even for Christians (Phil 1:10), but it can become a basis of self-pride.

Reflection: What should they, and everyone today, be judging in 2 Cor 13:5?

5. Jews were “instructed by the Law” (katecheo, “present tense: “keep on…”“to teach orally”) through their catechetical lessons in the synagogues. The concept was to teach by repetition and memorization both at home and in the synagogues. Jewish men were systematically and thoroughly taught the law and their interpretation of the laws. Many would memorize large portions of the OT and proudly recite as a public demonstration of their godliness. Many equated wisdom and religious piety with knowledge of the Scriptures, with less motivation on practicing the precepts. They prided themselves in that they knew the facts, instead of in their obedience.

Reflection: Examine how this issue was the problem with the Jewish teacher Apollos (Acts 18:24-26) and how Aquila and Priscilla corrected him?

6. Jews were “convinced” (peitho, perfect tense: completed action in the past, “have…” – “to seek to persuade, believe”) of four ways they were superior to Gentiles. They considered themselves (a) a “guide for the blind,” yet Jesus

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called them “blind guides of the blind” (Matt 23:24-28), (b) “a light for those who are in the dark,” which was their duty (Isa 42:6) as Jesus taught them to be a witness to the rest of the world (Matt 5:14-16), (c) “an instructor (paideutes, “one who disciplines and corrects children”) of the foolish,” especially the Gentiles, as a condescending prideful attitude. A leader and teacher in Israel, Nicodemus did not understand the basics of salvation when Jesus told him of the new birth (John 3:7-11), (d) “a teacher of little children” (nepios, “minor, not of age”), a reference to Gentile proselytes to Judaism, who require childlike instruction in God’s law and the avoidance of pagan ideas they had learned.

Reflection: How did Paul see himself in 1 Tim 2:7?

7. Jews rested in “the Law’s essential features (morphosis, “shape, form, embodiment, outline”) of knowledge,” that is, the “appearance” of knowledge, but a counterfeit knowledge.

Reflection: How does Paul use this term in 2 Tim 3:5 concerning the teachings of the last days?

8. Jews “who teach others, Do you not teach yourself?” Even when they taught the truth they taught it hypocritically, pretending that they were in compliance and, therefore, righteous. When taught properly, it is a humbling experience to describe the law, especially the Ten Commandments, because no one can obey them perfectly.

Reflection: How did the Psalmist warn those who presumed to teach God’s Word in Ps 50:16-20? What did James warn teachers in James 3:1?

THREE AREAS OF THEIR SPIRITUAL AND MORAL HYPOCRISY:

2:21b-24

“You who preach against stealing, do you steal?”

The purpose of the law was to humble the sinner to admit that he had failed and needed God’s forgiveness, but the Jews refused to be humbled even though their disobedience was common knowledge. The first area of hypocrisy related to the eighth commandment: stealing.

Reflection: Have you ever stolen anything?

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The prophets in the OT often described theft (Isa 56:11), bribery for profits (Ezek 22:12), false scales when money was weighted for value (Amos 8:5), withholding tithes as stealing from God (Mal 3:8-9). Jesus got angry at the money-exchangers calling them “a robbers’ den” (Matt 21:13) and with the Pharisees because they “devour widows’ houses” (Matt 23:14) pretending to serve the Lord. They were guilty but refused to admit that they did anything wrong.

Reflection: If 1 John is written to know either whether you are lost or if you are truly saved (1 Jn 5:13), what is the symptom of the lost in 1:8 and what is the symptom of the saved in 1:9?

2:22a

“You who tell others not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery?”

The second area of hypocrisy related to the seventh commandment: adultery.

They were practicing adultery by arbitrarily divorcing their wives and marring other women, to whom they momentarily were attracted. Jesus taught that divorce, except when infidelity was involved, is adultery (Matt 5:32; 19:9).

Furthermore, adultery can be committed without the physical act through lust (Matt 5:28), which is far more common.

Reflection: Can anyone be consistently innocent of this command?

2:22b

“You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?”

The third area of hypocrisy related to the second commandment: idols and sacrilege: “You who abhor idols” (bdelusso, present tense: “keep on…”-“to render foul, cause to be abhorred, turn one’s self away from on account of the stench”), “do you rob temples?” Originally the Jewish nation fell into idolatry for centuries until the two captivities of Israel (BC 722) and Judah (BC 586). While in exile the Jews were cured forever from idolatry, until they despised any resemblance of idols, even the use of Roman coins with the embossed image of emperors. What is meant by “rob temples” is uncertain.

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When Paul and his team were accused in Ephesus of disrupting their cultural religion, the town clerk clarified that they were not “temple robbers” (Acts 19:37). This suggests that the Jews did not recognize this as a crime, despite the prohibition in the law to ever take any offerings left at pagan shrines (Deut 7:25). The Jews probably thought they were doing God a favor by defacing or stealing from a pagan shrine, but Paul calls it hypocrisy, since it was done more for money than for religion.

2:23-24

“You who boast in the law dishonor God by transgressing the law! 24 For just as it is written, ‘the name of God is being blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.’”

Boasting in the law yet dishonoring God by disobedience. Every sin dishonors God. Reflection: Against whom is sin always committed according to Ps 51:4?

• If the Jews caused the name of God to be “blasphemed” (blasphemeo, present tense: “keep on…” – “to speak reproachfully, be evil spoken of”) how much more serious a problem is it when a Christian sins? Everything is discredited because of one sinner. Sometimes it would be better for some Christians to keep their Christianity a secret for the cause of Christ!

• Often the attitude of the world against the Jews was reflective of the contempt the Jews had for the world.

Reflection: Could the same thing that happened to the Jews in Isa 52:5 occur among the Gentile Christians today?

CONDEMNED BECAUSE OF TRUST IN RELIGIOUS RITES (2:25-29) It is natural for sinful man to trust in any religious rite to make him acceptable before God. Circumcision refers to only male circumcision, which was given to Abraham to mark his descendants in Gen 17:10-14. It is a surgical operation of cutting away the foreskin of the male organ, perhaps as a symbol of the sinfulness of man. This sinfulness was passed on from generation to generation through procreation. The symbol of the removal of sin was the

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sign of being a Jew. But it was only a sign. It did not remove any sin.

2:25

“For circumcision has its value if you practice the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.”

The value of circumcision was only valid if they practiced the law perfectly.

The early Judaizers wanted all male Christians to be circumcised and follow the Mosaic law to be saved.

Reflection: What is the obligation of everyone who receives circumcision according to Gal 5:3?

• Without perfect obedience, a Jew is just like any other sinner in need of a Savior. This contradicted many Jewish Midrash teachings that “No circumcised Jewish man will see hell.” Stephen called the unbelieving Jews in Acts 7:51, “You stubborn people uncircumcised in heart and ears!” That meant they were like the unsaved Gentiles – no worse statement could be made against the Jews. Paul states that “if you break the law,” then your circumcision is valueless: you no longer have a sign of the covenant that means anything. Since no one can keep the law, it is worthless to trust in circumcision.

2:26-27

“Therefore if the uncircumcised man obeys the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?

27 And will not the physically uncircumcised man who keeps the law judge you who, despite the written code and circumcision, transgress the law?”

The opposite is shockingly true as well. Hypothetically, if the uncircumcised Gentile is obedient to the “righteous requirements of the law” he could “be counted for circumcision” (logizomai, “credited for”). The lack of circumcision would not condemn a Gentile, just as having received circumcision will not save a Jew. The key is perfect obedience to the law. In either case, perfect obedience could result in justification regardless of circumcision, and circumcision does not avoid the consequence of breaking the law.

Reflection: How did Paul describe the unsaved and disobedient Jews who

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rejected the gospel of grace in Phil 3:2?

• Paul states that the perfectly obedient uncircumcised Gentile “will he not judge” the Jews who are transgressors, as a hyperbole, since no Gentile or Jew could obey the law perfectly and the prerogative of judging Israel is only in God’s hands. He is making the point by exaggerating the logic that only perfect obedience makes men acceptable to God. Anything less is sin and thrusts everyone alike into the desperate need of a Savior.

2:28

“For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision something that is outward in the flesh,” Two-part definition of a true Jew: (1) “For a person is not a Jew, which is one outwardly.” This first statement annuls most of the Jewish thinking of Paul’s day. Later he rephrased it, “For not all those who are descended from Israel are truly Israel” (Rom 9:6NET).

Sometimes we use “Christian” in a similar manner: “Not all who claim to be Christians are truly Christian.”

Here Paul is defining the “true Jew,” but he is not saying that true Christians now become the true Jews, that is, as some suppose, the Church is now the true Israel. In his address to the naturally born Jews (Rom 2:17ff) Paul is clarifying how naturally born Jews become the real or spiritual Jews before God: it requires more than a physical link to Abraham and the sign of the OT covenant, circumcision. “…Neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.” Physical circumcision was not the real circumcision that counted before God; it was the circumcision of the heart.

Reflection: How did God make a distinction in the OT between the physical and spiritual circumcision in Jer 4:4?

2:29

“but someone is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart by the Spirit and not by the written code. This person’s praise is not from people but from God.”

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CHAP (2) Second part of the definition of a true Jew: he must also have received the “circumcision is that of the heart by the Spirit and not be the written code.” God never accepted the Jew who merely followed the outward rites of his religion, but had no heart for Him. God always accepted the “Jew who is one inwardly,” not just externally. This is defined as the “circumcision is of the heart.”

Reflection: How is this “circumcision” defined in Col 2:11?

• The “circumcision of the heart” means the “cutting away” of flesh from the inner man so that the spirit within man is no longer linked or integrated with the flesh. This operation is real and was made “without hands,” that is, it happened in the spiritual part of man as “the removal of the body of the flesh” from the spirit of the new man. In the new birth the two (the flesh and the spirit of man) are separated. This becomes the foundation for chapter 7 and 8, to understand how the spirit can be empowered to conquer the flesh.

Reflection: How was this expressed in the OT commands in Deut 10:16?

Do you see any parallel to believers today? ________________________

• There was a lot of pressure from the Judaizers to comply with their demands of ritual circumcision for all Christians. Paul was stoned, falsely accused and imprisoned for years over this issue. The phrase “his praise is not from men” refers to the spiritual circumcision, which does not bring acceptance by Jewish Christians, since it is invisible, but “his praise is…from God.” The true heart-circumcised believer is not seeking acceptance or praise from men, but from God. Only God sees this circumcision.

Reflection: How does 1 Cor 4:5 encourage the believer to value more the “praise of God” than the “praise from men?”

P T ER

CHAP L A S R E N V O I I T N U NA M E CON D N I S R FO

“...through faith in the grace of God giving His Son as the sacrifice for sins could man ever be acceptable to God.”

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P T ER P

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aul established in 2:17-20 the fact that although the Jewish people are God’s chosen and uniquely blessed nation, this did not guarantee individual spiritual security either through physical links back to Abraham or religious heritage. Being a direct descendant of Abraham, having and knowing God’s law and being circumcised did not assure any of them an acceptance into heaven.

On the contrary, such blessings only made them more accountable to obey.

After having destroyed the false notions of a national religious security, Paul anticipated the objections that the Jewish or moralist readers would have to the universal and equal condemnation of all sinners.

The apostle did not deny the importance of the Jewish heritage or their Mosaic ceremonies and feast days. They were God-given and important, but they were not, nor ever had been, the means for satisfying the divine standard of righteousness. Even though Paul continued to worship in the Temple when he was in Jerusalem and personally followed the moral Law of Moses, even circumcised Timothy who was part Jewish (Acts 16:1-3), he made it very clear that none of these outward religious acts had any saving benefit. The only way any person could become acceptable to God was through trusting in the cleansing of Jesus’ blood sacrifice and righteousness through Christ alone.

It was the truth of salvation that only through faith in the grace of God giving His Son as the sacrifice for sins could man ever be acceptable to God. It exposed the worthlessness of his religious tradition and the hypocrisy of his supposed devotion to God as a self-righteous effort to appease God. The Jews could not stand any attack on their Abrahamic assurances and man-made legalism. Paul confronted the objections raised whenever he taught Jews about God’s plan of salvation.

THREE OBJECTIONS AGAINST PAUL’S TEACHING ON SALVATION (ROM 3:1-8) Paul typically would raise a question then answer it to preclude their objections, especially to his teachings in 2:17-19.

PAUL SUPPOSEDLY TAUGHT THERE WAS NO BENEFIT TO BEING A JEW (3:1-2)

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3:1-2

“Therefore what advantage does the Jew have, or what is the value of circumcision?

If being an “inward” Jew (2:29) is so valuable to God, what is the importance of being a physical Jew? That is, if a person is a physical descendant of Abraham, this does not mean that he is necessarily a spiritual descendant.

The Jewish nation had benefits that the Gentiles did not have. In Rom 9:3-5 Paul will list eight benefits that the Jews had. Can you name them all?

1. __________________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________________

3.__________________________________________________________

4. __________________________________________________________

5. __________________________________________________________

6. __________________________________________________________

7. __________________________________________________________

8. __________________________________________________________ • The Jews were privileged in many ways. In addition, they were blessed, protected and delivered from enemies by God’s direct intervention as no other nation. With this privilege came accountability.

Reflection: What did the prophet Amos warn the nation concerning their unfaithfulness in Amos 3:2?

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• Who were the special invited guests in Jesus’ teaching of the wedding feast in Matt 22:1-9? What were the consequences of the rejection of the special guests (Israel)?

• What was the questioning of God concerning Israel in Isa 5:4?_________

3:2

“Actually, there are many advantages. First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.” “First of all” suggests that Paul was going to begin a list, or that he was saying “the most important benefit of all is…” The latter makes the most sense because there is no second, third, etc. This incredible benefit was that the Jews were “entrusted with” (pisteuo, aorist passive tense: done in the past to the subject, “having committed the care of something to someone”) the “oracles of God” (logio, a diminutive form of logos, “brief spoken words,” used mostly of the Lord).

Reflection: What are the “oracles” in Acts 7:38 and how were they received in Acts 7:39?

• Sadly the Jews gloried more in their privileges than in their responsibilities concerning the Words of God entrusted to them. At one time they lost all copies of the inspired texts, which were discovered decades later by Hilkiah, the high priest, during a remodeling of the Temple. There followed a brief period of revival of obedience under King Josiah (2 Chron 34:14-33).

• During the Captivity, God’s chastisement for their disregard of His Word, the Jews repented and created myriads of rules and regulations to make sure they obeyed the laws of God. Their pride in these rabbinical laws became more important than the oracles themselves (much as the Roman Catholic Canon Law and papal decrees superseded and often contradicted the authority of the original NT text in the church age).

Reflection: Most Jews followed the rabbinic tradition, but how did Timothy’s Jewish heritage help him come to Christ in 2 Tim 3:15?

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PAUL SUPPOSEDLY ANNULLED THE PROMISES TO ISRAEL (3:3-4) The second argument against Paul was that he declared the Jews as lost sinners even though they had received all the promises to the chosen people. How could a Jew not be secure having received so many promises?

3:3

“What then? If some did not believe, does their unbelief nullify the faithfulness of God?” Did Paul’s teachings annul the promises to Israel? Part of the confusion that was common among the Jews was the promises to the nation of Israel being interpreted for the individual Jews. God never promised individual Jews an unconditional security regardless of their faith, repentance and faithfulness from the heart.

Reflection: How did God call the individuals in Israel to respond in Isa 55:6-7?

• Some Jews were unfaithful or unbelieving with respect to being entrusted with the “words” of God (3:2), but this does not annul the promises to the nation of Israel. Many of the OT promises were conditional on the faith and obedience of the people and linked to severe warnings. The unconditional promises were made to the nation of Israel, not to individuals. God’s faithfulness to His promises to the nation of Israel will be explained in Romans 9-11. God has postponed the promises to Israel, but not cancelled them.

Reflection: Can you see how Zech 12:10 describes a future repentance of Israel?

• Paul’s accusers were right, in that the unbelief of individuals will not change the promises to the nation; however, the national security for promised restoration does not pass through to the individual throughout history. God cannot break His Word. Eventually, the unbelief of the Jews will be turned into faith, but at that time, the individual unbelieving Jews were forfeiting their personal participation in the “blessing.”

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3:4

“Absolutely not! Let God be proven true, and every human being shown up as a liar, just as it is written: ‘so that you will be justified in your words and will prevail when you are judged.’”

“Absolutely not!” is a frequent expression of Paul (3:6, 31; 6:1, 15; 7:7, 13; 11:1, 11). God will always fulfill His Word, no matter what man says or thinks. God’s faithfulness will be proven in Rom 9-11.

Reflection: What do these verses reveal about the character of God that can be trusted?

Deut 7:9____________________________________________________ 1 Cor 1:9 ___________________________________________________ Heb 10:23 __________________________________________________ Heb 11:11__________________________________________________

• Even if man proves unfaithful to the oracles of God, He remains faithful in His promises to man. Paul quotes Psalm 51:4 where David had broken his covenant with God, and claimed no personal righteousness or integrity.

The objective was to show that men are often unfaithful, but God is ever faithful. Whatever God says is perfect and never fails. David declared that God would be proven right in His judgments (as He was in David’s case).

God will be vindicated when the world goes on trial. God is always true to His Word, thus He can be trusted without question. This same faithfulness requires chastisement for disobedience, which is often forgotten.

Reflection: How does our unfaithfulness affect God’s ultimate response to us in 2 Tim 2:13?

PAUL SUPPOSEDLY CONTRADICTS THE HOLINESS OF GOD (3:5-8) This section is an irrational argument, which spins Scriptures to make what is obviously evil to be ultimately good. Oh, the deviousness of the human mind!

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3:5

“But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is he? (I am speaking in human terms.)

The historical context of Paul’s writing was to the remaining Jews of the captivity period after they were spread over the empire for their disobedience. Paul had heard someone say, “If our (especially the Jews) sin causes God’s holiness to be more obvious, then our sin is clarifying that the holiness of God must exist.”

• Second question: “Would it not be unjust for God to punish us (the Jews) for magnifying the purity of His holiness?” Literally this says, “That God is not unjust to inflict wrath, is he?”

• “I am speaking in human terms” (similar expression in Gal 3:15; Rom 6:19 and 1 Cor 9:8). Paul is saying, “This is the way the world might think, but not me. I am only repeating the charges against the gospel that I have heard.”

3:6

“Absolutely not! For otherwise how could God judge the world?”

If the evil of the Jewish unbelief and unfaithfulness were rewarded or not chastised, how could God judge the world, which is full of sin? God will not be unfair by ignoring the guilty Jews or withholding His wrath.

Reflection: What is the character of God, which makes this impossible in Rom 2:11?

• Early in Genesis God is introduced as the “Judge of all the earth” (Gen 18:25) and became a repeated theme of the prophets: God will eventually bring ultimate justice to all creation. If God did not judge the Jews for their disobedience, how could God judge the world? He would have no basis for a righteous, equitable and unbiased judgment, if He ignored or accepted sin.

What is the basis of God’s judgment?

John 5:30 ___________________________________________________

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John 12:48 __________________________________________________ 1 Peter 1:17 _________________________________________________

3:7

“ For if by my lie the truth of God enhances his glory, why am I still actually being judged as a sinner?”

Paul reiterated the principle of 3:5 in different terms. This question confronts the false logic of antinomianism (“against-law”). Twisted minds were saying that the more wicked a person, the more it glorifies God’s grace to forgive him, the more one lies, the more evident God’s truth becomes. Thus antinomianism has a proposed good purpose. Congregations often have participants who hold ungodly views, which make the godly appear even godlier.

Reflection: Compare this view with the group in Jude 4.

3:8

“And why not say, “Let us do evil so that good may come of it”?– as some who slander us allege that we say. (Their condemnation is deserved!)”

These were not imaginary accusations of the Jews against the gospel because Paul adds, “as some who slander us allege that we say” (blasphemeo, present tense passive voice: “continuously being done to us” – “to speak reproachfully, revile, be evil spoken of”). The enemies of the gospel believed that the gospel of salvation by grace through faith alone would ignore God’s law and create a license to sin.

Reflection: How are the non-spiritual Jews called in Rev 2:9?

• Paul does not reply here to this argument but will later expand it in 6:1.

Here he declares, “their condemnation is deserved” – a conclusive argument of the justice of God. To question God’s fairness in judging is to blaspheme the nature of the God of all justice. Such a one who questions God’s condemning nature is himself condemned.

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ALL PEOPLE ARE GUILTY (3:9-20) Most people believe that they are basically good and acceptable to God. Most psychological systems are built on the premise that man is basically good and his environment either reinforces his goodness or turns it into negative reactions. If honest with himself, everyone knows he is not perfect and does wrong things, however it is defined.

Typically he invents a number of ways to deal with his imperfection, like blaming others or circumstances, or comparing himself with others to conclude that he is not so bad after all. However, the sense of guilt persists.

Though he does not know how, he wants to get rid of it. The more he tries to deny it, the more he is aware of it.

People feel guilty because they are guilty, but guilt is just a symptom of a deeper problem, which the Bible calls “sin.” Any technique of blame-transfer or denial only augments its reality. The truth is that everyone’s guilt is caused by his own sin and unless his sin is removed, he remains under the reality of guilt. This is the beauty of the “gospel” (which means “good news”).

The biblical message of the “good news” offers the only way a person can be totally free of guilt. The first step is to accept the fact that one is unacceptably sinful. The greatest need of all men is to remove their sin and guilt, the only answer being their acceptance of the death of Jesus Christ as full payment.

Without the admission of personal sin there is no “good news.” If you do not understand the “bad news,” the “good news” has no meaning.

THE CHARGE AGAINST ALL MEN

3:9

“What then? Are we better off? Certainly not, for we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin,” The first question, “What then?” (oon, “these things being so…”), is saying, “What more information do you need?” Paul has already shown how the immoral and moral pagan and the moral and immoral Jew are all equally condemned (Rom 1-2). The second question is, “Are we better off?” (proecho, present tense: “continuously…” – “have” + “before,” thus “be preferred, be superior, surpass”). The meaning of the pronoun “we” is not clear.

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Usually “we” or “us” refers to the Jews (as Paul was a Jew) and the “you” and “they/them” refer to Gentiles. However, here the Jews were just shown to have a superior position to the Gentiles, as they were “entrusted with the oracles of God,” but Paul nowhere else refers to himself as “we” Jews.

• It seems better to see the “we” as the believers, both Jews and Gentiles.

The question is, “Are Christians [we] any “better than” either the Jews or the Gentiles?” The answer “Certainly not” clarifies the scope of the biblical condemnation: all mankind is included without exception: “we all have been equally charged under the guilt of sin” (proaitiaomai, aorist tense: “at one time in the past…” – “accuse beforehand, already charged”).

• No one is any better than any other person. This notion was absurd to the Jews, because they thought themselves superior and secure because of the Jewish heritage. Even Christians can think of themselves as more deserving of God’s salvation, but the truth is that everyone is burdened with a guilt of sin that must be acknowledged (be it little or much) as a total unworthiness and helplessness before God. Then, in humble faith, each must accept His forgiveness and cleansing.

Reflection: How would you describe the difference between the lost and the saved in 1 John 1:8-9?

PAUL’S 13-COUNT INDICTMENT AGAIN SINFUL MANKIND (3:10-17) Paul now builds on the final statement of 3:9, Jew and Gentile “alike are all under sin.” He will use the word “no one” (“none” in other translations) or “not even one” six times to clarify that not a living soul is righteous before God. Paul’s argument will find evidence from six OT passages. This indictment will have three encompassing focuses: character (vv. 10-12), conversation (vv. 13-14) and conduct (vv. 15-17).

CHARACTER OF THE CONDEMNED (3:10-12) – SIX INDICTMENTS:

3:10

“just as it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one,” First indictment: Mankind is universally evil, without exception ( Ps 14:1),

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“The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good.” In Romans “righteousness” or “doing good” is a major theme being repeated 30 times. The same Greek root word is translated “justified,” or “justification” as well. There is not a single person who has ever lived, “not even one,” (except the sinless Lord Jesus Christ—2 Cor 5:21) who has been “righteous”

by God’s standard inwardly and behaviorally. Truly, there have been many noble and good deeds done by men throughout history, but none come close to the righteous perfection of God Himself, the only righteousness that He can accept.

Reflection: What is God’s standard according to Matt 5:48?

• Man typically sees degrees of differences among people in every realm.

Some are better than others in sports, business, writing, appearance, and altruism (good deeds), but in God’s view there are no levels of righteousness as far as His acceptance is concerned. He can only accept the perfect righteousness of Christ. There never has been any middle ground or other alternative.

Reflection: How does the last phrase in 3:22 clarify God’s perspective?

• If everyone in our hemisphere were infected with a virus and the only hope for Americans were to swim across the Atlantic to Europe or Africa, some could swim further than others, but that fact would make no difference. No one could make it.

3:11a

“There is no one who understands,” Second indictment: Man is spiritually ignorant as the Psalmist wrote, “no one understands” (suniemi, present tense: “continually or habitually…” – “bring together, put the perception with the thing perceived, join together in the mind”). From the evidence of creation all men should discern that there must be a magnificent, powerful, ingenious, humorous, intelligent DesignerCreator (Rom 1:20). Men chose not to put the obvious evidence together so

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as not to come to the inevitable implication of a personal, all-powerful God who cares.

Reflection: Why do men lack the discernment to understand about God in these verses?

1 Cor 2:14 ___________________________________________________ Eph 4:18 ____________________________________________________

3:11b

“there is no one who seeks God.” Third indictment: Not only is mankind willfully ignorant, but even worse, “no one seeks God” (quoting from Psalm 14:2). Since God is perceived as a threat to the sinner’s lifestyle, he does not see the eternal blessing of sharing this life with God as a high value. He has no motivation to “seek God” (ekzeteo, present tense: “continually or habitually…” – “seek out, investigate, scrutinize”). Though religions are plenteous with multitudes of followers, the truth is that they are not seeking the true God, but false gods of their own invention and for their own convenience. The true and only God has promised that anyone sincerely seeking Him will find him (Jer 29:13).

Reflection: How does what a person seeks in his life reveal his true character in these verses?

John 5:44 ___________________________________________________ Phil 2:21 ____________________________________________________ Heb 11:6 ____________________________________________________

3:12a

“All have turned away,…”

Fourth indictment: All men prefer to go their own way, quoting from Psalms 14:3, “all have turned away” (ekklino, aorist tense: “At one time in the past…”-- seen as a collective act—“to deviate from the right way and course, to shun”). It is a military term used of a deserter from battle.

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Reflection: How do these verses describe this common tendency?

Isa 53:6 ______________________________________________________ 2 Pet 2:15, 21 _________________________________________________ Prov 14:12 ___________________________________________________

3:12b

“… together they have become worthless;” Fifth indictment: The natural man is spiritually “worthless” (achreioo, aorist tense, “to make useless, unserviceable, or depraved”). The term is used to describe soured, rancid milk. It has become unfit for human consumption.

This is the only use in the NT. Jesus described the worthless dead branches of a tree as destined to be cut off and thrown into a fire (John 15:6).

Reflection: Notice how false religious people are described in Titus 1:16.

3:12c

“… there is no one who shows kindness, not even one.’”

Sixth indictment: None of the natural men “shows kindness ” (chrestotes, “moral goodness, integrity, kindness”). In comparison with other human beings some are better than others, but in comparison with the righteousness and holiness of God, no one can be viewed as morally good or perfect.

Behind what often appears to be benevolent acts is an unseen selfishness or self-centered benefit.

Reflection: What did Isaiah say about the righteousness or goodness of man in comparison with the holiness of God in 64:6?

THE CONVERSATION OF THE CONDEMNED (3:13-14) – 4 INDICTMENTS: The true character of a person is inevitably revealed by what he says: “…the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” (Matt 12:34).

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3:13a

“’Their throats are open graves, …”

Seventh indictment: The deadness within a person is opened to the outside world through the throat and is evidenced by the sounds and voices heard: “throats are open graves” (from Ps 5:9). Where embalming is not practiced, corpses must be buried within 24 hours due to the rapid disfigurement and stench of decay. Natural man refuses to cover the spiritual deadness within and exposes the stench of his foul words without awareness of their offense before our righteous God. Reflection: How is this tendency described in these verses?

Matt 15:18 ___________________________________________________

Prov 15:2, 28 ________________________________________________

James 3:6 ___________________________________________________

3:13b

“they deceive with their tongues, …”

Eighth indictment: Their tongues are “deceitful” (dolioo, imperfect tense: continuous and repetitive action in the past: “keep on…” – “to deal treacherously, use fraud, falsehood, trickery”). The idea is to lure or deceive someone into a decision. It is used of baiting a hook to disguise its danger.

Reflection: How is the tongue of the natural man described here?

Prov 36:1-3 __________________________________________________

Ps 36:3 _____________________________________________________

Jer 9:3-5 ____________________________________________________

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3:13c

“the poison of asps is under their lips.’”

Ninth indictment: Their lips are poisonous to others, quoting from Ps 140:3.

This was a common metaphor in Jesus’ day for false teachers who destroy people with their false hopes. An “asp” is a small and venomous snake. As the poisonous snake is untamable, so is the tongue of the unregenerate (James 3:8).

Reflection: How is the tongue an evidence of a transformed life in James 1:26?

3:14

“‘Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.’”

Tenth indictment: Their “mouth is full of cursing and bitterness” (from Ps 10:7). The word “cursing” (ara, “prayer, supplication, curse, malediction”) has the idea of wishing the worst for another person in a public and open forum in defamatory remarks.

The word “bitterness” (pikria, “plants that produce inedible or poisonous fruit,” used metaphorically of a person whose influence or actions become harmful to a community, a hostile attitude, angry, resentment,” FRIBERG) is an openly expressed emotional hostility against someone perceived as an enemy.

Reflection: How did David describe the vocal attacks in his day in Ps 64:3-4?

THE CONDUCT OF THE CONDEMNED (3:15-17) – 3 MORE INDICTMENTS:

3:15

“’Their feet are swift to shed blood,” Eleventh indictment: The unsaved are intuitively murderous: “feet are swift to shed blood.” Ethnic cleansing, mass genocide and merciless killings are common news items. For those not involved, it seems unbelievable that the human heart can be so depraved. “The most savage animals do not destroy so many of their own species… as man destroys of his fellows, to satiate his ambition, his revenge, or his cupidity [greed]” (Haldane 1958:120).

MacArthur writes, “Even in the United States, with its Christian heritage,

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since the turn of the twentieth century twice as many of its citizens have been slain in private acts of murder than have been killed in all the wars of its entire history “(MacArthur 1991:190). Though often repressed, the seed of murder is part of every sin-infected heart and only needs the right environment to express itself.

Reflection: Where do these actions in man find their origins, according to Jesus in Matt 15:18-19?

3:16

“… ruin and misery are in their paths,” Twelfth indictment: Given full sway, “destruction and misery are in their paths.” Thankfully laws and society often tend to put a cap on unleashing the evil of human nature on the rest of mankind. The word “destruction” (suntrimma, “broken, shattered, ruin”—a compound word that means breaking into pieces) is similar to the concept of “abusive” people who destroy others.

“Misery” (talaiporia, “an emotional condition that arises from inner or outer torment, wretchedness,” FRIBERG) is the result of selfish, self-centered sinful actions or reactions from one sinner against another.

Reflection: How can a transformed life change this tendency as described in James 3:9-10?

3:17

“and the way of peace they have not known.’”

Thirteenth indictment: Sinful man cannot build peaceful relationships by following his instincts and intuition. If he wants peace, he must follow rules that force him to act against his natural tendencies. Ultimately peace will only come on earth when the “Prince of Peace” returns to reign, and in the human heart when the Savior removes all enmity between God and the sinner who trusts in His redeeming work on the cross.

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THE BASIC CORRUPTION OF MAN’S NATURE

3:18

“’There is no fear of God before their eyes.’”

The full text of NETPs 36:1, “An evil man is rebellious to the core. He does not fear God.” This was the point of the first attack of Satan on humans: “Surely, you shall not die” (Gen 3:4). He said in effect, “Do not be afraid that God will do what He said. Do whatever you want. There are no repercussions.” The main reason people will take seriously the Word of God is if they believe that God will do what He says. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov 1:7).

When Eve was deceived into thinking that God would not do what He said, the temptation became insurmountable. Anyone who thinks he can get away with sin or disobedience finds an inner motivation to yield to his selfish, sensual desires, only revealing his true nature.

Reflection: What do these verses reveal about the proper attitude towards the transforming “fear of God”?

Matt 10:28 ___________________________________________________ Rom 11:20 __________________________________________________ 2 Cor 5:11 ___________________________________________________

THE FINAL VERDICT TO THE INDICTMENTS This is Paul’s final verdict addressed primarily to the Jewish readers concerning the purpose of the Law, since they would understand the implications of these statements.

3:19

“Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God.”

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Paul includes himself stating, “we know” (oida, perfect tense: past completed action that is still valid, a knowledge that is “perceived with the eyes or senses, with certainty”). The Law’s mandates are “to those who are under the law.” Is this just the Jews or does it include everyone on earth? If the result of knowing the Law is “every mouth may be silenced [Gk., “stopped”] and the whole world may be held accountable [Gk. “answerable”] to God,” then everyone, one way or another must be “under the law.”

There is no defense for either the Jews or the Gentiles who are under the equally condemning law of the conscience (Rom 2:11-15). No one is outside the accountability to God for sin. The law was given to show that everyone has sinned and needs a Savior who can resolve the sin problem before God. There is no exception. Reflection: What happens to the Gentiles who have never known the written Law of Moses according to Rom 2:11-15?

The best way to begin the presentation of the Gospel is by asking the question that everyone delights in answering positively: “Do you think you are a good person?” Inevitably, the answer will be “Yes, I do the best I can” or something similar. A follow-up question might be, “God has given us a test to see how “good” we are before Him. Would you like to know what He would ask us?” When a person answers, “Yes,” begin by asking, “Have you ever told a lie, even a little lie?” When he/she responds “yes,” ask the clarification question: “What does that make you?” He may need to be guided to the implication that having lied he is a “liar.”

The second test is “Have you ever stolen anything, even something little?”…

“What does that make you?” He needs to admit that it makes him a thief.

The third test is, “Jesus taught that if someone has lustful thoughts about someone not his spouse, God sees it as adultery. Have you ever had lustful thoughts?” “What does that make you?” Then you can summarize his responses, “You have admitted to me that you are a liar, a thief and an adulterer. These are only three of the Ten Commandments. Do you still think you are a good person?”

If he sees this clearly, he will have no excuse and only be able to admit guilt.

Now is the time to tell the good news that Jesus came to save sinners, not

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the ones who thought they were already good enough. He paid the penalty for sin, so that man could be totally free of guilt.

3:20

“For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.”

To preclude the argument that some people might possibly be able to live a righteous life, the apostle adds: “no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law.” For example: if a young man of 15 were to kill a person with a 38-caliber pistol, this would make him a murderer. Few would question this. Now, if we were to jump ahead 50 years, that same young man is now 65. The question is, is he still a murderer? Even though he does not kill another person for 50 years, he is still a murderer. Most will accept this concept, and the same is true when applied to liar, thief, adulterer, covetous (lusting), disobedient (dishonoring a parent), or cursing (taking the name of the Lord in vain). If you do it once, you have violated His command. Adam only had to violate God’s command one time, and he and all his descendants were condemned sinners. The purpose of the law is to teach the sinner that he has sinned before a holy God. Reflection: What is the purpose of the Law in Gal. 3:24?

SEVEN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RIGHTEOUSNESS PROVIDED BY GOD’S GRACE (3:21-25A) By condemning the entire human race, God revealed His infinite righteousness, since not a single human being (with the exception of Jesus Christ) could ever perfectly obey the Ten Commandments or the law He gave to man. All mankind stands guilty as charged. Now the Judge becomes the solution to the sinner’s problem – Christ paid the penalty for sin and offers His perfect righteousness to cover the sinner before God. Justification occurs when God declares the sinner righteous, imputing or crediting the believer’s account with Christ’s righteousness, which is provided by God’s grace and received by personal faith in His promise.

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Reflection: How would you answer the question of Job (9:2)?

Since this is the sequence God has revealed for salvation, it seems that this same sequence must be used when men explain the gospel to one another: it begins with the diagnosis of the disease of sin and the symptoms of guilt in every man. Until this is made clear through exposure to the law of God (that no one has ever kept, thus all are guilty without excuse), only then does God’s remedy, the gospel, have meaning and importance. Until man is desperate he will not rely exclusively and completely on the only cure for sin: the righteousness provided by the redeeming sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

After revealing God as the Judge and Prosecutor, indicting and convicting all men, He is revealed as Defendant and Savior (beginning in 3:21). He extends His offer of a full pardon and a righteousness standing in His sight, to all men if they would only hear, believe and depend upon His provision to be saved. Seven aspects of the righteousness that God offers to those who trust and depend on His Son are now described.

RIGHTEOUSNESS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH A LEGALISTIC SYSTEM (3:21A)

3:21

“But now apart from the law the righteousness of God (which is attested by the law and the prophets) has been disclosed– “ The connective, “but now,” marks a sharp contrast with the preceding section of Romans: “No one will be declared righteous in His [God’s] sight by observing the Law” [or any legalistic system] (v. 20). The phrase “apart from the law” is in the emphatic position in the Greek text. The righteousness that God offers is totally apart from any legalistic system. The word “law” (nomos, “anything established, a custom, a law, a command”) can refer to the Mosaic law or the entire OT or the concept of any legalistic system of human efforts to become acceptable to God. God’s offer of righteousness through faith in His Son, has nothing to do with human efforts. Analyze God’s attitude toward human efforts to be righteous in Isa 57:12. Now see how this distinction between human effort and God’s

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offer of righteousness is reiterated in the following verses: Gal 2:16 ____________________________________________________ Gal 5:1-2 ____________________________________________________ Rom 3:28 ___________________________________________________ Gal 3:10-11 __________________________________________________ Eph 2:8-9 ___________________________________________________ Titus 3:5 ____________________________________________________

MAN DISCOVERS RIGHTEOUSNESS BY HEARING GOD’S REVELATION (3:21B) Mankind would never know about God’s plan to offer His righteousness to sinful man except that He reveal it to us, as He did throughout the OT. The phrase “law and the prophets” often referred to the entire OT (Matt 5:17), where the “law” referred to the five books of Moses and the “prophets” the remaining books of the OT, which were all revealed through prophets.

The Jews reverenced the Scriptures, but did not understand that the Scriptures themselves, though divinely revealed, did not possess power to save. “You [Jews] study the scriptures [OT] thoroughly because you think in them you possess eternal life, and it is these same scriptures that testify about me” (John 5:39).

Reflection: What was the problem Jesus was pointing out with the Jewish interpretation of Scripture?

God’s revelation pointed toward the promised Messiah, the Savior who would live a sinless life yet die an ignominious death. He became guilty of all the sins of the world, while suffering the wrath of God for guilty mankind (Isa 53). This made it possible to freely offer His perfect righteousness to all who believe in Him.

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Reflection: What did Christ become for us in 1 Cor 1:30?

RIGHTEOUSNESS CAN ONLY BE ACQUIRED BY FAITH (3:22A)

3:22

“namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction,” Paul reiterates that he is referring to the perfect righteousness of God, not imperfect righteousness through human efforts. The first part of the verse is the continuation of the previous verse and is called an appositional clause, which could be translated “a righteousness from God through faith.” The NET Bible translated the phrase “faithfulness of Christ” instead of “faith in Christ” because of the Greek grammar, which is translated as a “subjective genitive.”

Christ is the subject or actor of the “faithfulness” (pisteos can be translated either “faith” or “faithfulness”).

Another verse where these same phrases are encountered is Gal 2:16 where the phrase “justified by the faith of Christ” is translated “faithfulness of Christ” NET . What does “faith of Christ” refer to? Most translations change it to “faith in Christ,” but this is not the meaning of the genitive form. Does the verse focus on belief in the faithfulness of Christ or are the phrases “ believe in Jesus Christ” and “faith of Christ” synonyms in apposition. It appears to make more sense that we are believing or trusting in the faithfulness of Christ to provide us His righteousness by grace.

Most translations prefer the objective genitive view: “faith of Christ.” The verse has either a redundant emphasis on faith (“…faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe”) or an emphasis on the reliable and worthy objective of our faith (“…faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe”). Regardless, there is no human effort that God can accept, rather only a righteousness that is granted to the ones who “believe” (pisteuo, present tense, “continuously…”

– “to think to be true, place confidence in”).

• How to believe becomes the issue. It obviously means more than mere intellectual acceptance, since even the demons “believe” that God exists

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(James 2:19). “Believe” is used 59 times in John and 144 times in the NT. To believe in something is to trust it implicitly without question and to depend upon it without hesitation.

• It involves the will (you have to decide to accept God’s solution in His Word and reject man’s theories), the emotions (you have to want to be acceptable to God by His standards and want Him as a permanent part of your life) and the intellect (you have to comprehend the revelation we have been given in the Word and trust it completely). Reflection: Who are the ones that God is pleased to save in 1 Cor 1:21?

RIGHTEOUSNESS IS PROVIDED FOR ALL MANKIND WITHOUT DISTINCTION (3:22B-23)

3:22b

“… for all who believe. For there is no distinction,” The salvation that God offers is sufficient for all mankind, but must be heard, understood and trusted in: “all who believe.” The only basis of the transference of Christ’s righteousness to our credit before God is through faith (believe the truth). The connective “for” ties the second phrase to the preceding assurance that God’s righteousness is offered to all who believe.

There are no limitations or “distinctions” (diastole, “difference, discrimination”) of race or privilege in the new age of the Church.

This whole concept contradicts the supposed privileged position of the Jew. Since all are equally guilty of sin (3:9), the remedy is offered with identical result equally to all sinners worldwide. There are no privileged groups, special people or restricted people in this amazing offer. God does not discriminate. His offer is without limitation to “all who believe.”

There are no chosen privileged people who accept the offer because they are made to do so by some select divine manipulation. The whole sense of the Scripture is that God exposes the sinfulness of all men then provides a perfect solution to sin’s offence before God through the free offer of His own righteousness to all who trust in His character and promise.

Reflection: How do these verses help clarify this generosity?

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Acts 13:39 ___________________________________________________ Rom 9:30 ___________________________________________________ John 6:37 ___________________________________________________

3:23

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Just as there is “no difference” in the offer of His righteousness, so there is “no difference” in the sinfulness or lost condition of men. This, likewise, was a blow to the Jewish readers who were convinced that they were better than the Gentiles. The “for” connective ties the phrase “there is no difference” with the blanket condemnation “all have sinned” (hamartano, aorist tense: a past action, “miss the mark, fail of doing, err”) and also all have “come short” (hustereo, present tense: “continually, habitually…” - “to come too late, fail to reach, be inferior to”) of the “glory of God.” This glory speaks of His outward attributes and splendor of holiness. No amount of good works or determined obedience to the law can ever measure up to this standard. In fact, just one violation (as with Adam) confirms man’s condemnation as a sinner forever. Can you prove this last statement from James 2:10? See also 4:17.

RIGHTEOUSNESS IS GIVEN FREELY BECAUSE OF HIS GRACE (3:24A)

3:24a

“But they are justified freely by his grace …”

Just as there is no distinction between those who need God’s salvation, so there is no distinction between those who receive it: “they are justified” (dikaioo, present passive participle: “being continually without end” – “declared righteous”), which is a legal term stating that all the demands of the law are fulfilled on behalf of the believing sinner through the crediting of the righteousness of Christ to the sinner’s record. This changes the judicial standing of the sinner before the righteous demands of God’s holiness. This whole transaction is done “freely” (dorean, “of a gift bestowed without payment, gratis,” FRIBERG) thus totally

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unmerited and undeserved. In addition it was “by his grace” (charis, “favorable attitude, expression of kindness”), which is a favorite term of Paul, used 24 times in Romans.

The character of God is abundant in “grace” as much as it is in righteousness and justice. God’s nature condemned sin, and then condemned His Son, the Lord Jesus, one time on the cross for the sins of mankind. How could anyone think himself worthy of the sacrifice of Christ, just because of some good deeds? Absurd! Only because He was motivated by grace to offer His righteousness to undeserving sinners could any man ever be saved.

Reflection: Why is the “free-grace” manner the only way a person can receive God’s righteousness? (compare Gal 2:21).

RIGHTEOUSNESS IS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH HIS REDEMPTION (3:24)

3:24b

“…. through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

It would be impossible and unjust for God to declare someone righteous without dealing with his sin and guilt. An offence demands a just punishment for justice’s sake. Since God is just, there must be a just penalty paid for the sins of mankind. This is provided through the “redemption” that is in Christ Jesus (apolutrosis, “to release someone by payment of ransom, setting free”). This is the term for buying back a slave or prisoner through payment of a ransom, thus “liberation or deliverance.” The term is used ten times in the NT. Reflection: What can you learn about this term from these verses?

Eph 1:7 _____________________________________________________ Eph 1:14 Heb 9:15 ____________________________________________________

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RIGHTEOUSNESS WAS PAID FOR BY HIS ATONING SACRIFICE (3:25A)

3:25a

“God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith.”

The public death of Christ on the cross under the wrath of God was the price of the payment to release sinful men from bondage to sin and Satan. This payment is good for all who hear and trust in God’s gracious promise of forgiveness, righteousness and salvation. God displayed Christ on the cross as the “mercy seat” (hilasterion, “place where God forgives sins by means of the blood of a sacrifice victim”).

Once a year the high priest in Judaism sprinkled the blood of a sacrificed lamb on the mercy seat located in the Holy of Holies in the Temple at Jerusalem.

This act demonstrated that a lamb had been sacrificed as a substitute for the just punishment that sinners deserved. God chose to demonstrate His “mercy seat” on the cross of Calvary.

Reflection: How would you describe this “mercy seat” in these verses?

1 Tim 2:6 ____________________________________________________

1 Pet 1:18-19 ________________________________________________

Heb 10:10, 14 ________________________________________________

• The phrase “through faith in his blood” makes reference to the horrible price that was paid under the law to place the penalty of sin on an innocent victim as a substitute for the sinner. Faith is the trust that God’s full and absolute justice is satisfied once-and-for-all through the shed blood of the sacrificial lamb. When John the Baptist introduced Jesus he said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). The focus on the “blood” refers to more than the physical red corpuscles, because the blood is only shed in the death of the sacrifice victim. “The wages of sin is death” (6:23), which, in the OT sacrifice metaphor, was pointing to the Lamb of God shedding His blood offered as a “sin covering” to all who believe.

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• An optical illusion occurs when a red object is placed under a red light – it changes color or disappears. In the Bible sin has a color: it is “red” (“Though your sins have stained you like the color red, you can become white like snow” (Isa 1:18). If we are stained red through sin, and a red “lens” (the blood covering) is placed between the sinner and God, all that is red in the sinner disappears from God’s perspective and the sinner is made as” white like snow.” Amazing!

Reflection: What do these verses reveal about our trust in the blood of Christ?

Rom 5:9 ____________________________________________________

Eph 2:13 ____________________________________________________

Col 1:14 ____________________________________________________

Col 1:20 ____________________________________________________

Heb 9:12 ____________________________________________________

Heb 9:14 ____________________________________________________

Heb 9:22 ____________________________________________________

Heb 13:12 ___________________________________________________

1 Pet 1:18-19 ________________________________________________

1 John 1:7 ___________________________________________________

Rev 1:5_____________________________________________________

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THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD REVEALS HIS CHARACTER (3:25B-31) The theme of Romans is “justification by faith,” the essence of the gospel message. A clear understanding of God’s plan of salvation reveals the amazing character of the God in whom we trust. The more we learn, the more we understand about His trustworthy character. Our present passage clarifies several aspects of the gospel of free justification through the cross of Jesus Christ that reveal more of God’s character.

HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS REVEALS HIS FORBEARANCE AND JUSTICE FOR ALL TIME (3:25B-26)

3:25b

“This was to demonstrate his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed.”

“This” refers to the propitiatory death of Christ, which was to “demonstrate” (endeixis, “proof, evidence”) His righteousness. Through the apparent “unjust” crucifixion of Christ on the cross, God provided sufficient punishment against His sinless Son, to satisfy His justice against all sin of every sinner. God’s righteousness is exalted by the extreme price that had to be paid (the sacrifice of the Son of God) in order to remain Just in forgiving the sin of any sinner who is willing to trust Him. Furthermore, during the OT His “forbearance” (anoche, “tolerance, patience, self-restraint, holding-back hostilities,” LIDDELL-SCOTT) in anticipation of the cross of Calvary where eventually His justice would be satisfied enabled God to “pass over” (paresis, “overlooking (for the time being). The KJV translates this word as “remission” which goes too far. This was a temporary action anticipating a future penalty to be paid for by a perfect sacrifice.

Reflection: What can we learn about God’s trustworthiness and amazing grace in these verses?

Deut 32:4 ___________________________________________________ Ps 78:38-39 _________________________________________________

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Acts 17:30-31 ________________________________________________

3:26

“This was also to demonstrate his righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus’ faithfulness” The cross was the highest “demonstration” (“proof”) of his righteousness or justice “at this present time” (nun, “now” in the sense of present age), that is, He was “including them in what he would do in this present time”NLT. God wants to be known as the God who perfectly justifies the sinner through His grace, love, mercy and wisdom. He demonstrated it and now He wants us to unashamedly proclaim it around the world. The Psalmist saw this climactic event and described it in Ps 85:10.

Reflection: How accurate do you think his description of the cross is portrayed in this imagery?

• The serious dilemma of a workable salvation was not getting sinful men to come to a holy God, but rather, getting a holy God to accept sinful men without violating His holiness and justice. The only way he could be both Just and the Justifier would be if He personally met all the penalty demands of justice against sin, then He could declare that the price has been paid in full for every sinner who believes in Him. Reflection: How does this reinforce Acts 4:12?

FIVE QUESTIONS THAT REVEAL GOD’S PLAN FOR REDEMPTION (3:27-31) Paul either anticipates questions that might be asked or uses the questions as a rhetorical device to clarify the salvation by faith through grace.

3:27-28

“Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded! By what principle? Of works?

No, but by the principle of faith!”

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First question: Is there any self-exalting, self-satisfaction, or pride in this faithsalvation? The answer is “it is excluded!” Since every aspect of salvation is in the cross of Christ and there is nothing that any sinner can do to improve or merit the work of Christ, there is no reason for pride or self-righteousness.

Quite the contrary: for the believer who understands the Word and trusts in its revelation, there is an overwhelming sense of unworthiness, a feeling of “How could He be so gracious?”

Reflection: How does Luke 18:13 exemplify the attitude of a true believer?

Second question: “By what principle” (nomos, “law, anything established, custom”) is boasting excluded? That is to say, Why is boasting inappropriate? Is it on the basis of works? If man could work enough or be good enough to be justified, he would have reason to boast or feel proud of himself. The principle of works could not possibly exclude boasting. Paul explains, “By the principle of faith,” which quenches any sense of self-improvement, or self-righteousness because one’s dependency is shifted from self to a total dependency on Christ as Savior. Here are four reasons why faith is the law of God’s kingdom: 1. Faith annuls the pride of human effort, because faith is not a deed or work we do.

2. Faith glories in what God has done, not what man has done.

3. Faith confesses our inability to measure up to God’s standard, thus we need help.

4. Faith is based on dependency and indebtedness to God, not our good deeds for God.

3:28

“For we consider that a person is declared righteous by faith apart from the works of the law.”

Paul’s clear declaration of a faith-based salvation: “a person is declared righteous by faith apart from the works of the law.” Paul begins this verse with “we consider” (logizomai, “come to a settled conclusion”). The similar negative statement of this principle in 3:20 concludes with the purpose of the law: to reveal our sinfulness, not our goodness, thus it is an impossible

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means of salvation. The only option left is to trust in the promise of God to declare us righteous merely because we trust Him and His Word.

Good deeds are important for the believer, but they have nothing to do with our salvation. The preposition “apart from” (choris, “separate, without, no relationship to, no association with,” THAYER) excludes any relationship or benefit of good works or attempts at obedience to the law. No matter how close one comes to obeying all of the law, it is not close enough.

God’s plan contemplates the utter failure of man to meet God’s demand for perfect righteousness. Then He creates a perfect means to grant His perfect righteousness and eternal life to all men who desire His acceptance. It could only work if it were completely by faith alone without human effort. No other religion or human being has ever thought up such a plan.

3:29a

“Or is God the God of the Jews only? …”

Third question: “Is God the God of the Jews only?” This evidently was a common belief among the Jews. This was a hard conviction to change even in the early churches. Evangelism for the first decade of the Church was only for the Jews (Acts 11:19).

It took a miraculous intervention of God to persuade Peter to cross the racial barrier and speak the gospel to a Gentile (Acts 10). Even then it was almost 20 years before the Jerusalem church would recognize that Gentiles could be saved (Acts 15). God had promised Abraham that he and his descendants would be a blessing to all peoples on earth (Gen 12:3), that is, the offering of salvation of all men. The Jewish nation was chosen for this purpose to bless the world, but they became twisted in prideful separation from the world despising the ones God wanted them to bless.

Reflection: Why were the Jews not open to the Gospel, but the Gentiles were in Acts 28:27-28?

3:29b

“Is he not the God of the Gentiles too? Yes, of the Gentiles too! Since God is one, he will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.”

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Fourth question: “Is he not the God of the Gentiles too? Yes, of the Gentiles too!” God is the God of the Gentiles as well as of the Jews. The phrase “there is no difference” has little impact today, but in the first century this was one of the most difficult doctrines to accept. How could Jewish Christians not have a special place before Gentile Christians?

Reflection: Is the Jewish God just letting the Gentiles come in if they become like the Jews (Judaizers) or can they remain Gentiles and God still accept them? What was this so hard for the 1st century Jewish believers?

3:30

“Since God is one, he will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.”

“Since God is one”—The Jewish “Shema” (Deut 6:4) declares that “God is one” not only in being, but also in creation, where He is equally the God of the Jews and of the Gentiles. Just as men are equally guilty before God (3:19), so they are universally offered His gracious salvation through faith in His Son. 1 Cor 8:5-6 __________________________________________________ 1 Tim 2:3-6 __________________________________________________ Rom 1:16____________________________________________________

3:31

“Do we then nullify the law through faith? Absolutely not! Instead we uphold the law.”

Fifth question: “Do we nullify the law by this faith?” -- The Jewish reader was probably asking if this “faith” would nullify the Jewish customs, traditions and the Mosaic Law to the point that the Christians would not have to obey God’s law. The answer is an emphatic “No.” The verb “nullify” (katargeo, present tense: “continually…” – “to render idle, inoperative”) means that is has no use, but that is not the case at all. The Jewish cultural issues are not the conflict with faith.

The reason the answer to this question is an emphatic “no” is that

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faith-righteousness gives the only answer to man’s dilemma, which the Mosaic law [especially the Ten Commandments] creates: man cannot measure up to God’s standards. The law continues to have a critical role in clarifying the gospel message to sinners. This is why the believers “uphold” the law (histemi, present tense: “continually…” – “to cause to stand, make firm, establish”), because it is the key element for the unsaved to understand the need for the gospel, so we continually establish the purpose of the law which is to lead men to Christ.

Reflections: Can you trace the progression from “under the law” to being free from the guilt of the law in this sequence of verses?

Gal 3:23 - As unsaved, “we were held in custody under the law, being kept as prisoners until the coming faith would be revealed.” Everyone in the world is condemned under the law until faith in Jesus Christ satisfies the penalty for sin.

Rom 3:19 – “Whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable [become guilty] to God” – the effect of the law is the reveal the guilt [and need of a Savior] of everyone in the world.

Gal 4:5 - Christ came “to redeem them that were under the law,” that is, the whole world.

Gal 3:24 - The continual purpose of the law: “The Law had become our guardian [schoolmaster, tutor] to lead us to Christ that we could be declared righteous by faith.” It teaches the sinner how guilty he is before a holy God. Gal 5:18 - “But if you are led by the Spirit (following the new birth by putting your faith in Christ), you are not under the law.”

Rom 6:14 - “For you are not under law, but under grace.” The Christian is free from a legalistic life of guilt to live in godliness and gratitude to such a gracious Savior.”

Summarize your answer: ___________________________________________________________

CHAP NS O I T A R T S U N L O I L I T CA OT I F I ST U J OF H T I A

BY F “If Abraham could not, and did not, become justified by keeping the law then no one could.”

OT ILLUSTRATIONS OF JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH

P T ER T

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here is a common thread that ties all religions of the world, except one, into one bundle. They all teach that man can become acceptable to God by being good enough, by doing more good works than bad ones. Only one religion says that this is a wasted effort because a sinner is already condemned, even if he sinned only once (as Adam), and no amount of good works can undo his sinfulness (Jas 2:10). Only biblical Christianity teaches that sinful man can become perfectly acceptable, in fact, perfectly justified by faith without works before a holy God. Paul chose Abraham as a classic illustration of how God has always, and only, accepted sinners who came to Him through faith in His promises.

Abraham was the father of the Jewish nation yet he lived six-hundred years before the law was given, so he had no laws to obey.

However, Paul was also confronting a false notion about Abraham in the first century. The Jews believed that Abraham was the most righteous man on earth in his day and was acceptable to God because of his own righteous character. They understood the passage in Gen 26:4-5, “Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws,” to prove that justification could be earned through one’s efforts to be faithful.

They prefer to translate Habakkuk 2:4, “The just shall live by his faithfulness,” rather than “by his faith.” Instead of seeing faithfulness as a fruit of faith, they see “his response of faith [they prefer, faithfulness] as proof of genuine loyalty.”

Barclay cites articles in Ecclesiasticus(44:20-21) or The Wisdom of Sirach (Jewish apocryphal books) where Abraham was suppose to have become right with God because of his righteous acts. The Prayer of Manasseh even declares Abraham’s sinlessness. He cites the writer of the Book of Jubilees who said, “Abraham was perfect in all his deeds with the Lord and wellpleasing in righteousness all the days of his life” (23:10).

Paul intentionally chose to argue that works did not justify Abraham, in order to destroy the Jewish teaching. If Abraham could not, and did not, become justified by keeping the law then no one could. On the other hand, if Abraham needed to be, and in fact was, justified by faith in God’s promises, then every sinner and moral person must be justified in the same way.

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HOW WAS ABRAHAM JUSTIFIED? (4:1-2)

4:1

“What then shall we say that Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh, has discovered regarding this matter?”

If the Jewish reader disagreed with the Apostle Paul, the message of highly respected Abraham could not be ignored. “What then” ties this verse with the preceding chapter, which concluded both Jews and Gentiles are under sin and both must be, and can be, justified from their sins (3:30). The rabbis taught Abraham was the greatest example of how man is justified by works, so Paul will contradict this false idea to teach he too was saved by faith alone. Think of the godliest person you know or have heard of.

Reflection: Can you see that person as a guilty sinner with no hope of being good enough for God’s acceptance?

4:2

“For if Abraham was declared righteous by the works of the law, he has something to boast about– but not before God.” Abraham was chosen to be the father of the Jewish people, with whom He made an unconditional covenant for his descendants, the Jewish people.

Every Jew descended from Abraham, so whatever was true about his justification before God must be applied to all his descendants. Paul starts with a hypothetical case: If Abraham was justified by his works then he could “boast” about it (kauchema, “ground for bragging or being proud”). Striving to be “good enough” only generates a self-righteous pride and false notion of being “good enough” or “better than most” or “worthy of” God’s acceptance.

Paul destroys this misguided notion with the final phrase: “not before God.” Humans can think they are good enough, but in comparison with a holy God, the sinfulness of all men is horrible and unacceptable. No amount of goodness can overcome it.

Reflection: What is one of God’s purposes in justifying sinful men by faith alone according to Eph 2:8-9?

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ABRAHAM IS JUSTIFIED BY BELIEVING (4:3-5)

4:3-5

“For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Paul begins his argument for justification by faith by referring to the OT Scriptures. He quotes form Gen 15:6. At the time, Abraham was coming from a pagan Gentile background, but as the father of the Hebrew nation, he was given the gift of righteousness because of his faith. The text is clear: only because Abraham believed God he was accredited with perfect righteousness, which he neither deserved nor earned. What is Abraham called in Gal 3:9?

Reflection: What does it mean to be a “son of Abraham” in Gal 3:6-7?

• His background: In Gen 11:31 (15:7) we learned that Abraham came from Ur of Caldea (later to become Babylonia), which was a pagan idolatrous city.

Archaeologists estimate that the city had 300,000 inhabitants at this time, its people were highly educated being advanced in math, agriculture, weaving, engraving and astronomy, as well as writing skills. His father, Terah, was an idolater (Josh 24:2).

• His encounter with God’s Word: God appeared to Abram (Abraham to be) when he was sixty years old to tell him evidently in some audible and/or visible form to abandon his earthly security for a future of uncertainty, but promise. He would become a “great nation” in spite of the fact that his wife was barren. The land God promised him was inhabited by peoples more wicked and idolatrous than those in his home city. However, his obedience was partial, in that he did not leave all his family, but brought his father and nephew, Lot, with him. As a result they detoured to Haran until Terah died (Gen 11:32), delaying God’s plan for fifteen years. Abraham was seventyfive when he arrived in Canaan. At Shechem God appeared to him a second time saying, “To your descendants I will give this land” (Gen 12:7). Wherever he went he built an altar to call “upon the name of the Lord” (v.8).

• His tests of genuine faith: A famine in the land brought a challenge, but he

102 ROMANS 4 fled to Egypt, which led him to deceive the pharaoh and dishonor the Lord, which caused plagues to appear in pharaoh’s family (Gen 12:10-20). When they returned to Canaan his wife Sarah, now beyond childbearing, convinced him to have a child with her maid (a cultural practice to create an heir). Once again his human solution brought conflict and misery to the innocent (Gen 16:1-15) as well as long-term conflict between Ishmael, the son of the maid Hagar, and the heir that God was to provide, Isaac. In spite of his imperfect faith, Abraham returned to the Lord and God honored his faith, continued to give assurances, and fulfill his promise of a son. His greatest test came after the child was born when he was told to sacrifice his only son while trusting God to fulfill His promise of a “great nation.” This time Abraham did not hesitate, and God provided a substitute for Isaac (Gen 22:1-18).

Hebrews 11:17 “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac.

He had received the promises, yet he was ready to offer up his only son. 18 God had told him, ‘Through Isaac descendants will carry on your name,’ 19 and he reasoned that God could even raise him from the dead” NET

• His patience in confidence: Neither Abraham nor his immediate heirs received the fulfillment of the promised land, in fact, it would be nearly 500 years before his descendants would claim the land under Joshua. It was not Abraham’s perfection that God honored, but his faith in God’s promise that “was reckoned to him as righteousness” (logizomai, aorist tense: “at one time in the past” – “to credit to someone’s account, compute, calculate.” This word occurs 11 times in this chapter – vv.3,4,5,6,8,9,10,11,22,23,24). Thus God credits the sinner’s personal account with a perfect righteousness as a response to his faith in God’s promises.

• Faith is not the reason for justification, but the only means by which the convicted sinner can appeal to God’s free and undeserved gift of salvation.

Reflection: How would you explain a salvation by faith?

4:4-5

“Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited due to grace but due to obligation. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous, his faith is credited as righteousness.”

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The Principle of Faith: It is understood that salvation is granted by God to man. The question is, on what basis is it granted? There are only two options: works or faith, and the two are mutually exclusive, that is, they cannot be mixed (for example, 50% works-50% faith). The truth must be either one option or the other.

• The first option (v.4): If man were able to save himself by his own good works, God would be “obligated” to grant him salvation (opheilema, “what is owed, have to pay, be a debtor,” LIDDELL-SCOTT). This would make God a debtor to man. Furthermore, it would diminish the importance and value of Christ’s death on the cross to simply an example of faithfulness. If man can become good enough for heaven, he gets all the glory and has little or no need of God’s help. There are several reasons why man cannot save himself: 1. No matter how little or how much man has sinned, he has sinned and cannot measure up to God’s standard. It only took one sin for Adam and the whole human race to be condemned and rejected.

2. Regardless of how much a person sacrifices, penalizes himself, afflicts himself or benefits others, nothing he can do can atone or pay for any of his sins. A sinner cannot pay any acceptable sacrifice for his own sins.

He is contaminated with sin and thus anything he does is unacceptable.

3. If man could save himself, man would be self-sufficient and independent of God’s provision of redemption. Christ would be meaningless to him.

4. If man could become acceptable to God by his own effort and good deeds, he would be filled with pride, boasting of his own honor and glory and making God insignificant in comparison. Do any of these symptoms characterize anyone you know?

• The second option (v. 5): since man cannot save himself due to his own sin, his only option is to trust or believe in the only One who promises to justify the ungodly. In order to genuinely trust in the Savior, there must be an acknowledged distrust in one’s ability. The offer of gracious justification is only for the “ungodly” (asebes, “unholy, profane, without reverential awe toward God, impious, sacrilegious”). From God’s perspective, even the best of human efforts fall so far short of God’s standards that there is virtually no difference between the best and noble of mankind and the vilest of sinners.

Reflection: Can you justify this last statement from Rom 3:22-23?

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Who did Jesus say He was calling to repentance and salvation in Luke 5:32?

• If man is totally unacceptable by his own merits, there remains only one possible option: God must give to sinful man an acceptable and perfect righteousness as a totally unmerited gift. God offers His righteousness; man can trust in God’s generous offer, becoming indebted to Him forever; then God “credits” him with righteousness (logizomai, “keeping a mental record, keep in mind, credit to someone’s account,” FRIBERG). God is willing to declare the believing sinner perfectly righteous because he trusts in God’s promise of the gift of righteousness.

• This “reckoning” is not blinking at sin, brushing it under the proverbial rug, or pretending that it is not as bad as it may seem. Rather, it is a complete and systematic solution to man’s sin problem because the penalty is paid in full (meaning of “redemption”) by God, who issued the sentence of condemnation. God was willing to be condemned (“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” – Gal 3:13). Isaiah gave a prophecy of the suffering of the coming Messiah in which he described the reason for his suffering.

Reflection: What were those reasons in Isa 53:4-5?

• MacArthur gives an acrostic from the letters of the word “faith” to help understand the elements of saving faith: F – Facts: faith is not based on unreasonable, blindly accepted ideas, but rather the revealed facts or truths of the redeeming work of God through Jesus Christ.

A—Agreement: not only is it necessary to understand the facts, but also to agree with them as revealed in the Scriptures, particularly the fact that the only way to God is through trusting in Jesus Christ.

I—Internalization: the inner desire of the believer is to accept God’s gracious offer in order to open an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ that is totally undeserved. With all his heart the believer desires to have a personal relationship daily and forever with the God who has resolved all his sin issues and desires his fellowship.

T—Trust: the believer has an unconditional confidence in God, trusting Him

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to keep His promises to never forsake us and to make us completely acceptable before Himself. Genuine trust involves ceasing to trust in false ideas, sin and self-righteousness, turning to trust completely in the provisions of Christ’s sacrifice.

H—Hope: the believer has the hope of spending eternity with the God who loves them. This hope fills their inner life: “the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope…” (Rom 15:13).

THE BLESSING OF THE JUSTIFIED ACCORDING TO DAVID (4:6-8) David’s testimony is important for two reasons: (1) In the Jewish perspective, two witness were required to establish a truth (Deut 19:15) as Jesus taught (Mat 18:16) and Paul (2 Cor 13:1; 1 Tim 5:19). (2) Abraham lived before the law, but David was justified by faith under the law. Abraham lived 600 years before Moses’ Law and David lived 400 years after the Law was given. Before and after the Law, righteousness only came through faith.

4:6-8

“So even David himself speaks regarding the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7 ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the one against whom the Lord will never count sin.’”

The greatest king of Israel also taught that justification is by faith alone. The “blessedness” (makarismos, “privileged recipient of divine favor, fortunate”) that David describes was that a sinner like him (deceiver, disloyal, murderer, adulterer and corrupter of the nation) could still find acceptance with God. After Nathan confronted David concerning his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband, David depended completely on the grace of God, “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your loyal love!...wipe away my rebellious acts!...Against you—you above all—I have sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. So you are just when you confront me; you are right when you condemn me…. Hide your face from my sins! Wipe away all my guilt!” (Ps 51:1-14). David knew only God could clean sinful man from his guilt and create in him a pure heart.

Reflection: How would you define the meaning of being “blessed” by God?

106 ROMANS 4 • Notice how the past, present, and future has been provided in this “blessedness” through a once and forever action of God’s forgiveness. The overall promise that God “credits” (logizomai, present tense: “continuously” – “calculates, puts on the account”) “without works” to our personal account; the “lawless deeds” already committed in the past “are forgiven” (aphiemi, aorist tense: “at one time in the past…”- “to send away, disregard”). In the present his “sins are covered” (epikalupto, aorist tense: “at one time in the past…”“cover over so as not to come to view,” THAYER), and in the future, “the Lord will not impute sin” (logizomai, aorist tense: action done in the past but will remain done in the future as well). Righteousness has already been credited to his account, and the record can never again register our sins, since they are all “covered.”

Reflection: If God is this generous with us, how should we think about the people around us according to 1 Peter 4:8?

• How could God be just and, at the same time, forgive an individual’s sins according to 1 Peter 2:24-25 and Isa 53:5-6)?

ABRAHAM WAS NOT JUSTIFIED BY WORKS OR RELIGIOUS RITES (4:9-12) The early churches were a combination of Jews and Gentiles, which created a number of problems addressed in Romans. Paul began his argument for justification without works by addressing those with a Jewish background.

Here he includes the Gentiles (the uncircumcised). Jews came to believe that circumcision not only set them apart as a unique people, but, was in fact, the means by which they were acceptable to God. In the Midrash Millim, Jewish commentaries on the OT, Jalkut Rubem wrote, “God swore to Abraham that no one who was circumcised should be sent to hell” (fol. 7, col 2). Jews counted on this rite to get them to heaven. The early Jewish believers carried this idea into the early churches, which provoked the first council in Jerusalem, AD 49, to conclude that obedience to the Mosaic rituals, especially circumcision, was not necessary for salvation (Acts 15:19-29).

The circumcision rite later would be paralleled to infant baptism in the early churches with the same notion of an assured entrance into heaven. The Roman Catholic Church came to teach that Christian baptism (sprinkling

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on a newborn) confers the grace of an assured salvation, regeneration, forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit without any need of a personal belief or moral worthiness (impossible to a newborn child). Roman Catholic confirmation supposedly imparts the Holy Spirit for sanctification, the sacrament of the Eucharist (the mass) unites the individual to Christ and confessionpenance assures the faithful of forgiveness by paying for it himself. Some Reformation groups carried a few of these practices into their Protestant theology: infant baptism which places a person into the New Covenant without any individual faith required and the Eucharist, which units the follower to Christ as it is partaken of. Frankly, all of these are little more than magic formulas dependent on the proper words being spoken during special rituals by empowered people. These Christian rites have become the same false teachings as the Jewish forerunners in the NT giving people the false notion that their religious practices assure them of acceptance before God. Trusting in the efficacy of these rites to actually accomplish something spiritual is in vain.

Paul now deals with the issue whether there is any connection between a religious rite (of any kind) and the blessedness of being declared righteous

by God. A summary is given in Gal 5:6. Now he will build his argument.

4:9-10

“Is this blessedness then for the circumcised or also for the uncircumcised? For we say, “faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.

10 How then was it credited to him? Was he circumcised at the time, or not? No, he was not circumcised but uncircumcised!”

Paul’s first question was to establish or disestablish a relationship between the “blessedness” (being granted perfect righteousness) and a religious ceremony. Is this privilege just for the circumcision? The problem comes when the Genesis text is examined: Abraham was ninety-nine when he and Ishmael were circumcised. Ishmael was thirteen years old (Gen 17:23-25).

Therefore Abraham was eighty-six years old (16:16) when Ishmael was born. God declared him righteous before Ishmael’s birth, (15:6) fourteen years or more before he was circumcised. Abraham was seventy-five years old (Gen 12:1-4) when he was given the covenant of promise, 24 years before being circumcised.

Reflection: Why is this chronology important to this subject?

108 ROMANS 4 • Abraham recieved God’s covenant of grace long before being circumcised; however, Ishmael was circumcised, but he never was part of the covenant people. Circumcision was a mark of the covenant, but not the basis of establishing the covenant, nor was it a means of conferring righteousness.

Reflection: Do you think people need to be church members, receive baptism or communion, or attend church regularly in order to be saved?

• The importance of this argument is two-fold: (1) Abraham was granted righteousness by faith at least fourteen years before being circumcised erasing any link between the “sign” of the covenant and the effective reception of righteousness; (2) Abraham was uncircumcised when he received God’s gift of righteousness, thus he was, in effect, a Gentile when he was saved. There could be no question in Paul’s day concerning the acceptance of the faith of Gentiles as their means of receiving righteousness. To question Gentile salvation in Paul’s day was to bring into question the salvation of Abraham.

4:11-12

“And he received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised, so that he would become the father of all those who believe but have never been circumcised, that they too could have righteousness credited to them. 12 And he is also the father of the circumcised, who are not only circumcised, but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham possessed when he was still uncircumcised.”

Circumcision was only a “sign” (semeion, “mark, a thing that is distinguished from others, points to something”) and a “seal” (sphragis, “impression made by a seal, that by which anything is confirmed, authenticated, a proof”), but does not make it happen. It was to be a reminder of God’s righteousness that Abraham, while uncircumcised, had received by his faith (not his works or any religious rite).

Reflection: How did Paul devalue the “outward” evidences of spiritual benefits or “signs” in Rom 2:28-29?

• How did Abraham become the father of Gentile believers? (v. 12)

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• How did Abraham become the father of believing Jews?

• What are the footsteps of the faith of Abraham?

• What were the implications of these truths to the congregation in Rome, which was made up of Jewish believers and Gentiles?

ABRAHAM WAS NOT JUSTIFIED BY THE LAW (4:13-15)

4:13

“For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would inherit the world was not fulfilled through the law, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.

Not only was Abraham not justified by the rite of circumcision, but he was not made righteous by obeying the law, which chronologically was not given for six hundred years after Abraham lived. He had no knowledge of the law.

Abraham was given the gift of righteousness before circumcision was practiced and before the law was revealed, neither of which had anything to do with the promise of becoming heirs of the world (12:3; 15:6; 18:18; 22:18).

The Abrahamic covenant or promise contained four elements: — The promise of the LAND (Gen 15:18-21) to his descendants, but it would not be possessed until Joshua’s conquest 600 years later.

— The promise of a PEOPLE who would be innumerable (Gen 13:16; 15:5), where Abraham would become the “father of many nations” (Gen 17:5; Rom 4:17) through the believers in his descendant, Jesus Christ.

— The promise of a BLESSING which would benefit the entire world (Gen 12:3), again through one of his descendants, Jesus Christ, who would grant to any follower His righteousness.

— The promise of a REDEEMER, who would be a descendant of Abraham through whom all people groups would be blessed with God’s offer of a paid-for forgiveness and perfect righteousness.

Reflection: What did Abraham understand concerning these promises according to Gal 3:8?

How was it understood that the promise referred to a special descendant according to Gal 3:16?_________________________________________

110 ROMANS 4 How did Abraham understand that a Redeemer was coming according to John 8:56?___________________________________________________

How are believers today, Jews and Gentiles, related to Abraham according to Gal 3:29?__________________________________________________

What are the implications of being a child of the Descendant of Abraham in Rom 8:16-17?________________________________________________

Even though the Jews were the physical descendants of Abraham, who did God consider their real “father” in John 8:44?

• The promise does not refer to just physical descendants but spiritual descendants from Abraham, children of a like-faith. In fact, physical descendants or followers were not the important issue in 1 Cor 3:21-23, where we are all heirs of the world. Do you see an application here?

• The only righteousness that God has ever accepted is the “righteousness of faith.” Since the physical descendants of Abraham could not fulfill the law’s demands, nor could anyone else, the only way any sinner could be made acceptable to God was, and is, by the gracious act of God in response to faith in His promises. Thus, man is freely given God’s righteousness.

Reflection: Can you see the motivation for praise and worship in this truth, clarified as well in these verses?

1 Cor 1:30___________________________________________________ 2 Cor 5:21___________________________________________________

4:14-15

“For if they become heirs by the law, faith is empty and the promise is nullified. 15 For the law brings wrath, because where there is no law there is no transgression either.”

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Hypothetically, if one could become an heir “by the law” (there is no article here – anarthrous- thus refers to any commands or legalistic standard), then “faith is empty” (keno, perfect passive tense:” has been made…” completed action with continual effect – “void, without content, valueless, no effect”), and God’s “promise is nullified” (katargeo, perfect passive tense:” has been made…” completed action with continual effect – “inactive, invalid, inoperative, deprive of force, influence or power, annul”).

If God’s promise can only be received by obedience to the law, which no one, including Abraham, has been able to obey, then the promise is meaningless and mute. What a person believes, which only God can see, has a direct effect on how he stands before God.

• 4:15a The law “brings” wrath (katergazomai, present tense: “continually…”“to accomplish, result in, render one fit for a thing”). It does not cause righteousness, because no one can keep the law perfectly. Adam could not keep one law, how could the Jews keep the 613 commands of Moses, or even the Ten Commandments? The more a person attempts to justify himself by keeping the law, the more judgment he brings against himself because he is unable to be sinless.

Reflection: What is the result of disobeying one command one time in Gal 3:10?

• 4: 15b A general principle: “Where there is no law, there is no transgression.” Thus a person could be committing a sin, but if there is no law prohibiting this action, then it is not considered a “transgression” (parabasis, “going over, violation”).

Reflection: How was this principle applied before Moses in Rom 5:13?

• What is the purpose of the law according to Gal 3:24?________________

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ABRAHAM WAS GIVEN RIGHTEOUSNESS BECAUSE OF GOD’S GRACE (4:16-17)

4:16-17

“For this reason it is by faith so that it may be by grace, with the result that the promise may be certain to all the descendants– not only to those who are under the law, but also to those who have the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.”

The key to understanding God is knowing that He wants to offer His perfect righteousness “by grace”(kata, “according to the standard of”). The only way to access this grace is by faith (not by doing good works or obeying the law).

The power of the gospel of justification is in “grace” which provides God’s righteousness, not in the faith, which merely appropriates what God offers.

Faith is not a “work,” as some suppose, but simply a willingness to trust completely in God’s offer.

• The “result” of such a gracious offer is “that the promise may be certain,” (bebaios, “stable, firm, guaranteed,” “legally enforced, trustworthy,” literally, of “an anchor”). The only way it could be “certain” is if the transaction did not depend on the sinner’s performance, but on the sure promise of an infallible God, whose promises never fail. Reflection: What is the purpose of inspiring the written Word of God according to 1 John 5:13?

• Recipients: “to all the descendants” is carefully defined in two parts: (1) to “those who are of the Law” refers to the early Jewish believers and (2) “to those who are of the faith of Abraham” (who was an uncircumcised pagan when he trusted God’s promise by faith). Therefore, Abraham’s faith is universal, which applies to all mankind, thus Abraham becomes the “father of us all” who believe (v. 17).

Reflection: Why is it that the only way salvation could ever be a “certain” transaction is if it were by faith, not our good deeds?

4:17

“(as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”). He is our father in the presence of God whom he believed– the God who

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makes the dead alive and summons the things that do not yet exist as though they already do.”

Abraham is not just the father of the physical Jewish nation, but primarily, he is the “father of many nations” (Gen 17:5), that is, of any people group which has heard and believed in God’s promises in the same manner that Abraham did before he was circumcised. God promised Abraham that he would bless all the nations, which he did through the preaching of the gospel and believers everywhere who respond with faith in God’s Word. The physical aspects of the promise to Abraham pertain to the physical descendants of Abraham (the Jews, as well as the land), but the spiritual aspect of the promise (being counted as righteous because of one’s faith in God’s promise) is extended to all peoples who have exhibited the same faith in God’s grace for sinners.

• To clarify what Paul is referring to, he gives two qualifications: (1) It is God “who gives life to the dead”—Abraham experienced this when Isaac was born long after Sarah could physically bear a child at 90 (Gen 17:17; Heb 11:11-12) and Abraham was “as good as dead” – sexually dysfunctional at 100 (Gen 21:5; Rom 4:19). Therefore He is an all-powerful God who can be trusted. (2) It is the God who “calls into being that which does not exist.” This is a reference to the creation – “what is seen was not made out of things which are visible” (Heb 11:3) – and to His providential dealings with men to bring all people to hear the good news of Christ Jesus.

Reflection: Why here and in Gen 17:1 would it be so important to emphasize the power and character of God in granting these promises?

ANALYSIS OF ABRAHAM’S FAITH

4:18

“Against hope Abraham believed in hope with the result that he became the father of many nations according to the pronouncement, “so will your descendants be.”

In this portion Paul lists seven characteristics of Abraham’s faith, which result in salvation: First: Abraham believed when human possibility was lost: “against hope” (para with accusative: “contrary to, without regard for”) and “in hope” (epi with dative, emphasizing cause, “on the basis of,” or “from the fact of”).

Abraham “believed” (aorist tense: at one time in the past) in the context

114 ROMANS 4 of hope, which refers to the confidence of a thing happening in spite of the human impossibility. It is not a blind faith or hope-so faith, but a faith based on the clear declaration of the all-powerful God of creation (v. 17) that he would become the “father of many nations” (ethnos, “race, people group,” ethnic people), not just the Jewish nation. In Gen 15:5-6 the Lord took Abraham outside at night to look at the stars saying, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them…So shall your descendants be.” “Then [Abraham] believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.” This is similar to a person realizing the impossibility of being good enough to be accepted by God due to personal sin, yet believing in God’s promises.

4:19

“Without being weak in faith, he considered his own body as dead (because he was about one hundred years old) and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.”

Second: Abraham did not become “weak in faith” (astheneo, aorist tense, “powerless to act”), that is, he did not allow doubt to discourage his belief.

Abraham had been trusting God for 25 years, but evidently had seen no miracles. He had never seen God raise the dead or create something from nothing (4:17), yet Abraham trusted in the character of God to do so. When told to offer up Isaac (Gen 22) he did not hesitate because he believed that God could restore Isaac to life, even if he were killed (Heb 11:17-19). In our case, no matter how big or small our sin debt, we can trust Him to cover it.

Third: Abraham’s own physical limitations or circumstances were not a negative factor or discouragement to his faith. “He considered” (katanoeo, aorist tense: “at one time in the past…” – “to consider attentively”) his natural impotency at 100 years of age, because his faith was in the Creator God who was never limited. Today, we must recognize our physical inability to be perfectly obedient to God’s laws, which only forces us to cling to our Savior by faith.

Fourth: Sarah’s physical limitations at age 90 were no discouragement to Abraham’s faith. Gen 18: 11-14 makes it clear that it was physically impossible for them to bear a child, and they knew it, but the apparent facts did not discourage their faith. This was God’s plan, not Abraham’s. It was God’s responsibility, not Abraham’s. They would take all the steps necessary, but only God could make it happen. Today, whatever the circumstances of one’s

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life, family ties or culture, nothing will impede Him from granting His promise of righteousness.

4:20

“He did not waver in unbelief about the promise of God but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God.” Fifth: Abraham did not “waver” (diakrino, aorist tense: “at any time in the past…”- “to evaluate the difference between things:” in the aorist tense, “as debating an issue, argue, be undecided within oneself, doubt, hesitate,” FRIBERG) … “in unbelief” (apistia, “not believable, impossible to be true”). It is easy to trust God when things are going well and are seen as highly possible, but when it seems impossible to continue, it is easier to distrust and rely on human solutions. Abraham could not understand how God’s promise of an heir would be fulfilled (Gen 15:1-3). Sarah was a woman of faith: “she considered Him faithful who had promised” (Heb 11:11), though she initially laughed at the promise God made to her husband Abraham (Gen 18:12).

Faith often is not easy. Struggling with God’s promises is not doubt, anymore than being tempted is sin in itself. Abraham’s cultural reactions (adopting a servant and having a child with a servant) were human attempts to fulfill God’s promise. Weak faith (especially in the character of God) yields to doubt. Strong faith never doubts God’s character in the midst of testing and impossibilities. It is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). Today, the human efforts of self-affliction, penance, or self-abasement are useless because God will grant feely to the most sinful believer who trusts Him and repents of self-efforts or failures.

Sixth: Abraham’s faith is evident by his “giving glory to God.” To “glorify” (doxa, “good opinion concerning one, magnificence, a manifestation of God’s excellent power”) means to demonstrate the trustworthiness of God’s character. To accomplish this, God often brings His followers into impossible situations that only God can resolve. These are very uncomfortable for us, but when God brings us through them, we know it was His doings and not our ingenuity, thus He is glorified.

Reflection: When tested, how did Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego respond to their impossible test in Dan 3:16-18?

116 ROMANS 4 How did Paul “glorify” God in the impossible situation of his journey to Rome in Acts 27:21-25?

4:21

“He was fully convinced that what God promised he was also able to do.”

Seventh: Abraham was “fully assured” (plerophoreo, aorist tense: “one time past action…” – “cause a thing to be shown, carry through to the end, be fully convinced, to be completely certain”)… “that what God promised he was able to do.” Thus Abraham’s faith was unconditional and without limits.

Whatever God said, he trusted it with all of his heart and life and actions.

This is faith.

RESPONSE TO ABRAHAM’S FAITH

4:22

“So indeed it was credited to Abraham as righteousness.”

When Abraham passed from ignorant unbelief, to knowledgeable confidence in God’s Word, God overlooked his sinfulness and accepted him in perfect righteousness. This is the blessing of Abraham that is available to all men everywhere as they hear His Word. The one who accepts and trusts in the promises of God’s Word is conferred perfect righteousness making him fully acceptable before a holy God. Faith is not a meritorious act, but simply the willingness to trust in God’s provision. At that point God generously and graciously grants His righteousness (2 Cor 5:21) and enjoys fellowship with His new child. This is God’s way of salvation for sinners. Quite amazing!

Reflection: Can your see why salvation is more than just a relationship, but the gifting of His holy righteousness to those willing to trust His Word, which enables us to be acceptable before His holiness? Should this affect the way we live?

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APPLICATION OF ABRAHAM’S FAITH

4:23

“But the statement it was credited to him was not written only for Abraham’s sake, This is not a history lesson: Abraham’s story shows the same principle and faith that can and will save anyone at anytime, anywhere. Just as with Abraham, the believer’s faith is “credited” to him as righteousness.

Reflection: Why does Paul say the OT stories were recorded in sacred texts in Rom 15:4?

4:24

“but also for our sake, to whom it will be credited, those who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.”

The record of Abraham’s faith is important because all men have become acceptable to God on the same basis, in the same manner: “believing.” In Hebrews 11 it was evident that the only ones who have ever been accepted

by God are those who have trusted Him through His Word by faith. No more impossible situation could be imagined than the death and burial of the promised Seed, our Savior, but God’s power was more than sufficient for even this (much greater than the impossible conditions in Sarah’s womb).

Our God is able to fulfill any and all things that He promises. He is worthy of our trust.

Reflection: The question remains: what are we to do about those who have never heard (Rom 10:14)?

4:25

“He was given over because of our transgressions and was raised for the sake of our justification.”

It is not just the power of God to do the impossible (resurrection) that makes Him trustworthy, but his personal sacrifice when He was “delivered up because of our transgression.” His death was no accident, nor was it unjust. No human ever died under more guilt than Jesus Christ. “God made him to be sin for us” (2 Cor 5:21). He was “delivered up” (paradidomi, “give

118 ROMANS 4 over from one’s hand to another”) which was a judicial term, referring to the commitment of a criminal to his punishment or “the consequences of his wrongdoing” (FRIBERG). This is the same verb used in Rom 1:24, 26, 28 to describe God giving people over to their sin, so Christ was “given over” to the darkness of sin and guilt, to pay for all its horrible consequences in one act of God’s wrath against His Son, the Lord Jesus.

• The fact of the resurrection was not just a demonstration of God’s power, but the stamp of absolute approval and acceptance by God of the payment for sins made by Jesus on the cross. No one was ever guiltier of sin than Jesus at that moment, nor deserving of the wrath of God, because He was “made sin,” our sin, thus His death paid in full sin’s entire penalty for all mankind. The fact that God raised Him from the dead to sit on the right hand of the Father shouts to the entire world that the Father accepted the Son’s payment for all sins (Rom 1:4) and is willing to grant full “justification” to all who believe in the promise of salvation.

Reflection: How does this chapter expand the concept of the conclusion of chapter 3 regarding this generous salvation (see 3:24)?

• Because Christ is a living Savior he can credit to any sinner’s eternal account His own righteousness for every person who hears and responds by faith in Him and His Word.

CHAP Y T I R U C E S N E O H I T T A V L A OF S

“Not only are there immediate blessings to this gracious salvation, but blessings that accompany the believer throughout his life.�

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f salvation cannot be earned by being good enough, how does a person know for certain that when he dies, he will go to heaven? The primary reason that God has revealed to us His will was so that man could “know that you have eternal life” (1 Jn 5:12). This assurance of salvation is sometimes referred to as a “helmet” (Eph 6:17; 1 Thess 5:8) to protect the believer from the blows of doubt and uncertainty in his mind concerning his relationship with God. In Chapter 4 Paul established God’s method of justifying sinful mankind. We saw an OT illustration of this method to show that it is not new, but is the only way sinners have ever been able to be acceptable to Him. Not only are there immediate blessings to this gracious salvation, but blessings that accompany the believer throughout his life.

JUSTIFICATION IS PROVIDED TO BE ENJOYED (5:1-11) Paul will define six reasons why our salvation is so great and why we should rejoice in it always (see Phil 3:1; 4:4) FIRST: BELIEVER’S PEACE WITH GOD.

5:1

“Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” “Therefore” (oun, conjunction, “something follows from another necessarily, drawing a conclusion,” THAYER) ties chapter 4 and 5 into a continuous thought introducing the implications of the salvation of full justification (chapters 3-4). The premise or basis of the blessings is that “we have been declared righteous by faith” (dikaioo, emphatic position, aorist passive participle: “At one time in the past someone did something to us” - “to declare and treat us as righteous; acquitted of a charge or reproach; to declare guiltless one accused,” THAYER). As a consequence, we “have peace with God” (pros, “to show motion towards a person, or position and state looking toward a thing,” THAYER). This is not a feeling, but a state of peace between the repugnant sinner and a holy God. Instead of a state of enmity, rejection, hostility and antagonism there is a declared “peace” because all conflicts have been resolved on the cross of Christ. Most people are unaware of this conflict because they think they are pretty good and have done little

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or no wrong (a typical concept of the unsaved in 1 Jn 1:8, 10). Two things are necessary for a peace treaty: a successful mediator and an acceptable satisfaction of all conflicts.

Reflection: How do these verses show God’s wisdom in creating a peaceful resolution to the conflict between sinfulness and holiness?

1 Tim 2:5-6 __________________________________________________

Eph 2:13-18 _________________________________________________

Col 1:19-22 __________________________________________________ • This peace is God’s doing, something we can depend upon. We can rest in the fact that Christ’s work was to secure our peace with a Holy God, thus this peace cannot be lost or ever changed. We can only enjoy it. The fear of rejection by God is forever gone. Hallelujah!

Reflection: How does Romans 8:38-39 help explain the “peace of God?”

SECOND: BELIEVER’S STANDING IN GRACE

5:2

“through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of God’s glory.”

Let’s look at the unbeliever’s standing before God. What is the description of the unbeliever before God in Isaiah 59:2?

• God is totally inaccessible to the unbeliever, except to hear his repentant cry.

Otherwise he is ignored. What a difference for the believer! The promise of an “access” (prosagoge, “the act of bringing to, approach;” “whereby we are acceptable to him and have assurance that he is favorably disposed toward him,” STRONG) is provided to us because Jesus has justified us, providing an open access to God’s grace for all those He has declared as (and will forever treat as) righteous.

Reflection: What are the means and the importance of this access in

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Ephesians 2:18 and 3:12?

• On the basis of his faith, the believer can “stand” (histemi, perfect tense: completed action with permanent continuous effect –“standing firm, fixed and immovable”) accepted in the presence of God. We are not saved by grace and then made secure by human effort. His grace is not fickle or conditional. It would make no sense for God to begin by grace then be unwilling or unable to preserve or secure us by grace.

Reflection: How do these verses reaffirm the permanence of being able to stand by His grace?

Phil 1:6 _____________________________________________________ Jude 24 _____________________________________________________ Gal 3:3 _____________________________________________________ 2 Tim 1:12 ___________________________________________________

• The purpose and benefit of a secure salvation is to free men from sin, not to free them to do sin: “Having been freed from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness” (Rom 6:18). Any “professing” Christian who continues unchanged by continually practicing his old sin life, evidently made an insincere profession. Even true believers are not perfect, but their new nature hates sin and loves God, resulting in new desires to please God through obedience to His Word. The next several chapters deal with this change.

Reflection: How did John describe those who were not changed by God’s grace?

1 John 2:19 __________________________________________________ 1 John 3:9-10 ________________________________________________ • When salvation is understood from the biblical revelation, the believer can’t help but “rejoice” with all his soul (kauchaomai, present tense: “continuously” – “attitude of confidence, a boasting in or about, expressing a high degree of confidence”). The “hope of God’s glory” refers to the promise that believers

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will share in Christ’s future glory and manifestation. Notice in these verses how the believer anticipates the future coming of Christ: Col 3:4 _____________________________________________________ Heb 2:10 ____________________________________________________ Phil 3:20-21 _________________________________________________

THIRD: REJOICING IN A SHARED HOPE IN GLORY

5:3-4

“Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance, character, and character, hope.”

Ironically, the believer can especially “rejoice” (same word as above in present tense: “continuously…”) in “suffering” (thlipsis, “pressing together, pressure,” as squeezing olives in a press to extract the oil; metaphor: “affliction, tribulation, distress, straits”), because there is a direct relation between the present suffering for Christ and the future glory. This is not a reference to the human suffering common to all men due to sickness, sins or mistakes, but the consequences of choosing to so identify with Christ and His purpose that persecution is inevitable. See 2 Tim 3:12.

Reflection: What was the Apostle’s attitude toward suffering for Christ in these verses?

2 Cor 4:17 ___________________________________________________ Rom 8:18 ___________________________________________________ 1 Pet 4:19 ___________________________________________________

• We can rejoice in suffering, not only because of promised future blessings, but also because of what it “produces” (katergazomai, present tense: “continuously…”-“accomplish, achieve, brings about results”) in the present, namely, “endurance” or “patience” (hupomone, “remain under, continue under difficult circumstances,” LOUW-NIDA). This is a high value in God’s

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providential dealings with believers.

Reflection: Why did James declare that learning “endurance” was so important in James 1:3-4?

• What is the source of this endurance in Romans 15:4?

• Suffering for Christ is a necessary schoolmaster also to teach “character” (dokime, “approved character, experience of a testing ordeal, and proof of genuineness”). It is used of testing silver and gold to demonstrate their purity.

Reflection: How was Paul approved or accepted as a “minister” or “servant” of God in 2 Cor 6:4?

• The proven character produces “hope” (elpis, “expectation of good”). How does suffering generate hope in 2 Cor 1:7?

5:5a

“And hope does not disappoint,” The first phrase of 5:5 completes the thought of 5:4, namely, passing through suffering for Christ will never lose its recompense or ever be forgotten by our Lord, even if He is the only one who sees it. “Disappoint” (kataischunei, “dishonor, humiliate”) has the idea of never being forgotten.

Reflection: How did Jesus express this confidence in Luke 6:22-23?

FOURTH: SHARING IN THE DIVINE LOVE OF GOD FOR OTHERS THROUGH THE SPIRIT

5:5b

“because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Paul began speaking of faith, then spoke of hope and now explains love, the trilogy of Christian character (1 Thes 1:3; 5:8). This is not the love of God for

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us, but the character of God’s love being implanted in us by the Spirit. The first aspect of the fruit of the Spirit is “love” (Gal 5:22). In the Bible “love” is technically not an emotion, but an unselfish attitude toward others. The Spirit generates in us a concern for others that results in sacrificial actions for their benefit, just as it did in Jesus.

In Greek romantic love is eros, which does not appear in the NT. This “love” is agape (“good will, benevolence”), also called the “self-sacrificing love” from Eph 5:25. When we begin to care about sharing the gospel story with those who have never heard, family and strangers, neighbors and unreached people groups around the globe, we are sensing the direction that the love of God is flowing and how it wants to take us with Him (John 3:16). It is an attitude and commitment to benefit others without selfish interest.

This selfless love is the key to every healthy relationship, which the Spirit greatly facilitates.

Reflection: How does the comparison of our “walk in love” with Christ’s love in Eph 5:2 work out in practical actions?

• The Holy Spirit “was given” (didomi, aorist passive: a one-time past action done to us, “give over, deliver, to put into the heart”) at the moment Christ was received into the believer’s life. In order to grasp the power of this indwelling Spirit in every believer, Paul wrote in Col 2:9-10NAS, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete…”

The giving of the Spirit in every believer at the moment of his salvation gives the power of all that there is of God, the entire Godhead, to transform the new believer to be like Christ.

Reflection: Do you see any relationship between the powerful presence of God in our lives and the call to love people in these verses?

2 Tim 1:7-8 __________________________________________________ 1 Peter 1:22 _________________________________________________ 1 John 3:16 __________________________________________________

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EXPLANATION OF CHRIST’S LOVE AS OUR MODEL

5:6

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”

The love that has been fused into our being by the Spirit is the same love that motivated Jesus to give His life for others, the greatest demonstration of love in human history. The target of His love was the “helpless” (asthenes, “weak, feeble”). These are the ones who are incapable of being acceptable to God, in fact, this is the group called the “ungodly” (asebes, “destitute of reverential awe towards God, impious”). MacArthur writes, “When we were powerless to escape from our sin, powerless to escape death, powerless to resist Satan, and powerless to please Him in any way, God amazingly sent His Son to die on our behalf.”

Reflection: How are we expected to manifest this kind of love?

5:7

“(For rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person perhaps someone might possibly dare to die.)”

Natural love is different from this God-like love. Natural love is an attraction to its object and the person generally expects to be loved in return. We make a mistake to think that God’s love is similar to human love, that is, that it depends on how good we are or how much we love Him. Even deceiving tax collectors can love humanly (Matt 5:46).

Reflection: How does Christ expect us to be different from the “unsaved”?

5:8

“But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Christ’s love is unmerited and given to totally undeserving “sinners” (hamartolos, “devoted to sin, pre-eminently sinful, wicked”). He “demonstrates” His love (sunistao, present tense: “continuously or habitually…” – “to bring

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or band together, to teach by combining and comparing, to exhibit”). God despises every sinful thought or deed, but loves the sinner, even in the midst of his sins. His sin against Christ does not change Christ’s commitment to continue to demonstrate His love towards all sinners.

Only at death does a sinner cease to be loved by God. At that moment, the sinner is beyond the reach of God’s love. If man chooses to live without God in this life, God will grant him that wish for eternity. This is why the time for us to demonstrate the love of God in us is now. How can we do it?

FIFTH: THE CERTAINTY OF BEING DELIVERED FROM GOD’S JUDGMENT.

5:9

“Much more then, because we have now been declared righteous by his blood, we will be saved through him from God’s wrath.”

The verse opens with an exaggerated conclusion, “much more then” (mallon, comparative adverb, “to an even greater degree”). The following argument that the believer is eternally bonded to Christ in an unbreakable union is conclusive. The emphasis is on “now” (nun, “at the present time,” not now meaning during the present age, which is another word) as a consequence of a past action: “have been declared righteous by his blood” (dikaioo, aorist passive past tense, i.e., someone else completes the action to the recipient, “to render righteous, to declare, pronounce, one to be just, righteous”). This is the immediate response of God to the repentant sinner. This complete transaction of our sins exchanged for Christ’s righteousness assures that all believers will be “saved from the wrath of God.” The assurance is based on understanding the promises of God and trusting completely in them.

Reflection: What are the unbelieving people considered in these verses?

Eph 2:3 _____________________________________________________ John 3:18 ___________________________________________________ 1 Thess 5:9 __________________________________________________

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5:10

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, since we have been reconciled, will we be saved by his life?”

The transition from “children of wrath” “already condemned” to having been “reconciled” (katallasso, aorist passive tense: past tense instantaneous action, “to change, exchange, as coins for others of equal value, thus to equalize others at variance, to return into favor with,” THAYER). If the death of the Savior has secured our rescue, then “much more” (see 5:9) “we [for certain] shall be saved by his life.” If His death in the past resulted in full “reconciliation” or acceptance before God, then His life will keep us reconciled forever. It is not just His past action that saved us, but His present actions eliminate all uncertainty and doubt about His being able to fulfill His promise.

If His grace covers the sins of even His enemies, who could doubt that it will cover the sins of His children?

Reflection: Who are the kind of people reconciled by God in Col 1:21?

SIXTH: THE BOND OF REJOICING FOR THIS GRACIOUS REDEMPTION

5:11

“Not only this, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.”

The final reason that bonds the believer to Christ is the “rejoicing” in God (kauchaomai, present tense: “continuously…” – “to speak loud, boast of a thing, take pride in”). This is not a pride in one’s self, but the result of understanding our Sovereign God’s perfect plan to make us perfectly acceptable for all eternity. Each sinner who hears and believes the offer of “reconciliation” (katallage, “restore to favor, reestablishing of personal relations, change from enmity to friendship,” FRIBERG) will receive this incredible gift.

Confidence in His guaranteed promises is great cause for pride in our God, whose wisdom and sacrificing love gives us a reason for eternal rejoicing.

Reflection: What do we “glory in” or “rejoice in” and what should we not glory in?

Eph 2:9 _____________________________________________________

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Gal 6:14 ____________________________________________________

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD CONTRASTED (5:12-21) In these early chapters of Romans Paul has been explaining the implications of two major doctrines: universal sin and depravity, both of which have brought the condemnation of mankind (1:18—3:20). Following that, he gives us the revelation of Christ’s vicarious death on the cross, providing a just salvation for all who hear and come to God through faith in Christ’s sacrifice (3:21-5:11). The objective is to show how one person’s actions affect many others. This becomes a reasonable argument for faith in the wisdom of God’s provision for the sinfulness of man.

Paul clarifies this teaching by making contrasts between (1) Adam’s reign of death and Christ’s reign of life (vs. 12-14); between condemnation and justification (vs. 16); between disobedience and obedience (vs. 19); between law and grace (vs. 20); between sin and righteousness (vs. 21); and between death and life (vs. 21). Three important doctrinal truths are elaborated in this passage: (1) by one disobedience of one man all the world has been made guilty of sin; (2) the consequence of Adam’s original sin is imputed to every human being; and (3) Adam, in essence, was our official representative when he decided to disobey God.

5:12

“So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned–“ The connective “so then” ties this passage with the preceding argument that the believer has been reconciled to God by the sacrifice of Christ (vv.

8-11). Paul begins with a comparative analogy; “just as,” between Christ and Adam, each of whom had a vast effect on mankind. He will not return to this comparison until 5:15. Three arguments are presented in this verse.

1. “Sin entered the world through one man:” Adam did not originate sin, but he was the means whereby sin came into the human realm. Sin originated with Satan who “has sinned from the beginning” (1 Jn 3:8) of creation, which was before Adam was created. The verb “entered” (eiserchomai, aorist: at

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one time in the past, “entered into, began to be in”) is talking about a time after his creation when God gave Adam one simple prohibition, and the consequence of disobedience was severe: death in every sense (spiritual and physical) to Adam, all his descendants and all creation.

Reflection: If one sin caused all this judgment, how great must be God’s hatred for sin?

Adam was held responsible, not Eve, because he was created first and he was given the direct command. He was given headship over Eve and could insist on their mutual obedience to God rather than let her lead him into disobedience.

Reflection: What could Adam have done?

Furthermore, when Adam sinned the first time, his status of being innocent changed to guilty and his nature changed forever to a sinful lust for the prohibited, which was passed on to his descendants. As a consequence, when the first man sinned, in essence all his descendants sinned as they were polluted with his new depraved nature.

Reflection: Would the common view that Adam and Eve were not actual historical people affect the doctrine of sin?

How did Adam affect all mankind in 1 Cor 15:22?_____________________

2. “And death [entered world] through sin:” God had warned that “in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die” (Gen 2:17). The implication of this means that Adam was not created as a mortal being (subject to death), but became such by violating God’s command. The fear of God means that we recognize that God will do exactly what He says. Satan tempted Eve by getting her to believe that God would not do what He said. Adam and Eve did not die physically “in the day” that they disobeyed, but they died spiritually and remained dead spiritually until they came to trust in God’s mercy.

Reflection: If in death, the soul is separated from the body and thus the body dies, how does Isa 59:2 describe the spiritual death of a person?

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Thus every human is now subject to death, because he is by nature a sinner.

How do these verses describe the sinful nature of man and its consequences?

Matt 15:19 ___________________________________________________ Eph 2:1-2 ___________________________________________________ Eph 4:18 ____________________________________________________ Rev 21:8 ____________________________________________________

3. “Death spread to all people because all have sinned:” The key part of Paul’s argument is the proof that all mankind, Adam’s descendents, were infected by sin through an inherited sinful nature. Death “spread” (dierchomai, aorist: at one time in the past, “pass throughout”) as a disease, which no one can avoid. The obvious proof of this consequence is the undeniable fact that all men die. The verb “sinned” (hamartano, aorist tense: “at one time in the past” – “to miss the mark, wander from God’s law”) indicates that at one point all men sinned. Everything points to the single sin of Adam (all verbs are aorist: a onetime past act) because all mankind came from his descendents. No one is taught to sin or act selfishly; they are born with this tendency.

• Some might argue that it is not fair that everyone is made a sinner without their choice, but neither is it “fair” that the Son of God would suffer the full penalty of sin instead of everyone throughout the history of the world. It would have been fair to eliminate Adam and Eve immediately and not let them procreate. However, the facts are that God created man with a free will to, by faith, choose a relationship with Him over the passing pleasure of disobedience.

Reflection: How are trust and obedience related with Adam and Eve, as well as in our choices?

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5:13-15 PAUL EXPLAINS THE PRINCIPLE OF UNIVERSAL SIN

5:13

“for before the law was given, sin was in the world, but there is no accounting for sin when there is no law.”

Paul continues this explanation: “For” (gar, “a conjunction to express cause, inference or continuation of an explanation”) introduces this additional evidence. Because the sin nature was inherited seminally from Adam, its manifestation by mankind’s sinful actions only became worse with passing generations (see Gen 6:5-7, 11-13). The relationship between sin and death made the presence of sin self-evident, even without the law, since everyone died. However, it was not a direct “transgression” since there was no revealed command or law from God to disobey. It was not the “ accounting” (ellogeo, present tense: “continuously…”- “impute, charged, or to keep a record of something”) of any specific disobedient sin that condemned mankind, but rather, the natural tendency of man to ignore God, violate their conscience, and live selfishly (Rom 1:19-32).

Not only did death make sin to be evident, eventually God would reveal the law (BC 1400) to make sin an undeniable reality. What would eventually become the purpose of the law in Rom 5:20?

5:14

“Yet death reigned from Adam until Moses even over those who did not sin in the same way that Adam (who is a type of the coming one) transgressed.”

The self-evident proof of sin’s existence is the universal death of all people throughout history. The phrase “in the same way that Adam” refers to a specific command from God that was disobeyed. Adam and Eve were evicted from the garden so they had no more access to the forbidden fruit, nor did any of their descendants. Thus no one could sin as did Adam, but regardless all men died because of their sin nature. The reason for the giving of the law was to make undeniable that all men are sinners needing a Savior.

Reflection: How is this purpose evident in these verses?

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Gal 3:24 ____________________________________________________ Gal 3:10 ____________________________________________________

• Adam is seen as a “type”of the “coming one” or Christ. Paul will begin a series of comparisons between Adam and Christ as the heads of human beings; however, the comparison is more a contrast than a comparison.

The contrast between Adam and Christ has only one similitude: they each were one person who committed one act, affecting the whole race. By Adam’s one act of disobedience he brought sin to all men, so by Christ’s one act of self-sacrifice he made salvation freely available to all mankind.

FIRST: CONTRAST IN ULTIMATE CONSEQUENCE

5:15

“But the gracious gift is not like the transgression. For if the many died through the transgression of the one man, how much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ multiply to the many!”

Contrasts the “free gift” (charisma, “a gift freely and graciously given, grace gift”) of Christ and the “transgression” (paraptoma, “false step, trespass, deviation”) of Adam. The former implies a gift that is given without any human merit or worthiness, whereas the latter, transgression, implies specific negative merit or action.

• This is not a comparison of equal affects but rather “how much more” implies great disproportion. Christ’s act of redemption had immeasurably greater effect on men than Adam’s act of condemnation. It was not just the restoration of sinful man back to the original innocence of Adam through forgiveness and cleansing, but also in addition the incredible provision to share in the perfect righteousness and glory of God. The grace of God is much greater than the one original sin of Adam, because it is greater than all the total sins that men have ever or will ever commit.

• “Many” (pollous, a positive degree of comparison, “many, numerous, great”)

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has two apparent meanings in the passage: in the first it is universal throughout humanity (“many” as a lot of people) ; in the second, it is “to” (eis, “to”; denotes purpose and sometimes results; “extension toward a special goal,” LOUW-NIDA) “the many.” Though the two words are the same, the second is universally possible as “a special goal” or provision, but contingent upon the individual believer’s response in faith. Paul is not talking about a limited or restricted number in either case. They both mean “a lot of people.” The word “multiply” ( perisseuo, “be more than enough, be extremely rich or overflowing; be over and above a certain measure”) suggests that this grace is ample for every human being. The first group is entered by the physical birth and the second group is universally offered and entered by personal faith.

Reflection: How universal are the following descriptions of Christ’s gracious offer?

2 Cor 5:19 ___________________________________________________

2 Cor 5:21 ___________________________________________________

Heb 2:9 _____________________________________________________

SECOND: CONTRAST IN EXTENt

5:16

“And the gift is not like the one who sinned. For judgment, resulting from the one transgression, led to condemnation, but the gracious gift from the many failures led to justification.”

This second comparison is not the sin of Adam, but the “one who sinned,” putting the emphasis on the sinner. It was one man, at one time, by one sin, who brought “condemnation” (katakrima, “a legal technical term for the result of judging, including both the sentence and its execution, sentence of doom”) of death to all. This is a clear statement showing how much God hates sin, even one sin. It is not that this is the worst sin ever committed. Any sin would have had the same result. It was the only command to Adam and Eve, giving them the opportunity to demonstrate their love for and trust in their Creator God, but they chose to distrust and disobey. This was the only

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sin they could commit, since they only had one command.

• However, the gift refers to one man, at one time satisfying the justice against “many failures” (paraptoma, “deviation from living according to what has been revealed as the right way to live, false step”). The gift of God’s grace is not like the judgment from one sin, but is the only solution to the many transgressions resulting in “justification” (dikioma, “that which has been deemed right so as to have the force of law; a favorable judgment by which [God] acquits men and declares them acceptable to Him”).

• As in 5:15 the “many” is not used to imply a limited number, but rather a huge number of failures for which the grace of God is more than sufficient.

• Just as it was God’s decision to condemn all sinners, exactly as He had warned, so now it is His decision to grant His perfect righteousness to all believers. As sure as the first decision was fulfilled exactly as He said: all men have died. So His second decision to justify the sinner freely can be as counted on to be true. MacArthur writes, “Despite the fact that God hates sin so much that any one sin could damn the human race, His loving grace toward man is so great that He provides not only for the redemption of one man from sin but for the redemption of all men from all sins.” How does 2 Cor 5:19 reconfirm this truth?

THIRD: CONTRAST IN RESULTS FROM ONE MAN

5:17

“For if, by the transgression of the one man, death reigned through the one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ!”

Paul begins with the already established truth: one sin from one man, Adam, brought death to all men (vs. 12—14). “If” (ei, a conditional particle, “if , since” – when used with the indicative tense it expresses “a condition of fact regarded as true or settled,” FRIBERG) should be translated ,“since” Adam’s sin brought death to all men. Adam and Eve distrusted God’s character and His word, believing the lies of Satan that they would become like God, but discovered that their sin made them more like Satan. They were condemned

by God, who still loved them, but now could not accept them. The only hope

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for man was that the Creator God would maintain His just character by punishing Another for man’s sins.

• The transmission of righteousness is not by heredity, birth (as the sin nature is transmitted) or merit (since they are all guilty this is impossible), but people must “receive” His gift (lambano, present tense, “to take, lay hold of, take to one’s self”) . This incredible offer of Christ’s amazing grace is not automatic but must be personally understood, trusted in, and received individually.

Reflection: If the blessing of God can only be received, then what do these verses teach that must be received by faith?

Gal 3:14; 4:5 _________________________________________________ Heb 9:15 ____________________________________________________ Acts 10:43 ___________________________________________________ Acts 26:18 ___________________________________________________ John 1:12 ___________________________________________________

• God’s offer to sinful man is a chance to be transferred from the reign of death to the reign of life by receiving two things: (1) abundance of grace and (2) the gift of righteousness. The fact that these must be consciously “received” by faith means that they cannot be merited. Since all men are sinful, we merit condemnation. Man’s only hope is that God would have an “abundance of grace” (“undeserved favor of acceptance despite unworthiness”) and the “gift of righteousness.” Since we cannot be righteous in our own effort, acceptable righteousness must be received as a “gift” (dorea, “free gift, benefit; in the NT used only of spiritual and supernatural gifts that are freely given by God to believers, including eternal life (Jn 4:10), the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38), righteousness, i.e. state of being put right with God (Rom 5:17) and enabling grace for appointed ministry (Eph 3:7),” FRIBERG). What is the nature of this “righteousness” in 2 Cor 5:21?

• Once the sinner receives these gifts he will “reign in life” (basileuo, present tense: “continuously, perpetually…” exercise kingly power”) as surely as before, he reigned in death. Now the believer is a “new creature” (2 Cor 5:17) indwelt with power over sin and the new nature of perfect righteousness.

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Compare these passages and describe the practical application of this truth: Rom 6:17-18 _________________________________________________ Eph 4:22 ____________________________________________________ Phil 1:6 _____________________________________________________

FOURTH: CONTRAST IN ONE SINGLE ACTION (5:18-19)

518-19

“Consequently, just as condemnation for all people came through one transgression, so too through the one righteous act came righteousness leading to life for all people.

The one act of Adam’s disobedience is contrasted with the one global act of Christ’s obedience as to their impact on mankind. Adam’s disobedience, one “transgression” (paraptoma, “to fall beside or deviation from truth and uprightness”) resulted in universal “condemnation” (katakrima, “sentence of damnation”). It did not take a multitude of sins to condemn a sinner: just one is sufficient to be separated from God forever; likewise, it was one righteous act of Christ (not a perpetual sacrifice as the Roman Catholics teach) on the cross, the Just or Perfect One, accepting the wrath of God against all the sins of the world as payment for all sin. Christ’s single act made available “righteousness” to “all people.”

Since the effect of Christ’s single act of self-sacrifice must be personally received as a gift, this righteousness is dependent upon an act of faith on the part of any sinner to trust exclusively in His righteousness for acceptance before God. • In vs. 18 “all” people refers to the universal impact on all men, which is parallel to the “many” in v. 19. In each verse the second group is universally offered, but must be individually “received” (5:17). The phrase “leading to life” (eis, “denotes a specific goal, the direction of an action to an intended end,” FRIBERG). This is not a universalism whereby all men are automatically saved, but a universal offering that must be personally “received” or trusted to be granted.

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Reflection: How is this individual acceptance evident in these passages?

Rom 1:16-17 _________________________________________________ Rom 3:22, 28 ________________________________________________ Rom 4:5, 13 _________________________________________________

5:19

“For just as through the disobedience of the one man many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man many will be made righteous.”

A reiteration of the effect of a single act with an addition of a verb, “many were made sinners” (kathistemi, aorist tense: “one time in the past…” – “constitute, declare, render, cause to be”). Adam’s disobedience caused him and his descendents to be rendered or made sinners permanently. In the same way, but in the opposite transformation, Christ’s obedience caused those who believe to be “made” righteous permanently. How do these verses imply or state the act of obedience of Christ?

John 4:34 ___________________________________________________ John 6:38 ___________________________________________________ Matt 26:39, 42 ________________________________________________

• Anyone who follows Adam’s act will become like Adam. Anyone who follows Christ’s act of obedience will become like Christ. Not only is the believer declared righteous (justification). He is “made righteous” (“caused to be”).

His soul is righteous before God and he has a desire to be righteous. The seed of the Spirit is planted within him and will bring forth fruit, even in a sinful flesh.

Reflection: How would you explain the concept of the “fruit of the Spirit?”

(Gal 5:22-23).

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FIFTH: CONTRAST IN THE INCREASE OF SIN AND GRACE (5:20-21)

5:20

“Now the law came in so that the transgression may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more, How far does the comparison of these two acts extend? Adam’s sin created a sin nature that progressively “increased” in sinfulness, but men became so accustomed to sin that it did not seem so bad to them. God would eventually reveal the “Law” (especially the Pentateuch – first five books—and specifically the Ten Commandments) for the purpose of making sin to be increasingly evident. As the conscience becomes seared and hardened it loses its sensitivity to sin. This seems like such a minor an infraction to humans, but to God, it was catastrophic, demanding an eternal separation from Him. Unbelievers will join Satan and his fallen angels in a place prepared for them called hell.

Reflection: Do we view sins differently? If we do not do the “bad” sins, are we okay with God? A true perspective of the holiness of God is beyond our comprehension. He is so holy that the only way God could ever accept a sinner was to make Himself guilty of all mankind’s repugnant sins, accepting the just wrath of a holy God, concluding with the Father’s acceptance of His sacrifice. This, too, is far beyond any human comprehension. We know the facts, but the feelings endured by Christ, actual extent of the wrath and suffering of the Father and Son, and full motivations can only be imagined. What love is this? When the term “law” is used, it might be helpful to think of the Ten Commandments although “law” has a much broader meaning.

Reflection: What is the purpose of the Law in Gal 3:24? What does the Law teach us?

• It must be clarified that the Law was never a means of attaining or meriting salvation. Since no one, except Jesus, has ever been able to fully obey the Law, it would be impossible to be worthy of salvation by attempting to obey them. The “law came” (pareiserchomai, “aorist tense: “at one time in the past…” – “came in secretly or by stealth, creep in”) “so that the transgression may increase.” God is not trying to make men righteous by obeying the law.

He had to reveal to our conscious minds that we are condemned by our own sins (whatever the level of sin might be).

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Reflection: How much disobedience to the law is necessary to be condemned according to James 2:10? What is the similarity with Adam’s sin?

• Six hundred years before the giving of the Law God had set the precedence of His acceptance of a sinner when he trusted in Him without attempting to be good enough. Abraham believed God and was declared just by God, and years later, was circumcised centuries before the giving of the Law (Rom 4:1-13). Centuries later, disobedience to the law of Moses never damned a soul to hell, and obedience to the law never brought salvation to a sinner.

The law was given to make sin self-evident. Men are so wicked that when they hear that something is prohibited, they are highly motivated to experience it. How ironic that God gives the Law to man so he will recognize his guilt, only to find himself motivated to sin all the more, or to think in his pride that he is obeying “well enough” (that is, his “good” is more than his “bad”).

His depraved nature rebels against all authority and generates resentment against any restriction or imposition.

• No matter how much man has sinned or will sin, the grace of God and the efficacy of the sacrifice on the cross “multiplied” much more (huperperisseuo, aorist tense: “at one time in the past” – “abound beyond measure, overflow;” the hyper- prefix gives the extreme capability). God’s grace and sin-payment is more than sufficient for both Adam’s original sin, as well as all the sins of mankind, past, present and future.

5:21

“so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The final verse is introduced with “so that” (hina, a conjunction introducing a purpose, aim or goal, “in order that…”). This verse makes reference to the double contrast between sin and righteousness and death and life. As soon as sin entered the universe it has reigned bringing both physical and spiritual death. However, sin has been dethroned through the sacrifice of Christ who now rules in its place. Death reigns in everyone born from Adam, but now when Christ comes into a life “grace will reign” instead. Notice the reign of grace is “through righteousness to eternal life.” The access to this new reign

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is through righteousness, not ours because we are all guilty of sin, but the righteousness of Christ, which is freely given to us who believe and receive (5:17). This is not a universalism because the access to His grace is through receiving His righteousness by faith.

Reflection: What is the means whereby we have access to this grace (and thus His righteousness) in Eph. 2:8-9?

Reflection: It is a worthwhile question to say, “Why did God allow sin to enter into the world?” Perhaps the following questions will help you see some answers?

• Would God have received more glory had man not been allowed to sin?

• Would man have come to understand his own nature and the nature of God had Adam not sinned?

• Would man have received the great blessings from God had Adam never sinned?

• Are we better off with our life in Christ or would it have been the same if Adam had never sinned? What are the things that Adam could never have become, but we have?