Beholden to No One
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So at this point, we've covered the first 2 chapters of Romans, and I'd think you'd agree that much has been covered.
Paul, so far has elevated the Gospel of Christ...
...saying that it is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe, Jew and Greek.
The way he approaches relaying this Good News...
...is to first describe the bad news.
The bad news being that the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men...
...who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
Paul laid out for us the anatomy of sin.
How sin disorders our worship (we turn from God and seek his creation)
How it disorders our beliefs (our thinking becomes futile)
How sin disorders our desires...
...which leads to a disordering of our behaviors.
Paul highlights this point by laying out before us the sin of sexual immorality (specifically homosexuality, BUT heterosexual sin as well).
Paul here, pointing to the pagan lifestyles of the gentiles.
And AS he's condemning this sin, before he can finish...hearing his Jewish listeners jumping on the bandwagon...
He then points his finger at them...
And says - you who judge others for disobeying the law, while disobeying the law yourselves...
...bring condemnation upon yourselves… WHY?
...FOR GOD SHOWS NO PARTIALITY
Paul then walked thru stripping away all of the external characteristics that a Jew might hold up to God as justification for their soul.
Last week we saw Paul say that circumcision and possession of the law don’t matter to God as much as obedience.
That Gentiles who are obedient to the law written on their hearts...
...will be more highly regarded than circumcised Jews who possess the law but do not obey it.
That circumcision was a sign that was meant to signify faith.
That without the obedience of faith, the sign of circumcision becomes meaningless...when it points to something that is not real.
Remember the trees we talked about:
Apple trees in the field, all with a giant "G" carved into their trunks...signifying that God had made them alive!
And we go and taste an apple off one of these trees, and we see the root system drawing life from God and we know that it's real...
...the sign of the "G" means something....it signifies something real.
But then we see another tree...
...and we go and try to taste an apple...
...and we realize that the apple is fake.
It's plastic.
And we look down and see THAT THIS TREE - it doesn't have a root system.
It has the sign of the "G", but there's no life there...
The sign is meaningless...it's of no value.
Paul's trying to explain that what God looks at is the heart.
He cares about the heart.
IMPLICATION BEING - - What does your heart say about God?
This is the question that Paul wants to resignate in the hearts of his readers...especially the ethnic Jews.
And Paul, as he always does...is going to anticipate the next questions that would be posed to him.
So if all God really cares about is the heart, why even bother with the external?
Is there any value in circumcision?
And if Gentiles can please God through obedience to a law of their own, is there even any value in being a Jew?
These questions here form the framework of Paul's response in Chapter 3.
1 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision?
2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.
3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?
4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.”
5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.)
6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world?
7 But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner?
8 And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.
Paul begins chapter 3 by asking some questions that would have been posed by the Jews at that time.
1 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision?
It would seem that Paul's response to this question, at this point, would be...
...absolutely nothing!
Based on what we've heard from Paul the past couple of weeks, it would seem that there is NO advantage AT ALL to being a Jew.
No value in circumcision...
...and this would have completely rattled the first century Jew.
If all of the most revered pastors that we listen to today...
...if all of them came out today and announced.
"We've concluded thru our study of the Scripture, that Christianity is not the only way to God...and we're all unified in this"...
We would all be like - "WHAT???????????????"
This is the kind of reaction that the first century Jew would have had to Paul's teaching in chapter 2 of Romans.
And based on what Paul said in chapter 2 regarding the Jew, it seems that his answer to these questions in verse 1 of chapter 3 would have been:
Absolutely nothing!
But what does Paul say here?
He starts out verse 2 by saying:
2 Much in every way...
Does this seem odd?
In chapter 2 Paul basically dismantled Judiasm...
....and now in chapter 3 he starts out by saying there are advantages to being a Jew?
Is Paul confused?
what's he doing?
Paul's point in chapter 2 was not to destroy Judaism...
...his goal was not to toss it out the window....and declare that it was pointless.
His goal in chapter 2 was to level the playing field....between Jew and Greek.
To say that all mankind is under impending judgment for sin...
...and share the same need for reconciliation with God.
And so here in verse 2 Paul says - There's tons of reasons...tons of advantages...but what does Paul do...
...he only lists one advantage...though this one be equivalent to all of them.
2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.
SLIDE: God; Beholden to No One: Teaches Such Using the Jewish Nation
God; Beholden to No One
God; Beholden to No One
NOW - it might seem odd that GOD - CREATING a UNIQUE people - FOR HIMSELF - teaches that God is BEHOLDEN to no one...
But - I think you’ll see it as we go...
Paul lists an advantage here of being an ethnic Jew.
2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.
What we need to understand as we paint this picture together is...the advantage that Paul lists here, is not an advantage that...
...in and of itself, brought salvation.
Here's what I mean.
**SLIDE 1 - INVISIBLE CHURCH
Let's first think about the church.
If you take all of the Christian churches in the world, and all of the churchgoers that attend those churches, you would have the "Visible Church".
The Visible Church is all people (combined) who attend Christian Churches (professing Christians).
Now, within that large group...there's a smaller group of people...
True Believers...people that are saved....justified.
This smaller group is called the "Invisible Church".
It's called the Invisible Church because we don't know how many of those "professing Christians" are ACTUALLY Christians...actually saved.
And so it's the "Invisible Church"...those people that have FAITH in Jesus and are followers of Him.
Now, this same concept applied to the Jews.
**SLIDE 2 - JEWISH ADVANTAGE
I want you to think of the Jewish Nation as a big circle.
The Jews had received the Word of God...entrusted with God's Word.
Yet, within that big group of people (Jews), you have a smaller group of Jews...
TRUE BELIEVERS.
Not all of the Jewish Nation was saved merely because they were given the Word of God.
And so that means that within that dark circle ring, you had circumcised Jews, who had access to God's Word, and yet...
...were not truly saved...
..did not truly believe...or have faith.
But, compared to the gentile world on the outside, that large group...the Jewish Nation...
They did have an advantage.
Having access to the Word of God was an advantage over not having the Word.
It was a practical advantage.
The Jews were not left to understanding God from general revelation...natural revelation...
...but instead they were given the VERY WORDS OF GOD.
So as Matthew Henry says -
SLIDE:
They had the means of salvation...but they didn't have a monopoly on salvation.
NOT ONLY THAT _ But God - by creating a UNIQUE PEOPLE for himself - actually USED the Jewish NATION - to teach us that God’s PLAN of redemption - INCLUDED ALL PEOPLE...not just Jewish people!
AND SO - our main theme today is what?
God is BEHOLDEN TO NO ONE...meaning - God doesn’t OWE ANYONE - ANYTHING!
NOW - God DID create UNTO HIMSELF - a SPECIFIC people....the Jewish Nation - and THAT ALONE could make it seem like God IS BEHOLDEN to a group of people...
BUT _ God actually USED the Jewish Nation - to TEACH the world that He’s BEHOLDEN TO NO ONE!
HOW?
The Jewish Nation showed the world that ULTIMATELY - God’s PEOPLE - would be - DISTINCT.
YES - AND - -
What have we been seeing regarding WHAT the Law of God requires?
We’ve seen that the Law of God - requires FAITH.
And the Law of God was given to - the JEWS.
AND SO - -
The Jewish Nation taught the world about...
A Distinct people...
WHO - would be FORMED...
Through FAITH
WHICH itself - points to God being - Beholden to NO ONE!
OK - so now...
What Paul says next is to counter the next question that would have been posed.
Ok, since there is an advantage (practical one), how come so many do not believe?
What's the purpose of giving the oracles of God to this people, this Jewish people, when so many continue to not believe?
3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?
4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.”
SLIDE: God; Beholden to No One: Teaches Such Through His Faithfulness
God; Beholden to No One
God; Beholden to No One
God teaches such through His faithfulness...
Faithfulness to the Jewish Nation...? - Yes...but no.
Faithfulness to people...? - Yeeesss.… but no
Answer? Faithfulness to His OWN NATURE!
God is BEHOLDENED to NO ONE - and He shows this thru His faithfulness to WHO HE IS!
What did v4 say?
4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.”
This is saying - that God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS is not CONTINGENT on ANYTHING or ANYONE OUTSIDE of God!
LET EVERYONE in this WORLD be a LIAR - and God will still BE TRUE!
Let EVERYONE in this world be a liar - and God will still be HOLY...
and GOOD...
and RIGHTEOUS
SLIDE:
God is most faithful to who He Himself is
And if we just think thru THAT - we then see why God is BEHOLDENED to no one!
See - Paul here is countering the thought that would say - "Well, God did make covenant promises to Israel yes, BUT because we see that so many Jews still don't believe, and have actually rejected Christ, then God's promises must be null and void now".
*Example - You ever buy something online - where you see a picture of it (looks really big - a whole family of 5 is in the pool)...
But then it shows up - and it’s like THIS SMALL?
And so here Paul says - No!...to this thought.
By no means!
God's faithfulness stands!
What GOD says - STANDS!
(v 4) - Let God be true though every one were a liar...
If every Christian Church on this planet closed it's doors and denounced Jesus Christ...
...it wouldn't do a thing to hinder the truths, and faithfulness of God.
And so regardless of the 10,000 co-workers that are against you...
Regardless of the family members that accuse...
...God's truth IS truth, and His truth will stand forever.
God’s Truth is not contigent on us...
*IRONY - Words written by Derek Webb (...not contingent on me)
THE TRUTH:
'Cause I've been dressing up, dressing down too many people
And I'm a little young to live
Like a troubled boy, troubled soul
Fish out of water
'Cause we're all just the same
We're all just as good, just as bad, as just as distracted by the corners of our eyes
As our father's were and theirs before and all those before them
Still I glance around
And with the way I stare you think I'd seen through a 2 x 4
And with the way I walk you'd think I'd never seen grace before
Because there was life before my life
There was provision before my need
There was redemption for my sin
For the sake of the world
I thank the LORD
That the truth's not contingent on me
God's promises are grounded in His perfect faithfulness...
And so if there is any misunderstanding when it comes to the truths and promises of God, the problem resides with US...not God.
We're the problem.
The first century Jew was hearing what Paul was saying...
...had heard what he said in Chapter 2, and the Jew's world was crumbling down around him.
What had been misunderstood, needed to be made more clear.
See, the Jewish Nation felt that the covenant promises between God and Abraham were to be passed down to all who would be of physical descent from Abraham.
..the entire Nation of Israel...
...all ethnic Israel.
And so in the Jew's mind, their lineage put them into the covenant community.
Well, this is a misunderstanding on the part of the Jew.
And Paul here in verse 3 will begin to define how he clarifies (and therefore how God clarifies) the "People of God"...according to God's promises.
In verse 3, Paul presupposes that disbelief exists amongst the Jews (he knows this is the case)...
3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?
But look how he responds… (NEXT SLIDE)
In verse 4 he quotes Psalm 51:4 that affirms God's justification for judging sin RATHER than the security of the sinner when he is judged.
THIS IS IMPORTANT as we get into more of this later in Romans.
SLIDE:
Paul affirms:
God's justification for judging sin.
NOT...
NOT...
the security of the sinner when he is judged.
So instead of affirming that the nation will be saved on the basis of the covenant alone - without belief...
...Paul argues the opposite.
THAT SALVATION INVOLVES MORE THAN MEMBERSHIP IN THE COVENANT COMMUNITY.
Salvation has always been based on FAITH.
Romans 4:13-14
13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.
14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.
Did you hear what 14 says - if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void
But Paul just told us in verse 4 of chapter 3...
4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.”
The promise of God is NOT void...
Therefore, as Paul said last week....
...a TRUE JEW is one INWARDLY...not outwardly.
SLIDE:
Paul is beginning here, not to redefine...but define what a Jew is...according to God and His purposes.
And in relation to God's purposes, the Jew or Greek at this point may have begun to understand that God is in the process of redeeming a people for Himself on the basis of faith, because of sin.
That sin needed to be removed, in order to restore us to God.
And that God sent Christ to graciously die for us and remove our sin.
And so it was possible that people may have thought - Ok, if my sin, having been removed by God...
...If my sin, points to God's glory, in Him rescuing me from my sin, why am I (a sinner) condemned if the sin makes God's glory abound?
Basically, why shouldn't I continue to sin, in order to magnify how great God REALLY is in rescuing me from that sin?
The greater the sinner...the greater the Savior....kind of deal.
How does Paul respond?
5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.)
It might seem like a crazy question, but we all know that our attitudes about certain sins change over time...don't they?
Sometimes we'll accept a sin in our lives, as something that's just a part of who we are...
..."That's just who I am" - we'll say - "Can't change it"
And some people may take it a step further and say - "well, the worse I am, the greater God looks!"
And again Paul is gonna respond with his typical flare...
6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world?
Paul then asks the same question but in a different way...
verses 7-8.
7 But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner?
8 And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying...
SLIDE: God; Beholden to No One: Teaches Such Through His Righteousness
God; Beholden to No One
God; Beholden to No One
The Bible is full of instances where we SEE / READ OF a situation - and we FIND OUT - that man meant it for EVIL - But God meant it for GOOD!
Joseph as an example...
His brothers sell him into slavery...and eventually Joseph becomes ruler of Egypt.
20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
Have you ever experienced this?
Where someone seeks to do evil toward you, but in the end...you realize that God (being sovereign) MEANT it all for good?
I sure have!
**Powerful Testimony - Ryan McDonald
But looking at this from another angle...let's say your Judas.
You partake in the plot to kill Jesus (the Son of God)...
...you help carry out the plan.
Now, Christ's death brought redemption to the world...and so THAT was a good thing (the best thing)...
...YET, QUESTION - - can Judas stand before God and say - well God, I'll take my reward now for the great thing I did?
If it wasn't for me...there would be no possibility for eternal life.
What does Paul say at the end of verse 8 in chapter 3?
8 And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.
Their condemnation is deserved.
Judas has no basis to stand on...
...His act was evil - - Listen - IN LIGHT of God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS!
God MEANT it for good… the death of Christ (God sent Him to the cross)
But JUDAS meant it for evil...
his act was evil...and his condemnation is just.
So what has Paul walked us thru today?
SUMMARY
God; Beholden to No One:
Teaches Such Using the Jewish Nation
Teaches Such Through His Faithfulness
Teaches Such Through His Righteousness
Paul begins chapter 3 by stating that there are many advantages to being a Jew...
That they've received the Oracles of God.
That practically speaking, they have access to the very Word of God.
And then in response to the Jew who would say - I know God gave us His word, but why give us His word if so many Jews don't believe...
...are God's promises null and void?
Paul says - By no means...
God; Beholden to No One: Teaches Such Through His Faithfulness
And then he begins to support his claim he made last week (in chapter 2) that a true Jew is one inwardly, and not outwardly.
He says - Of course God's promises are not null and void...even though unbelief exists amongst the Jews.
Of course not...
And Paul here quotes a psalm, and in doing so, avoids affirming that the Jews would be secure before God on the basis of their lineage alone.
He again brings the Jew back to what being a true Jew is based on - - FAITH.
And then in closing this group of verses here, Paul highlights the "obedience of faith"
That we don't continue in sin so that God looks even MORE righteous in saving us.
WHY? -
Because God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS isn’t CONTIGENT on US!
His righteousness doesn’t NEED a REFERRAL!
It’s never HANDING OUT a survey to say - Oh I HOPE you LIKED MY SERVICE - please give me 5 stars!
NO - God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS is perfect!
It’s NEVER PUT in a better light - due to our sin.
And so THEREFORE...
And so THEREFORE...
Paul calls for us to "live by faith"
Live by faith...
And next week, Paul is going to start out by painting a pretty gruesome picture of mankind, and bringing all of us again...
...into the same boat...
...a boat in need of rescue
Let's pray
