807 Rom.10.5-13 No Distinctions Period!
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Introduction
Introduction
One of the most embarrassing and saddening realities of the modern church is the issue of sexual abuse. We have been saddened by so many accounts of this abuse that has happened within the church. I know that it has happened in many other institutions as well. But the church ought to be a safe place to be. The world sees much of the church now as an organisation of hypocrites. People who profess one ethic and yet, live another.
This is the essence of hypocrisy - professing one standard of living but living by another standard. When I think of hypocrisy, I think of actors or acting. I’m not saying actors are hypocrites. What they do is for entertainment. We all know they are deliberately playing their part.
But when serious people merely play a part to deceive, but don’t really in their heart believe in the standard, they are truly actors playing a part.
However, when a person lives what they believe - no matter how bizarre their beliefs - we cannot not say they are hypocrites.
Take Adopt Hitler for example. Hitler was not a hypocrite even though he was a murderer. He truly lived out what he believed.
What he believed, he lived out - not that I excuse him - but he does live out the system & ethics he believed in
- Paul contrasts law system with Christ system
- Christ system the only one
1. Recap on the Righteousness of God
1. Recap on the Righteousness of God
Last week, we spoke a lot about the righteousness of God
What do we mean by the righteousness of God?
Isolate the word “right” as a key to understanding this
The righteousness of God is the right ways of God (the uprightness of God) & the right ways of God are found where? Are now found exclusively in Jesus Christ
To enjoy a right standing with God & an on-going right relationship with God, a person must place their faith firmly in Jesus Christ
Jesus & Jesus alone is the right way of God & the way to be in a right relationship with God
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But Israel stumbled over the right ways of God by declaring another way which they determined for themselves as the right way of God
But Paul says that they refused to conform to God’s way so, in fact, their ways was the wrong ways of God - it is unrighteousness
This is obvious, because Jesus was the right way, right from the start - He was always God’s plan & throughout Jewish history hints of this had been given, but not heeded
Q. Why do you think that is? ans = Because they wanted God for themselves
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They used the law as a fence to retain God & keep Him to themselves
Gentiles who wished to know God could know God, but the Jews insisted that they needed to be converts to Judaism
In other words if you, as a Gentile (a non-Jew) wanted to know God, they insisted that you conform to the Jewish ways - in short, you needed to become a Jew
That is done by circumcision, if you happen to be male &, for both male & female, to bound to the law of God
You, as a Gentile, could not be saved as a Gentile
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That immediately poses a problem, since the law came as a package deal
The status of being “Jew” is defined by the works of the law – sacrificial offerings, temple services & worship, festivals & feasts, dietary regulations, circumcision, Fasts, Sabbath days & the like
Binding themselves to the law meant that the Jews refused to move forward with God’s plan to bring the Messiah into the world
They would only accept a Messiah that would put them before Gentiles & a Messiah that would subdue the Gentile nations under them.
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this had been
They determined that the Law would be the right ways of God
This is why they had such a huge problem with accepting Jesus as the promised Messiah
Firstly, He allowed Gentiles, as Gentiles, to come into the Kingdom of God
Secondly, He appeared as a NON conquering Messiah. In fact, the Romans hung Him on a cross - that is hardly being triumphant nor is their any hint of Him subduing the Gentile nations under Israel - that didn’t happen.
This is what happens, however, when you have rose-coloured glasses on, when you are trying to read the Scriptures
Israel could not see what God was doing because their own desires got in the way
5 ‘So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the Lord.
Zeal” for the Lord finds its outstanding Old Testament example in Phinehas, who killed an Israelite and his pagan lover for flaunting the laws of God (). But zeal became an especially prominent and important virtue during the intertestamental period, when the very existence of Israel was threatened by persecution.
The NIV Application Commentary: Romans Israel’s Lack of Knowledge (10:1–4)
Zeal” for the Lord finds its outstanding Old Testament example in Phinehas, who killed an Israelite and his pagan lover for flaunting the laws of God (Num. 25). But zeal became an especially prominent and important virtue during the intertestamental period, when the very existence of Israel was threatened by persecution.
The NIV Application Commentary: Romans Israel’s Lack of Knowledge (10:1–4)
Zeal” for the Lord finds its outstanding Old Testament example in Phinehas, who killed an Israelite and his pagan lover for flaunting the laws of God (Num. 25). But zeal became an especially prominent and important virtue during the intertestamental period, when the very existence of Israel was threatened by persecution.
Douglas J. Moo, Romans, The NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), 328.
The NIV Application Commentary: Romans Israel’s Lack of Knowledge (10:1–4)
Zeal” for the Lord finds its outstanding Old Testament example in Phinehas, who killed an Israelite and his pagan lover for flaunting the laws of God (Num. 25). But zeal became an especially prominent and important virtue during the intertestamental period, when the very existence of Israel was threatened by persecution.
The NIV Application Commentary: Romans Israel’s Lack of Knowledge (10:1–4)
Zeal” for the Lord finds its outstanding Old Testament example in Phinehas, who killed an Israelite and his pagan lover for flaunting the laws of God (Num. 25). But zeal became an especially prominent and important virtue during the intertestamental period, when the very existence of Israel was threatened by persecution.
2. The Way of Law and The Way of Christ
2. The Way of Law and The Way of Christ
The NIV Application Commentary: Romans Israel’s Lack of Knowledge (10:1–4)
Zeal” for the Lord finds its outstanding Old Testament example in Phinehas, who killed an Israelite and his pagan lover for flaunting the laws of God (Num. 25). But zeal became an especially prominent and important virtue during the intertestamental period, when the very existence of Israel was threatened by persecution.
I have struggled to work out how I can present this section to you today & I keep coming back to the best way as by going verse by verse or verses by verses
Nothing fancy, other than that I will try to bring out the essence of what the apostle is saying here.
So keep this heading in mind as we go through this section - twos ways presented...
The way of Law & the way of Christ
5 For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness.
Some people read this & try to make a divide between law & faith or works & belief as if this is what is being contrasted here
I was taught that way in church, but as I have studied & studied the Scriptures, I have come to the opinion that we have failed to account for the reality of what is happening in the apostle’s own day - what his issues are, not ours
In other words, our concerns were not the apostle’s concerns & vice versa
We have divided faith from works or doing as if this is the issue in this passage - I don’t believe this is the case
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Verse 5 here, reflects a passage in
- Paul contrasts law system with Christ system
- Paul contrasts law system with Christ system
- Christ system the only one
5 ‘So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the Lord.
Lev. 18:5
A man may live - how? Live eternally? - No! A man may live & not die prematurely
That is certainly the case for those who disobeyed the law & became idolaters
Israel had been accepted by God by His grace & it was always intended to be a faith system.
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Doing the law was a way to experience a fruitful & God-honouring life, under the Old Covenant.
Doing the law was not an “achievement” nor a “notch” in your belt
Believing & doing are two sides of the same coin
A man may live long life & find fruitfulness & blessing by abiding in God’s law
But again, for that time when they were under the theocratic rule of God
The old covenant was a theocratic rule of God over the physical land & nation
God blessed that nation of Israel, when they obeyed Him & they experienced the curse when they disobeyed & became idolaters
The Jews or the apostle never recognised a distinction between
The reformers 500 yrs ago were in dispute with the
This is not a topic on faith & works but a delineation of the places of law & faith in God’s history
Believing & doing are two sides of the same coin
a. Two Eras or Two Ages
a. Two Eras or Two Ages
What the apostle is contrasting here are two ages, two eras
The Jews or the apostle never recognised a distinction between
The reformers 500 yrs ago were in dispute with the
This is not a topic on faith & works but a topic on the two ages
This is not a topic on faith & works but a delineation of the places of law & faith in God’s history
The apostle says a similar thing in Galatians
10 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.” 11 Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.” 12 However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “He who practices them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”— 14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Faith in Christ does not occupy the same “turf” as the Law in the OT era
No one can earn eternal life by keeping the law - not then & not ever
Doing the law back then was exercising faithfulness to God within that Covenant relationship
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Faithfully abiding by God’s law was in distinction to abiding by Pharaoh’s laws/ decrees with it’s requirement to worship Ra, the Sun God & all the other celestial deities of Egypt
Or the Canaanites & their sexually perverted worship of their deities
The practices of the like, Leviticus calls, “abominations”
One who does the law acknowledges that Yahweh is the one God who called Israel out of bondage so that they would remain faithful to Him & be a distinct people out of all the peoples of the world
They would maintain their distinction by being obedient to His law
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We are contrasting here, then, two eras or ages
The “age of Law” & the “age of faith” in the Messiah
In this passage in Galatians - to be under “the curse” is to be in the old age of law
“Doing the law,” according to the context of , is not “achievement” but the exercise of faith within the parameters of the covenant. (2) Neither the OT nor later Jewish theology recognize a distinction between doing and believing: they are the two sides of the same coin
His is not a topical discussion of faith and works but an epochal delineation of the respective places of law and faith in salvation history
Don Garlington, An Exposition of Galatians: A Reading from the New Perspective, Third Edition., (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2007), 198.
An Exposition of Galatians: A Reading from the New Perspective C. The Curse of the Law (3:10–14)
The majority of scholars assume that they are mutually exclusive by the nature of the case: “faith” by definition excludes “works,” and vice versa. However, in historical perspective, any dichotomy between believing and doing in the Jewish schema is simply off base: Judaism was and is as much a “faith system” as Christianity. The inseparability of faith and obedience in the Hebrew Bible is still intact, but in Paul both have been refocused on Jesus, the crucified Messiah.
Being in the old age is also equivalent to being “under sin”, “under law” & “under the elemental things” of the world
So, the age of Law here belongs to the age of the curse, whereas the age of the seed of Abraham - Jesus & the presence of the Spirit - are the age of blessings
For a person to remain in the age of law is to oppose God’s designs & purposes for the coming of Christ who has brought to both Jews & Gentiles the blessings of Abraham - being the Person of Jesus
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As Paul, in , In this schema, “blessing” belongs to the eras of Abraham and the Spirit, while the age of the Torah is epitomized as “curse.”26 So far, it has been intimated that the Judaizers are under the curse because they have, for all practical purposes, self-consciously chosen to remain in the age of the law, thus opposing God’s eschatological designs in Christ.
In this letter, to be “under the curse” (hupo kataran) is synonymous with being in the old age. It is equivalent to “under sin” (hupo hamartian) (3:22), “under law” (hupo nomon) (3:23), “under guardians and stewards” (hupo epitropous kai oikonomous) (4:2) and “under the elements of the world” (hupo ta stoicheia tou kosmou) (4:3).
Jesus himself displayed zeal for the Lord p 329 when he cleared the temple (). There can therefore be no doubt that Paul regards the zeal of his fellow Israelites as a good thing. The problem, however, is that—like the pre-Christian Paul (; )—their zeal was not directed by knowledge.
The contrast, then, is between the “law system” with “Christ system” & the “Christ system” is the only one acceptable to God - it is the right ways of God revealed - it is the upright ways of God
Don Garlington, An Exposition of Galatians: A Reading from the New Perspective, Third Edition., (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2007), 193.
Here are the two eras clearly spelt out...
23 But before faith came, we were detained under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed. 24 So then, the law became our guardian until Christ, in order that we could be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
Douglas J. Moo, Romans, The NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), 328–329.
This is the same faith that Abraham possessed that is now directed, in these last days, towards Jesus
- Paul contrasts law system with Christ system
- Christ system the only one
An Exposition of Galatians: A Reading from the New Perspective C. The Curse of the Law (3:10–14)
In short, they live in the wrong age and will not relinquish the law in favor of a law-free gospel as procured by the death of the Messiah “on the tree.” Herein resides their apostasy.
An Exposition of Galatians: A Reading from the New Perspective C. The Curse of the Law (3:10–14)
In short, they live in the wrong age and will not relinquish the law in favor of a law-free gospel as procured by the death of the Messiah “on the tree.” Herein resides their apostasy.
b. The Age of Faith in Christ
b. The Age of Faith in Christ
1 “She is the document of the commands of God, and the law that is exists for eternity. All who hold her are destined for life, but those who forsake her will perish.
This passage is a very difficult passage to understand
1 “She is the document of the commands of God, and the law that is exists for eternity. All who hold her are destined for life, but those who forsake her will perish. 2 Turn, O Jacob, and seize her, advance toward the glow before her light. 3 Do not give another your glory or your profit to a foreign nation.
Q. What does it mean to bring Christ down & to bring Him up from the dead?
1 “She [wisdom & knowledge] is the document of the commands of God, and the law that is exists for eternity. All who hold her are destined for life, but those who forsake her will perish. 2 Turn, O Jacob, and seize her, advance toward the glow before her light. 3 Do not give another your glory or your profit to a foreign nation.
An Exposition of Galatians: A Reading from the New Perspective C. The Curse of the Law (3:10–14)
The majority of scholars assume that they are mutually exclusive by the nature of the case: “faith” by definition excludes “works,” and vice versa. However, in historical perspective, any dichotomy between believing and doing in the Jewish schema is simply off base: Judaism was and is as much a “faith system” as Christianity. The inseparability of faith and obedience in the Hebrew Bible is still intact, but in Paul both have been refocused on Jesus, the crucified Messiah.
We need to consider the OT passage that the apostle alludes to here in order to even attempt to understand this.
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To say that the law is “not of faith” is to affirm that the law and faith belong to distinctly different historical realms: the former does not occupy the same turf in the salvation-historical continuum as the latter.
“life within the covenant, ‘covenantal nomism,’ the pattern of religion and life which marked out the righteous,
Therefore, one continues to live within the covenant relationship by compliance with its terms, that is, by “doing the law” or perseverance
is that section of the OC which warns Israel of the consequences of their obedience or lack thereof
Don Garlington, An Exposition of Galatians: A Reading from the New Perspective, Third Edition., (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2007), 198.
“Doing the law,” according to the context of , is not “achievement” but the exercise of faith within the parameters of the covenant. (2) Neither the OT nor later Jewish theology recognize a distinction between doing and believing: they are the two sides of the same coin
His is not a topical discussion of faith and works but an epochal delineation of the respective places of law and faith in salvation history
There are blessings & curses laid out for her to come to terms with. If she, by faith, believed God, then she would obey him
Don Garlington, An Exposition of Galatians: A Reading from the New Perspective, Third Edition., (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2007), 198.
An Exposition of Galatians: A Reading from the New Perspective C. The Curse of the Law (3:10–14)
The majority of scholars assume that they are mutually exclusive by the nature of the case: “faith” by definition excludes “works,” and vice versa. However, in historical perspective, any dichotomy between believing and doing in the Jewish schema is simply off base: Judaism was and is as much a “faith system” as Christianity. The inseparability of faith and obedience in the Hebrew Bible is still intact, but in Paul both have been refocused on Jesus, the crucified Messiah.
23 But before faith came, we were detained under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed. 24 So then, the law became our guardian until Christ, in order that we could be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
However, God predicts that Israel will fail & will inherit the curse which also included being conquered by foreign nations - the very predicament Israel was in when Paul wrote Romans - they were under Roman rule! (she was under the curse)
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However, in God also predicts that she will repent & turn to Him with her whole heart, that she will be circumcised not only in the flesh, but more importantly, in the heart & she will love Him with all her heart
That she will be circumcised not only in the flesh, but more importantly, in the heart & she will love Him with all her heart
This is not something that she will do, but a prediction of a work of God
proclaimed a time when Israel would be restored & have blessing come upon her
There would be a reformation of sorts when they will obey the Lord from their heart
They would then be restored to their land & no longer be under captivity
They would know the blessing, not the curse
6 “Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
Then God says in that the commandment is not difficult or out of reach for the person who has the right heart toward God
God had redeemed his people at the Red Sea, according to the Old Testament and Jewish tradition; now, God has consummated his saving acts in Christ, and the same principle applies to him.
12 “It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ 13 “Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ 14 “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.
The issue here for the apostle is the “word” is near you - in your mouth & in your heart
Deut 30:12
That speaks of faith because to do what God says from the heart takes faith
It is not a reliance on the written code - what marks you out for blessing is circumcision of the heart
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The prediction that one day, God would do something wonderful to bring His people back to Himself from their exile has been fulfilled.
The law was the revelation for the children of Israel at that time, but the heart was always God’s concern - the heart of faith
The “word is very near you” - in your heart & in your mouth - this will signal your return from exile Israel - and this return has happened
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You certainly don’t need to go to heaven , or go down to the depths to get it
Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), .
For the apostle, Jesus has already come & died & rose again for the forgiveness of our sins - the blessings of Abraham have already come in Jesus
What God seeks for now is truly the heart response of faith to the Lord
The badge that “marks” you out now as His people is not the law, but the Messiah
We do not have to ascend into heaven to discover salvation - it has been made available through God’s provision of Jesus Christ
You don’t have to go up to heaven—because the Messiah has already come down to you. You don’t have to go down into the depths (Paul quotes the text in a slightly different way, in order to prepare for the interpretation he wants to give)—because the Messiah has already been raised from the dead. The strange, cryptic promises which spoke of the final undoing of the curse of exile have come true—in Jesus!
We do not have to ascend into heaven to discover salvation - it has been made available through God’s provision of Jesus Christ
We do not have to go into the depths, because Jesus having descended into death, rose again from the dead and in His resurrection made the fullness of salvation ours.
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6 “Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
The bigger question—and one harder to answer—is why Paul has applied language about “commanding” to “the righteousness that is by faith.” What conceivable hermeneutical principle can justify him in making such an application?
The righteousness of faith or the right ways of God is accessible & understandable
The apostle latches on to the word command here because it is literally “the word”
The “word” is the key bridging concept here
In Deut. the “word” takes the form of command; in Romans, the “word” is the message of faith
God made available His will in the OC, He now makes His will known in the NC & it is by faith in Jesus Christ
It is by faith in Jesus Christ
c. The Profession of Faith
c. The Profession of Faith
The word of faith can be summarised as one thing which is expressed as confessing with your mouth & believing with your heart
confessing with your mouth & believing with your heart
The two go together because from the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks, says Jesus
i. The Specifics & the Occasion
i. The Specifics & the Occasion
This is not a formula
The specifics of this word of faith relate to your take on Jesus
Believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead means that He is no failed Messiah, but a resurrected Messiah who lives forever.
In that time, Caesar was touted with the profession, “Caesar is lord”, but now the profession of faith is that “Jesus is Lord”
Thessalonians 1 & 2 2. The “Coming” of Christ
- Christians in the 2nd century had to show their hand, by either burning incense & worshipping the emperor declaring Caesar is Lord OR they remained faithful to Christ in declaring Jesus is Lord
- All those who wanted to save their own skin bowed to the Emperor
- Those who cared about their Lord, refused to bow & many were burnt at the stake, or thrown to the lions & torn to pieces
He is no failed Messiah, but a resurrected Messiah who lives forever
involves the expression of this one thing
But we think a more likely explanation emerges when we consider the real purpose of Paul’s use of this language from Deuteronomy. This becomes clear in verse 8: The message about righteousness by faith, preached by Paul and the other apostles, is both accessible and understandable. The notion of God’s “word” is the key bridging concept. In Deuteronomy the word takes the form of a command; here in Romans, that word is the message of faith. As God made available his will to his old covenant people, so now he makes available his will for the new covenant
In saying Jesus is Lord you were effectively saying the Caesar wasn’t.
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proclaimed a time when Israel would be restored & have blessing come upon her
There would be a reformation of sorts when they will obey the Lord from their heart
They would then be restored to their land & no longer be under captivity
They would know the blessing, not the curse
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
-- 8 But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART "-- that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
Christians in the first 3 centuries had the challenge of either burning incense & worshipping the emperor, declaring Caesar is Lord, OR they remained faithful to Christ in declaring “Jesus is Lord”
But we think a more likely explanation emerges when we consider the real purpose of Paul’s use of this language from Deuteronomy. This becomes clear in verse 8: The message about righteousness by faith, preached by Paul and the other apostles, is both accessible and understandable. The notion of God’s “word” is the key bridging concept. In Deuteronomy the word takes the form of a command; here in Romans, that word is the message of faith. As God made available his will to his old covenant people, so now he makes available his will for the new covenant
Christians in the 2nd century had to show their hand, by either burning incense & worshipping the emperor declaring Caesar is Lord OR they remained faithful to Christ in declaring Jesus is Lord
Douglas J. Moo, Romans, The NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), 335.
All those who wanted to save their own skin bowed to the Emperor
Those who believed & confessed Jesus, refused to bow & many were burnt at the stake, or thrown to the lions & torn to pieces
14 “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.
But that is the essence of faith in the heart against such hostility
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Q. What is the occasion of this profession?
Many scholars have identified the occasion of this profession in a person’s baptism
—14 “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.
Paul for Everyone, Romans Part 2: Chapters 9–16 The Fulfilment of the Covenant (Romans 10:5–13)
‘Confessing Jesus as Lord’ was what people did when getting baptized.
This fits in nicely with what Paul says in a number of his letters and particularly in when he identifies the person coming to faith as dying & rising with Christ in their baptism.
N. T. Wright says that “Confessing Jesus as Lord
That fits in nicely with what Paul says in a number of his letters and particularly in when he identifies the person dying & rising with Christ in their baptism
The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary Worship, Early Christian
This is very likely pre-Pauline, perhaps belonging to a baptismal context. The combination of the terms “confess” (homologein), “believe” (pisteuein), and “be saved” (sodzein) suggests the setting of baptism.
The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary Worship, Early Christian
The confession “Jesus is Lord!” is also found in Rom 10:9–10, where it means the confessor believes that God has raised Jesus from the dead. This is very likely pre-Pauline, perhaps belonging to a baptismal context. The combination of the terms “confess” (homologein), “believe” (pisteuein), and “be saved” (sodzein) suggests the setting of baptism.
- All those who wanted to save their own skin bowed to the Emperor
- Those who cared about their Lord, refused to bow & many were burnt at the stake, or thrown to the lions & torn to pieces
"...if we are to think of one outstanding occasion for such a confession to be made, we should more probably think of that first confession - 'the answer of a good conscience' () - made in Christian baptism". — F. F. Bruce.
-- 10 if you obey the LORD your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul. 11 "For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. 12 "It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?' 13 "Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?' 14 "But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it. 15 "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; 16 in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it.
Meaning that Jesus is already here
The confession “Jesus is Lord!” is also found in , where it means the confessor believes that God has raised Jesus from the dead. This is very likely pre-Pauline, perhaps belonging to a baptismal context. The combination of the terms “confess” (homologein), “believe” (pisteuein), and “be saved” (sodzein) suggests the setting of baptism.
13 for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.
Aune D. E., The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, 1992, 6, 981.
An Exposition of Galatians: A Reading from the New Perspective C. The Curse of the Law (3:10–14)
In short, they live in the wrong age and will not relinquish the law in favor of a law-free gospel as procured by the death of the Messiah “on the tree.” Herein resides their apostasy.
—12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.
1 “She is the document of the commands of God, and the law that is exists for eternity. All who hold her are destined for life, but those who forsake her will perish. 2 Turn, O Jacob, and seize her, advance toward the glow before her light. 3 Do not give another your glory or your profit to a foreign nation.
An Exposition of Galatians: A Reading from the New Perspective C. The Curse of the Law (3:10–14)
The majority of scholars assume that they are mutually exclusive by the nature of the case: “faith” by definition excludes “works,” and vice versa. However, in historical perspective, any dichotomy between believing and doing in the Jewish schema is simply off base: Judaism was and is as much a “faith system” as Christianity. The inseparability of faith and obedience in the Hebrew Bible is still intact, but in Paul both have been refocused on Jesus, the crucified Messiah.
7 For the Lord God helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed. 8 He who vindicates Me is near; Who will contend with Me? Let us stand up to each other; Who has a case against Me? Let him draw near to Me.
7 For the Lord God helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed. 8 He who vindicates Me is near; Who will contend with Me? Let us stand up to each other; Who has a case against Me? Let him draw near to Me.
7 For the Lord God helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed. 8 He who vindicates Me is near; Who will contend with Me? Let us stand up to each other; Who has a case against Me? Let him draw near to Me.
The NIV Application Commentary: Romans Righteousness for Everyone Who Believes (10:5–13)
In addition to looking back to verse 10, the quotation in verse 11 also anticipates what is to come. For it stresses that the faith that leads to vindication in the judgment is open to “anyone.”
c. The Age of Faith in Christ
c. The Age of Faith in Christ
The bigger question—and one harder to answer—is why Paul has applied language about “commanding” to “the righteousness that is by faith.” What conceivable hermeneutical principle can justify him in making such an application?
But we think a more likely explanation emerges when we consider the real purpose of Paul’s use of this language from Deuteronomy. This becomes clear in verse 8: The message about righteousness by faith, preached by Paul and the other apostles, is both accessible and understandable. The notion of God’s “word” is the key bridging concept. In Deuteronomy the word takes the form of a command; here in Romans, that word is the message of faith. As God made available his will to his old covenant people, so now he makes available his will for the new covenant
But we think a more likely explanation emerges when we consider the real purpose of Paul’s use of this language from Deuteronomy. This becomes clear in verse 8: The message about righteousness by faith, preached by Paul and the other apostles, is both accessible and understandable. The notion of God’s “word” is the key bridging concept. In Deuteronomy the word takes the form of a command; here in Romans, that word is the message of faith. As God made available his will to his old covenant people, so now he makes available his will for the new covenant
Douglas J. Moo, Romans, The NIV Application Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), 335.
—14 “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.
The confession “Jesus is Lord!” is also found in , where it means the confessor believes that God has raised Jesus from the dead. This is very likely pre-Pauline, perhaps belonging to a baptismal context. The combination of the terms “confess” (homologein), “believe” (pisteuein), and “be saved” (sodzein) suggests the setting of baptism.
As we finish this section we come back to that concept of shame again
We come back to that concept of shame again
Aune D. E., The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, 1992, 6, 981.
But it doesn’t end there because such confession & belief is an on-going reality.
11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
At the heart of Paul’s purposes in the Roman letter lies his design to redefine the people of God, i.e., “to redraw the boundaries which marked out the people of God.”28 Whereas before to be a member of the covenant people was to live within the boundary set by the law, the eschatological people have assumed a new corporate identity.29 Instead of being the people of the law, the new people are “the men of faith” (), who are committed to Christ alone.
Trinity Journal 11, no. 2 (1990): 202.
7 For the Lord God helps Me, Therefore, I am not disgraced; Therefore, I have set My face like flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed. 8 He who vindicates Me is near; Who will contend with Me? Let us stand up to each other; Who has a case against Me? Let him draw near to Me.
12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.
—16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;
—12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;
Wright’s observation that lying behind is a text such as , according to which the psalmist prays: “Let me never be ashamed, deliver me in your righteousness” (vv. 1-2). Comments Wright: “‘Shame’ in such a context is what God’s people feel when their enemies are triumphing;
27 Dunn states it another way. He concedes that justification by faith is the theme of the main body of the letter; not, however, in classic Reformation terms but within the historical context within which Paul was writing, i.e., the apostle offers to the Gentiles the covenant blessings of the God of Israel
it is what Israel…felt in Paul’s day, suffering at the hands of Rome.” Therefore, “The gospel and the power of it…enables Paul to share the position of the psalmist, celebrating God’s righteousness and so remaining unashamed in the face of enemies and gainsayers.”
3. No Distinction Means No Distinction
3. No Distinction Means No Distinction
As we finish this passage we come back to that concept of shame.
—16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”
—11 For there is no partiality with God.
—12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;
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As we finish this section we come back to that concept of shame again
11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
Two things to note here - everyone & no shame
When Israel was under the curse for their apostasy & idolatry, God gave them over to the pagan nations
They were defeated, humiliated & bore the shame of defeat
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Paul reminds those of us, who have placed our faith in Christ, that we will not be put to shame
We have found, in the Saviour Jesus, the righteousness of God & we are destined for the blessings of God, not the curse
There is no shame in belonging to Jesus, because in Jesus, we are victorious
12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”
Rom 1:1
This leads us now to the obvious conclusion
—16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”
If “whoever” believes in Him will not be put to shame, it therefore, stands that this belongs to anyone who believes in Jesus
It is not the exclusive domain of the Jew
Gentiles, as Gentiles, can know the blessings of God & be unashamed because Jesus has triumphed & is alive forever & is able save to the uttermost
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;
He again repeats the word “whoever”
13 for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Wright’s observation that lying behind is a text such as , according to which the psalmist prays: “Let me never be ashamed, deliver me in your righteousness” (vv. 1-2). Comments Wright: “‘Shame’ in such a context is what God’s people feel when their enemies are triumphing;
27 Dunn states it another way. He concedes that justification by faith is the theme of the main body of the letter; not, however, in classic Reformation terms but within the historical context within which Paul was writing, i.e., the apostle offers to the Gentiles the covenant blessings of the God of Israel
it is what Israel…felt in Paul’s day, suffering at the hands of Rome.” Therefore, “The gospel and the power of it…enables Paul to share the position of the psalmist, celebrating God’s righteousness and so remaining unashamed in the face of enemies and gainsayers.”
27 Dunn states it another way. He concedes that justification by faith is the theme of the main body of the letter; not, however, in classic Reformation terms but within the historical context within which Paul was writing, i.e., the apostle offers to the Gentiles the covenant blessings of the God of Israel
it is what Israel…felt in Paul’s day, suffering at the hands of Rome.” Therefore, “The gospel and the power of it…enables Paul to share the position of the psalmist, celebrating God’s righteousness and so remaining unashamed in the face of enemies and gainsayers.”
What counts for Paul is being and remaining in Christ. If for the sake of a theological formulation we wish to categorize Paul’s thought, then the “basis” of justification, now and in the judgment, is union with Christ. I would hasten to add that obedience as the precondition of eschatological justification is no more radical than Paul’s similar demand of confession of Christ as the prerequisite of final salvation (). So, what about sola fide? Catholic exegetes are quick to point out that the only place in the NT where the words “faith” and “alone” occur together is : “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone!” The point is well taken and needs to be pondered much more carefully by Protestant interpreters.
Trinity Journal 11, no. 2 (1990): 202.
The simple answer is that Paul’s sola fide includes the obedience of faith. Among various indications, the phrase of , ejk pivstew" eij" pivstin, very naturally plays on the two-sided nature of the Hebrew tnwmaý . That is to say, the Christian life commences with “faith” and develops into “faithfulness.” In commenting on Paul’s call to the Thessalonians, “Let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober” (), G. Green offers the perceptive comment that this is a (I would say the) fundamental aspect of Christian ethics: “What we are is what we should do.”
Summary
Summary
Don Garlington, Studies in the New Perspective on Paul Essays and Reviews,.
promises life if you obey the Law
-- 10 if you obey the LORD your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul. 11 "For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. 12 "It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?' 13 "Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?' 14 "But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it. 15 "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; 16 in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it.
The apostle is difficult to follow in the best of times & this no less true today
- Bill Hybels has this novel saying - “You matter to God”
- But I want to use that a little differently - “Matter matters to God”
- 300 yrs ago, England was dying as far as Christianity was concerned
- A part of that death had to do with a theology called hyper-Calvinism
- It taught that you did not need to preach the message of the Gospel
The apostle is difficult to follow in the best of times & this no less true today
- God is sovereign & He will bring into the church anyone He wants
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- Matter does matter to God
- God does nothing outside of the physical universe
- The Exodus of Israel & plagues upon the Egyptians
- The birth, death, resurrection of Jesus all took place in history – in the physical universe
The apostle is difficult to follow in the best of times & this no less true today
- While God is the only One who can bring about conversion, conversion comes about only through the preaching or sharing of the Gospel
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
- You need to be out there sharing it before any conversion will take place
Q. If I gave you a title deed for, say, Lot 567 Ogilvie Ave & when you went to have a look at it found it didn't exist, what good would that paper be to you?
- Likewise, without sharing the Gospel, no one will be saved
1. Sharing the Gospel – Just do it
But I think it if fair to say that God’s intention was always to have a people who believed & trusted in Him
- When I set an essay for the junior high students in Biblical Studies, for many of them, it is their first “big” essay – or at least, that is what they tell me
What we have in Romans from chp. 9 on is the apostle Paul redefining the people of God
- They agonise over how they are to do the essay
He is redefine the boundaries that mark out God’ s people.
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The people of God are not under the law, but are the men & women of faith who are committed to Jesus Christ.
- I try to help them as much as I can, but the reality is that I cannot do it for them
The confession of Jesus as Lord is what marks the Christian out for the blessings of God
- And they cannot get there by simply trying to learn as many tips on essay writing as they can
We are the people of the future - that future began when you believed & were baptised into Christ.
- You just have to do it
- The only way to learn & truly be effective is to agonise over it
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- Most people think sermons are just a walk in the park for a preacher
- That is not true – sermons are agonised over
- You not only wrestle with what God is saying in a passage, but wrestling with how you're to present it as well
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- Sharing the Gospel is the same
- You just have to do it – go ahead, muck it up plenty of times, but you will grow & see the Lord at work
Conclusion
- Don't push the Gospel on people you sense are not open
- I have seen many Christian zealots do more harm than good by rudely forcing “religion” down the neck of people who have made it clear they don't want to hear any more
– Be honest people & don't beat around the bush
- People can spot a phoney a mile away
- If you want to talk to them about Christ, say so
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- Remember the points from today
1. People do know God, but have an iron mask they hide behind
- Seek to have it stripped off with the Gospel
- When they say they don't believe in God, try, “well the Bible says you do & see where they go with that”
- Make them aware of what they already know – you will be doing them a great favour – no one is happy living a lie
2. Trust that it is God's power, not your eloquence that converts the unbeliever – have confidence in His power & don't compromise the message to try & manipulate the results
3. Faith will only come about through the Gospel
- Aim for the person to fully understand the message
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At the heart of Paul’s purposes in the Roman letter lies his design to redefine the people of God, i.e., “to redraw the boundaries which marked out the people of God.”28 Whereas before to be a member of the covenant people was to live within the boundary set by the law, the eschatological people have assumed a new corporate identity.29 Instead of being the people of the law, the new people are “the men of faith” (), who are committed to Christ alone.
- This is the process that brings a person to conversion
- Start sharing & you will be amazed at the joy that God brings into your life
-- 19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law.
Trinity Journal 11, no. 2 (1990): 202.
Ordinary circumcision was the badge which marked out Jewish males. This transformed heart, visible in the public declaration of allegiance to Jesus as Lord and the belief that God had raised him from the dead, was the sign that someone was now a member of that renewed covenant family, the people promised by God in
Paul for Everyone, Romans Part 2: Chapters 9–16
aul for Everyone, Romans Part 2: Chapters 9–16
3. No Distinction Means No Distinction