Justice is Served
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God is faithful
God is faithful
Then what’s the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value in the ceremony of circumcision? Yes, there are great benefits! First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God.
True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful? Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him,
“You will be proved right in what you say,
and you will win your case in court.”
“But,” some might say, “our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn’t it unfair, then, for him to punish us?” (This is merely a human point of view.) Of course not! If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge the world? “But,” someone might still argue, “how can God condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights his truthfulness and brings him more glory?” And some people even slander us by claiming that we say, “The more we sin, the better it is!” Those who say such things deserve to be condemned.
What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision?
This passage has 2 truths
1.) The root of all sin is disobedience. The root of the Jews’ sin is disobedience to the law (10 commandments).
- Although God loves the Jews, he must punish sin. Here lies His righteousness, in His willingness to punish His preferred.
2.) Once people sin, they often justify their acts through blame and deflection.
But God is faithful:
Paul gets the Jews to count their blessings. For one thing, the Jews have access to God’s word. THey are also apart of His plan to save the Jews and the entire world. Even in their failures He is faithful to show mercy!!!
NOW YOU KNOW THAT’S YOU. WHEN YOU WERE BAD HE WAS BEAUTIFUL
Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. As the Scriptures say,
“No one is righteous—
not even one.
No one is truly wise;
no one is seeking God.
All have turned away;
all have become useless.
No one does good,
not a single one.”
“Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
Their tongues are filled with lies.”
“Snake venom drips from their lips.”
“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
“They rush to commit murder.
Destruction and misery always follow them.
They don’t know where to find peace.”
“They have no fear of God at all.”
Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
rom3.9-
The advantages of the Jews are primarily seen in that they have been entrusted with the very words of God
No one is righteous (Rom3,9-20)
Paul concludes that both Jews and Gentiles are in the same situation. ALL HAVE SINNED. For Jews, the law has merely shown them the extent of their sin. If they think otherwise, they are adding PRIDE to their PROBLEMS
All have turned away;
all have become useless.
No one does good,
not a single one.”
Rom
The Greek translation literally means TO RENDER USELESS. One use is MILK that has gone sour. Without Jesus we are harmful!
But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
SO HOW IS SIN OVERCOME?
Justification by faith in Jesus. This means we are in a right relationship with God because we believe with all of our hearts that what Jesus told us about God is true.
Justification is a metaphor from the law courts: It means a person is on trial before God. If an innocent person appears before a judge, then to treat that person as innocent is the same as acquittal. But the point about our relationship to God is that we are utterly guilty, AND YET God, in His amazing mercy, treats us, reckons us, accounts us as if WE WERE INNOCENT
THE means by which human sin can be forgiven is the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. A sacrifice is a payment of an innocent life for a guilty life.
Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.
Rom3.27
DON’T BOAST: You haven’t worked out your own soul salvation by keeping the law. You are saved by faith in Jesus. THE LAW IS VALUABLE --- BUT ONLY AS A GUIDE, NOT FOR SALVATION.
rom
Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”
When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned.
Paul shows how JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH worked for Abraham. Abraham was the father of the Jewish race, so what was true for him should be true for everyone.
What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?
ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD FOR IMPOSSIBLE THINGS:
He believed for land he couldn’t pay for or conqueror
He believed God was going to make him a father
He believed to OFFER HIS OPPORTUNITY (ISAAC)
God called him RIGHTEOUS/JUSTIFICATION
He did NOT keep the law
His FAITH FORCED his FUTURE
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.
We didn’t design or deserve such a deliverance as the Gospel
Rom4
Rejoice in problems & trials
It develops endurance
it develops strength of character
it develops confident hope of salvation
It will not disappoint
The fact that Jesus died for us is the final proof of God’s love