ROMANS 10

 Paul said that his "heart's desire and prayer" was for Israel to be saved. They were conformed to the Law but they were "ignorant of God's righteousness." They had established "their own righteousness." But Christ was and is the goal of the Law, if they would just believe it.

Moses wrote about the Law, that it would be a burden to those who lived by it. Rather the "word of faith" is the way to God, which is salvation: "confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead..." This is for both Jew and Greek because God is the same God over all men who call on His name. 

But Israel has rejected the gospel. He, Paul, was sent by God to preach the gospel to them, but they had not obeyed. Isaiah said: "...who has believed our report?" 

...Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 

And God said through Moses that He would "provoke [Israel] to jealousy by those who are not a nation..," meaning the Gentiles. 

In addition, Paul quoted Isaiah again, that God was found by the Gentiles when they were not even seeking Him. But to Israel, Isaiah said, God was stretching out His hands to a "disobedient and contrary people." 

COMMENTARY

The present state of Israel is that they are lost. It was so in Paul's day, too. This is why they are unable to have peace today. Even being established by God Himself, the most they had was religion, not His righteousness. But the Law was meant to point them to Christ, not to save men, but to show them that they needed saving. That is what Paul meant when he said that Christ is the end of the law. He was the goal. 

Man's righteousness will never measure up to God's righteousness. That was what the Jews of Paul's day were trying to do. That is what man, Jew and Gentile, does today. It will never save him. 

Paul explained that man must bring his heart (his being) and his mouth (confession) in alinement with each other. What you say with your mouth needs to be supported by your actions. When you confess Christ, it should be apparent by your heart attitude and the way you live your life. That was why James said: "...faith without works is dead (James 2:20)." 

Furthermore, Paul argued that salvation is of faith. But the Law had become a religion in itself: Pharisaism, of which he knew all about. Paul explained that God called out men, like himself, to be messengers of the gospel. Preachers were sent out by God that people may hear the truth and believe. In order for people to know that they must call on the name of God, they must first hear the word. 

Finally, Paul explained that the gospel would be preached to all. Even Isaiah predicted Gentile conversions. And God has been so patient with Israel, "...holding out [His] hands to a disobedient people."

Even still, God has been patient with the whole world, waiting for them to call on His name and believe His righteousness offered through Christ. We cannot earn our way to heaven. We would have to be perfect, but no one is good. Jesus went in our place to pay for our sins, and He was raised for our justification. He is our righteousness. 

Is Jesus your Savior? Do not die without Him. 

St Paul the Apostle Writing his Epistles

 

ROMANS 7

 In this chapter, Paul explained how the Law was related to faith in Christ, especially for Jewish believers, and he used marriage as an example. A woman was bound to her husband so long as he was alive, but when he died, she was no longer bound to him and could remarry. Likewise, believers in Christ are dead to the Law and are bound to Christ. In the flesh, the Law "aroused" sin "to bear fruit to death." However, now believers died to the Law and "should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter."

Then Paul showed evidence that the Law was still good and holy and just because it was through the Law that one could see his own sin. Under the Law, one desires to do good, but cannot. As Paul said:

For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice, but what I hate, that I do...For I know that in me nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do: but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.

The law of Paul's flesh and the law of his mind were in constant battle. His mind wanted to serve God, but his flesh wanted to serve the law of sin. And he said:

O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord!

COMMENTARY

This chapter is about "the shackles of a saved soul" and "the struggle of a saved soul." The Law cannot save or sanctify a believer, but it "shackles" one to sin. Even desiring a new life won't help. One must present himself to Christ, recognizing he must be joined to Him. We cannot walk the Christian life on our own. Christians must yield their lives to Christ.

Christians are delivered from the Law because no one can follow the Law. But there is nothing wrong with the Law. It reveals excessive sinfulness. It is a mirror or a way to measure yourself against God's goodness and holiness. The Law is not the problem; man is. 

Paul explained how he still (as a believer) had the old self in him (in his flesh) that wanted to sin, and that was at war with his new nature (the one that loved the Lord and wanted to serve Him). The new nature won't sin, but when a Christian sins, it is his old nature acting out. And then the new nature works like the conscience condemning the believer of his sin. 

When a man gets saved, he does not rid himself entirely of his old sin nature. It is still there. He received a new nature - true - but he struggles against his old nature. However, God will give him the strength and ability to overcome, if he yields to Him, because he cannot do it alone. 

credit: The Jesus Fellowship Centre via Facebook

 

ROMANS 4

 Father Abraham was not justified in his flesh/works or else he could boast about himself, but not before God. Rather, the Scriptures say, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."

Those who work, his wages are as a debt to be paid. But those who trust in Christ (who justifies the ungodly) his faith is equal to righteousness. Even David, who was under the Law, said: 

Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.

Paul then asked if the blessing was only for the circumcised? No, because Abraham believed while he was uncircumcised. Faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness because he believed God's promise. Therefore, he received the "seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised..."

The promise that Abraham would be heir of the world was not to him or his seed through the Law but through faith that it might be of grace for all, whether of the Law or outside the Law. Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah's womb was barren, yet, he still believed God's promise that from him would come nations of people. And his faith was strengthened. 

The promise of imputation was not for Abraham alone, but for us who believe that Jesus died for our sin and that God raised Him up from the dead.

COMMENTARY

In this chapter, Paul used Abraham, Father of the Hebrew nation, and David, the greatest Hebrew king, to demonstrate that man is a sinner, and God provided a righteousness for sinners and justification by faith. Faith was God's only requirement. Abraham was justified by faith before the Law, and David sang of justification by faith under the Law.

Any good works Abraham had done did not aid in his salvation, but were the result of his salvation, being justified by faith. For example, when he offered up his son Isaac in obedience to God's command. This was a work of faith, not flesh. 

Abraham believed in his heart that God told the truth...[His] faith was not an act, but an attitude. His heart was turned completely away from himself to God and His promise. 

 David could never be saved by the Law because David was a sinner, and he was chastened; but he knew the Lord would put away his sin. So even with the Law, David could not be saved. 

Back to Abraham, he was justified by faith in the resurrection -- life from the dead. Abraham believed God's promise to raise up a son out of the tomb of death, or the womb of Sarah. God raised up His own Son out of the tomb. Sarah's womb was like a tomb. But God brought out of it life. 

In Christ's death, He paid our debt; in His resurrection, He took out our acquittance.

Renáta Fucíková, Czech, 1964

ROMANS 3

What advantage did one have being Jewish or circumcised? A lot! For one, they had the Word of God. And if a circumcised Jew did not believe? It did not negate the faithfulness of God. 

Nonetheless, all men, both Jew and Greek, have sinned. And it was written;

There is none righteous, no not one; there is none who understand; there is non who seeks after god, they have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is non who does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known. there is no fear of God before their eyes.

The law is for those under the law, and no man will be justified because the law brings the knowledge of sin. 

But now God's righteousness through Jesus is revealed, as told previously by the Law and the Prophets, to all those who believe. 

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness...

No one can boast now because man is justified by faith, not works of the law. God is also the God of the Gentiles because there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.  

COMMENTARY

Paul asked what good circumcision was. It was an advantage to have God's word, and it meant Jews had a responsibility, as an outward sign to demonstrate to the world who God is. Paul noted that Israel's faithlessness did not revoke His future promises to them. Because the Jews failed, it does not mean God failed.

God judges sin and all mankind is under sin. Man is a sinner by his actions, man is a sinner by nature, man is a sinner by imputation; and man is under sin. 

Being righteous means to be right. To be right with God means to receive His plan for salvation. 

No one is the person he wants to be and no one seeks for God. Some time ago, God tolerated man's ignorance, but those times are gone. All men must repent now because God is no longer tolerating man's lack of knowledge.

Man has left the right way. Even primitive civilizations had an understanding of living rightly. Somewhere, man took a detour. 

Man is unprofitable (rotten)!

No one does good. Not one! If we saw ourselves the way God does, we would be disgusted, too. 

Man's mouth abounds with cursing, deceit, and fraud, and is full of mischief and vanity. He is attracted to evil. Everything in his wake is destruction and misery. He does not understand how to make peace. And he has no fear of God. 

Bottom line: man cannot attain righteousness through the Mosaic Law. The Law is only good to reveal man as the sinner that he is. 

THE GOOD NEWS

God demands and then provides the righteousness for us, through Christ -- apart from the Law.  

That righteousness which the Father required, the Son became, and the Holy Spirit convinces of, and faith secures. - Dr. Brooks

The object of our faith is Christ. His blood and merit save us. By His grace we are saved. 

It is FAITH IN HIS BLOOD (His life --). The life of the flesh is in the blood. 

ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS COME (TO CHRIST). IF YOU COME, HE SAVES YOU WHOLEHEARTEDLY, ABUNDANTLY. HE ACCEPTS US (not the other way around).

Finally, God gave the Jews the Law. Obviously, they could not keep the Law, which was why there had to be a sacrifice (of a lamb), which was provided in faith. The sacrifice always pointed to the coming Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who would be the propitiation for sin. And today, this is how we are saved, through faith in His sacrifice.

Paul Writing His Epistles - 1618-20