Romans 04

Justification by faith - getting right with God, being acquitted in his court, being forgiven for our sins, being declared righteous and having the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and our sins imputed to him, (not becoming righteous, but being counted as righteous while we are still sinners), and all this by faith alone - that is what the first eight chapters of Romans are mostly about. For the apostle Paul, it was the heart of the gospel message. The book of Romans is the fullest, most systematic, most extensive effort of the apostle Paul to put his message in writing. And it is all structured around the great truth of justification by faith.

Abraham - an example of salvation by grace apart from works for Gentiles from the Old Testament.
David - an example of the joy of having sin forgiven.

The main object of this chapter is to show that the doctrine of justification by faith was found in the Old Testament and applied to both the Jew and to the Gentile.

Abram was the first Hebrew. He “crossed the river” and came into a land promised by God. He was different from the local people, so they referred to him as “Hebrew” meaning “from across the river.” God promised Abram that he would become the father of many people, that kings and other nations would come from him. His name was changed to “Abraham,” meaning the “father of many nations.”

Abraham believed the promises of God (the land, the blessings, children and heirs). This is the definition of faith – believing the promises of God. Righteousness is defined as “doing the right thing.” What is the right thing? Answer: believing what God has said.

While not obvious in the New Living Version, but very obvious in the KJV, the key word in Romans chapter four is "reckoned" (apologizes) (verses 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 22, 23, 24). It means to charge to one's account, to credit something to someone's financial account. Abraham believed God would do what He said He would do. God transferred righteousness to Abraham's account. Works earns a wage; believing receives a gift.

Jesus Christ fulfilled all the promises that Abraham would have a heavenly seed as well as earthly seed. Abraham believed God's promise about the seed and was justified.

An example of salvation by faith not works from the Gospels: Take the thief on the cross. He had no time to get down and reform his life or even get water-baptized. He was a dying sinner, and some plan of salvation was needed which would be as quick as lightning in its operation - and it was!.

Paul’s greatest conflict was continually with legalists; they were his chief opponents. The Jews represent legalism. And many Gentile Christians today take up the defense of the law, seeking to lead Christians back under the Law of Moses. They say it is necessary to keep the Ten Commandments in order to be saved or add requirements to faith - DO instead of BELIEVE. This is just a denial of the sufficiency of the finished work of Christ.

Grace is NOT by:

• works (Verse 4)
• circumcision (Verse 10)
• the law (Verse 13)

We left off last time at Romans 3:28-30: So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. After all, God is not the God of the Jews only, is he? Isn't he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. There is only one God, and there is only one way of being accepted by him. He makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.

(1) Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What were his experiences concerning this question of being saved by faith?

• The connection of this verse with the preceding train of reasoning is obvious. Paul had taught that we are justified by faith; as well in confirmation of this doctrine, as to anticipate an objection from the Jew, he refers to the case of Abraham: ‘How was it then with Abraham? How did he obtain justification?’ Paul proposes to decide the question by reference to a case about which no one could doubt. All admitted that Abraham was justified. The only question was, How?
• Chapter 3 opened with the question suggested by the argument of chapter 2: Then what's the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value in the Jewish ceremony of circumcision? Chapter 4 re-opens the question, this time focusing attention on Abraham.
• Matthew 3:8-9: Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God. Don't just say, 'We're safe -- we're the descendants of Abraham.' That proves nothing. God can change these stones here into children of Abraham.
• John 8:39-44: "Our father is Abraham," they declared. "No," Jesus replied, "for if you were children of Abraham, you would follow his good example. I told you the truth I heard from God, but you are trying to kill me. Abraham wouldn't do a thing like that. No, you are obeying your real father when you act that way." They replied, "We were not born out of wedlock! Our true Father is God himself." Jesus told them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. Why can't you understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to do so! For you are the children of your father the Devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies
• Romans 9:6-8: Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to the Jews? No, for not everyone born into a Jewish family is truly a Jew! Just the fact that they are descendants of Abraham doesn't make them truly Abraham's children. For the Scriptures say, "Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted," though Abraham had other children, too. This means that Abraham's physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. It is the children of the promise who are considered to be Abraham's children.

(2) Was it because of his good deeds that God accepted him? If so, he would have had something to *boast about. But from God's point of view Abraham had no basis at all for pride.

• Jews supposed Abraham was justified by works or the works of the flesh.
• *boast: He picks up the issue of boasting that he dealt with in Romans 3:27-28: Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on our good deeds. It is based on our faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.

(3) For the Scriptures tell us, "Abraham believed God, so God declared him to be righteous."

• Paul is referring us back to Genesis chapter fifteen. God appeared to Abraham one clear night and showed him the sky full stars. The sky was full of glory with stars blazing from horizon to horizon. God said, "If you can number the stars, you can number your descendants. They will number far more than all the stars of heaven." The Apostle Paul said, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness". Abraham believed God.
• Genesis 15:1-6: Afterward the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, "Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great." But Abram replied, "O Sovereign LORD, what good are all your blessings when I don't even have a son? Since I don't have a son, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. You have given me no children, so one of my servants will have to be my heir." Then the LORD said to him, "No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own to inherit everything I am giving you." Then the LORD brought Abram outside beneath the night sky and told him, "Look up into the heavens and count the stars if you can. Your descendants will be like that -- too many to count!" And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD declared him righteous because of his faith.
• Genesis 17:1-7: When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to make you into a mighty nation." At this, Abram fell face down in the dust. Then God said to him, "This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of not just one nation, but a multitude of nations! What's more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram; now you will be known as Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. I will give you millions of descendants who will represent many nations. Kings will be among them! "I will continue this everlasting covenant between us, generation after generation. It will continue between me and your offspring forever. And I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
• Abraham received the gift of righteousness 430 years before the Law was given to Moses.
• If it was Abraham's works that brought him justification, then Abraham could boast in his works. He could say, "I left my home, I left my family on the other side of the Euphrates River, and I journeyed not even knowing where I was going, just waiting for God to show me. And I was willing to offer my son." He could have boasted if he was justified by his works, but he could not have boasted in God; he would have had to have boasted in himself. Why? He just believed in God, that is what God accounted for righteousness.

(4) When people work, their wages are not a gift. Workers earn what they receive.

(5) But people are declared righteous because of their faith, not because of their work.

• King James Version: But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is* counted for righteousness.
  • *counted for or reckoned = the Greek word logizomai, which itself is related to our English word “logic.” Logizomai is essentially a bookkeeping term. It means “to credit to one’s account.” It’s what happens when you deposit money in the bank. If you bring a $1000 check, the teller credits your account with one thousand dollars. In the same way, if you write a check for $250, the teller debits your account by that amount. In this context, the word means to “credit one’s account and to treat accordingly.” So, you have a ledger sheet in heaven. You have all assets and no debts - because of what Christ did and your faith in Him. The debit side of the ledger (sins) has been wiped clean! Unfortunately, many "christians" imagine instead a ledger book of their good works on one side and their sins on the other side and hope that the works outweigh the sins! We’re always more sinful than we are good.
• Verse 5 is perhaps the most important verse on justification by faith alone in all the New Testament because it brings us to the very heart of the gospel.
• The great English preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, said : “If some of you plume yourselves with the notion that you are righteous, I pray God to pluck those fine feathers off you and make you see yourselves, for if you never see your own nothingness, you will never understand Christ’s all-sufficiency. Unless you are pulled down, Christ will never lift you up.”
• If God doesn’t want our “works,” what does he want from us? He wants us to trust him. That’s all. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. In the New Testament, faith, trust, and belief all come from the same general root word meaning “to lean wholly upon,” as when you lie down on a bed, resting your whole weight upon it. We are to trust God so completely that we take him at his Word regarding our salvation.
• Faith is not a work that “merits” salvation. Faith cannot save us unless our faith is based upon the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins.
• God isn’t impressed by your outward performance. Why? Because God doesn’t look on the outside; he looks on the heart. When he looks inside your heart, he sees why you do what you do. He sees the greed, the anger, the manipulation, the fear, the ruthlessness, the unkindness, the power plays, the shady deals. He also hears the secret thoughts you think when you know no one else can hear you. He listens while you mumble under your breath. He knows how you lust for power and fame and glory. Nothing is hidden from him. You can’t fool God by your performance. He judges your motives, not just your actions.
  
• How strong must their faith be?
  • Mark 9:24: The father instantly replied, "I do believe, but help me not to doubt!"
  • Matthew 17:20: "You didn't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I assure you, even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."
  • Matthew 15:27-28: "Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even dogs are permitted to eat crumbs that fall beneath their master's table." "Woman," Jesus said to her, "your faith is great. Your request is granted." And her daughter was instantly healed.
  • Matthew 8:13: Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, "Go on home. What you have believed has happened." And the young servant was healed that same hour.

(6) King David spoke of this, describing the happiness of an undeserving sinner who is declared to be righteous:

• Abraham and David and all the Old Testament saints were justified before God because they put their faith in the promised Messiah of Israel and Saviour of the world. The Lord Himself said to the unbelieving Jews, “Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad."" (John 8:56).
• Psalm 51:4: Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.

(7) "Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight.

(8) Yes, what joy for those whose sin is no longer counted against them by the Lord."

• In the Old Testament, the sin was covered by the blood of the lamb. After Jesus, the sin was completely done away with by the blood of the perfect Lamb (Jesus Christ).
• David in connection with Bathsheba, had coveted, committed adultery, and murdered, breaking 3 of the 10 commandments. His seduction of Bathsheba and his camouflaged murder of Uriah exposed David to the death penalty on two counts, and according to the strict letter of the Mosaic law, there was no hope for him. David cried in another of the penitential psalms, born in this same period: Psalm 51:16-17 “You would not be pleased with sacrifices, or I would bring them. If I brought you a burnt offering, you would not accept it. The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise.”. Out of this experience, however, David learned two vital truths concerning salvation, truths which he wrote in Psalm 32 and which Paul picks up here to further his argument: Psalm 32:1-2: A psalm of David. Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!

(9) Now then, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it for Gentiles, too? Well, what about Abraham? We have been saying he was declared righteous by God because of his faith.

(10) But how did his faith help him? Was he declared righteous only after he had been circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? The answer is that God accepted him first, and then he was circumcised later!

• Abraham was circumcised 14 years after he believed the promise! The Jewish people thought that circumcision was what made a man acceptable to God. We have many today who think that baptism is what makes a man acceptable. Neither circumcision nor baptism does. Abraham was a Gentile when he believed the promise of God! The sign of the covenant came years later.
• Barclay says, “To a Jew a man who was not circumcised was, quite literally, not a Jew, no matter what his parentage was.” He goes on to quote an ancient Jewish prayer, “Blessed is he who sanctified his beloved from the womb, and put his ordinance upon his flesh, and sealed his offspring by the sign of the holy covenant.” If a Gentile wanted to convert to Judaism, he had to do three things: 1. Be baptized 2. Offer a sacrifice 3. Be circumcised. The point to grasp is that to the Jews circumcision was far more than a ceremony; it was the point of entrance into a living and true relationship with God.
• All Paul is saying is that Abraham's faith before he was circumcised was counted as righteousness to him. Also, in I John 5:1 "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too." Also, in I John 5:12 " So whoever has God's Son has life; whoever does not have his Son does not have life." We find in both these Scriptures that it is not whether you are Jew or Gentile, but where you have put your faith (in the Son of God)
• Ephesians 2:8-11:  God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Don't forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders by birth. You were called "the uncircumcised ones" by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.

(11) The circumcision ceremony was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous -- even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are made right with God by faith.

• Abraham was circumcised at age 99 (Genesis 17:11)
• Philippians 3:3-9: For we who worship God in the Spirit are the only ones who are truly circumcised. We put no confidence in human effort. Instead, we boast about what Christ Jesus has done for us. Yet I could have confidence in myself if anyone could. If others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! For I was circumcised when I was eight days old, having been born into a pure-blooded Jewish family that is a branch of the tribe of Benjamin. So I am a real Jew if there ever was one! What's more, I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. And zealous? Yes, in fact, I harshly persecuted the church. And I obeyed the Jewish law so carefully that I was never accused of any fault. I once thought all these things were so very important, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God's law, but I trust Christ to save me. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith.
• Colossians 2:9-17: For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body, and you are complete through your union with Christ. He is the Lord over every ruler and authority in the universe. When you came to Christ, you were "circumcised," but not by a physical procedure. It was a spiritual procedure -- the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to a new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ's cross. In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ. So don't let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new-moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules were only shadows of the real thing, Christ himself.

(12) And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.

• There is something else to be seen here; circumcision, like any other religious rite, is significant only in terms of the reality which it symbolizes, and yet carnality is so strong in man that he is inclined to think of rites or sacraments as meritorious; keep the sacraments and earn merit. It is a device by which an entrenched hierarchy may protect its vested interest, but there is nothing biblical, Christian or Jewish, about it.

(13) It is clear, then, that God's promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was not based on obedience to God's law, but on the new relationship with God that comes by faith.

• Galatians 3:18: For if the inheritance could be received only by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God's promise. But God gave it to Abraham as a promise.
• Abraham was:
• the father of the uncircumcised!
• first the father of the Gentile!
• reckoned righteous before he was a Jew!
• reckoned righteous before Ishmael was born.

(14) So if you claim that God's promise is for those who obey God's law and think they are "good enough" in God's sight, then you are saying that faith is useless. And in that case, the promise is also meaningless.

(15) But the law brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)

(16) So that's why faith is the key! God's promise is given to us as a free gift. And we are certain to receive it, whether or not we follow Jewish customs, if we have faith like Abraham's. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.

• Acts 15:4-21: When they arrived in Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas were welcomed by the whole church, including the apostles and elders. They reported on what God had been doing through their ministry. But then some of the men who had been Pharisees before their conversion stood up and declared that all Gentile converts must be circumcised and be required to follow the law of Moses. So the apostles and church elders got together to decide this question. At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: "Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe. God, who knows people's hearts, confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he gave him to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he also cleansed their hearts through faith. Why are you now questioning God's way by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the special favor of the Lord Jesus." There was no further discussion, and everyone listened as Barnabas and Paul told about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. When they had finished, James stood and said, "Brothers, listen to me. Peter has told you about the time God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for himself. And this conversion of Gentiles agrees with what the prophets predicted. For instance, it is written: 'Afterward I will return, and I will restore the fallen kingdom of David. From the ruins I will rebuild it, and I will restore it, so that the rest of humanity might find the Lord, including the Gentiles -- all those I have called to be mine. This is what the Lord says, he who made these things known long ago.' And so my judgment is that we should stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God, except that we should write to them and tell them to abstain from eating meat sacrificed to idols, from sexual immorality, and from consuming blood or eating the meat of strangled animals. For these laws of Moses have been preached in Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations."
• 2 Timothy 1:9: It is God who saved us and chose us to live a holy life. He did this not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan long before the world began -- to show his love and kindness to us through Christ Jesus.

(17) That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, "I have made you the father of many nations." This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who brings into existence what didn't exist before.

• His faith rested in the God of the resurrection - connecting us to Christ's resurrection.
• James 2:20-24: Fool! When will you ever learn that faith that does not result in good deeds is useless? Don't you remember that our ancestor Abraham was declared right with God because of what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, he was trusting God so much that he was willing to do whatever God told him to do. His faith was made complete by what he did -- by his actions. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: "Abraham believed God, so God declared him to be righteous." He was even called "the friend of God." So you see, we are made right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

(18) When God promised Abraham that he would become the father of many nations, Abraham believed him. God had also said, "Your descendants will be as numerous as the stars," even though such a promise seemed utterly impossible!

• Hebrews 11:8,17-19: It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. ... It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God's promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, though God had promised him, "Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted." Abraham assumed that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.
• Galatians 3:6-9: In the same way, "Abraham believed God, so God declared him righteous because of his faith." The real children of Abraham, then, are all those who put their faith in God. What's more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would accept the Gentiles, too, on the basis of their faith. God promised this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, "All nations will be blessed through you." And so it is: All who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.

(19) And Abraham's faith did not weaken, even though he knew that he was too old to be a father at the age of one hundred and that Sarah, his wife, had never been able to have children.

• Faith facing the impossible!

(20) Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.

• One of the goals of our growth in Christ is that our faith will grow stronger day-by-day, year-by-year.

(21) He was absolutely convinced that God was able to do anything he promised.

(22) And because of Abraham's faith, God declared him to be righteous.

(23) Now this wonderful truth -- that God declared him to be righteous -- wasn't just for Abraham's benefit.

(24) It was for us, too, assuring us that God will also declare us to be righteous if we believe in God, who brought Jesus our Lord back from the dead.

(25) He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised from the dead to make us right with God.

• Abraham looked forward and believed what God was going to do through Christ’s death and resurrection; we look back and see what the God of resurrection has already done! Everything we have and are is ours by the grace of God. We believe in the Christ who was “delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification.” All the promises of our faith center around the empty tomb!
• Only through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus can man be justified. It was by faith that Abraham and David and all the Old Testament saints were saved; and it is by faith that you and I and every redeemed sinner shall see God, and dwell in His presence forever. 
• When? About twenty-five years before Paul sat dictating this sentence in the house of Gaius. There were at that moment about three hundred known living people, at least, {1Co 15:6} who had seen the Risen One with open eyes, and heard Him with conscious ears. From one point of view, all was eternal, spiritual, invisible. From another point of view our salvation was as concrete, as historical, as much a thing of place and date, as the battle of Actium, or the death of Socrates. And what was done, remains done.

NOTES:

• Unless otherwise noted, the scripture version used is the New Living Translation, copyright 1996, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois.
• Disclaimer: Source material for this study has been gleaned from many different sources. I have attempted to acknowledge these sources at romansoverview.blogspot.com/2012/12/romans-references.html

Romans 03

There are only two essential types of belief in all religions, WORKS and GRACE. The world’s religions are all essentially the same -- they all center around human works. All involve human beings accomplishing a task or set of tasks to achieve a goal and receive a reward. ” In the world’s religions, salvation (righteousness, oneness with the Infinite, perfect nothingness, or whatever is the term in a particular religion) is earned by what one does. Unfortunately, within this group of religions based on human effort are many species of religion that go by the name of Christianity.

How can a holy and righteous God be just and holy and at the same time allow sinful man to come into His presence? The Bible clearly teaches that God is holy, and in His holy character, He will not allow sin in His presence. It also teaches that man is a sinful creature. In fact, he is dead in his sins and trespasses. Our moral attitudes and behaviors separate us from God. All sinners must pay a terrible penalty. "The wages of sin is death . . .” (Romans 6:23a). In Romans 3:21-26, Paul brings out something of the grandeur of Christ’s saving work. He views salvation in three ways: as justification (imagery from the law court), as redemption (imagery from the slave market) and as propitiation (imagery from the averting of wrath of God). Why is such a question critical for us today? It is because our eternal destiny hinges on an accurate understanding of the answer. Where will you spend eternity? On this subject we had better make sure we have the right answers. There are those who believe that saving grace depends upon what the penitent sinner does (works). They teach not only grace but also good works contributes to justification--grace plus works! The problem, however, is this is teaching a salvation by works. It goes completely against the main thrust of the Scriptures which stresses salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone. The Bible, especially Paul's writings, clearly and consistently teaches that salvation is a gift from God that is received by faith in Jesus Christ:

• John 3:15: so that everyone who believes in me will have eternal life.
• Acts 4:12: There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them."
• Romans 1:17: This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life."
• Romans 3:28: So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.
• Romans 4:3: For the Scriptures tell us, "Abraham believed God, so God declared him to be righteous."
• Romans 4:6-8: King David spoke of this, describing the happiness of an undeserving sinner who is declared to be righteous: "Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose sin is no longer counted against them by the Lord."
• Galatians 2:16: And yet we Jewish Christians know that we become right with God, not by doing what the law commands, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be accepted by God because of our faith in Christ -- and not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be saved by obeying the law."
• Galatians 2:21: I am not one of those who treats the grace of God as meaningless. For if we could be saved by keeping the law, then there was no need for Christ to die.
• Galatians 3:10-13: But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, "Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all these commands that are written in God's Book of the Law." Consequently, it is clear that no one can ever be right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life." How different from this way of faith is the way of law, which says, "If you wish to find life by obeying the law, you must obey all of its commands." But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."
• Ephesians 2:8-9: God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
• Philippians 3:9: and become one with him. I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God's law, but I trust Christ to save me. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith.
• 2 Timothy 1:9: It is God who saved us and chose us to live a holy life. He did this not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan long before the world began -- to show his love and kindness to us through Christ Jesus.
• Titus 3:5: He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit.

If we are to be justified at all, it must be on the ground of the merits of Another, whose merits can be made ours by faith. And that is the reason why God sent His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish but have everlasting life. If we do not believe in Him, obviously we must perish. But if we believe in Him, we shall not perish but have everlasting life. That is Justification by Faith. Justification by Faith is nothing other than obtaining everlasting life by believing in Christ. . . And there is none other name under heaven, given among men, wherein we must be saved . . . " (B. B. Warfield).

The wonderful thing the apostle Paul stresses is that we are not only saved by grace, but we now stand in grace. This is our new position in Christ. The same grace that saved us now sustains us.

John R. W. Stott states: "Jesus Christ came into the world to live and to die. In His life, His obedience to the law was perfect. In His death, He suffered for our disobedience. On earth, He lived the only life of sinless obedience to the law which has ever been lived. On the cross, He died for our law-breaking, since the penalty for disobedience to the law was death. All that is required for us to be justified, therefore, is to acknowledge our sin and helplessness, to repent of our years of self-assertion and self-righteousness, and to put our whole trust and confidence in Jesus Christ to save us" (The Message of Galatians, p. 62).

Over thirty things occurred the very moment we put our faith in Christ including:

• We were born again or regenerated (Titus 3:5; John 3:5, 6; Ephesians 2:1-5).
• We were baptized by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13).
• We were indwelt by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).
• We were sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30).
• We received spiritual gifts for ministry (1 Corinthians 12:11).

We are in (sun) Christ; He is in us:

• We are crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20).
• We are dead with Christ (Colossians 2:20).
• We are buried with Christ (Romans 6:4).
• Made alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5).
• We are raised together with Christ (Colossians 3:1).
• We are sufferers together with Christ (Romans 8:17).
• We are glorified together with Christ (Romans 8:17).

The old Puritan John Bunyan testified: "Suddenly, this sentence fell upon my soul, "Thy righteousness is in heaven." . . . I saw, with the eyes of my soul Jesus Christ at God's right hand. . . It was glorious to me to see His exaltation and the worth and prevalency of all His benefits. . . . By this also was my faith in Him, as my righteousness the more confirmed in me, for if He and I were one, then His righteousness was mine, His merits mine, His victory also mine. Now I would see myself in heaven and earth at once; in heaven by my Christ, by my head, by my righteousness and life, though on earth by my body or person."

(1) Then what's the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value in the Jewish ceremony of circumcision?

• Paul has carefully explained in Romans 2 that the possession of the law or circumcision will not save a Jewish person. If this is the case, then what is the advantage of being “God’s chosen nation”?
• We can appreciate just a little bit the radical, revolutionary impact of Paul's teaching upon Jewish complacency. Paul himself had been through it; had he not taken his religion more seriously than his contemporaries? Had he not boasted that if any other could be proud of his achievements, he more? Surely the Apostle Paul had felt the blasting power of the truth against his own personal complacency and pride and stubborn zeal.
• The Jews did not feel they were to be dealt with as other men. GOD had chosen them as the covenant people of Abraham, and insights into their attitude abound in the New Testament as, for example, when John the Baptist began his public ministry with the message, "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." One can almost hear the Jews saying to John, "Of what must we repent, we are the children of Abraham?" John replies, " think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham" (Matthew 3:9). There is a basic truth intimated here; namely, that it is easier for GOD to make a man out of a stone than to bring a man to repentance.
• On another occasion, when JESUS was having one of his verbal encounters with the Pharisees (John 8), they boasted, "We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man" (verse 33). It was a favorite saying of the Jews that all Israel hath a part in eternal life.

(2) Yes, being a Jew has many advantages. First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God.

• Deuteronomy 4:7-8: For what great nation has a god as near to them as the LORD our God is near to us whenever we call on him? And what great nation has laws and regulations as fair as this body of laws that I am giving you today?
• “This was their prime privilege, that they were God’s library-keepers, that this heavenly treasure was concredited to them.” (Trapp)
• Disobedient Jews took the position that God was obligated, because of his covenant promises to Israel, to bless them regardless of whether they were faithful or sinful.
• That is the end of his answer until chapter 9. Paul will later expand on the advantage of the Jewish people in Romans 9:4, explaining that Israel also had the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God and the promises.

(3) True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they broke their promises, does that mean God will break his promises?

(4) Of course not! Though everyone else in the world is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say, "He will be proved right in what he says, and he will win his case in court."

• Spurgeon on Though everyone else in the world is a liar, God is true: “It is a strange, strong expression; but it is none too strong. If God says one thing, and every man in the world says another, God is true, and all men are false. God speaks the truth, and cannot lie. God cannot change; his word, like himself, is immutable. We are to believe God’s truth if nobody else believes it. The general consensus of opinion is nothing to a Christian. He believes God’s word, and he thinks more of that than of the universal opinion of men.”

(5) "But," some say, "our sins serve a good purpose, for people will see God's goodness when he declares us sinners to be innocent. Isn't it unfair, then, for God to punish us?" (That is actually the way some people talk.)

• In our day the expression, "we are all sinners" is a popular excuse to go on sinning. For many people there is no contrite conviction in those words. They are nothing more than an excuse for more sinning. Everybody does it so why can't I?
• David Guzik:" In theory, the most dramatic example of someone who might ask this question is Judas. Can you hear Judas make his case? “Lord, I know that I betrayed Jesus, but You used it for good. In fact, if I hadn’t done what I did, Jesus wouldn’t have gone to the cross at all. What I did even fulfilled the Scriptures. How can You judge me at all?” The answer to Judas might go like this: “Yes, God used your wickedness but it was still your wickedness. There was no good or pure motive in your heart at all. It is no credit to you that God brought good out of your evil. You stand guilty before God.”"

(6) Of course not! If God is not just, how is he qualified to judge the world?

• Paul understood that God would judge the world, both Jew and Gentile. The Jews of Paul’s day figured that God would condemn the Gentile for his sin, but save the Jew despite his sin.

(7) "But," some might still argue, "how can God judge and condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights his truthfulness and brings him more glory?"

(8) If you follow that kind of thinking, however, you might as well say that the more we sin the better it is! Those who say such things deserve to be condemned, yet some slander me by saying this is what I preach!

• Some of Paul's opponents, and opponents today of salvation by faith apart from works, accused him of teaching a doctrine of "cheap grace". I have several times been accused of the same. Man always wants to add his little part - for pride's sake. Anyone who feels that way is, in effect, saying that Jesus' work on the cross was incomplete.

(9) Well then, are we Jews 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.

(10) As the Scriptures say, "No one is good -- not even one.

(11) No one has real understanding; no one is seeking God.

(12) All have turned away from God; all have gone wrong. No one does good, not even one."

• Psalm 14:2-3: The LORD looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if there is even one with real understanding, one who seeks for God. But no, all have turned away from God; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not even one!
• Isaiah 59:6-8: They cheat and shortchange everyone. Nothing they do is productive; all their activity is filled with sin. Violence is their trademark. Their feet run to do evil, and they rush to commit murder. They think only about sinning. Wherever they go, misery and destruction follow them. They do not know what true peace is or what it means to be just and good. They continually do wrong, and those who follow them cannot experience a moment's peace.

(13) "Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their speech is filled with lies." "The poison of a deadly snake drips from their lips."

• Matthew 3:7: But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to be baptized, he denounced them. "You brood of snakes!" he exclaimed. "Who warned you to flee God's coming judgment?

(14) "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."

• Psalm 10:7: Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats. Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues.

(15) "They are quick to commit murder.

(16) Wherever they go, destruction and misery follow them.

(17) They do not know what true peace is."

(18) "They have no fear of God to restrain them."

(19) Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses and to bring the entire world into judgment before God.

• Galatians 3:22: But the Scriptures have declared that we are all prisoners of sin, so the only way to receive God's promise is to believe in Jesus Christ.
• Galatians 3:24: Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian and teacher to lead us until Christ came. So now, through faith in Christ, we are made right with God.
• The law was never intended to be a means of salvation except as it pointed man to his need of grace in CHRIST. When a man says, "The Ten Commandments is my religion," he is bound by the Ten Commandments; and his condemnation is the greater because he has embraced them and broken them. When a man says, "The Sermon on the Mount is my religion," he is condemned by his own boast when he does not live up to it. When a man says, "The Golden Rule is my religion," he judges himself by his failure. This is not an uncommon attitude. "If a man just lives up to the Golden Rule." "If a man just lives up to the Sermon on the Mount." That is a big "if." For "by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified." For a man to take refuge in moral law serves only to increase his condemnation. The reason the law will not save is reserved for later discussion, (chapters 6 through 8) but it is quite apparent; man fails to keep the law.

(20) For no one can ever be made right in God's sight by doing what his law commands. For the more we know God's law, the clearer it becomes that we aren't obeying it.

• His “law” refers to the Old Testament and the law of Moses especially, not just the ceremonial law or just the Ten Commandments.
• Since the time of Adam and Eve, people have tried to justify themselves by the deeds of the law. In the Garden of Eden Adam tried to make himself presentable to God by making coverings out of fig leaves - and he failed. In Job, the oldest book of the Bible, the problem is presented clearly: how can a man be righteous before God? (Job 9:2) God makes part of the answer clear here through Paul - the answer is not in the performance of good works, in the deeds of the law.
• A church that makes the rules and presumes to grant or withhold salvation can manipulate its people to its ends (like the Roman church today and the Pharisees in Jesus' day):
  • Mark 7:5-9: So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, "Why don't your disciples follow our age-old customs? For they eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony." Jesus replied, "You hypocrites! Isaiah was prophesying about you when he said, 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. Their worship is a farce, for they replace God's commands with their own man-made teachings.' For you ignore God's specific laws and substitute your own traditions." Then he said, "You reject God's laws in order to hold on to your own traditions

(21) BUT NOW God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight -- not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago.

• Justification (being right) is God's act of removing the guilt and penalty of sin while at the same time declaring a sinner righteous through Christ's atoning sacrifice - through faith alone, without works.The Bible meaning of the word is to be totally blameless and totally guiltless--to be able to stand before God clean and pure in every way. Justification is to stand before God with all accounts paid and clothed in the righteousness of His only Son, Jesus Christ.

(22) We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we ALL can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.

(23) For ALL have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard.

• Isaiah 53:6: All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the guilt and sins of us all.
• Both Jews and Gentiles have fallen short of the glory of God. Everyone in the entire world has sinned and fallen short of or lacks the glory of God. God’s law demands absolute perfection. No one is perfect in God’s sight. Man has no merit at all; his sin has disqualified him in the heavenly court.
• God sees the unbelieving sinner as:
  • Lost (Matthew 18:11; 2 Corinthians 4:3)
  • Guilty (Romans 3:19)
  • Spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1)
  • Alienated from God (Ephesians 4:18)
  • His enemies (Romans 5:10; Colossians 1:21)
  • Children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3)
  • Condemned (John 3:18)

(24) Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins.

• King James Version: Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
• justified (dikaioumenoi). Present passive participle of dikaioo¯, to set right, repeated action in each case, each being set right.

(25) For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times

• John 1:29: The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
• 2 Corinthians 5:21: For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
• God's righteousness is satisfied by the death of Christ. The death of Christ is a "propitiatory sacrifice." God's justice is satisfied in the death of Jesus. Now God can declare, "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1).
• God imputes (reckons, charges to the account) the sinner’s guilt to Christ and His righteousness is imputed to the sinner (Psalm 32:1, 2; Isaiah 53:4-6; Romans 5:18, 19; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Imputation is the reckoning or "charging to the account" of one what properly belongs to the account of another. Because of the redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ, God imputes or credits our sin to the person of Jesus Christ and imputes His righteousness to our account through faith in Him. The word used is the verb logizomai which means "to count, reckon, credit, charge to the account of another."

(26) And he is entirely fair and just in this present time when he declares sinners to be right in his sight because they believe in Jesus.

• Romans 5:6-8: When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

(27) Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on our good deeds. It is based on our faith.

(28) So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.

• Faith is not trying to obey and fulfill some kind of law. It is not doing our best to try to live up to some religious or moral standard. Trying to live up to someone's law, no matter where it comes from, is not faith. That is living by works. God does not love and accept you because you have tried hard to do what you think was right.
• God has devised a plan by which, anyone may be pardoned and saved; and that is by faith alone. This is the grand uniqueness of the Christian religion. This was the special point in the reformation from the Roman church. Luther often called this doctrine of justification by faith the article upon which the church stood or fell.
• Romans 8:2: For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death.
• Galatians 2:21: I am not one of those who treats the grace of God as meaningless. For if we could be saved by keeping the law, then there was no need for Christ to die.

(29) After all, God is not the God of the Jews only, is he? Isn't he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is.

• Jews wanted to keep YHWH as a tribal, national God.

(30) There is only one God, and there is only one way of being accepted by him. He makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.

• FAITH PLUS NOTHING!
• The next chapter expands on this theme using Abraham as an example of justification by faith, not works.

(31) Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.

• The Law and the prophets testified to the gift of God. The Law provided a system of offerings and sacrifices that men could bring to the altar in the Temple. This system looked forward to and pictured the death of Jesus as "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world" (John 1:29).
• 1 Timothy 1:7-11: They want to be known as teachers of the law of Moses, but they don't know what they are talking about, even though they seem so confident. We know these laws are good when they are used as God intended. But they were not made for people who do what is right. They are for people who are disobedient and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who murder their father or mother or other people. These laws are for people who are sexually immoral, for homosexuals and slave traders, for liars and oath breakers, and for those who do anything else that contradicts the right teaching that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God.
• Titus 3:5: He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit.
• Galatians 2:16: And yet we Jewish Christians know that we become right with God, not by doing what the law commands, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be accepted by God because of our faith in Christ -- and not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be saved by obeying the law."

NOTES:

• Unless otherwise noted, the scripture version used is the New Living Translation, copyright 1996, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois.
• Disclaimer: Source material for this study has been gleaned from many different sources. I have attempted to acknowledge these sources at romansoverview.blogspot.com/2012/12/romans-references.html

Romans 02

In this section, Paul does not attack Judaism but hypocrisy. According to The Merriam-Webster Dictionary hypocrisy is “a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not; esp.: the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion.”

Many Jews had never understood that the purpose of God’s election was to make them “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” They failed to realize that the priest is a bridge between heaven and earth, the representative of God to mankind and of man before God. They believed that God’s revelation was exclusively theirs for their own enjoyment. They never saw themselves as God’s instruments to reach the rest of the world, as the tools of His love and grace. They had divided the human race into two sections: Jews and Gentiles, and they believed God loved the Jews and hated everyone else. This discharged them of the obligation to be worthy of God’s call and gave them the supposed right to judge others for not being Jews.

It cannot be maintained that the Jews committed the exact same sins as the Gentiles. The heathen rituals of idolatry and homosexuality were not practiced among the Israelites. But the sins mentioned in verses 29-31 of the previous chapter are part and parcel of fallen human nature. The fact that the Jews covered them with pious masks makes no difference to God. Barnes’ Notes states: “The design of the apostle, says Calvin, here is to take away the subterfuges of the hypocrite, lest he should pride himself if he obtained the praise of human beings, for a far more important trial awaited him at the bar of God. Outwardly he might appear well to people; but God searched the heart, and saw the secret as well as the open deeds of people, and they who practiced secretly what they condemned openly, could not expect to escape the righteous judgment of God. God, without respect of persons would punish wickedness, whether it was open, as among the Gentiles, or whether it was concealed under the guise of great regard for religion, as among the Jews.”

When Jesus walked the roads of Palestine, He reserved His most vehement condemnation not for prostitutes and tax collectors, but for the Pharisees.

(1) You may be saying, "What terrible people you have been talking about!" But you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you do these very same things.

• Matthew 7:1-7 "Stop judging others, and you will not be judged. For others will treat you as you treat them. Whatever measure you use in judging others, it will be used to measure how you are judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, 'Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye.
• Luke 6:37: "Stop judging others, and you will not be judged. Stop criticizing others, or it will all come back on you. If you forgive others, you will be forgiven.
• Luke 18:9-14: Then Jesus told this story to some who had great self-confidence and scorned everyone else: "Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a dishonest tax collector. The proud Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: 'I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else, especially like that tax collector over there! For I never cheat, I don't sin, I don't commit adultery, I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.' "But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, 'O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.' I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored."
  • The generation we are living in is no exception. "Pharisees" are still alive today in many church pews and church podiums. They believe they are better than everybody else, and that everybody else would do good if they would look up to them and their righteousness. Paul was a Pharisee, and he discovered that the only way he could receive salvation was to become like the publican.
• The Jews thought of themselves as invulnerable to the judgments of GOD. Were they not sons of Abraham? Had not the promises been given to Abraham? Were they not the disciples of Moses? Had not the law been given to Moses?
• The critic stands condemned because he sees in others what he is unable to handle in himself.

(2) And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things.

• When man judges man, he is at best subjective in his judgment. Furthermore, he does not have all the facts. GOD's judgment is according to the truth, not in an abstract sense but according to the actual condition of the man being judged. No man can hide from GOD; no man can fool GOD; no man can deceive GOD. He may deceive a neighbor by condemning in someone else a sin for which he is guilty; he may deceive a friend that way; he may thus deceive one in his own family; may even deceive himself, but he cannot deceive GOD! He knows all about us! Our lives are an open book to him. Indeed He knows the secret thoughts of the heart, and Paul reminds us in verse 16 that it is upon the secrets of man's heart that GOD's judgment is based. He judges on the basis of the secrets of one's life, things which no one else knows, which may have been covered so successfully that they have been forgotten. GOD is utterly objective and unprejudiced in His judgments.

(3) Do you think that God will judge and condemn others for doing them and not judge you when you do them, too?

(4) Don't you realize how kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Or don't you care? Can't you see how kind he has been in giving you time to turn from your sin?

(5) But no, you won't listen. So you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself because of your stubbornness in refusing to turn from your sin. For there is going to come a day of judgment when God, the just judge of all the world,

(6) will judge all people according to what they have done.

(7) He will give eternal life to those who persist in doing what is good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers.

• So, is this salvation by works?
  

(8) But he will pour out his anger and *wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and practice evil deeds.

• *wrath: The Greek word orge, translated “wrath” is a violent word. Our word “orgy” is derived from it. The Pulpit Commentary observes about “the wrath of God”: “Wrath, or indignation, against evil is as necessary to our ideal of a perfect human being as is love of good; and therefore we attribute wrath to the perfect Divine Being, using of necessity human terms for expressing our conception of the Divine attributes. When the Name of the LORD was proclaimed before Moses (…Exodus 34:5, etc.), it was of One not only ‘merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,’ but also ‘that will by no means clear the guilty.’ This last attribute is the same as what we mean by the Divine wrath.”

(9) There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on sinning -- for the Jew first and also for the Gentile.

(10) But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good -- for the Jew first and also for the Gentile.

(11) For God does not show favoritism.

• " GOD is impartial in His judgments. The Jews had quite a case: sons of Abraham, Moses, the law, the prophets, the Ark of the Covenant, the priesthood, the Tabernacle, the Temple. The Gentiles had none of these things, but it is as though Paul says, "So what?"

(12) God will punish the Gentiles when they sin, even though they never had God's written law. And he will punish the Jews when they sin, for they do have the law.

• What is the "law" here? The Ten Commandments, the Torah, the moral law?
  

(13) For it is not merely knowing the law that brings God's approval. Those who obey the law will be declared right in God's sight.

(14) Even when Gentiles, who do not have God's written law, instinctively follow what the law says, they show that in their hearts they know right from wrong.

(15) They demonstrate that God's law is written within them, for their own consciences either accuse them or tell them they are doing what is right.

(16) The day will surely come when God, by Jesus Christ, will judge everyone's secret life. This is my message.

• JESUS CHRIST is the JUDGE. The FATHER has given all judgment into His hands. The day is coming when each of us shall stand before JESUS CHRIST to be judged. You do not even believe in Him; some day you shall to your own condemnation. For every eye shall see, and every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that JESUS CHRIST is the supreme GOD of the universe. He is the JUDGE, and the standard of judgment is the Gospel.

(17) If you are a Jew, you are relying on God's law for your special relationship with him. You boast that all is well between yourself and God.

• The very words “if are a Jew” imply more than national pride; they cover the whole scope of Judaic heritage. The Greek text reads literally: “Look, you [who] is called a Jew.” It is about boasting (bragging). In Paul’s text here, the Jew puts the crown on his own head, not at the feet of God.
• The principal ground on which the Jews expected acceptance with God, was the covenant which he had made with their father Abraham, in which he promised to be a God to him and to his seed after him. They understood this promise to secure salvation for all who retained their connection with Abraham, by the observance of the law and the rite of circumcision. They expected, therefore, to be regarded and treated not so much as individuals, each being dealt with according to his personal character, but as a community to whom salvation was secured by the promise made to Abraham. Paul begins his argument at a distance; he states his principles in such general terms, that they could not fail to secure the assent of the Jew, before he was aware of their application to himself.
  
• The design of this and the following chapter is to show that the Jews were no less guilty that the Gentiles, and that they needed the benefit of the same salvation. This the apostle does by showing that they had greater light than the Gentiles; and yet that they did the same things. Still they were in the habit of accusing and condemning the Gentiles as wicked and abandoned; while they excused themselves on the ground that they possessed the Law and the oracles of God, and were his favorite people. The apostle here affirms that they were inexcusable in their sins, that they must be condemned in the sight of God, on the same ground on which they condemned the Gentiles; to wit, that they had light and yet committed wickedness. If the Gentiles were without excuse Romans 1:20 in their sins, much more would the Jew, who condemned them, be without excuse on the same ground.
  

(18) Yes, you know what he wants; you know right from wrong because you have been taught his law.

(19) You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a beacon light for people who are lost in darkness without God.

(20) You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that in God's law you have complete knowledge and truth.

(21) Well then, if you teach others, why don't you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal?

(22) You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you do it? You condemn idolatry, but do you steal from pagan temples?

(23) You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it.

• When Paul speaks here about “the law,” he has the moral law in mind. The Jews, in general, never understood the purpose of the Ten Commandments. But the Law of Moses consisted of more than the Ten Commandments and the several moral instructions stipulated in the Pentateuch. A large section of the law consisted in rituals of sacrifice that served to atone for transgression of the moral law. The implication of the ritual law was that all human beings are guilty for not living up to the moral requirements of the law and are in need of atoning sacrifices in order to be saved from the death penalty.
• The Pulpit Commentary makes a strong point of the fact that, in Paul’s writing, the word “law” is sometimes used with the definite article and sometimes without the article. The Commentary states that “the law” always stands for the Law of Moses, whilst the word “law,” without the definite article refers to law in the generic sense of the word, pertaining to the human conscience."
• The whole point of Paul’s argument here is not that man can be justified by keeping the law, but that both they that have the law and those that do not stand guilty before God. The reason for their condemnation is not the law but their disobedience to God’s revelation, in whatever way this may have come to them. Jews are not lost in the same way as Gentiles, but both are lost.
• The person Paul addresses here is not merely someone who admits to belong to the Jewish race, but one who prides himself on being a Judaist, a strict observer of Jewish customs and traditions. 

(24) No wonder the Scriptures say, "The world blasphemes the name of God because of you."

• In this statement, Paul makes a hidden reference to David’s sin with Bathsheba. When David was confronted with his guilt and confessed his sin, the prophet Nathan replied: “By doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt.” The same thought is also expressed in Ezekiel: “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone.” Israel that had been destined to be a kingdom of priests, God’s bridge to the rest of the world, had become God’s greatest enemy by bragging about their election and leaving God out of their lives.

(25) The Jewish ceremony of circumcision is worth something only if you obey God's law. But if you don't obey God's law, you are no better off than an uncircumcised Gentile.

• Circumcision is introduced in the Scriptures in connection with the covenant God made with Abraham. At that time God changed the name Abram into Abraham. Circumcision is an outward token of an inward reality of the same order as water baptism or the wearing of a wedding band. The tokens have no meaning in themselves. The wearing of a wedding band, for instance would not make a single person married. The Bible, therefore, refers to a “circumcision of the heart.” Moses stated: “The LORD your God
  will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.” Jeremiah told the people of his day: “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, circumcise your hearts, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done--burn with no one to quench it.” And the same prophet concluded: “The whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.”

(26) And if the Gentiles obey God's law, won't God give them all the rights and honors of being his own people?

(27) In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God's law will be much better off than you Jews who are circumcised and know so much about God's law but don't obey it.

• It is certainly not the law itself written in their hearts, but the law's work. And there is surely little difficulty in seeing that the law's work - its very purpose - is to bring sin to remembrance, to convict the heart and conscience of sin.
  
• Romans 3:19-20: Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses and to bring the entire world into judgment before God. For no one can ever be made right in God's sight by doing what his law commands. For the more we know God's law, the clearer it becomes that we aren't obeying it.
  

(28) For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the Jewish ceremony of circumcision.

• The true Jew would have accepted the Messiah.
  

(29) No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not a cutting of the body but a change of heart produced by God's Spirit. Whoever has that kind of change seeks praise from God, not from people.

• And the message is for us, too. We need to be devoted followers of Christ, not those who only go through the forms.
  

NOTES:

• Unless otherwise noted, the scripture version used is the New Living Translation, copyright 1996, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois.
• Disclaimer: Source material for this study has been gleaned from many different sources. I have attempted to acknowledge these sources at romansoverview.blogspot.com/2012/12/romans-references.html

Romans 01

(1) This letter is from *Paul, a **slave of Christ Jesus, ***chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News.

• *Paul: His Hebrew name was Saul. The name "Paul" was Roman. Paul's name heads all his epistles, except Hebrews.
• **slave: The proper meaning of this word servant (doulos) is slave, one who is owned or indebted to another or subservient to superior.
• ***chosen by God indicates that he had not assumed the office himself, but that he was set apart to it by the authority of Christ himself.
  • Galatians 1:15: But then something happened! For it pleased God in his kindness to choose me and call me, even before I was born! What undeserved mercy!

(2) God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures.

(3) The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King *David’s family line,

• *David’s family line: The promise to him was, that there should not fail a man to sit on his throne, 1 Kings 2:4; 8:25; 9:5; 2 Chronicles 6:16. This ancient promise was understood as referring to the Messiah; and hence in the New Testament he is called the descendant of David, and so much pains is taken to show that he was of his line, Luke 1:27; Matthew 9:27; 15:22; 12:23; 21:9; 22:42,45; John 7:42; 2 Titus 2:8. The Jews universally believed that the Messiah would be descended from David.

(4) and he was shown to be the *Son of God when he was **raised from the dead by the ***power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.

• *Son of God:
  • Matthew 11:27: "My Father has given me authority over everything. No one really knows the Son except the Father, and no one really knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."
  • John 1:14: So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.
  • John 5:16-23: So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules. But Jesus replied, "My Father never stops working, so why should I?" So the Jewish leaders tried all the more to kill him. In addition to disobeying the Sabbath rules, he had spoken of God as his Father, thereby making himself equal with God. Jesus replied, "I assure you, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and tells him everything he is doing, and the Son will do far greater things than healing this man. You will be astonished at what he does. He will even raise from the dead anyone he wants to, just as the Father does. And the Father leaves all judgment to his Son, so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. But if you refuse to honor the Son, then you are certainly not honoring the Father who sent him.
  • Hebrews 1: Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. But now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he made the universe and everything in it. The Son reflects God's own glory, and everything about him represents God exactly. He sustains the universe by the mighty power of his command. After he died to cleanse us from the stain of sin, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God of heaven. This shows that God's Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is far greater than their names. For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus: "You are my Son. Today I have become your Father. " And again God said, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son." And then, when he presented his honored Son to the world, God said, "Let all the angels of God worship him." God calls his angels "messengers swift as the wind, and servants made of flaming fire." But to his Son he says, "Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal power is expressed in righteousness. You love what is right and hate what is wrong. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else." And, "Lord, in the beginning you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. Even they will perish, but you remain forever. They will wear out like old clothing. You will roll them up like an old coat. They will fade away like old clothing. But you are always the same; you will never grow old." And God never said to an angel, as he did to his Son, "Sit in honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet." But angels are only servants. They are spirits sent from God to care for those who will receive salvation.
  • 2 Peter 1:17: And he received honor and glory from God the Father when God's glorious, majestic voice called down from heaven, "This is my beloved Son; I am fully pleased with him."
• **raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit: When God raised Him up, therefore, it was not an ordinary event. It was a public attestation, in the face of the universe, of the truth of his claims to be the Son of God. The resurrection is proof and pledge hat His purposes will be fulfilled.
  • Acts 17:31: For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead."
• ***power: dunamis (where we get our words "dynamite", dynamic", "dynamo").

(5) Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.

(6) And you are included among those *Gentiles who have been called to belong to Jesus Christ.

• *Gentiles:
  • Romans 11:13: I am saying all of this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I lay great stress on this,
  • Galatians 3:28: There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians -- you are one in Christ Jesus.

(7) I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own *holy people. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

• *holy people: "saints" - hagios. God says we're saints (sanctified ones), not the Pope! Man's religion tries to elevate men and give them grandiose titles.

(8) Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world.

(9) God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son.

(10) One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you.

(11) For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord.

(12) When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.

(13) I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to visit you, but I was prevented until now. I want to work among you and see spiritual fruit, just as I have seen among other Gentiles.

(14) For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world, to the educated and uneducated alike.

(15) So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach the Good News.

(16) For I am not *ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes - **the Jew first and also the Gentile.

• *ashamed:
  • The Christians in Rome were not the wealthy or powerful; in fact, many were slaves. Yet, Christ overcame even powerful, boastful Roman empire. Every Roman citizen was patriotic and proud he was Roman - all others were inferior. Sound familiar?
  • 2 Timothy 1:12: And that is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.
• **the Jew first: During the Acts period, the Gospel went first to the Jew.
  • Mark 7:27: Jesus told her, "First I should help my own family, the Jews. It isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs."
  • Acts 13:46-48: Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, "It was necessary that this Good News from God be given first to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life -- well, we will offer it to Gentiles. For this is as the Lord commanded us when he said, 'I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.' " When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were appointed to eternal life became believers.
  • Acts 16:13: On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we supposed that some people met for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had come together.
  • Acts 17:1-3,10; 18:4,8,19; 19:8; 28:17-28: Now Paul and Silas traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As was Paul's custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he interpreted the Scriptures to the people. He was explaining and proving the prophecies about the sufferings of the Messiah and his rising from the dead. He said, "This Jesus I'm telling you about is the Messiah." ... That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the synagogue. ... Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike. ... Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, and all his household believed in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also became believers and were baptized. ... When they arrived at the port of Ephesus, Paul left the others behind. But while he was there, he went to the synagogue to debate with the Jews. ... Then Paul went to the synagogue and preached boldly for the next three months, arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God. ...Three days after Paul's arrival, he called together the local Jewish leaders. He said to them, "Brothers, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Roman government, even though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors. The Romans tried me and wanted to release me, for they found no cause for the death sentence. But when the Jewish leaders protested the decision, I felt it necessary to appeal to Caesar, even though I had no desire to press charges against my own people. I asked you to come here today so we could get acquainted and so I could tell you that I am bound with this chain because I believe that the hope of Israel -- the Messiah -- has already come." They replied, "We have heard nothing against you. We have had no letters from Judea or reports from anyone who has arrived here. But we want to hear what you believe, for the only thing we know about these Christians is that they are denounced everywhere." So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul's house. He told them about the Kingdom of God and taught them about Jesus from the Scriptures -- from the five books of Moses and the books of the prophets. He began lecturing in the morning and went on into the evening. Some believed and some didn't. But after they had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: "The Holy Spirit was right when he said to our ancestors through Isaiah the prophet, 'Go and say to my people, You will hear my words, but you will not understand; you will see what I do, but you will not perceive its meaning. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes -- so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.' So I want you to realize that this salvation from God is also available to the Gentiles, and they will accept it."

(17) This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, *“It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”

• *“It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”: This is the theme of Romans - the key verse! Romans 1:18-3:20 develops Paul's argument that no one can claim to be saved by their own works (see Ephesians 2:8-9).
  • Habakkuk 2:4: "Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked; but the righteous will live by their faith.
  • Galatians 3:2,11: Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by keeping the law? Of course not, for the Holy Spirit came upon you only after you believed the message you heard about Christ. ... Consequently, it is clear that no one can ever be right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life."
  • Hebrews 10:38: And a righteous person will live by faith. But I will have no pleasure in anyone who turns away."
  • Ephesians 2:8-9: God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
  • Philippians 3:8-9: Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God's law, but I trust Christ to save me. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith.

(18) But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

(19) They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.

(20) For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

(21) Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.

(22) Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.

(23) And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.

(24) So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies.

(25) They traded the truth about God for a *lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

• *lie:
  • 2 Thessalonians 2:11: So God will send great deception upon them, and they will believe all these lies
  • John 8:44: For you are the children of your father the Devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

(26) That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other.

(27) And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.

• Alexander the Great is very well known to be bisexual. Homosexuality was common in the Greek and Roman bathhouses. A frieze at the Suburban Baths in Pompeii shows a series of sixteen sex scenes, including a male-male and a female-female couple, and same-sex pairings within scenes of group sex. Some Roman men kept a male concubine before they married a woman. Within the hierarchy of household slaves, the male concube held a special status that was threatened by the introduction of a wife. Hadrian (76 AD – 138 AD) was the first leader of Rome to make it clear that he was gay. Tacitus (56-117 AD), the great Roman historian, wrote of the shameful sexual exploits of a string of Roman emperors from Tiberius to Nero. The Christians there and in most of the empire found themselves in a pagan culture where there were few restrictions on sexuality at all - a culture that looks increasingly like ours.

(28) Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.

(29) Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.

(30) They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.

(31) They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy.

(32) They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

• Our movies, movie stars, TV shows all seem to encourage this kind of behavior.
• 2 Timothy 3:1-5: You should also know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control; they will be cruel and have no interest in what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. You must stay away from people like that.

NOTES:

• Unless otherwise noted, the scripture version used is the New Living Translation.
• Disclaimer: Source material for this study has been gleaned from many different sources. I have attempted to acknowledge these sources at romansoverview.blogspot.com/2012/12/romans-references.html