“Righteousness Through Faith”

 Scripture:   Romans 3:21-31; Galatians 3:23-29

So far, our study of the book of Romans seems to be focusing on the sin that is revealed to us through the law.  And even though Israel would object, we have also seen that sin and the resulting judgment are no different for the lives of Jews than it is for the gentiles.  Believers and non-believers alike will have to go through God’s examination of how their lives have been perfected, or not, through the law that has been given for all people.

 Paul’s focus seems to be focused totally upon our response to the law, and very little to faithful living!  But as Christians, we should all know that the law of God plays an important part in determining just how devoted we are to the ways of Jesus Christ.  We seldom apply the term “law” to the teaching of Jesus, even though His “commands” are exactly that – the call that God has placed on the heart of each and every person who ever lives on the face of this world.

 So today, we begin to read of Paul’s thoughts on righteous living – where it comes from, what it does for our lives, and where it is able to lead us - throughout this life and beyond.

 Read Romans 3:21-26

 This passage begins with two powerful words – “But now”.  Their implication is that with the coming of Jesus, along with all that He taught and all that He has done on our behalf, everything that had been important in the lives of the people of earth has changed for the better!  And as we read the words that he offers to us, we discover that a tone of excitement and joy begins to immerge in the apostle’s writing.  In reflection of last week’s concluding verse, we read “… no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.”   The part that the law plays in our lives today is not that it brings with it a holy life and eternal salvation, but that it opens our eyes and hearts to the presence of sin in the world, and the effects that our own sin has on the life that we are living!

 And how is this realization brought to our attention?  It is through the love and faithfulness of God, and becomes ours when we turn our faith and trust away from the lies of earth and toward the hope that is in Christ Jesus!  So it appears that without faith and trust in the Lord, realization of the sin that perverts the relationship that we desire with God, will never open our eyes to the depravity that is controlling, and ultimately destroying, our life! 

 And again, Paul makes the point that are no differences existing between believers and nonbelievers, that we have “all sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.  But the second part of his proclamation is that all can be justified, or made whole again, by God’s grace for all who have given their lives to Jesus Christ.  Jesus is our atonement through the shedding of His blood at Calvary.  The blood sacrifice that He made at Calvary on our behalf, that penalty of death that rightly should have been ours, becomes our reparation from the effects of sin through divine mercy. 

 This is a gift through faith that can come to us in no other way except through the sacrifice of the only one who is fully God and fully Man.  Let’s think about that for a moment – we have been absolutely freed from the consequences of our own sin, simply through faith in the intercession of Jesus, the only Son of God, who gave His blood in exchange for our life, at Calvary.  And if that doesn’t shake any doubt that you still have, nothing ever will!

 Read Romans 3:27-31

 In 1Corinthians 1:28-30, we read that God through Jesus, took the lowly and despised things of earth upon Himself so that no one could boast about what they had done on His behalf.  No one will ever be able to match the gifts that Jesus has willingly brought to our lives.

And what benefit will good works ever bring to our lives?  What can strict adherence to the law do for us? Nothing that faith in Jesus will do a thousand times better!

 The problem is that we will never be able to keep each and every command that is handed down to us, and our failure to keep even one will be our complete downfall.  Faith in Jesus, God of Israel and the entire world, is the only hope of overcoming our failure to be good in every other way.  This will never negate the importance of doing the best we can of course – keeping the commands of God must still be a priority for us, but it is only faith that will compensate for our failures and sins.

Read Galatians 3:23-29

 Here we read about the initial purpose of the law that had been put in place for us – that it would, at least, keep us moving in the right direction until the day we would come to the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  And the closer we come to understanding the law, the closer we come to knowing and seeking a relationship in Christ.  You may be wondering just what there is in the law that would be able to do this?  Consider John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”

 How about Exodus 20:1-17, that passage we know as the Ten Commandments?

Never put any god of the world ahead of the one true God; and never make idols to receive your worship; never speak evil against God; and always set aside one day each week to bring honor and praise to the Lord.

How about the seven “I AM” sayings of Jesus?  - … the Living Bread (John 6:51); … the Light of the world (John 8:12); … the narrow Gate (John 10:7); …  the good Shepherd (John 10:11-15); … the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25-26); … the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6); … the true Vine and you are the branches (John14:4-6).

 These commands, among many others, set our vision on Jesus, and the more we accept the word of God for our lives, the closer we move toward faith in the Lord, and the further we move from the hope that we initially had in the law.  But this also shows us that we can never believe and honor Jesus while ignoring the commands that God has given us!  They are inseparably linked together.

 If you have yet to come to a saving faith in Christ, continue to delve into the message that God’s complete word holds for your life, and soon you will see Jesus come alive right before you.  For each truth that you discover about Him, your ears will open just a little wider to the call He has placed on you.  In Revelation3:20, we read Jesus’ words – “Here I am.  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in …” 

 Have you heard Jesus knocking on the heart strings of your life?  Have you opened the door to allow Him to become the eternal promise that you have been looking for?  If not, isn’t it time that you did?

“The Problem with Sin!”

 Scripture:   Romans 3:9-20

In this, our 4^th lesson from the book of Romans, we take a closer look at the impact that sin can have on our lives.  But first, we need to consider what sin actually is!  The truth is that sin doesn’t occur when we simply do something that is wrong.  “Wrong”, from a cultural perspective, will always be totally subjective and personally defined.  One person’s Right can easily be seen as another person’s Wrong, and is nearly all of the time.  So when scripture speaks of any particular act as being sinful, it requires that a single standard and definition be applied.

 And what must that standard be?  From a Christian standpoint, it must always be established in the will of God, and by no other means.  And how do we know what divine will is?  The word of God has been given to us for that very reason, and it is available to all who pick up the Bible and read the truths that it contains.  Care must be taken, though, that the word is not taken out of scriptural fullness and context – that’s Satan’s trick of deception.  The word of God is more than the simple idea – it requires that we act through the example of Jesus Christ.

 We have all heard someone challenge us to “Love one another” because that is in the word.  However, when we were given that commandment in John 13:34, Jesus told us “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”  First, Christian love is offered in a new way, not as the world sees fit, but in the way that Jesus has called us to love!  Second, this “new kind of love” isn’t a suggestion – Jesus tells us “… you MUST love one another” in His way, and not in our own.

 So in order to sort out the full and true significance of sin, we need to determine exactly what God, in all His might and wisdom and perfection, would want us to know about the issue.

 Read Romans  3:9-12

 Paul was writing this letter specifically to the church that existed in Rome, but in a more general sense, it was to all of the individual churches of that day, as well as to all which would exist throughout the world until the day that Jesus returned.  And for Paul in his day, all who followed “The Way” of Jesus were also Jews, either by birth or by conversion.  So for our purposes today, since Paul was talking to and about the followers of Jesus, we will consider that when he speaks about “Jews” in the context of faith, that he is referring to all who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and by the word “gentile” that he means nonbeliever.

The root word for “sin”, in essence, means “missing the mark”, or in other words, falling short of meeting the Lord’s desire for our lives.  When the apostle writes that everyone is under the power of sin, he is saying that whether we agree with the word of God or not, we don’t get to define what sin is, and as we all are “under the power of sin”, no one is exempt from its demands on our life.  And by the power that it holds over us, no one can claim to be righteous through their own understanding and works, nor can we ever avoid being subject to the Lord’s judgment regarding our worthiness, or lack thereof, when it comes to being invited to live as one within Him.

 This condition comes as a result of the choices that we make as to which power we will claim and follow!  Scripture tells us that the power of God is far greater than any that Satan can ever muster against Him (1 Corinthians 15:23-24 - Acts 26:17-18).  And yet, for some strange reason, many still adhere to the way of death instead of Christ’s way of life!  They believe that the goodness they do, through the lies of earth, will overcome the judgment that they have so richly earned and deserved.  And one day, they will experience a very rude awakening to the truth of Christ!

 Read Romans 3:13-18

 These quotations are primarily from the Psalms (14:1-3; 5:9; 140:3; 10:7; 36:1;&), with one them coming from Isaiah (Isaiah 59:7-8).  Paul apparently wants to show us that some things never change!  He says that we all live far from a life of piety; that no one understands, or even strives to understand God; no one fears or loves God, for we have chosen other ways that deny the Lord; we have all gone astray by speaking and living out our evil thoughts; and our treatment of others can only be seen as hateful and violent, and the peace of God is nowhere to be seen within us.

 Do any of these sound like the commandments that God has placed before us?  It just goes to prove that no one can claim to offer a better way than the Lord Jesus can.  In the refrain to the gospel hymn “No Not One”, we hear:

          Jesus knows all about our struggles,

          He will guide till the day is done

          There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus

          No, not one! No, not one!

 The disciples of Satan claim that they have received a special knowledge that supersedes all that we have ever learned about Jesus, and that their way is far better than anything else could be!

 Read Romans 3:19-20

 In these two verses, Paul is reminding us that through obedience to the law, that first, there is no salvation, and second, that the law convicts us of what sin is really all about.  Apparently, the law takes away all of our excuses!  But even further, the law is not only for the believer, but rather for “the whole world”.  It is no longer about the goodness that may be within us, but more importantly, for the goodness that comes from and through our Almighty God.

 But at the same time, not only has worldly goodness lost its power, but our unworthiness has also become impotent for all who put their trust in the teachings of Jesus.  In the final 2 verses of Matthew’s gospel (Matthew 28:19-20), we read “¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 When we come to the grace and way of Jesus, and when we commit to following His holy way, we are freed from both the power that sin holds over us, as well as the obligation to strict and absolute adherence to the law.  We are frail and sinful people, and will never be able to keep every commandment that the Lord has handed down to us, but neither will we ever be able to avoid all of the traps that sin has set in our way – those obstacles that are intended to trip us up. 

 So where do we stand?  It seems that the only hope that anyone who has ever lived on the face of the earth can count on, is the love and mercy of God.  We see His love at work when it was displayed to the entire world when Jesus, the Son of God, gave Himself up at Calvary, destroying the power that sin holds over us. And the hope of God was proven when the death that Christ had accepted on our behalf was denied through the resurrection that restored the glorious life that had always been His forever and ever.  So through the mercy of God, by faith in Jesus and in all that He is and has done for us, we can live again in His precious and eternal life.

 When our life of sinfulness is surrendered to God, we can be restored to righteousness through His mercy and our repentance from sin .  The worthless life that has always been ours can be exchanged, by faith, for the life of eternal worth in Jesus.  The life of hopelessness that comes to us by way of the world is no longer our only option in this life, for acceptance and faith in the way of Jesus defeats everything that Satan can ever bring against us.

 May that level of trust and faith in Jesus fill each and every one who looks to Him, every day, for the divine truth of God. 

“Stay True in Righteousness

 Scripture:   Romans2:12-29

In our first two considerations of Paul’s letter to the Romans, he was very intentional in calling the people to faithful living through the law.  But, you may ask – “what law?”, “which law?”  Remember that Israel only recognized one law – the Law that God handed down to Moses on Mount Sinai.  Of course, over the centuries, the scholars of Israel had developed their own understanding of what each of the 10 Commandments required in order to be lived out, and these interpretations had become just as authoritative as the originals. 

 And as the years progressed, the “law” became more and more difficult to live within, and some may even have seen the additional demands as being oppressive!  So the common everyday man and woman did what they could, and took the failures that remained to the temple every year and sacrificed for forgiveness.

 Last week we read that Paul pointed out to the people that they had no excuse when they passed judgment on others for doing the same things that they themselves were also doing!  The point is that if one person is judged as guilty for committing a sin, that same action in your life must also be a sin, and therefore you are, by your own words, found guilty of sin, too!

 Israel had always seen the Law as the one thing that differentiated themselves from all other people on the face of the earth.  The Jews were fond of saying “We at least have Torah; that sets us apart from the Gentiles.”   Unfortunately, they generally didn’t follow Torah any better than the Gentiles did!

 Read Romans 2:12-16

 Just to clarify Paul’s intent, those who he describes as “apart from the law” are the Gentiles, and “those who are under the law”, are the Jews.  He is saying that since Israel has chosen to follow the expanded Torah, they will be judged by how faithful they have lived it.  And he also says that at the Judgment, Gentiles will also be judged by the way they live their lives.

 Now before we continue, it may be important to remember that Paul wrote this letter about 20 years before followers of “The Way” were forced to break from Judaism.  So does this mean that we are still stuck with Torah today?  Not at all.  We have the teachings and preaching of Jesus to guide us, and that will be the basis for our Judgement when Christ returns to sit in authority over all people.

 Now you may also be wondering about the “laws” (for lack of a better word) that the United Methodist Church has put in place through our Book of Discipline.  We do our best to follow its requirements, but we all tend to fail.  But what about those who out and out deny its structure, and refuse to adhere to it unless it suits their purposes?  The word of Christ will still prevail over anything that humanity can devise.

 I think the best advise on what to do in this life, if you have a problem in understanding scripture, is outlined in John Wesley’s piece “The Character of a Methodist”, which we discussed in messages earlier this year.  This is good advice, even for those who are not of Methodist stock.

 Paul’s point is that we must live, at the very least, as though “the requirements of the law [God’s Law] are written on [our] hearts”, and not just on paper.

 Read Romans 2:17-24

 How often do we, who call ourselves Christians, claim that we keep the letter of the law, except that we never even come close to its heart?  It isn’t what we hear about God’s way, it isn’t how often we read about God’s way in scripture, it isn’t what we say that we believe - it all centers on how much we love doing God’s will each and every moment, of each and every day of this life.

 Paul knows what he is talking about.  He had been a Pharisee, who saw his righteousness based in the law, instead of in the love of God!  (Philippians 3:1-10)  But now he sees how deluded he had been “back in those days”.  He bragged about and rejoiced in his adherence to the law, and it led him to hate all who had ever given their lives to Christ.  And here he is, surrendered to Jesus, proclaiming God’s truth in Christ, and seeing the honor that arrest and beatings can produce when they come from our love of the Lord.

 And in the last few verses of this passage, he challenges each of us to examine our own life to see just how faithful we have been living!  You know, others are constantly watching us to see what faith is leading us to do, and to say, and to be in this world.

 Jesus called us to be faithful in Him, regardless of what the world would have us do and be.  In Matthew 5:14-15, He tells us ¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  Our Lord wants us to be a visible marker for all who are watching.  But in Luke11:34-36, we are warned to be sure “that the light within you is not darkness”.  In other words, to be sure that the words and witness that we are revealing are righteous and faithful in every way, and that they haven’t been corrupted by the evil of this world.  If we proclaim that perversions and wickedness are divine truth, and put them across as the word of God, His Holy Name will be dishonored in the lives of all who take us as an example of God’s people, and we may be guilty of leading them away from salvation, and into destruction.  And that will do us no good whatsoever on the Day of Jesus!

 Read Romans 2:25-27

 Paul now branches out to the topic of circumcision, which had been a sign of the covenant that Jehovah God had set in place through Abraham for the descendants of Israel. (Genesis17:9-14).  And what was the covenant?  The Lord had made Abraham the father of many nations, and in return, the man was called to walk faithfully and blameless with his Almighty God.  (Genesis 17:1-6)  And every male who would either be born into Judaism or who was brought into the faith, from that day on, was required to be circumcised as a sign that he would honor the covenant.

 It was an outward sign of faith, regardless of whether you lived in faith or not.  I expect that all of you have seen people wearing a cross.  Have you ever wondered whether that person really knows and believes all that the cross signifies?  Do you think that even half of them might be followers of Christ’s way?  Probably not!  If your heart isn’t in it, and if love of God isn’t the hallmark of your faith, neither a cross hanging around your neck, or physical circumcision of your body will do anything to grow you in relationship with the Lord God Almighty.

 Read Romans 2:28-29

 And here is the punchline – faith has little, if anything, to do with what the outside of our life shows to others.  Outward appearance no longer holds any meaning in faith, as everything has changed with the arrival of Jesus.  At the Last Supper, Jesus told us that the covenant of God had been renewed and revitalized – that now the symbol of promise had been changed from our circumcision to the sacrificial gift of Christ’s blood. (Luke 22:20)  It was no longer what we did that made a difference, but what God had done for us through Christ Jesus.  And how do we identify with the blood of Jesus?  Not through fleshly means, but through the circumcision of our heart!  And what does that mean for us? 

 It means that we are no longer removing flesh from our bodies, but rather the incising of worldly influence that inhibits the spiritual power that comes through the cleansing that faith in Jesus can bring.  It is no longer what we do to prove God to the world, it is all about what God has done to prove us worthy of Him by faith.  Righteousness comes to all who have a clean and God renewed heart, and who have allowed the Lord to trim away all of the putrefied "spiritual flesh" that the world has forced upon our lives.

 May the blood of Jesus Christ flood you and purify you this very day!

 

“No Excuses for Sin”

 Scripture:   Romans 2:1-11

 Last week, we saw that Paul always took his trust in scriptural truth to heart, when we read that he “was not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes:”  But there obviously are many for whom the gospel is shameful!  While they may never actually say that, the evidence is very clear.  There has been, for several years now, a movement that refuses to use the name Father in referring to the First Person of the Trinity, or any other masculine pronoun for that matter – including Lord, King, Prince, etc.  They want to revise the teaching of Jesus, as well as all scripture, to reflect cultural norms, instead of heavenly truths.  And the list goes on.

 God’s word and His truth are eternal and appropriate for our lives – always has been and always will be – and will never need updating.  But the excuses for aberrant thoughts and actions never seem to end, always being centered on either a misunderstanding of the truth and the intent of the word, or an out and out disagreement with what the Lord is trying to teach us.  But just because we don’t understand or have some contradictory thought is no excuse for not believing and accepting God’s way!  His way and word is all about changing us into Godly people, and never about bringing God into compliance with human approaches to life.

 In today’s look at Paul’s letter to the Romans (the 2^nd in our series), we will discover that failure to follow the Lord’s word is nothing new for this world. 

 Read Romans 2:1-4

 Is our Almighty God unique when compared to what we know, and believe, and live?  Without question - He absolutely and undeniably is!  In our passage for today, Paul wanted the Church to know – specifically in Rome, but more generally, throughout the world and throughout the ages – that God alone has the right to judge people, and that we don’t.  Now, we have to be careful not to confuse discernment with judgment. 

 We are to be discerning between what is God’s truth and our worldly opinions, and when we see that someone is caught up in ways contradictory to the Lord’s will, the believer is called to lead them back to the eternal truth of God.  But the problem comes when we choose to be the one who determines that a person’s actions prove that they are only worthy of condemnation.  That’s judgment, and only the One with flawless understanding and perfect motives has the ability to perfectly judge.

 Paul asks two questions of us. 

The first is this - how can those who are sinners judge others in their sin?  It would appear that he is suggesting that it would clearly involve a conflict of interest on the part of the one who is judging!  And he goes on to say that any person who judges, especially since they are also guilty of sin, will, themselves, also be judged.  It would seem that the apostle is reminding us that judgement involves a point of view that must come from an unbiased and completely dependable source, which, I believe, rules every person on the face of the earth as unqualified!

 The second question is one that is almost self-condemning!  Do you show contempt to the Lord by denying that God’s kindness is offered to the sinner, in order that they might be led to repent of their sin?  If your answer is “Yes”, you are admitting that you are refusing the richness of an eternal life with Christ.  If you answer “No”, and yet judge the sinfulness of another, you deny the grace and mercy that a repentant life in Jesus will bring.

 In the parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18:21-35), Jesus teaches us about the Father’s mercy with the question “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?”  Our repentant heart’s desire for God’s mercy is not going to be offered if we refuse mercy to another by failing to show them the way to the Lord’s mercy that is available to all.

 There is no excuse, in any way shape or form, for our judgement of others

 Read Romans 2:5-11

 For Israel, they had always been taught that whatever sin they committed, sacrifice at the temple would set all things right again in the heart of their One and Great Jehovah God.  Unfortunately, they offered no such hope for the Gentiles!  Psalm 62:11-12 tells us that Judgement is dependent on what we have done, implying that it is our actions that will reveal whether we are living the life that God has ordained for us or not.  This is the same works that James spoke of when he wrote. “what good is it if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save him?”(James 2:14)  Faith without the proof that our actions reveal, is no faith at all.

 Be aware though, that verses 7 through 9 that we just read are not a check list of what determines the outcome of our time at the Judgment.  But they are indicators of whether our faith is being lived out or not!  What might “perseverant in doing good” imply?  It means that we aren’t just merciful and loving of others, but that we are intentional in all that we do for their benefit.  Micah 6:8 gives us the full truth of what the Lord is looking for in those who follow Him  -“ He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” 

Justice, in God’s eyes, means to do what is right, and it doesn’t mean to talk about righteousness, while at the same time being judgmental of others. 

Being merciful is nice, but to love the mercy that God has shown to each of us, and to offer that same gift to others, is the loving gift that each of us is called to live and give. 

And humility is the overriding attitude that we are to show in our life – that it has absolutely nothing to do with who and what we are, but rather who our God is for all who will keep none of this life’s choices and honors for themselves, but instead give them all over to our Lord and Redeeming Savior.

 And no one has any excuse for not doing what God “requires”.  For the last sentence of today’s passage should set everyone on the alert to be sure to live, and act, and love in the way that God has done for each and every person on the face of this earth.  No one gets a “by”, no one gets a “get out of jail free” card, no one will be able to convince the Lord that they are worthy when He knows that we aren’t.  In Luke 6:47 we read “As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like.”

 God knows the truth about each and every one of us - He has already examined the depth of our faith, He understands the purpose and commitment in all that we do, and He will never show “favoritism” to anyone.  The truth of our life is whether our faith and works match all that He has already given us.