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Romans 3:1-8
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can download our service on iTunes or tune in for “The Good Word” each day on AM 1230 WSAL or on Hoosier Country 103.7 FM just after 8am. Paul closes his summary of the human race in this section. The question here is: since being born a Jew and circumcision do not make a person a real Jew, we might say today, what is the big deal about being a Jew? How does being able to trace one’s lineage to Abraham offer any benefit? Now, to you and me, these questions seem incidental, but to a Jew they are paramount! Have you ever thought that being a Christian seems to be, at times, unbeneficial to you? As a Christian, Scripture promises God’s blessings and innumerable other benefits. However, in the trenches of our daily living it seems Satan attacks us more after we are saved, and we experience more adversity, trial, temptation, and ridicule than we ever did before! In truth, really does happen more!!! That’s the bad news; here is the good news – our enemy has already been defeated, and is just waiting to be cast into the bottomless pit of hell forever! The good news is, we are already more than conquerors in Christ, and we have the upper hand and all the benefits of being the children of an Almighty Eternal God! Notice what Paul tells his audience, and remember all this applies to us as Christians.
- JEWISH ADVANTAGE. If you understand the significance of Israel, you begin to see how world history and events yet future become so important. Understanding Israel’s existence and importance also help us understand to a greater degree our own responsibility and accountability to God as Christians. First and foremost Israel was the only nation to which the OT Scriptures were given! In our focal passage today Paul states that Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. That would extend to all the NT writings as well. The highest and most holy advantage of Israel was The Messiah. One author says it like this: “Of all the nations on earth God had chosen the Jews to be the custodians of His redemptive plan for the human race.” Can there be a higher national calling? Notice Israel’s response to her advantage is revealed by:
- GOD’S ALLEGIANCE – 3:3, 4. Here is a fundamental truth about God that will help you come to the right answer in many areas of your Christian life. Always remember God cannot violate His own character and nature. In these verses Paul is telling us no matter how unfaithful any of the Jewish nation becomes, God will always be faithful. To be unfaithful would contradict Who God is in His Person. To contradict Himself would make Him an imperfect God. Now notice Paul deals with humanism using a:
- HUMAN ARGUMENT – 5-8. In v. 5 Paul says, If we Jews, who are God’s chosen people, disobey and disregard God and His Law, then as long as He doesn’t zap us into extinction, He looks really good! Paul goes on to say, on the other hand if God does inflict His wrath on us He is the unrighteous one. He punished us even though we made Him look good, and even though He knew we couldn’t be perfect, He got mad and let us have it. How can He be a loving God and do that? Do you see how Paul is reasoning in his argument? That kind of reasoning opens the door to the current heresy of easy believism, and feel-good theology. Feel-good theology says God loves everybody so much He won’t really send any one to hell as long as they give it their best shot! The only punishment we experience is the trouble this world sends us, nothing more. When we die we go to heaven! It sounds good, it is totally UNbiblical! V. 6 – God tells us there is no possible way for God to be remotely unrighteous, or unjust to punish all sin whether Jewish or Gentile. By no means = it is as impossible for God to be unrighteous. In v. 7, 8 Paul is saying “if I am preaching and teaching lies about God, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? His second question could be restated to say, if evil makes God look good, then let’s go be as evil as possible to make God look as good as possible! There was a group of people called the antinomians in that day who taught that “good will come out of evil.” They were known as God-slanderers by Christians, and what they said was completely repulsive to true believers! Paul was indicating that they would receive the condemnation that they deserved at their judgment. So will all other people!
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