The Book of Romans

[SpiritPsalmist]

Hi all

I'm going to make an attempt to go through the Book of Romans with you Hopefully we all will learn something.

I'll be back later.

Peanut Gallery here: http://www.christianforums.com/t7840935/#post66281826

The peanut gallery is for those who want to encourage, ask questions, prove me wrong, etc. Spouting off a bunch of scripture and then claiming that you've proven me wrong is not the way to prove someone wrong. The Mormons can give scripture that they claim back up their doctrine, so do the JW's, ect.. Prove me wrong by using the same method I am...line by line, precept upon precept. If you cannot do that then you are not proving me wrong, just rambling. I won't answer rambling.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Well I can see I've got ready readers already so I guess I better get started. We'll take it one step at a time.

Romans 1:1-7King James Version (KJV)

1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.


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Verse 1, Paul announces,

1. He's a servant of Jesus Christ. (2 Timothy 2:24) "And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful".
   
2. He's called to operate as an apostle
3. He's been separated unto the Gospel of God.

What is the gospel? "The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus lived a life of perfect righteousness, of perfect obedience to God, not for His own well being but for His people. He has done for me what I couldn’t possibly do for myself. But not only has He lived that life of perfect obedience, He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice to satisfy the justice and the righteousness of God".


Why did/do we need to hear the gospel? "The Gospel is called the ‘good news’ because it addresses the most serious problem that you and I have as human beings, and that problem is simply this: God is holy and He is just, and I’m not. And at the end of my life, I’m going to stand before a just and holy God, and I’ll be judged. And I’ll be judged either on the basis of my own righteousness – or lack of it – or the righteousness of another". ~R.C. Sproul~


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Verse 2, Old Testament promises made of this good news. What were these promises and where in the OT are they?

1. The Messiah would be born of a virgin. "Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and will call His name Emmanuel. (Isaiah 7:14) Emmanuel, meaning "God with us". One part I disagree with on the commentary is that Jesus was not actually called Jesus by his mother.
2. The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem . . . But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. (Micah 5:2)
3. Messiah would be the Son of God.
   6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
   7 I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. (Psalm 2:6-7)

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. (Psalm 2:12)
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Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell? (Prov 30:4)

4.The Messiah would ride triumphantly into Jerusalem . . .Meek and lowly . . . riding on a donkey.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. (Zech 9:9)

5. He would be betrayed by a friend.
Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. (Psalm 41:9)

6. They would set a price on Him of 30 pieces of silver . . .which would then be thrown into the potter's field.
12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.
13 And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord. (Zech 11:12-13)


7. People would be attracted to Him through His words and deeds . . . not by His looks.
For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. (Isaiah 53:2)


8. The Messiah would be despised by the world and rejected by Israel.
Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee. (Isaiah 49:7)


9. The Messiah would be despised and rejected . . .He would deeply feel the pain of rejection.
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:3)
10. People would turn their backs on Him. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him (Isaiah 53:3)


11 The Messiah would be despised
"He was despised,
and we did not esteem Him."
(Isaiah 53:3)


12.He would suffer . . . brutally beaten and bloodied.

"So His appearance was marred more than any man" (Isaiah 52:14)


13. The Messiah would be beaten, bloodied, and would die for our iniquities (sins)so we could escape the judgment . . . the darkness and torments of Hell
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. (IS 53:5-7)


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These are just a few.....


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Verse 3 Which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh

Verse 4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Who declared Jesus to be the Son of God?
For starters God did: Matthew 3:17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

He lived a totally holy life and was resurrected from the dead.
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Verse 5 By HIM we have received grace and apostleship. Why? For obedience to the faith. For His name.

Verse 6. They too were "the called" of Jesus Christ. We have the same calling, however, it will take various forms. We are all different and in our differences the Lord calls and uses us.

Verse 7. Not all of us are in Rome, but the message of this letter is to us too. We're beloved of God and we're called to be saints. (God is in the process of making us into what He's called us).


Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Till later

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​

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Dear Readers, please bear with me as I put these teachings together. I want to do my best to keep things simple yet informative. I may switch from one style to the next from one day to the next. Just depends on my thought patterns on that particular time. Thanks.

Romans 1:8-17King James Version (KJV)

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;

10 Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.

11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;

12 That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

13 Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.

14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.

15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
​

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Verse 8 I've read that Greek letters often included a prayer of thanksgiving to one of the gods, so Paul adapts this letter to that custom, thanking the true God: “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world”. I believe that "throughout the world" is more a figure of speech and not a geographical fact.

The credit for these peoples faith was given to God. God is the one who makes it possible for people to believe. Of our own, we would turn away. Whatever faith we have, we need to thank God as the one who gives us that faith. Also, as Paul did, thank God for the faith that others have.

Verse 9 and 10 Paul calls God as his witness, that he prays for them without ceasing. Today someone might say, “God knows that I pray for you all the time.”

Paul adds that he serves God with his whole heart in preaching the gospel. He's giving his character, his credentials; his life is all about preaching the gospel. Paul does not do this on his own authority but on Gods and on his role as a servant of God. He is doing only what God wants, and the people therefore need to listen to what he says.

Verse 10 Paul mentions that he is asking that by God’s will he may somehow finely succeed in coming see them. He wants to visit them. He wants there to be a relationship/friendship between he and the recipients of the letter.

Verse 11 and 12 He longs to see them so that he may share with them some spiritual gift to strengthen them. He wants to help them. He desires that they (he and the readers) may be mutually encouraged by each others faith.

Verse 13 Paul's visiting them is not unplanned. He's made several attempts to visit them but for whatever reason, up to this point it just has not happened. Paul's purpose in visiting them is to reap some harvest (he wanted more people to accept Christ) among them as he has among the rest of the Gentiles.

Verse 14 and 15 Paul wanted to preach to everyone, and that’s why he wanted to preach in Rome too.

Verse 16 He has stressed that telling the gospel is his calling in life, his duty before God. He is not ashamed of the gospel. It is God’s powerful means of bringing salvation to everyone who keeps on trusting, to the Jew especially, but equally to the Gentile.

Verse 17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Paul quotes (Habakkuk 2:4) “Behold the proud,
His soul is not upright in him;
But the just shall live by his faith.​

God is righteous. When we come to faith/belief in God’s righteousness, our response to him is faithfulness. We move from faith to faithfulness.

Some questions for thought on what we've read so far:

1. What does it mean to "belong" to Jesus Christ"? Are there obligations to each other? What are His to me and what are mine to Him?
   
2. Do I thank God for the faith that others have?
3. Do I have an obligation to share the gospel with other people?
4. Am I ashamed of the gospel?

'Till next time.



​

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Side Note: Who divided the Bible into chapter and verses? Why and when was it done:

Answer: When the books of the Bible were originally written, they did not contain chapter or verse references. The Bible was divided into chapters and verses to help us find Scriptures more quickly and easily. It is much easier to find "John chapter 3, verse 16" than it is to find "for God so loved the world..." In a few places, chapter breaks are poorly placed and as a result divide content that should flow together. Overall, though, the chapter and verse divisions are very helpful.

The chapter divisions commonly used today were developed by Stephen Langton, an Archbishop of Canterbury. Langton put the modern chapter divisions into place in around A.D. 1227. The Wycliffe English Bible of 1382 was the first Bible to use this chapter pattern. Since the Wycliffe Bible, nearly all Bible translations have followed Langton's chapter divisions.

The Hebrew Old Testament was divided into verses by a Jewish rabbi by the name of Nathan in A.D. 1448. Robert Estienne, who was also known as Stephanus, was the first to divide the New Testament into standard numbered verses, in 1555. Stephanus essentially used Nathan's verse divisions for the Old Testament. Since that time, beginning with the Geneva Bible, the chapter and verse divisions employed by Stephanus have been accepted into nearly all the Bible versions.
​

Romans 1:18-20 New King James Version (NKJV)][/B]

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,​

​

Now Paul begins to explain the problem between mankind and God. Why he (Paul) is so anxious to spread the good news of the Gospel to everyone within hearing.

He explains that all of God wrath is revealed and it's against all of man's ungodliness and unrighteousness and those who suppress the truth about unrighteousness. The world teaches that there are no repercussions to sinful acts. HE's righteous and His Kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy, but mankind, though they know the truth has produced unrighteousness, war, and sadness. God has a right to be angry that what He created is in such destruction. Paul states that God has made Himself known to them. God has shown it, the evidence of Him is within us. Mankind is without excuse.

So what is this "Good News of the Gospel"?

Remember that in Verse 12 Paul describes the gospel as "the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith." (v12) In the gospel, he says, God’s righteousness is revealed. The good news is that God, in HIS righteousness, is giving us salvation. We are without excuse.

Romans 1:21-23 New King James Version (NKJV)][/B]

21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.​

​

So, because of Gods revelation of Himself, God is known but He has not been glorified as God. There has been no thankfulness, they have become futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts are darkened. In huge professions of wisdom there is foolishness. The glory of the incorruptible God had been made to look like man and animals, and creeping critters.

Romans 1:24-25 New King James Version (NKJV)][/B]

24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.​

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Romans 1:26-27 New King James Version (NKJV)][/B]

26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.​

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Romans 1:28-32New King James Version (NKJV)][/B]

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality,[a] wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.​

​

Gods wrath manifested upon them is to let them do what they want. He's let them go the way they wanted....everything but Him.

It's looking pretty glum here....remember though that Paul has stated that he has good news. More later.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Side Note: Who divided the Bible into chapter and verses? Why and when was it done:

Answer: When the books of the Bible were originally written, they did not contain chapter or verse references. The Bible was divided into chapters and verses to help us find Scriptures more quickly and easily. It is much easier to find "John chapter 3, verse 16" than it is to find "for God so loved the world..." In a few places, chapter breaks are poorly placed and as a result divide content that should flow together. Overall, though, the chapter and verse divisions are very helpful.

The chapter divisions commonly used today were developed by Stephen Langton, an Archbishop of Canterbury. Langton put the modern chapter divisions into place in around A.D. 1227. The Wycliffe English Bible of 1382 was the first Bible to use this chapter pattern. Since the Wycliffe Bible, nearly all Bible translations have followed Langton's chapter divisions.

The Hebrew Old Testament was divided into verses by a Jewish rabbi by the name of Nathan in A.D. 1448. Robert Estienne, who was also known as Stephanus, was the first to divide the New Testament into standard numbered verses, in 1555. Stephanus essentially used Nathan's verse divisions for the Old Testament. Since that time, beginning with the Geneva Bible, the chapter and verse divisions employed by Stephanus have been accepted into nearly all the Bible versions.
​

Romans 1:18-20 New King James Version (NKJV)[/B]

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,​

​

Now Paul begins to explain the problem between mankind and God. Why he (Paul) is so anxious to spread the good news of the Gospel to everyone within hearing.

He explains that all of God wrath is revealed and it's against all of man's ungodliness and unrighteousness and those who suppress the truth about unrighteousness. The world teaches that there are no repercussions to sinful acts. HE's righteous and His Kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy, but mankind, though they know the truth has produced unrighteousness, war, and sadness. God has a right to be angry that what He created is in such destruction. Paul states that God has made Himself known to them. God has shown it, the evidence of Him is within us. Mankind is without excuse.

So what is this "Good News of the Gospel"?

Remember that in Verse 12 Paul describes the gospel as "the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith." (v12) In the gospel, he says, God’s righteousness is revealed. The good news is that God, in HIS righteousness, is giving us salvation. We are without excuse.

Romans 1:21-23 New King James Version (NKJV)[/B]

21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.​

​

So, because of Gods revelation of Himself, God is known but He has not been glorified as God. There has been no thankfulness, they have become futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts are darkened. In huge professions of wisdom there is foolishness. The glory of the incorruptible God had been made to look like man and animals, and creeping critters.

Romans 1:24-25 New King James Version (NKJV)[/B]

24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.​

​

Romans 1:26-27 New King James Version (NKJV)[/B]

26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.​

​

Romans 1:28-32New King James Version (NKJV)[/B]

28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality,[a] wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.​

​

Gods wrath manifested upon them is to let them do what they want. He's let them go the way they wanted....everything but Him.

It's looking pretty glum here....remember though that Paul has stated that he has good news. More later.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

CF seems to be having some issues right now It's posting things weird and not allowing me to fix anything. I'll fix the errors when I can. Sorry.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

s

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Sorry for the double post....CF is still messing up really bad. I click "submit reply" and it all goes blank". Don't know what's going on but I'll work around it the best I can. Thanks for your patience.

Romans 2:1-4 (CEB) So every single one of you who judge others is without any excuse. You condemn yourself when you judge another person because the one who is judging is doing the same things. 2 We know that God’s judgment agrees with the truth, and his judgment is against those who do these kinds of things. 3 If you judge those who do these kinds of things while you do the same things yourself, think about this: Do you believe that you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you have contempt for the riches of God’s generosity, tolerance, and patience? Don’t you realize that God’s kindness is supposed to lead you to change your heart and life?
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Paul is using a Jewish criticism against Jews (he's not criticizing he's just using what the Jews commonly complain about regarding the Gentiles) which is "they should know better so they deserve to die".

Verse one says those who condemn others are without excuse since they deem themselves to be able to judge others. Those who do the condemning, whoever they are, are condemning themselves when they judge others....when they say "those who sin deserve to die".

Verse 3 he says "while you too are doing these things, what makes you think you will escape God's judgement? Or do you have contempt for Gods generosity, patience, and tolerance?

I think of Jonah when he got angry at God because God forgave the people of Ninaveh (Read the book of Jonah for the full story). Jonah wanted them destroyed. They were brutal people. Jonah knew God would give them mercy if he (Jonah) went to them with God's message. That's why he ran. And true to God's nature, HE did have mercy on Ninaveh and HE did not destroy Ninaveh.

Afterwards Jonah pouted about it all. He was angry at God for forgiving them and sparing their lives. Are we sometimes like that? Wanting God to "get em"? Not showing mercy? Yet wanting mercy when we need it?

Then Paul adds, "don't you realize that it's HIS kindness that leads us to repentance"?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeZe1NzjNoQ

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Romans 2:5-11Common English Bible (CEB)

5 You are storing up wrath for yourself because of your stubbornness and your heart that refuses to change. God’s just judgment will be revealed on the day of wrath. 6 God will repay everyone based on their works.[a] 7 On the one hand, he will give eternal life to those who look for glory, honor, and immortality based on their patient good work. 8 But on the other hand, there will be wrath and anger for those who obey wickedness instead of the truth because they are acting out of selfishness and disobedience. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 10 But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 11 God does not have favorites.


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Continuing on from the previous verses...Paul is talking to Jews and Gentiles, especially Jews who judge Gentiles (because knowing God's instructions they should know that His heart is that all be delivered) from death.

Verse 5
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Those who do such are guilty of the same sins as the Gentiles just in different form, and they are storing up wrath upon themselves because of their stubbornness and unrepentance. Stubborn and unrepentant. Wow.



However, God knew from the beginning that was going to be how things went down so He put together a plan that would redeem all who were scheduling themselves for wrath. This plan was signed, sealed, and delivered by Jesus in his death, burial, and resurrection. That redemption is accessed by submission and repentance....the exact opposite of what brings His wrath.

Verse 6
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God will repay everyone for their works. What? Paul is quoting Psalm 62:12 here:

Psalm 62:12Common English Bible (CEB)

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12 and faithful love comes from you, my Lord—
and that you will repay
everyone according to their deeds.
​

Now don't get all paranoid about talk of doing good works. We cannot gain favor with God, or access to His Kingdom or salvation by doing good works. The Bible clearly states that access to God and His salvation is by grace through faith.

Ephesians 2:8, 9 Common English Bible (CEB)

8 You are saved by God’s grace because of your faith.[a] This salvation is God’s gift. It’s not something you possessed. 9 It’s not something you did that you can be proud of.
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You're saved. So now what? Some teach that now that you have the Holy Spirit that you will just automatically do what is right and good. If that were the case Paul would not have had to write "Don't suppress the Spirit" in 1 Thess 5:19.

Just because you have the Holy Spirit living in you it does not void out your will and your power to choose. We still have to make decisions concerning our actions. That is the role the Law and commandments play. It gives us understanding of how we relate to God and man. It has nothing to do with salvation. It has everything to do with sanctification and how we live as a believer in Jesus. We don't need to spend a lot of time begging God to show us what to do and where to go because He's already told us in His word and until we do what He's already told us He most likely will not give us a private word.

Verse 7
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This verse is for those who walk in obedience.

Verse 8
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This verse is for those who don't walk in obedience.

Now if you're reading this with the typical Roman mindset it does sound like it's talking about earning eternal life. Here's some of the problem....Our church mind-set see's salvation as something you get. They teach that you "get saved" and receive Jesus as your Savior and that's all there is to it for the rest of your life. You can do whatever you want and if God does not like it then He'll tell you. The thing is He does tell us.

When you become a believer you are not just "getting saved". You are starting a relationship with God. Relationship is a big word. Our will and our choices can stop God dead in His tracks in terms of our relationship with Him. Our relationship with God is a process. The two of us working together. HE does not stop working with us immediately...it's over time. When we choose to rebel and exercise our own will time and time again, refusing to do what He shows us in His word, at some point HE will back away and let us. It can end in wrath and destruction. I don't know that that means hell, but whatever it is still does not sound fun. Obedience to Him though does bring glory, honor, and peace.

Verse 9 and 10 and 11
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There are consequences to our actions. For the Jew first and equally for the Gentile. God does not play favorites.

Paul does not come right out and say it here (he does later) but Torah (the Law), the first 5 books of the Bible, commonly called the Old Testiment, and the Prophets (everything else in the OT) are the standard of what is good and what is not. Now I'll mention that the Greeks/Gentiles did not have access to the Torah and the next verses 12 - 16 will address that.

Now that does not mean that one needs to live in fear that they make the wrong decision and if they die in the middle of that wrong decision they are going to reap God's wrath.

Growing up in the Pentecostal Holiness church and then the Assembly's of God later we were told that going to movies was a sin. I can remember someone saying "if you go to that movie and the Lord comes back you'll be left behind" eeek! It was the same with dancing, mixed bathing (boys and girls swimming in the same pool at the same time), wearing jewelry, wearing shorts, etc.. I have a friend who responds to the movie thing with "well, I guess I just would not get to see the end of the movie".

It has to be a lifestyle of disobedience and stubbornness in our relationship with God. Not just a bad choice here and there. That is when you just pick yourself up, repent, put your hand in His and move on with HIM. In time you'll learn to hear His voice and you'll respond as you should. It's a relationship and all relationships take time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDM2Qb1rVVs
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[SpiritPsalmist]

NOTE

Please feel free to PM me (as some already have) if you have any questions about what I've written. I can see in the last posting some things said in a way that could convey something different than what I meant. CF is still not letting me edit. I do proofread before I send it but after a good nights sleep I catch things that are not incorrect in themselves, just I could have explained it better.

Anyway, we're learning together on this. I just want to encourage everyone to be the best friend of God that you can be and I believe that was what Paul wanted to do as well. He did not want us flailing in our relationship with GOD. He wants us walking strong and knowing God so well that we do not fall.

God bless you!

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

I have discovered these last few days the word "law" appears over 80 times in Romans. According to Strongs Concordance there are 3 Greek words that are translated as "law".

1. Nomothesia
   
2. Anomos
3. Nomos
   

Nomothesia is used only once in the NT. It is in reference to Torah and is found only in Romans 9:4

Anomos is lawlessness and/or without order or principle Used in Romans 2:12 in the first 2 uses of the word.

Nomos is a "law of the land" law, like a speed limit, etc.. A law within the body of THE LAW. A law, not THE LAW.

Romans 2:12-16 (Interlinear)

I'm connecting to the interlinear so that you may check it out for yourself. I don't want to just "tell" you what it says. I want to lead you to what it says so that you can see it for yourself. In verse 12, Anomos is used the first 2 times the word law is used. The rest of the time the word Nomos is used.



I'll let you think on this a bit

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

I do not claim to know it all. I am learning alongside you.

For this section, I'm using the Easy To Read Version Bible

Romans 2:12-16Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

12 People who have the law and those who have never heard of the law are all the same when they sin. People who don’t have the law and are sinners will be lost. And, in the same way, those who have the law and are sinners will be judged by the law.


​

Those who have order and principles guiding them and those who don't are the same when it comes to sin. Those who know what they are supposed to do and don't do it and those who have no idea what their supposed to do and of course don't do it are on the same level. Kinda like when one speeds and gets pulled over by the police, the police does not care if you knew the law or not, you are ticketed. Those who don't have a moral right and wrong will die in their sin just as one who does have the moral law but does not follow it. All are guilty. No matter who we are if we have sinned, and we have, we are condemned. The Good News is needed.

13 Hearing the law does not make people right with God. They will be right before him only if they always do what the law says.


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Knowing the right thing to do does not make anyone right with God. We are right with Him only if we do what the law says.

14 Those who are not Jews don’t have the law. But when they naturally do what the law commands without even knowing the law, then they are their own law. This is true even though they don’t have the written law.

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The mostly Greeks to whom Paul was writing this letter to (and it does not really matter whether it was mostly anyway) had some moral laws, laws that God says is right and good. They had those laws not because they read them but because God has written right and wrong on our hearts. When they naturally and instinctively do what God calls good, what is in their heart is a law to them.

15 They show that in their hearts they know what is right and wrong, the same as the law commands, and their consciences agree. Sometimes their thoughts tell them that they have done wrong, and this makes them guilty. And sometimes their thoughts tell them that they have done right, and this makes them not guilty.


​

By doing instinctively what God calls good they show that they know what is right and what is wrong.

16 All this will happen on the day when God will judge people’s secret thoughts through Jesus Christ. This is part of the Good News that I tell everyone.

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All this will come out on the day when God judges everyone's secret thoughts. All the stuff about our works needing to show our faith is true. However, no one can do everything right all the time. But take another look at Paul's wording: "God will judge people's secret thoughts through Jesus Christ". We will not be judged on our works alone. We will be judged according to what Jesus did to cover our failures.



This is part of the Good News that Paul is telling.


Acts 17:31Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

31 He has decided on a day when he will judge all the people in the world in a way that is fair. To do this he will use a man he chose long ago. And he has proved to everyone that this is the man to do it. He proved it by raising him from death!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfKT2AM6exE​

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Note: If the post line is in blue and there is a number beside it, it's scripture. The number is the scripture address....such as Romans 2:13. What I say (in the color you're looking at now) is me. I try my best to just repeat what was said maybe rewording it just a bit without changing the content.

To recap over our last post (there were some who did not read all the way to the end).

Paul makes it clear what is required in order to be in right standing with God. They must be doers of HIS laws and not hearers only. Paul has been painting a pretty gloomy picture of them and their standing before God, and he's just stated that there will come a day when God will judge their secret thoughts. HOWEVER, (now the Good News) it will be done THROUGH Jesus Christ. It won't be on our merit or ability to do anything, but on what Jesus did.

Continuing on........

Paul continues showing the futility of trying to be right with God under their own abilities. Here, he's specifically talking to the Jews.

Romans 2:17-24Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

17 What about you? You say you are a Jew. You trust in the law and proudly claim to be close to God. 18 You know what God wants you to do. And you know what is important, because you have learned the law. 19 You think you are a guide for people who don’t know the right way, a light for those who are in the dark. 20 You think you can show foolish people what is right. And you think you are a teacher for those who are just beginning to learn. You have the law, and so you think you know everything and have all truth. 21 You teach others, so why don’t you teach yourself? You tell them not to steal, but you yourself steal. 22 You say they must not commit adultery, but you yourself are guilty of that sin. You hate idols, but you steal them from their temples. 23 You are so proud that you have God’s law, but you bring shame to God by breaking his law. 24 As the Scriptures say, “People in other nations insult God because of you.”
​

1. You know what God wants you to do. You know what is important because you have learned the law.
2. You trust in the law and proudly proclaim to be close to God.
3. You think you are a guide for those who don't know the right way...a light for those in darkness.
4. You think you can show foolish people what is right. You think you can be a teacher for those who are just beginning to learn.
5. You have the law so you think you know everything and have all truth.
6. You teach others so why don't you teach yourself?

As you can see here, Paul is not on to them about their knowing the law, he's on to them for knowing but not doing.

1. You tell them to not steal but you yourself steal.
2. You tell them to not commit adultery but you yourself commit adultery.
3. You hate idols but you steal them from others temples.
4. You're so proud that you have God's laws but you bring shame to God by breaking them.

Verse 24 Paul quotes from Ezekiel 36:22

So tell the family of Israel that this is what the Lord God says: ‘Family of Israel, you ruined my holy name in the places where you went.



Any good Jew would know the rest of that verse:

I am going to do something to stop this. I will not do it for your sake, Israel. I will do it for my holy name. Good News


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We'll continue later

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[SpiritPsalmist]

Romans 2:25-29 Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

25 If you follow the law, then your circumcision has meaning. But if you break the law, then it is as if you were never circumcised.
​

Circumcision was given Abraham and his descendants as a distinctive mark of the covenant into which God entered with Israel. It was a symbol of a spiritual regeneration of the heart by the Spirit of God.

Paul is still talking to the Jewish members of the Roman congregation. He's scolded them for being hearers and not doers. He continues with "If you follow the law, then your circumcision has meaning". He tells them it's useless if they break the law. He says breaking the law has made them as if they had never had that physical symbol of covenant with God.

26 Those who are not Jews are not circumcised. But if they do what the law says, it is as if they were circumcised.
​

Then Paul compares them to the Gentile who is not circumcised. He says if they (the Gentiles) do what the law says then it's the same as if they were circumcised. They don't have the symbol in the physical but they do have a circumcision of the heart...which was the whole point of the physical symbol in the first place.

27 You have the written law and circumcision, but you break the law. So those who are not circumcised in their bodies, but still obey the law, will show that you are guilty.
​

Paul tells them "You have the written law AND circumcision". They have no excuse. Those who are not physically circumcised yet obey the law, show that the Jew with both law and circumcision in body are guilty before God. Even though the Jew knows the law and has physically been circumcised to show covenant with God, because he breaks the laws he (the Jew) has no advantage over the Gentile. The claims of Judaism apart from the Lord Jesus Christ are empty.

28 You are not a true Jew if you are only a Jew in your physical body. True circumcision is not only on the outside of the body.
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Disobedience to the law voided their covenant standing. True circumcision is not ONLY on the outside though, it's on the inside too. So for the Jew it was important that while he was showing covenant standing with God on his body, he must either also have it in his heart OR keep the law in it's entirety.

29 A true Jew is one who is a Jew inside. True circumcision is done in the heart. It is done by the Spirit, not by the written law. And anyone who is circumcised in the heart by the Spirit gets praise from God, not from people.
​

A true Jew is one who is a Jew on the inside. It's a circumcision of the heart where we do what God instructs because the Spirit leads. The written law is a guide and shows us what God expects, however, it cannot give us the strength to obey. Obedience is accomplished by the Spirit, and the circumcision of the heart.

What is the meaning of the name Jew?
(not a Christian site but informative on the meaning of the name Jew)
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The person who uses his own cognitive abilities to discover and recognize the one God, reject the idolatrous ways of his ancestors and contemporaries, actively publicize the truth of God and is prepared to give his very life for these goals.

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1. Are you able to perceive and reason scripture in order to discover and recognize God?
2. Do you reject the idolatrous ways of your ancestors and contemporaries?
3. Do you actively publicize the truth of God? This can be done in a variety of ways and does not require a stage.
4. Are you prepared to give your life in order to achieve these goals?

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[SpiritPsalmist]

Romans 3:1-4American Standard Version (ASV)​

3 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what is the profit of circumcision?
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Fair question There's so much ruckus about this. So many think that the circumcised are of no value, but Paul feels differently (at least in regards to the Jews).

2 Much every way: first of all, that they were intrusted with the oracles of God.
​

To the question Paul says "Yes! There are many benefits to their circumcision. The most important one being that God trusted the Jews with His teachings. He did not trust the Gentile with His teaching (Torah) He trusted them (the Jews)

3 For what if some were without faith? shall their want of faith make of none effect the faithfulness of God?
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Paul says "it's true that SOME (not all) were not faithful to God. In the last chapter where Paul laid it out to those Jews who had not been faithful, he told them that their being unfaithful had made them spiritually the same as if they had not been circumcised and that their relationship with God was no better than the Gentile who had not been circumcised. "But", he says, "will that stop God from doing what He promised"?

4 God forbid: yea, let God be found true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy words, and mightest prevail when thou comest into judgment.
​

Absolutely not! It will not stop God from doing what He's promised. Even if everyone else is a liar, God will always do what He says He will do.



Then Paul quotes Psalms 116:11 "I said in my haste, All men are liars",


and Psalm 51:4 " Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, And done that which is evil in thy sight; That thou mayest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

I wanted to discuss a bit more of a couple of things touched on in the last segment of study:

Paul's answer to "what are the benefits of circumcision?" Paul answers "great in every respect". First of all they were intrusted with the oracles of God".​

What are the oracles? The dictionary defines it as an inspired revelation from a deity. Torah, the first five books of our Bibles would qualify because God told Moses all that HE wanted the people to know and Moses wrote it down. Also in 2 Timothy 3:16 we are told that "all scripture is inspired of God". The general understanding of scripture in most theological circles refers to the canonized scriptures as the collection of writings thought to be authoritative. The Torah was accepted as Canon right after it was written. There are many other books as well. There was prophesy, historical, Psalms, and Proverbs and many others. In about the 2nd century before Messiah came, the Tanakh (Old Testament") was Canonized by the religious authority and became the authoritative revelation of the character and nature of God. All of the Tanakh was written by Jews. All but one of the writers of the New Testament were Jews also. Luke was a gentile and possibly had converted to Judaism since he claims in his gospel that he was well informed of all the facts (Luke 1:1-4). Paul was not just being historically accurate he was being prophetically accurate.

Technically, there is not two testaments of the Bible. There is no "old" and "new". There is only one collection of the "oracles of God". I believe the divisions were anti-Semitic prejudices of the institutional church and added to by the translators who had a vested interest in maintaining the disguise. New and old are together one collection of the oracles of God. There is only one revelation of the character and nature of God, not two. Paul referred to it as "the whole council of God" (Acts 20:27). See also 2 Timothy 3:15, 16 where Paul reminds Timothy how from a small child he was raised up on the scriptures (that would be the Tanakh since there was no other scripture yet...no NT yet) and that it was "these" (the Tanakh) which made him wise to accept salvation by trusting in Christ Jesus. Then again verse 16 which clarifies that "all scripture" (which again was only the Tanakh, none of the NT was written yet) was given to us by inspiration from God. Both what we call OT and NT are inspired of God and together are one collection of the oracles of God. God did not separate them, man did. As Paul said, "the "whole" not the half. When Paul made that statement there was only the Tanakh (the OT). The NT came later and is now included as God's oracles. We are still to look at the whole, not just the half.

The last question Paul asked was:

For what if some were without faith? shall their want of faith make of none effect the faithfulness of God?

And the answer was:Absolutely not! It will not stop God from doing what He's promised. Even if everyone else is a liar, God will always do what He says He will do.



We'll continue on to the next verses next time.

When was the Apostle Paul a baker?​

For answer highlight here --->When he went to Philipi (Fill a pie)
​

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Romans 3:5-20 Living Bible (TLB)

5 “But,” some say, “our breaking faith with God is good, our sins serve a good purpose, for people will notice how good God is when they see how bad we are. Is it fair, then, for him to punish us when our sins are helping him?” (That is the way some people talk.) 6 God forbid! Then what kind of God would he be, to overlook sin? How could he ever condemn anyone? 7 For he could not judge and condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty brought him glory by pointing up his honesty in contrast to my lies. 8 If you follow through with that idea you come to this: the worse we are, the better God likes it! But the damnation of those who say such things is just. Yet some claim that this is what I preach!
9 Well, then, are we Jews better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all men alike are sinners, whether Jews or Gentiles. 10 As the Scriptures say,
“No one is good—no one in all the world is innocent.”[a]
11 No one has ever really followed God’s paths or even truly wanted to.
12 Every one has turned away; all have gone wrong. No one anywhere has kept on doing what is right; not one.
13 Their talk is foul and filthy like the stench from an open grave.[b] Their tongues are loaded with lies. Everything they say has in it the sting and poison of deadly snakes.
14 Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.
15 They are quick to kill, hating anyone who disagrees with them.[c]
16 Wherever they go they leave misery and trouble behind them, 17 and they have never known what it is to feel secure or enjoy God’s blessing.
18 They care nothing about God nor what he thinks of them.
19 So the judgment of God lies very heavily upon the Jews, for they are responsible to keep God’s laws instead of doing all these evil things; not one of them has any excuse; in fact, all the world stands hushed and guilty before Almighty God.
20 Now do you see it? No one can ever be made right in God’s sight by doing what the law commands. For the more we know of God’s laws, the clearer it becomes that we aren’t obeying them; his laws serve only to make us see that we are sinners.

Paul continues
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5 “But,” some say, “our breaking faith with God is good, our sins serve a good purpose, for people will notice how good God is when they see how bad we are. Is it fair, then, for him to punish us when our sins are helping him?” (That is the way some people talk.)

So now Paul is addressing some Greek philosophers. It was sort of a reverse psychology: if sinful behavior would cause God to show His mercy and grace then it was a good thing, right?
​

6 God forbid! Then what kind of God would he be, to overlook sin? How could he ever condemn anyone?

Paul answered such an idea strongly. "God forbid!" There is no double standard with God. He judges justly.

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7 For he could not judge and condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty brought him glory by pointing up his honesty in contrast to my lies. 8 If you follow through with that idea you come to this: the worse we are, the better God likes it! But the damnation of those who say such things is just. Yet some claim that this is what I preach!

There was rumor that Paul was teaching this double standard. That shows a great desperation of his enemies to discredit him.

In the book of Acts chapter 17 Luke makes reference to the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers within the context of Paul's experience with them on Mars Hill. The Epicureans were very experimental and pleasure oriented and the pursuit of the meaning of life. The Stoics were oriented more to reason and discipline. That included moral discipline too but not as God and Torah defined it. And here Paul was being accused of being involved in this type of activity.
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9 Well, then, are we Jews better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all men alike are sinners, whether Jews or Gentiles.

Paul then asks, "are we better than they?" Just because God chose the Hebrew people to be the agents of the revelation of God's character and nature spelled out in Torah does not give the individual Jew advantage with God any more than it gives the individual Gentile disadvantage. When all is said and done, we are all sinners. Then Paul, giving proof that we are all sinners, begins to quote several scripture verses from the Tanakh.

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10 As the Scriptures say,
“No one is good—no one in all the world is innocent.” (PS 14:3)

11 No one has ever really followed God’s paths or even truly wanted to. (PS 14:2)

12 Every one has turned away; all have gone wrong. No one anywhere has kept on doing what is right; not one. (Ecc 7:20)

13 Their talk is foul and filthy like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are loaded with lies. (PS 5:9) Everything they say has in it the sting and poison of deadly snakes. (PS 140:3)

14 Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. (PS 10:7)

15 They are quick to kill, hating anyone who disagrees with them. 16 Wherever they go they leave misery and trouble behind them, 17 and they have never known what it is to feel secure or enjoy God’s blessing. (IS 59:7-8)

18 They care nothing about God nor what he thinks of them. (PS 36:1)

So what is the Biblical definition of sin?

Both the Hebrew and Greek words translated sin mean "an offense". The Hebrew word though also adds "something done habitually and repeatedly". The Greek adds the idea of "falling short or missing the mark". The original sin of Adam and Eve in the garden certainly involved "an offense" of eating the fruit which they were clearly told not to do. But, what was the attitude and condition that motivated them to eat? It's recorded in Genesis 3.

What it boils down to is an attitude of rebellion: "I'm going to do whatever I want to do, especially if I can come up with a rational reasoning to justify it". Rebellion is really at the root of all sin. It's a condition of the heart and it's in every human heart. That is the condition that separates us from God. It's only through submission, repentance, confession, and faith that we deal with it. Deeds cannot send you to hell anymore than deeds can get you to heaven. It is our attitude about God and our submission to Him.

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19 So the judgment of God lies very heavily upon the Jews, for they are responsible to keep God’s laws instead of doing all these evil things; not one of them has any excuse; in fact, all the world stands hushed and guilty before Almighty God.

No one has any excuse for doing evil things for not keeping God's laws...all the world stands guilty before God.

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20 Now do you see it? No one can ever be made right in God’s sight by doing what the law commands. For the more we know of God’s laws, the clearer it becomes that we aren’t obeying them; his laws serve only to make us see that we are sinners.

No one can be made right with God by keeping the commandments. The more we study and learn the more clear it becomes that we aren't obeying. That's exactly what they are supposed to do. They show us where we are missing it. The commandments are a list of symptoms. When we find ourselves in conflict with the commandments it is generally symptomatic of the condition of a rebellious heart. We could be doing deeds that are in conflict with the commandments and not even know it. That's why it's so important to read our Bible. We are still held to righteousness (like getting a speeding ticket even though we did not know the speed limit) even if we don't know. If it's rebellion though, then the condition of the heart needs to be looked at.
​

The Bible is the standard of what is good or bad, right or wrong. On Judgement Day (where our works are judged) we will not be held up to the standard of someones opinion, not even our own. The only opinion that will count is HIS. So doesn't it make sense to become familiar with what God thinks about things instead of what others think? There is no excuse for ignorance.

Later ​

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

I would like to note a few things that I touched on two studies ago. It was the ref to 2 Tim 3:15-16.
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15 You know how, when you were a small child, you were taught the holy Scriptures; and it is these that make you wise to accept God’s salvation by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right.

It's obvious that the scriptures that Timothy grew up on is the Tanakh. So where exactly in the Tanakh are the scriptures that Timothy might have learned from that prepared him to accept God's salvation by trusting in Christ Jesus?

God enacted the New Covenant plan in Genesis.

Adam and Eve, after eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil saw their God-covering was gone. They sewed fig leaves together representing the works of man. (Gen 3:6-7)
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God comes along and He curses the serpent (satan) (Gen 3:14)

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14 So the Lord God said to the serpent:
“Because you have done this,
You are cursed more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you shall go,
And you shall eat dust
All the days of your life.

Next, God lays out the plan for salvation; the New Covenant (Gen 3:15)
​

"And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”

Note it does not say "the seed of a man AND woman. This was teaching that the Messiah would come from a woman who was not impregnated by a man. "He shall bruise you on the head (death/damnation) and you shall bruise him on the heel" (injure him for a short period of time...oh say 3 days and 3 nights). The "seed" is Messiah.

Gen 3:21 God provides a covering of animal skin. The New Covenant requires the shedding of blood. The clean animal, the death of the animal, and it's shed blood all represent Messiah. The animals blood was not sufficient enough to provide salvation, but pointed to the blood of Messiah which would pay for this covenant. The skin also represented the Torah as a Torah scroll is always written on a clean animal which was found to be perfect. Remember that Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) was the Word made flesh.

That's just what I've discovered so far....God set in motion from the very beginning our Salvation. These plus other scriptures are what Timothy had learned from childhood. Also, they are what the Berean's studied in order to verify that what they heard was true. They were commended for their searching for truth, and everyone else was encouraged to be like them.
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2 Timothy 2:15King James Version (KJV)

15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.




2 Tim 3:16


The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right. __________________

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Romans 3:21-31New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
21 But now God has shown us how to become right with him. The Law and the Prophets give witness to this. It has nothing to do with obeying the law. 22 We are made right with God by putting our faith in Jesus Christ. That happens to all who believe.
It is no different for the Jews than for anyone else. 23 Everyone has sinned. No one measures up to God’s glory. 24 The free gift of God’s grace makes all of us right with him. Christ Jesus paid the price to set us free. 25 God gave him as a sacrifice to pay for sins. So he forgives the sins of those who have faith in his blood.
God did all of that to prove that he is fair. Because of his mercy he did not punish people for the sins they had committed before Jesus died for them. 26 God did that to prove in our own time that he is fair. He proved that he is right. He also made right with himself those who believe in Jesus.
27 So who can brag? No one! Are people saved by obeying the law? Not at all! They are saved because of their faith. 28 We firmly believe that people are made right with God because of their faith. They are not saved by obeying the law.
29 Is God the God of Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of those who aren’t Jews? Yes, he is their God too. 30 There is only one God. When those who are circumcised believe in him, he makes them right with himself. When those who are not circumcised believe in him, he also makes them right with himself. 31 Does faith make the law useless? Not at all! We agree with the law.

Continuing on with the study

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3:21-23 But now God has shown us how to become right with him. The Law and the Prophets give witness to this. It has nothing to do with obeying the law. 22 We are made right with God by putting our faith in Jesus Christ. That happens to all who believe. It is no different for the Jews than for anyone else. 23 Everyone has sinned. No one measures up to God’s glory.

In Gen 15:6 Abraham "believed in the Lord and God reckoned it unto him as righteousness". That happened apart from the law, since the law had not been officially written yet. NOW, we have the finished work of redemption by Messiah Yeshua in his death, burial, and resurrection, the righteousness of God is set forth clearly as it was witnessed in the law and the prophets (Joshua, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, Isaiah through Malachi, excluding David). We are made right with God by putting our faith and trust in the finished works of Messiah. It is the same for everyone. We have all sinned. Not one of us measure up on our own. Without the shed blood of Messiah covering our sins, we are lost.

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3:24-26 The free gift of God’s grace makes all of us right with him. Christ Jesus paid the price to set us free. 25 God gave him as a sacrifice to pay for sins. So he forgives the sins of those who have faith in his blood.
God did all of that to prove that he is fair. Because of his mercy he did not punish people for the sins they had committed before Jesus died for them. 26 God did that to prove in our own time that he is fair. He proved that he is right. He also made right with himself those who believe in Jesus.

There is really nothing I can add to this...it's pretty clear. God's grace makes us right with Him. Jesus paid the price and we are set free. HE forgives the sins of those who have faith in His blood.

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3:27 So who can brag? No one! Are people saved by obeying the law? Not at all! They are saved because of their faith.

Interestingly, the NKJV (New King James Version) lists that last part as "They are saved because of their law of faith".


God uses laws to hold the world together. Gravity, centrifugal, sin and death, spirit of life in Messiah. Well, here's another law, the law of faith and it works like all the others.

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3:28 We firmly believe that people are made right with God because of their faith. They are not saved by obeying the law.

It is maintained that man is made right (justified not sanctified) by faith apart from the works of the law.

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3:29-30 Is God the God of Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of those who aren’t Jews? Yes, he is their God too. 30 There is only one God. When those who are circumcised believe in him, he makes them right with himself. When those who are not circumcised believe in him, he also makes them right with himself.

This is why the Gentiles are included in a relationship with God.

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3:31 Does faith make the law useless? Not at all! We agree with the law.

This is a verse that gets run over without thought. The KJ uses the word "void" for useless. Paul asks, "Does our faith in Yeshua make the law (teaching) void?" He answers his own question by saying, "God forbid" Then he adds, "On the contrary. We establish the law.

What in that whole verse even begins to suggest that the law and commandments are of no value? NOTHING. ​

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vmTkXNpwzs