Thursday, April 26, 2018

Religion



Romans 2:17-29

Paul was a Pharisee. 

The word "Pharisee" comes from an Aramaic term that means "separated."  It was not the name they called themselves.  They called themselves "Häberim," which comes from an Aramaic term that means "associate." The idea was that they were associated with the law. The Pharisees taught a strict adherence to the law.  In order to define what the law meant, the Pharisees multiplied rules that tried to regulate life down to the finest details. In their concern for keeping the rules, the Pharisees lost sight of the purpose of the law.  Therefore, Jesus chastised them, saying:
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. (Matthew 23:23)


According to Jesus, the Pharisees were hypocrites because they neglected the "weightier" matters of the law.  By calling the matters of justice, mercy and faithfulness "weightier," Jesus is saying that these things are more important.  In short, while adhering to the smallest detail of the law, the Pharisees ignored the intent or purpose of the law.  They neglected the weightier matters.

Paul said of himself:
"...as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. (Philippians 3:5-6)


Paul is speaking of his past, the things he left behind, and he is saying he was a Pharisee and as such had been confident of his righteousness under the law.

Paul understood religion from the inside.  In writing to the Romans, Paul was writing to people he had never met.  However, in chapters one and two, he has shown that he understands the human heart.  (Actually, it is the Holy Spirit, speaking through Paul that understands the human heart.)  Romans chapter one, verses 18 through 32, deals with the human rejection of God.  Then chapter two, verses 1 through 16, deals with the moral person.  Now, in chapter two, verses 17 through 29, he turns to deal with the religious person.  However, this is not just any religious person.  This is the religious person who is serious about his or her religion.  This person is part of the true religion, worships the true God and knows the truth.

This is what Paul would say to his pre-Christian self, the Pharisee.  In Romans 2:17-20 he says:
But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— (Romans 2:17-20)


In this passage, we have the definition of a religious person.

First, Paul points out the identity adopted by the religious person.  Having a strong identity is common to all religions.  Paul is speaking specifically to those who called themselves Jews, but the principles he addresses apply the same to religion in general.  The identity is important because, like the Jew addressed in this passage, the religious person knows he or she is right.  Religions call themselves after the name of their leader or founder, such as a Christian or Buddhist.  Or, they will call themselves after a concept, such as Islam, which means "submission," or Jehovah's Witnesses, which is a definition of how they see themselves.  Within a larger classification such as Christian or Jew or Muslim, are many smaller classifications that make up the identity.  Therefore, here in Clearwater, we have Christians of different identities.  We have Baptists, Methodists, Nazarenes, Catholics, Evangelicals and others.  Religious identities have histories and heritages that go along with them.  Often, cultural, family and community ties run very deep and strong within a religious identity.  To break with one's religious identity is often to run afoul of one's family, community and in many places even the government.  Usually, this religious identity is closely tied to a person's identity, how people see themselves. 

Along with the religious identity, comes a body of belief.  In the case of the Jew, Paul says they "rely on the law."  Muslims have the Koran.  Mormons have the Book of Mormon.  When it comes to Buddhists, there is not a single book, but there is a body of belief or thought that is shared or held in common and a number of books that are held as sacred.  Part of the body of belief of every religion is teaching about God, His nature, existence and relationship to humanity. Therefore, verses 17 and 18 say of the Jew, "[you] boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law."  This body of belief is the paradigm through which a religious person views the world.  Is there one God, or many gods?  Are there evil spirits? demons? angels? 

As you consider these things, do you not say to yourself, "I am glad I know the truth!"?

The Jew did.  Paul says of them, "You are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth—"

Whatever other religions taught, the Jews knew they had the truth.  We have inherited that mantle.   The New Testament is the completion or fulfillment of the Jewish law and prophets.  More than half of our Bible is the Jewish Scriptures from which they were instructed.  Whatever other religions teach or claim, Christianity is unique in its historical verifiability, reliability and in keeping with the facts of reality.  Christianity stands alone as the world's one true religion.  Therefore, we send out missionaries.  We work as a light to those who are in darkness.  We seek to teach children, and through our teaching, change the world.

However, Paul closes in on the religious person and says:
You then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." (Romans 2:21-24)


This then is the problem with religion.  Not one of us is able to live up to the standard of our religion.  Any person, like the Pharisees, who focuses on keeping the rules, will fail.  Look at the rules Paul lists.  No stealing and no adultery are rules that we can agree with.  However, we violate these rules.  Jesus said:
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:27-28)


If you are the second person in all of history to not violate this one, let me be the first to congratulate you.  For all of the rest of us, we must consider our dilemma.  We know that the rules (law) are good and right, but we cannot and will not ever keep all of the rules.

But that is okay, I have been baptized.

Paul addresses this in verses 25 through 29.  The issue I have just brought up is that of rituals.  All religions have rituals that help them get right with their god.  Mediation, prayer, penance, baptism, sacrifices, giving, confession and the list goes on depending on which religion one wants to look at.

For the Jew, the ritual was circumcision.  This ritual tied the person to their religious identity and was a physical reminder of that tie.  God made a covenant with Abraham to bless him and his descendants, and circumcision was to be the sign of that covenant.  To the Jew, this was tied to salvation.  In other words, an uncircumcised person was not saved, as in, they could not have a relationship with God nor could their sins be forgiven.

The closest equivalent in Christianity is baptism.  By this one act, we identify ourselves to the world as "Christian." Some Christians believe that one cannot be saved without being baptized.  With Islam, the ritual by which they identify themselves with the religion is by reciting the "shahada," which states, "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger."

Paul, the ex-Pharisee, addresses these religious rituals by saying:
For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. ... For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. (Romans 2:25,28-29)

In the words "by the Spirit," Paul points out a problem with religion.  True religion is a matter of the heart, or the inner person, something that cannot be touched or changed by ritual or association.

True religion is a point of utmost importance.  Not all religions are the same.  A Muslim believes that Jesus was a prophet but not the Son of God, and the Christian teaching of the Triunity of God is to the Muslim blasphemy.  The person who believes that all religions are just different ways of looking at the same problem is claiming to have the broader perspective and is therefore saying that the exclusivity of the various religions is wrong.  So, even in their inclusiveness they try to point out the errors of others.  There is no escaping the claims of truth on our lives.  From our earliest days, we all know instinctively that some things are true and others are false.

Paul says of the Jews that they have in the law "the embodiment of knowledge and truth."  History and reason bear this out.  History bears it out in many ways, but in the interest of brevity I will limit myself to one historical fact.  It is a well- established historical fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.  If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then as the Apostle Paul said:
...we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Corinthians 15:19)

However, it is not enough just to have the truth.  The Jews had the truth and failed to grasp it because in practicing religion they missed the matter of the heart.  In the book of Hebrews, Paul warns us as Christians not to make the same mistake when he says:
Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. (Hebrews 4:1)

Religion is powerful because as Romans 1 has already pointed out:
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. (Romans 1:19-20)

Since God has made His divine power plain to us, we know instinctively that we need to be right with Him, and religion is the way we try to do this.  In speaking of how we try to get right with God by way of religion the Apostle Paul says:
These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. (Colossians 2:23)

Here again, we see the problem of religion is that it cannot transform the heart.  This is why Jesus gave His famous words when He said, "Ye must be born again."   In Romans 1 and 2, the Scriptures make it clear that human wisdom, morality and religion are not the way to be made right with God.  This is all done to show the necessity of the gospel.  The gospel is for all people.  Jew, Gentile, Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, and Christian all must be saved in the same way.  Acts 4:11-12 says:
This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:11-12)


The circumcision of the heart that Paul speaks of in Romans 2 is a work of the Spirit of God that we receive by believing in Jesus.  It is nothing we can do for ourselves.  This is what Jesus was pointing to when He said, "Ye must be born again." This is a matter of the heart that is too personal and real to be termed religion.  Rather it is us receiving life.  This is what the eternal life referred to in John 3:16:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Monday, April 23, 2018

Just and Justifier



Romans 3:21-31

“But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known...” (NIV, 1984)

How can a person be right or righteous without obeying the rules?

People who do not obey the rules go to jail. Of course, since you and I are not in jail, we are obviously rule keepers. We are okay. As a matter of fact, we are good people. We pay our taxes, are faithful to our spouses, go to work every day and even go to church on Sundays. Surely, we are better than those paying for their crimes by spending time in jail. It would be unjust to lock you or me up since we have not committed any crimes. In addition, it would be unjust to let a murderer or a rapist off without consequences. Neither of these would be right.

So, how is it that God, who is supposed to be just, can let people off without penalty who have sinned and admit they have sinned?

First, to answer this question, we must consider the nature of sin.  Romans 1:18 through Romans 3:20 discusses the nature of sin. Sin is discussed in view of the question, “How can a person be right with God.” The answer is “...no one will be declared righteous by observing the law...” In other words, no one keeps the rules so perfectly as to avoid the penalty. Romans 3:23 states quite plainly:
...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God... (Romans 3:23)


We all have sinned, and God says the penalty of sin is death.  Romans 3:18 explains the problem of sin as being a basic problem in the heart when it says:
"There is no fear of God before their eyes." (Romans 3:18 ESV)

Therefore, rule keeping is not the answer.

Isaiah 40:21-23 describes God by saying:
Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. (Isaiah 40:21-23 ESV)

At the beginning of his ministry, Isaiah had a vision of God. This is what he says about what he saw:
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" (Isaiah 6:1-5 ESV)

To sin is to offend this holy, great God. It is not enough to say, "God is great." Words cannot capture nor can our minds hold the splendor of His majesty.  Psalms 145:3 tells us that no one can fathom God’s greatness.  He is too great for us to truly understand.

How is it then that “There is no fear of God before their eyes?”

Let’s consider this question for just a moment.

In the Garden of Eden, when the serpent tempted the woman he started by telling her she would become “like God.” This desire to be “like God” still resides in the heart of men and women. Pride is a heart problem that no one can be free from apart from Jesus Christ. Our desire to be like God somehow blinds us to the greatness of God. How ridiculous to imagine that we could ever be like God!

 The statement "...by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight," is offensive to our pride. (Romans 3:20 ESV) After all, we are good people.

Let’s consider the example of the best people law could produce, the consummate rule keepers.

The Pharisees were experts in the Law of Moses. Their purpose was to be justified by the law. Paul, a Pharisee, said of himself, “as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” (Philippians 3:6 ESV) This was how the Pharisees viewed themselves, blameless.  In addition, they considered themselves to be guides to the blind, (Romans 2:19) and instructors to the foolish. (Romans 2:20) In other words, they were proud of the righteousness they were able to gain through keeping the law.  However, as we said, the Scriptures make it clear, “by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight...”

In Matthew chapter 15, Jesus confronts the hypocrisy of the Pharisees saying:
"'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" (Matthew 15:8-9 ESV)

Jesus’ disciples warned him, asking, “Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?” (Matthew 15:12 ESV) Part of Jesus’ response was:
They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch. (Matthew 15:14 NLT)

Jesus offended the Pharisees because the Pharisees were proud. They were proud of the righteousness they had, and in their pride, Jesus says they were blind. The rule keeping of the Pharisees fed their pride, so they boasted in their righteousness. In actuality, their pride made them blind.

In explaining how the gospel works, the book of Romans strips away every means of righteousness by works and says:
But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. (Romans 3:21-22 NLT)

Because of our pride and our desire to be “like God,” this simple truth of being made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ is a stumbling block to many. This stumbling block is explained in verse 27, which says:
Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. (Romans 3:27 ESV)

What is this “law of faith” that excludes any boasting? It is covered in the preceding verses. These verses clearly tell the heart of the gospel, and in so doing these verses show how God can be both just and the justifier of those who have broken the rules. Romans 3:23-26 says:
...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:23-26 ESV)

Several things stand out about the law of faith as stated in these verses.

First, we are justified as a gift. It is by grace. It is not anything that we have done. Boasting is excluded because we are not justified by any works of righteousness that we have done. No one is justified by the works of the law, no one.

Second, it is received by faith. We must believe, and we must trust. That is all. There is no room for pride because this righteousness does not depend on anything we do. Strangely enough, we find there are those who are proud of their great faith. However, this only shows that they do not understand. Our justification is entirely a work that God has done. It shows His greatness not ours.

Third, the law of faith shows God’s great love. In Romans 3:23-26, the Scriptures say that God put forward Jesus Christ to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. In other words, Jesus paid the price for our sins. This was not the appeasing of an angry deity but rather the paying of the legal penalty for sin.  In the Garden of Eden, God told Adam, “In the day you eat thereof you shall surely die.” The Bible consistently teaches that the legal penalty for sin is death. Jesus paid that penalty.

Fourth, the law of faith shows God’s justice.  Romans 3:26 says, “...so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” God passed over a lot of injustice and wrongdoing before Jesus died on the cross, and He continues to pass over sins of all kinds. God forgives my sins and your sins because Jesus paid for those sins. It would be unjust for God to require payment for sins that have already been paid for. This is why John 3:18 says:
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:18 ESV)

Not believing in Jesus means that His payment of the penalty of sin is not applied to the unbeliever's account. This is the law of faith that says we are justified freely by His grace through faith in His blood.

There are two enemies of this law of faith.

One enemy is the devil. He roams about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.  We have no fear of him. He is defeated. The Bible tells us to be alert and ready but we are not ignorant of his schemes. By guarding our hearts and minds with faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, we are safe.

The second enemy of this law of faith is pride. Yes, believer, we can fall prey to the devil because of the pride in our hearts, any one of us can. This is why the Apostle Paul says:
As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Galatians 6:14 NLT)

We are going to study and learn more about the law as we go through Romans, but so far, we have learned that through the law we become conscious of sin and the law of faith upholds the law. In admitting that we have not perfectly kept the law, we admit that the law is holy and righteous and good, and we acknowledge that Jesus has satisfied the righteous requirements of the law.

The grace by which God saves us teaches us not to be proud but:
...to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. (Titus 3:1-2 ESV)

Monday, April 16, 2018

What Makes One a Sinner?




Romans 3:10-20

The law shows us how sinful we are.

This week the world is talking about war.  The Assad regime in Syria used gas on its citizens.  Of course, these citizens are of a different ethnic group so the regime does not consider them “their” people.  The regime is fighting to put down a rebellion, and gas was the quickest way to get the rebels to give up.  However, the Assad regime denies using poison gas, and Russia and Iran support Assad.  Israel bombed the base from which the gas attack was launched.  Britain and France joined with the United States and launched attacks in response to the gassings.  The world is focused on this one conflict involving multiple countries.  However, let’s consider a few other conflicts.  The United States has treaty and military commitments in conflicts involving North Korea, China, Afghanistan and ISIS.  In 2017, just less than 150,000 people died as a direct result of war.[1]

These conflicts involve the leaders and rulers in our world, the ones we look to for answers, stability and responsibility.  We could talk about human trafficking, sex trade, murders, rapes and organized crime if we wanted to delve into the problem of evil even more.  We all agree there is evil in the world, even though our opinions may differ as to what is evil and what is not evil.  Although we see it all around us, evil is a difficult subject for us to address.  What do we mean when we say “evil”?  The dictionary tells us that evil means: “profoundly immoral and malevolent.”[2] The Bible teaches us that the Devil is the prince and power of the air (Ephesians 2:2, KJV), and that he is now at work in the sons of disobedience.  Certainly, we can blame the Devil for the evil in the world today; however, people are still responsible for their actions.  People are the “profoundly immoral and malevolent” actors in the atrocities we see.  The Bible tells us:
“For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.”  (Matthew 15:19 NLT)

According to this, evil originates in the heart.  However, most of us are not as bad as we could be.  Therefore, we do not consider ourselves“profoundly immoral and malevolent,” and most of us do not fit that definition. 

The Bible tells us, “Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart.”  (1 John 3:15 NLT)  Can we agree that murder is evil?  This is why the New Testament teaches us that:
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.”  (Galatians 5:24 NLT)

It is not that we do not experience sinful passions and desires, but we have submitted those passions and desires to Christ.  We have and are presenting our bodies as living sacrifices to God.  (Romans 12:1-2).

Nevertheless, God’s analysis of the condition of man’s heart was established in Genesis, where it says:
“The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.”  (Genesis 6:5 NLT)

The Bible calls this evil that resides in people’s hearts “sin.”  In general, people do not like to talk about sin.  Going back to our definition of evil, most people do not want to think of themselves as being “profoundly immoral and malevolent.”  We need to understand, the Bible does not teach that everyone is as bad as he or she could be.  However, the Bible does teach that everyone is a sinner.  What makes one a sinner?  Why does the Bible say, “all have sinned?”

Romans 3:10-18 shows us three features of our person that reveal the evil in our heart and then names that evil.  The three features are: 1) the heart, 2) the mouth and 3) the feet.

The first feature is the heart.  Romans 3:10-11 says, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.”  The problem pointed out here is that no one seeks for God.

Why is this evil?

Why is this sin?

Why say no one is righteous and point out not seeking God as the problem?

When asked what the most important commandment was, Jesus said:
“‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”  (Matthew 22:37-38 NLT)

This is followed by the second commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself.”  According to Jesus, “The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”  (Matthew 22:40 NLT).  The problem of sin begins in the heart.  We do not understand how not seeking God can be the root of our problems or the root of the evil in the world.  Romans 3:11 says, “...no one understands.”  This is what causes us to turn aside and become worthless as it speaks of in Romans 3:12.  It all starts in our hearts and as Romans 6 teaches, we are all slaves, either to righteousness or to sin.  As Bob Dylan said in his song “Gotta Serve Somebody:”
...Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody[3]

The heart as a feature of the person is where sin starts, but the heart reveals its contents through the mouth.  The second feature Romans 3:10-18 speaks about is the mouth.  Romans 3:13-14 says:
"Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.”  "The venom of asps is under their lips.”  "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”  (Romans 3:13-14 ESV)

Jesus taught us, “What you say flows from what is in your heart.”  (Luke 6:45 NLT)  In grade school, my daughter had a teacher who liked to say, “What’s down in the well comes up in the bucket.”  What a clever way to say, “What you say flows from what is in your heart!”  What causes the “slip” of the tongue anyway?  We all say things in a poor manner from time to time.  The meaning of what we want to communicate gets lost behind our choice of words.  This is not what I am talking about as a slip of the tongue.  The slip of the tongue happens when the wrong word slips out because that is what is really in our heart.  The Bible warns us about our tongues and how much of a problem they are when it says:
“And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.  The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.  For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue.  It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.”  (James 3:6-9 ESV)

When the Bible says, “...no human being can tame the tongue,” it is not using hyperbole.  Romans 3:13-14 speaks of mouths full of curses and bitterness, and this is the result of a problem in the heart.  No one can tame the tongue because the problem starts in the heart.  This is also true of a person’s feet.  The feet are the third feature of a person that Romans 3:10-18 speaks about.

Romans 3:15-17 says:
"Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.”  (Romans 3:15-17 ESV)

Another way of saying, “Their feet are shift to shed blood,” is to say, "They are eager to commit murder."  In Ephesians 4:19, the Bible describes the human condition as:
“They have no sense of shame.  They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.”  (Ephesians 4:19 NLT)

In this passage, we see that they are eager to practice every kind of impurity.  The feet represent the decision of the heart.  We refer to this when we say people vote with their feet.

Solomon was a very wise man, quite possibly the wisest man that ever lived (Jesus excepted, of course).  After having examined life and seeking wisdom, he offers this as part of his conclusion:
“Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.”  (Ecclesiastes 7:20 NLT)

Our feet (our actions) reflect our hearts.  This is also, why the Bible teaches we will be judged according to what we have done.  We do not send people to jail for the evil thoughts they have had, but for the evil deeds, they have done.  However, the evil deeds are always preceded by evil thoughts.  If every second and every action of your life were played on a movie screen before the whole world, would you be found faultless?  According to the Bible, no one would.

These three features of our person, our heart, mouth and feet, convict us of sin.  Romans 3:18 names the root of this evil when it says; “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  (Proverbs 9:10)  Sin in the heart is at the root of all the problems we see in the world today.  However, at the root of sin in the heart is this accusation of Romans 3:18, “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”  This is why we do not seek God, have evil mouths and are swift to shed blood.

This brings us to the conclusion that is expressed in Romans 3:19-20.  The law does not fix our heart problem.  It only serves to make apparent or obvious the problem in our hearts.  According to Romans 3:20, “...through the law comes knowledge of sin.”

A sinner is not a person who is as bad as he or she could potentially be.  Nor is a sinner a person who we might label as evil.  What makes one a sinner is what is in that person’s heart.  It starts with not having an appropriate fear of God.

The original temptation started with “...you will be like God...”  (Genesis 3:5)  This same drive or desire to be like God sets us against God and makes us His enemies.  The good news is that while we were still enemies Christ died for us.  (Romans 5:10).  In order to be saved from the evil that resides in our hearts, all we have to do is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.  Romans 10:9-10 puts it this way:
...because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.  (Romans 10:9-10 ESV)


[2] www.google.com, Google dictionary, evil. Accessed April 14, 2018
[3] Gotta Serve Somebody lyrics © Audiam, Inc

Thursday, April 12, 2018

Is God Fair?



Romans 3:1-9

Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. (Romans 3:1-2 ESV)


The question, “What advantage has the Jew?” comes from the preceding discussion in Romans chapter two.  The author has made the case that being a Jew, having the Law and being circumcised does not make a person right with God.

"What advantage has the Jew?" The answer is straightforward. The advantage of the Jew is that they have been entrusted with the very words of God, the oracles of God. They were given something that no one else in the world had. They were given a great gift.

However, the ancient people of Israel serve to illustrate the problem Romans is addressing, namely “How can a person be right with God?”  We have come to a point in Romans where the question is asked, “Is God fair?”  The exact words of the text are:
But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) (Romans 3:5 ESV)


In other words, the text is asking, “Is God fair?”

I want to take you to a period in Israel’s history, before they had a king, when the people promised they would follow the Lord God.  After Moses led the people to the Promised Land, Joshua led the people in the conquest of the land.  When he was old and knew that his time on earth was drawing to a close, Joshua called all Israel together and gave an impressive speech.  When you have time, you should read it.  The speech is found in Joshua 23 and 24.  It is at this time that Joshua made this famous statement:
And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15 ESV)


At this time, the people promised to serve the Lord.  This is the exchange according to the book of Joshua:
Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God." But Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good."

Then Joshua said to the people, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him." And they said, "We are witnesses." He said, "Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel." And the people said to Joshua, "The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey." So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem. And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. And Joshua said to all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God." (Joshua 24:16-20, 22-27 ESV)


Do you see how Joshua warned them that they were not able? Do you see how strong the people were in their promise and determination?  Well, that determination died with that generation.  In the book of Judges, we find a pattern.  Here is how the book of Judges describes the circumstances:
And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger. They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress. Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so. Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways. (Judges 2:11-19 ESV)


Do you see how the people treated God?  Do you see how unfaithful they were?  The promise of God did not fail.  It happened just as God said it would.

As we go back to Romans 3, we see the statement:
What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar... (Romans 3:3-4 ESV)

As Romans 3:2 states, the Jews had the very great advantage of having the word of God. They had the truth. God had reached out to them and blessed them out of all the people on earth, but they were unfaithful.  But their accusation was that God was unfair.  This is the accusation or objection that is brought out by Romans 3:5.
But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) (Romans 3:5 ESV)


This objection comes out in a different way in our modern world.  One of the most common arguments against the existence of God is, “If there is a God, how can there be so much evil in the world?”  I have heard variations on this argument from those who say they believe in God and Jesus but they cannot believe in a god that would send anybody to hell.

First, let's consider briefly the question of evil in the world.  How do we know what evil is? In his book, "Mere Christianity," C. S. Lewis said:
My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?

The chief problem with arguments against God based on evil in the world is that it assumes a standard of righteousness.  It is akin to calling God unfair, and it assumes that the person is more just than God.  When Job complained about God being unfair, God answered:
“Will you discredit my justice and condemn me just to prove you are right?" (Job 40:8 NLT)

Second, let's consider briefly the question of a God who would send a person to hell.  The Bible is clear:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 ESV)

In another place, it says God is not willing that any should perish. So, why does the Bible warn us about hell?  John 3:18 says:
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:18 ESV)

God has done everything to keep people from hell, and He pleads with us to come and be right with Him.  The two questions I have brought up cancel each other out.  One accuses God of not dealing with evil while the other complains that God is too harsh in dealing with evil.  Both questions assume that the questioner is more just than God. 

This assumption of superior justice is what God addressed with Job and it is this assumption that is addressed in Romans 3:4 when it says:
By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, "That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged." (Romans 3:4 ESV)

Apparently, God knows that we will judge Him.  Because we do not want to take responsibility for our own sin, we blame God.  We accuse Him of unfairness.

Romans 3:9 brings us to the conclusion:
What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin... (Romans 3:9 ESV)

The Bible teaches that every person is a sinner.  No one is perfect.  Morality, law and effort will not make a person right with God.  It is no use saying, "Well that is just not fair." Salvation is and always has been a matter of the heart.  This is why Romans 1:17 says:
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith." (Romans 1:17 ESV)

Along the same lines, Romans 2:29 says:
But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. (Romans 2:29 ESV)

God is not unfair or unfaithful.  His promises have not failed.  However, God knows that a person can outwardly keep the letter of the law but have a heart that is far from Him.  The first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart.  God looks at the heart. He knows.  And He promises, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9 ESV)  He knows our weakness and He is not unfair. He has made being right with Him the simplest thing any of us will ever have to do.  Romans 10:9 sums it up when it says:
...because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 ESV)

Are you trusting in Christ alone for your salvation, or are you accusing God of being unfair?

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Death Could Not Keep Him


Matthew 27:62-66

Jesus died on the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath (Mark 15:43)

Let’s start with this dark reality.  We all die.  With very few exceptions in recorded history, everyone has died.  All preceding generations are in the grave.  However, the promise of Easter is that it will not stay that way.  We will all be raised.  1 Corinthians 15:25-26 says:
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:25-26 ESV)

Today, we are going to consider the defeat of this last enemy, death.  We are going to consider the defeat of death by looking at the means death uses to keep its victims. First, we will consider the lies death uses to keep its victims.  Second, we will consider the guard death uses to hold its victims.  Finally, we will consider the authority death uses to keep its victims.

First, we will consider the lies death uses to keep its victims.

We see the lies in the chief priests and Pharisees gathered before Pilate in Matthew 27:62-64:
The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, "Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise.' Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, 'He has risen from the dead,' and the last fraud will be worse than the first." (Matthew 27:62-64 ESV)

In this passage, the chief priests and Pharisees show that they know the truth.  They call Jesus an “imposter,” and thus reveal that they do not believe what Jesus said and taught.  However, they do know what He said and taught.  When Jesus was on trial before the high priests, they asked Him a very telling question.  They said, “...tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” (Matthew 26:63). With this question, they show that they know who Jesus claimed to be, and with the word "imposter" (or deceiver), they show that they do not believe what He said.  In their unbelief, they take steps to stop the spread of what they are calling deception. They express their fear in the words, “...and the last fraud will be worse than the first.”  They were willing to go to great lengths to stop the spread of this “fraud.”  They held an illegal trial. They pushed for the crucifixion of an innocent man.  They asked for the release of a known criminal. And even now, they were violating the Sabbath by coming to make this request of Pilate.

It is important to remember that these men were pawns in a spiritual battle.  The Bible pulls back the curtain in certain places to give us glimpses of what is going on in the spiritual realm.  Such is the case in Job, where Satan is shown in his operations of trying to destroy Job.  Ephesians 6:12 tells us:
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12 ESV)

The high priests and Pharisees were responsible for their unbelief and therefore Jesus reasoned with them daily in the temple and in Jerusalem during His ministry. Because they were not willing to accept the truth, they exchanged the truth for a lie and became prey for the devil.  2 Corinthians 4:4 says this about unbelievers:
In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV)

Our enemy will stop at nothing to keep us in darkness, but lies are His main weapon.  When you are persecuted for your faith, remember that they persecuted Jesus also.  Satan’s lies are designed to keep us from coming to the truth that we might have life.

Lies are not the only thing death uses to keep its victims.  Next, we will consider the guard death uses to keep its victims.

It was not enough for the chief priests and Pharisees that Jesus was put to death on that cross.  They asked Pilate for a guard, not a single soldier, but a detachment of soldiers.  Matthew 27:65 says:
Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can." (Matthew 27:65 ESV)

In this verse, we see that Pilate supplied a detachment of Roman soldiers to guard the tomb.  In the next verse, we are told that they “...sealed the stone and set the guard.” This had the effect of making the escape or rescue of Jesus a physical impossibility.  First, because He was dead.  Even if the disciples could have stolen the body, a corpse would eventually be found.  Second, the disciples were not fighting men.  They fled in the garden when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus.  Now they would have to face armed guards.  Third is the stone.  While not impossible to move, this stone could not have been moved while fighting with soldiers, or if the soldiers were sleeping, without waking them up.

Like the lies the enemy uses to keep people from the truth, he also places guards.  These guards are obstacles.  I think about the former Soviet Union that systematically removed every possibility of anybody hearing the gospel.  They did not succeed but not for lack of trying.  Their efforts made it almost impossible for a normal citizen to read a Bible.  Have you ever heard the question, “What about those who have never heard?”  Organizations like Wycliffe are making every effort to make sure everyone has a chance to hear, but the physical barriers are immense.  In addition, Jesus has promised that the gates of hell will not prevail against His Church.  Obviously, hell has set up many gates to keep those who are lost from being saved.  Gates with guards can be anything from attitudes to physical barriers like distance or mountain ranges.  The enemy uses movies, television, radio and even laws to set up barriers in the hearts and minds of people so that they are unable to hear the truth.  The lie is told that the Bible is archaic and full of fables and this lie acts as a guard or barrier set up in the hearts and minds of many people who stop listening as soon as they hear, "the Bible says."

Along with the physical barriers, death used all the authority it could muster to keep Jesus in the grave.  Verse 66 of Matthew 27 says:
So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. (Matthew 27:66 ESV)

Sealing the stone was a way of making sure the stone was not moved or tampered with.  It did not increase physical security, but rather made tampering with it an offense against the Roman government.  The seal was simply one or more ropes strung across the stone and sealed to the tomb on either end.  It would be similar to putting police tape across a crime scene that reads “Do Not Cross.”  Such barriers do not present much of a physical barrier but they represent the governing authority.

The devil is called the prince and the power of the air, and he has many of the governments of the world under his thumb.  In more than half of the countries of the world, it is illegal to proclaim the gospel.  Laws against the proclaiming of the gospel, the reading of the word of God or public preaching of the word of God are all examples of the use of authority to keep people in darkness.  As laws in the United States get more restrictive, we see the darkness making advances.  In some countries where the Church first started, it is illegal to preach the gospel.  The darkness seems to be winning the battle by the use of authority.

However, the battle is not over.  Just when the chief priests and Pharisees thought they had won the battle, Matthew 28:1-10 tells us:
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you." So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me." (Matthew 28:1-10 ESV)

Death could not keep Him.  All the powers that the devil had arrayed against the son of God failed to keep Him in the grave.

Jesus won the victory over death and the grave. Therefore, this is why 1 Corinthians 15:25-26 says:
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:25-26 ESV)

The victory He won is for those who believe in His name.  Romans 10:9 tells us:
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 ESV)


Part of being saved is being saved from death and the grave.  We too will be raised from the dead.  We will have a new imperishable body, and we will be forever with the Lord.  This is what 1 Corinthians 15:51-58 tells us.
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:51-58 ESV)

Jesus defeated the lies because he is the way, the truth and the life.  He defeated the guards because as creator of all things no physical barrier can stop Him. He defeated the authorities arrayed against Him because all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him.  He is our hope and salvation.  

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.  (1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV)

The Fifth Seal, The White Robes Revelation 6:11

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