Day #158: Romans 6:5-7

BACKGROUND:

God’s plan along was that in Christ’s death, believers would also die (to sin and to rebellion against God). Dying to sin is a lifelong process. When we accept Christ and die to our old nature, we begin a life of continually dying to the enticements of the world and living to please the One to whom we belong. Also as Christ was raised, believers also will be raised from death to eternal life with God. What people do with Christ now will greatly influence what happens to them later.

The old sinful selves describe believers before they trusted Christ, people who were ruled by sin and rebellion. That old self was crucified with Christ—believers have died the same death as Christ when Christ was crucified. Why? This was the only way that sin might lose its power in people’s lives, the only way our sinful nature could be set aside so that God’s nature could live through us.

As a result, believers are no longer slaves to sin. Those who have accepted God’s gracious gift of emancipation will be able to participate fully in a new life of obedience. As slaves to sin, we are set free by Christ before we can begin to live free. The power and penalty of sin died with Christ on the cross. We are no longer slaves to our sinful nature; we can choose to live for Christ.

SO WHAT? (what will I do with what i have read today?)

When Christ died my old sin nature was crucified with Him. v. 6-7 "For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless that we no longer would be the slaves of sin because anyone who has died has been freed from sin."

Can you tempt a dead man? If you are dead in Christ then the temptation cannot have its affect in your life. Passages that explain this -- when Christ died, my old nature was crucified with Christ.

Ephesians 4:22. "You were taught with regard to your former way of life to put off your old self which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires to be made new in the attitude of your mind and to put on the new self created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." Your old man is your old lifestyle, the way you used to live, your old desires and habits and patterns.

Colossians 3:8-9 "But now you must rid yourselves of such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other since you have taken off your old self with its practices and put on the new self which is being renewed in the knowledge and image of the creator." All of those things are the old self.

Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by the faith in the son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me."

This is the truth taught all through Scripture:
1) I am identified with Christ, I'm in Christ. 2) If I'm in Christ, I died with Him and I was resurrected with Him.

If you're a follower of Christ - here is the truth - you do not have to sin any more. You can choose not to sin by the power of the Holy Spirit. I'm not saying you can be perfect. I am saying that you can choose not to sin. There are times in your life that you said, "I can't help myself. I just can't stop."

There were times in your life when you were a victim to sin. Before you became a Christian you had no power to stop, no power to change. You'd try to start new habits, and you'd fall off of them. Because you didn't have any power. Sin had a power over you. But now that power has been rendered powerless and you have been freed from the power. Why are so many Christians defeated by sinful habits? Because they're looking at the wrong thing. Instead of looking at the circumstance they ought to look at the cross where we are set free.

What do you need to be set free from today? Some addiction? Some bad habit? Anger, jealousy? Poor self-image? Doubt? Fear? Go to the cross.

I love you guys. Endure. Persevere. Stay the course.

Day #157: Romans 6:1-4

BACKGROUND:

Up to this point in the book of Romans, Paul has shown people their need for salvation, God’s gift of that salvation through the death of his Son, and God’s grace in forgiving the sins of all who accept him. This next section of the letter deals with God progressively separating believers from sin and making them more like himself.

Paul realized that his statements about God’s wonderful kindness to sinners could be interpreted to suggest that people ought to keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more kindness and forgiveness. “If God loves to forgive, why not give him more to forgive?” would be their erroneous reasoning. Paul answers with an emphatic, “Of course not!” The availability of God’s mercy must not become an excuse for careless living and moral laxness. The idea that someone would claim to believe the gospel while planning to continue in sin is preposterous to Paul. The point of the gospel was not to find an excuse for sin, but to give freedom from sin.

SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

God wants us to know three fantastic truths that help us find freedom from sin.

First Paul begins this section with a question. v. 1 "What shall we say then? [He's referring back to the previous chapter in v. 20.] Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?" He's talking about Christians -- all Christians, Paul included. Should we go on sinning? He's talking about continuous deliberate sin. Why does he bring this question up? In chapter 5 v. 20 "Where sin increases, grace increases." Wherever things get real bad God pours out more grace. Some smart-alecs took this and thought "Every time I sin that shows God's grace.

I'm going to do God a favor. I'm going to let Him really show super grace." If grace is shown every time I sin then let's just go for it! Be super sinful and then God can show how much grace He has. That is misusing what God has said. Paul says, Should we continue sinning to show God's grace? His answer is very short, "By no means!" A different translation: "God forbid!" "Absolutely, certainly not!" "No way!" That is a misinterpretation. You don't sin so God can show His grace. The New English Bible says, "No, no, no!"

Why? Because we died to sin. This is the first positional truth. Is Paul saying if you become a Christian you never sin? No, everybody sins. But he is saying, if you are a genuine Christian that you will not deliberately keep on sinning. You will not make a practice of it. If you're really a Christian it's going to show up in your lifestyle. A person cannot say, "I'm a Christian" and there's no change in his life. He's not really a Christian. You do not continue sinning. The most miserable person in the world is a Christian who is trying to sin and get away with it.

I John 3:9 says, "No one who is born of God will continue to sin because God's seed remains in him and he cannot go on sinning because he has been born of God." He's not saying that you don't sin if you're a Christian. He's saying you don't keep on and on doing the sin with no guilt, no feeling, no conscious. It's impossible for a Christian to keep on sinning and get away with it.

How do I break the power of sin in my life?

#1. When I became a believer I was placed in Christ. This phrase "in Christ" is used 120 times in the New Testament. It is the number one way we are called Christians. We are in Christ. 2 Cor. 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ..." There is a tremendous implication here. Because I am in Christ then I was crucified, buried, and resurrected with Christ. God is so concerned that you get this truth that He gives us an illustration that will show this point.

Baptism. v. 3 "Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death. We are therefore buried with Him through baptism in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead to the glory of the Father we too might live a new life. If we have been united with Him in His death we will certainly be united with Him in His resurrection."

Baptism illustrates this truth. We were buried with Christ, crucified with Christ, buried with Him and resurrected with Him. Baptism represents a burial and resurrection. Whenever you see a baptism, think of it as a funeral. It's saying, "I died with Christ." When we take the person and put them under the water it shows they're dying to an old way of life, dying with Christ. When we bring them up they're being resurrected with Christ. This is why we practice immersion in this church because it symbolizes it.

But why make a big deal over baptism? Why does it matter how you baptize? It matters because it pictures this truth. Immersion is important because it shows we were buried with Christ and raised with Christ. How do you show that with a sprinkle? The Bible also says when you're baptized it's a symbol of washing away all your sins? I didn't want to wash away just a few sins; I want complete washing away -- total immersion. All of my sins symbolically are forgiven and that's what baptism shows.

Colossians 2:12 says, "Having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God who raised Him from the dead." Baptism is a burial. Every time you see a baptism think of this first truth. I was placed in Christ and I was buried with Christ. Baptism states: I died with Christ. What did Christ die for? Our sins. And we died in Him for sin. Paul is saying that all of us, if you're a Christian, you're in Christ, Christ died on the cross and you were in Christ when He died on the cross. That's a foundational truth.

Let me ask you - have you been baptized? Not as an infant - before you could make a decision for Christ - but now? Have you followed the Lord in obedience and made a public profession of your faith? If not, why not? I used to say to my kids - "Delayed obedience is really disobedience."

I love you guys. Obey the word. Live wholeheartedly for Christ today.

Day #156: Romans 3:27-31

BACKGROUND:

God’s acquittal is not based on our good deeds. It is based on our faith. Why are we made right with God through faith?

Faith eliminates the pride of human effort, because faith is not a deed that we do.
Faith exalts what God has done, not what people do.
Faith admits that we can’t keep the law or measure up to God’s standards—we need help.
Faith is based on our relationship with God, not our performance for God.

Most religions prescribe specific duties that must be performed to make a person acceptable to God. Christianity is unique in teaching that the good works we do will not make us right with God. No amount of human achievement or progress in personal development will close the gap between God’s moral perfection and our imperfect daily performance. So there can be no basis for pride. Good deeds are important, but they will not earn us eternal life. We are saved only by trusting in what God has done for us through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10).


Again, the Jews cannot claim sole propriety of God or deny that Gentiles can also receive God’s saving grace. The Old Testament consistently recorded God’s inclusion of the Gentiles in his plans. God had promised Abraham, “All the families of the earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3). Paul simply states the logical necessity. Because there is only one true God, then he is God of all his creation and calls both Jews and Gentiles to faith in him. The question of being right with God will not be settled according to those who have and have not been circumcised, but rather by their faith, whatever their physical lineage.


Paul envisions the Jewish critic raising a valid question: If we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Paul answers, Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law. The law is not something that only the Jews can “do” for God; the law is for both Jews and Gentiles and can only be “done” through faith in Christ. Faith returns the law to its proper place and role in God’s plan for people. Faith does not wipe out the Old Testament; rather, it makes God’s dealings with the Jewish people understandable.


SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

He says in light of all these heavy truths there are three consequences of salvation:

1) There is no reason for pride. God's going to do this for you, not because you deserve it. It's a free gift. It's not because you want it -- it's simply a free gift! You can't brag about it. You can't brag about how you worked your way to heaven. If people could work their way to heaven, can you imagine what heaven would be like? Everybody would have their little reason for making it to heaven. Everybody would be bragging about how they got there. Ezekiel 28:17 says it was pride that kicked Satan out of heaven.

Suppose you go surfing. You get out in the heavy waves and you loose your board and you're drowning. The lifeguard comes out and saves you and brings you back in. Would you brag about how much you had trusted that life guard? Of course not! You didn't have any choice. You had to trust him. So you can't brag about your salvation because you don't have any other alternative! You just have to trust!

2) There is no reason for prejudice. v. 27 "There's no boasting. It's excluded. On what principle? Observing the law? No? But that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law." v. 29 "Is God the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles too? Yes, of the Gentiles too. Since there is only one God who would justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through the same faith." God loves us all. Both the Jews and the Gentiles. We're all saved the same way, by faith. There is no nation, no race, no denomination that's going to get you into heaven. None will get you into heaven. And you shouldn't look down or envy anybody else. When someone has the attitude, "We've got it and you don't!" -- they don't! Because God says there is no prejudice.

3) There is no presumption. "Do we then nullify the law by this faith? Not at all. Rather we uphold it." There were some people saying, "If I'm saved by grace, who cares what I do! I'll live it up! If the law isn't going to get me to heaven, I'll just not live with it. Forget the Ten Commandments." Paul says, the law is still valid. Valid for two reasons: 1) It reveals your consciousness of sin -- when there is a standard you know when you've fallen short (v. 20); 2) Galatians 3:23-24 the other purpose of the law is to point us toward Christ.

Heavenly Father, I thank You so much for those words "but now". In spite of all the facts of our sin that we've looked at in the first three chapters, that isn't the end of the story. Jesus Christ, thank You for justifying us, for declaring us guiltless, innocent, just as if we've never sinned. Thank You. Lord, thank You for redeeming us.

Thank You for that illustration, that You set us free from slavery to our own desires and slavery to the devil and You ransomed us and You paid the price with Your own death. Jesus Christ, thank You for atoning for our sins. Thank You that God is satisfied with what You did and that a Holy God could forgive us because of what You've done. Really, Lord, You did it Yourself because You are God. Thank You that we are forgiven and when we put our trust and faith in You we stand before Jesus Christ spotless and without sin and in Your eyes You see us as perfect. Lord, help us to live that way. Help us not to go around under a cloud of condemnation because we have been forgiven. Thank You. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

I love you guys. Stay faithful. Stay the course.

Day #155: Romans 3:25-26

BACKGROUND:

In describing how God provided us with undeserved righteousness, Paul alludes to the sacrificial system in the Old Testament (Leviticus 17:11). Only now, the life offered as sacrifice is not a spotless animal, but Christ. God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins. That punishment involved his death—he shed his blood for sinners. Because of what Jesus did on the cross, God can accept those who put their trust in Jesus.

Why did the punishment require shed blood? God had said from the beginning, “For the life of any creature is in its blood . . . It is the blood, representing life, that brings you atonement” (Leviticus 17:11). But the blood Paul mentions here is a particular blood—it is Christ’s blood. Only the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross was the effective atonement for our sins. Christ stands in our place, having paid the penalty of death for our sin, and he could satisfy God’s anger against us.

If God did not eternally punish those who sinned before Christ lived, then why did Christ die? Paul shows that, at the cross, God forgave the sin of all who believe—Old Testament believers looked forward in faith to Christ’s coming and were saved, even though they did not know Jesus’ name or the details of his earthly life. Unlike the Old Testament believers, we know about the God who loved the world so much that he gave his own Son. The question to answer is, Have you put your trust in him?

God is entirely fair and just, both in his inherent character, and in his dealings with sinners. Christ’s death relates to both the past and the present. God did not completely reject his people, the Jews, even though they constantly rejected him. He was not being unfairly generous; rather, he was looking forward to the time when Jesus’ death would be effective for all those who believed in God before Jesus came, as well as those who come after. The only answer to humanity’s plight—that is, death because of sin—was given by God in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This action fulfilled God’s own law and his promises to Israel. The way to receive this answer for ourselves is through faith in Jesus Christ.

SO WHAT? (what will I do with what i have read today?)

The last thing we can say about our salvation is that it cost God a lot. It is expensive. It is free but it is not free. It is a gift but somebody had to pay for the gift. The gift was Jesus Christ giving His own life. Romans 3:25. "God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in His blood." Atonement is a key word - an important word. It is a word that is used only twice in the New Testament. Here and one other place in Hebrews. But it's used all through the Old Testament. In Hebrew it's the word Kippur. Yom Kippur -- the Day of Atonement.

Some translations use the word "propitiation". NIV uses "the sacrifice of atonement". A very limited definition is "satisfied". Ezekiel 18:4 says, "The soul that sins, it shall die." Romans says, "the wages of sin is death." When you break man's laws you pay man's penalty. When you break God's laws you pay God's penalty. God's penalty is death.

The question is how can a God who is righteous and totally just forgive us and yet judge the sin at the same time? How does He get away with that? That's the most important question you'll ever ask. How can a God who is totally pure and cannot stand any sin at all forgive us and yet deal with the sin at the same time?

The answer to that is this one word - atonement. This one word explains why Jesus Christ had to come and die on the cross. The point is this, God, when He forgives, can't just say, "Forget it! It's no big deal!" God is totally just. So He has to have a reason to forgive us. There has to be a basis for it. God has a basis for it in the fact that Jesus Christ died for us. All of this is seen in the Old Testament.

Leviticus 16 explains the Day of Atonement. It was a Jewish Holy day that was a symbol of what was to happen thousands of years later when Jesus Christ came to earth to die for an atonement. In Leviticus 16 we have the story that one day a year they were to go out and get two goats. The high priest was to take these two goats as a symbol. One of the goats he was to sacrifice as an offering, representing someone giving their life for the sins of the whole nation.


The other goat the priest would place his hands on him and pronounce all of the sins of the entire nation of Israel for the previous year and symbolically put them on that goat and then they would take that goat out to the wilderness and let him go to represent that all of the sins were being forgotten and going out into the wilderness. That goat was called the scape goat. The scape goat was the goat that symbolically took all of the sins onto himself and then was thrust out into the wilderness and that was to be a symbolic thing that God was forgiving it all and putting it all on one person. That doesn't mean a whole lot until you look at John 1.

John 1:29 This is what John the Baptist said the very first time he saw Jesus Christ. He saw Him walking at him from a far enough distance and turns around and says to the entire crowd listening to him, "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and he said, `Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.'" Who is the scapegoat? Jesus is our scapegoat. All of those sacrifices in the Old Testament was simply to represent somebody who was coming eventually the Messiah, to take the blame of the entire world on His shoulders.

2 Corinthians 5:21. This is what atonement is all about. "God made Him who had no sin [That's Jesus. Jesus had no sin. He was perfect.] to be sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." God took all of the sin of the world and put it on Jesus Christ. Why? Because He loved us.

Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this while we were still sinners Christ died for us." That is what atonement is all about.

Why did God create the plan of salvation? Why did God send Jesus Christ to do that? He did it for two reasons:

1. v. 25b. "He did this to demonstrate His justice because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished."

Did God let people get away with sin in the Old Testament? Was God a softie in the Old Testament and all of a sudden got severe in the New Testament? He said God was patient with people in their sins in the Old Testament but He's not anymore. He's talking about those who lived before Christ. He's referring to all of the sins committed B.C. -- Before Christ. He's saying God passed over those sins because God looked ahead and knew what Jesus Christ would do.


He said, "I know what's happening now but I know who's going to pay for it. There is someone who is going to pay for them. There is a coming Messiah." He was patient when people sinned in the Old Testament because He knew Jesus would die. All of the Old Testament animal sacrifices never saved anybody. They were just the symbol of what was really going to happen years later. When Jesus died he reached all the way back to Adam and paid for every sin that had ever been done wrong since the beginning of the world. That took care of the past but that doesn't help us.

2. v. 26 "He did it to demonstrate His justice at the present time so as to be just and the one who justifies the man who has faith in Christ."

The next verse helps us. All of us were born A.D. He said God did this to show His justice regarding those born after Christ -- "at the present time". "So as to be just as the one who justifies" -- Jesus was God's representative and Jesus was man's representative. He played both sides. God is just in forgiving us. He has a reason to forgive us because of what Jesus Christ did.

The cross covers the past, the present, and the future. When Jesus Christ died on the cross He's already died for sins you're going to commit tomorrow. He not only died for the ones you committed yesterday, and the ones you committed today but when Jesus died on the cross He died for everything I'm going to do for the rest of my life. He died for the sins my kids are going to commit and their kids. See why I said this is the heaviest section in the entire Bible? It paid past, present, and future.

I'm praying this foundational passage sinks deep into your heart and mind today. The next time someone says to you something like -"All religions are the same or all roads lead to the mountain top", remember this passage. No one else paid for your sin, except Jesus. No one else came back from the dead and proved he was God - except Jesus.

I love you guys. Stay faithful. Stay the course.

Day #154: Romans 3:21-24

BACKGROUND:

Like the swelling waves of the tide, Paul’s argument rolls over the predicament of the human race. After each wave of the gospel, the waters recede to reveal a new aspect or depth of the problem of sin. This wavelike approach to Paul’s letter provides a number of views of the same issues, with slightly different emphases. Having stated such a strong case for our universal indictment under the law, Paul now turns to God’s gracious alternative plan.

The words but now present an important shift in subject. Whereas the law was God’s righteous standard, the righteousness required to live up to it was not within man’s capacity. God, the measure of righteousness, had to provide a means of righteousness—of being right in his sight. The gospel is not a recent creation by God to respond to human failure. It was promised in the Scriptures long ago. Whereas the law provided a measurement of the distance between God and his creatures, this righteousness from God has been provided in a different way. There is a way to be righteous before God. It is not by obeying the law, by being “Jewish”, yet it has always been in the Law and the Prophets, for they pointed to it.

The way to being made right in God’s sight is the way of faith in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. Trusting in Jesus Christ means putting our confidence in him to forgive our sins, to make us right with God, and to empower us to live the way he taught us. God’s solution is available to all of us regardless of our background or past behavior. And this way is open to all who believe—both Jews and Gentiles.

Trusting in Jesus Christ is the only way we all can be saved. We all begin in the same place spiritually, and there is only one way. Faith in Jesus Christ doesn’t mean we understand everything that Christ has done for us, but it does mean that we believe he has done everything for us!

Paul has made it clear thus far in his letter that there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles when it comes to final judgment—all have sinned. If the law measures the distance between God and his creatures, then human righteousness is our attempt to bridge that distance by our own efforts. Paul is correct— we all fall short. But what is this glorious standard that we do not reach on our own? The word glory (doxes), from which we derive the word doxology, refers to the wonderful and awe-inspiring but indescribable presence of God himself. Sin keeps us from the presence of God.

Sinning confirms our status as sinners, and sin cuts us off from our holy God. Furthermore, sin leads to death (because it disqualifies us from living with God), regardless of how great or small each sin may seem. Sins are deadly, but sinners can be forgiven. There are no distinctions: we have all sinned; we all need a savior; Jesus Christ is the Savior; through faith we can receive his salvation.

Just as there is no distinction in our fallenness, Paul writes, so there is no distinction in the source of our justification. God justifies us; he declares us not guilty for our sins. When a judge in a court of law declares the defendant “not guilty,” all the charges are removed from the person’s record. Legally, it is as if the person had never been accused. When God forgives our sins, our record is wiped clean. From his perspective, it is as though we had never sinned. We do not have to anxiously work while hoping that in the end we will have been good enough to meet God’s approval. Instead, those who believe in Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the cross are freed—Christ Jesus has taken away our sins. Our righteousness before God depends entirely on him and can only be accepted as a gift from him. God in his gracious kindness assures us of our acceptance and then calls us to serve him as best we can out of sheer love for him.

SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

Today is an explanation of what God has done for us. v. 21 "But now a righteousness from God apart from the Law has been made known to which the Law and the prophets testify." Anytime you see the word "but" you ought to stop and say, "What is it there for?" Anytime you see the word "but" it means "I'm going to give you a new thought."

Paul has been talking for three chapters, building a case logically step by step. We now come to a second major section of Romans. The first section is the section on sin. He points out everybody is guilty, no man is innocent, all have sinned so we all need to be saved. He's been building this case.

Now in 3:21 he says, "but now". Thank God for those two words. This is a major turning point in the book of Romans. Now he's going to talk about the second section of Romans -- Salvation, How do I get right with God?

In the past he's been building the case and it's been getting darker and darker. "But now" the light shines through. In this section he gives us some great gospel words. Most of the great doctrines of the Word of God revolve around a single word such as grace, atonement or faith. In order to understand the deeper meaning of scripture you must study the specific words that were used. Correct interpretation of Biblical truth depends on correct understanding of the words used to convey these truths. David declared "The words of the Lord are flawless like silver refined in the furnace of fire, purified seven times." Proverb writer stated similarly, "Every word of God is flawless."

Words are important and there are three words in this section tonight you cannot miss. They describe the three miracles that God does for you when you're saved. They are the words all in v. 24 from the amplified version of the Bible – listen… “All of us are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption and atonement which is provided by and found in Christ Jesus” Romans 3:24 (AMP) Let’ take a look at three key words…

1. Justification 2. Redemption. This is a slavery term used in the slave market. 3. Atonement.
These three key words all describe what God has done for us that we cannot do for ourselves. Now, in v. 21-26. Paul gives us a detailed explanation of our salvation. He says there are eight things about salvation. Every single phrase in these verses is important.

1. " A righteousness from God." The first thing we can say about salvation is that it was designed by God. Salvation was designed by God. Man didn't think it up. He didn't take the initiative. it wasn't his ingenuity. God thought up the whole plan of salvation we're going to look at.

2. Salvation is unearned. "A righteousness apart from the law". Up in v. 20 it says no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by observing the Law. You don't get to heaven by works, by trying to earn it, by keeping the Ten Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount. You are not saved by earning it, by working for it. It's apart from the Law. In the Old Testament there are three kinds of law: moral law, civil law, ceremonial law. These three kinds of laws are talked about in the first five books of the Bible. Paul says none of these are going to get you to heaven. It is apart from the law. God has always saved people the same way. Look at Hebrews 11. Our natural tendency is to try to do things to get to heaven but it is apart from the law.

3. "It is righteousness apart from the law that has been made known to which the law and the prophets testify." Salvation is unhidden. It's not a secret. It's not something Paul thought up. It's not a new message. It has been around for a long time. this was not an innovation of Paul. People had been saved all throughout history. It's been made known and the law and the prophets testify. He's talking about the Old Testament.

1 Peter 1:10-11 Peter backs up what Paul says. This message about you don't earn your way to heaven had been taught throughout the Old Testament. "Concerning this salvation of the prophets who spoke of the grace (circle this. The Old testament talks about grace. The Bible says, "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.") that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and the circumstances in which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the suffering of Christ and the glories that would follow."

He's saying the whole Bible teaches the same thing. You're saved by grace through faith. It's not something new that just happens in the New Testament. When you look at the sacrificial system it teaches that somebody was going to die for somebody else.

4. Salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ. When you look at this passage and look at how many times the word "faith" is used, you realize that the whole Christian life can be summed up in the word "faith". All of the other religions of the world have the idea do and the Christian life says believe, accept, have faith.

Sometimes I talk to Christians who, when they're asked if they're Christians say, "I'm trying." It's like being pregnant: You either you are or you aren't! It's not a matter of trying to be a Christian; it's a matter of trusting. It's by faith.

5. "... to all who believe." Salvation is available to everybody who believes. That's the one condition. It has a universal appeal: salvation is available to everybody, everybody needs it, everybody can have it. You just believe. It's not believe and work real hard. Example: Let's say you're going to take an elevator up to the twentieth floor of the building. You get on the elevator, go up three floors and then get off. Then you climb the stairs for three floors. Then you get back on the elevator and go up another three. Then you get off and climb the stairs ... Would that be silly? Sure. A lot of people try to get saved that way. Trust in Christ and then work real hard, trust for awhile, then work ... No! Once you get on the elevator you stay on and trust it to get you all the way to the top. That's the way it is being a Christian. When I became a Christian I laid my life in God's hands, "God, I don't understand it all but I'm laying my faith and trust in You." Salvation is available to all who believe. Believe means to put your confidence in.

6. v. 23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Salvation is necessary. It's necessary because we've all fallen short. The two verbs in this verse are in two different tenses. In the Greek language there are nine different tenses. It is the most technical and precise language ever known to man. That's why God chose it for the Bible. We have past, present and future. They have nine different tenses to be very technical in the exact meaning.

The two different tenses in the verbs, the first one says, "All have sinned". That is in what's called the aorist tense. It simply means past, done for, once for all situation. "All have sinned." That's an established fact. But then it says, "and fall short". This is in the present tense which means continual, ongoing, continually falling short. It's a continuous action and it doesn't quit!

Both of these words, in the Greek, are used for athletics. The word used in "all have sinned" is an archery term. When you shot an arrow and missed the bulls eye and your arrow fell short, you'd say "It sinned!" The arrow fell short, it missed the mark. That's what the verse is saying, "All have missed the mark of God's standard."

Then the word that says, "all have fallen short" is an athletic term that literally means to fall behind in a race. The Bible says all of us have done that.

That's what God says, we all fall short. To be good enough to get to God you'd have to be perfect. And nobody's perfect. All fall short. Sure, some make it further than others. There is no doubt there are people in this world that are better than I am morally. But thank God I'm not trying to get there on my own effort. Because all fall short. I don't live up to my own standard much less God's. I disappoint myself, much less disappointing God. The Bible says, all have sinned. Our salvation is necessary.

What is "the glory of God"? Different scholars have different opinions on this. I agree with those who say that the glory of God is referring to the way God made man intentionally to be. He's talking about God's ideal. When God made man in the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve brought glory to God because they were perfect, they had a perfect relationship. But they blew it! They sinned and fell short and the glory was lost.

"all fall short of God's glory" means we all fall short of God's ideal. We all fall short of the potential that God has put into each of our lives. We sin and we loose that potential.

7. Salvation is undeserved. Now we're getting down to the meat of the passage. v. 24 is one of the most significant verses in the entire Bible. "... and are justified freely by His grace..." Our salvation is undeserved. We get it freely by God's grace. The word "freely" literally means without a cause. This word freely is only used one other time in the New Testament. John 15:25 Jesus is speaking about how the world did not come to Christ but they hated Christ and He was being rejected. The disciples were bothered by this and Jesus said if the world hates Him it will hate His disciples. "But this is to fulfill what is written in their law, they hated me without reason." Other translations: "without a cause." That is the same word that is used in Romans that means "freely."

What does it mean when God justifies us freely? It means "without a cause". You didn't do anything to earn it. It was unmerited, undeserved.

We see this over in the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 7:6. Why did God choose the Jews? Of all the nations He could have chosen why did He choose the Jews? This verse says God chose them because! That's the reason! "You are a holy people to the Lord your God. The Lord God has chosen you out of all of the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession." Do you get a reason for it in there? No! He choose. BECAUSE! v. 7 "The Lord did not set His affection on you and choose you because you are more numerous than other people..." The Israelites are a small nation. "... But it was because the Lord loved you." Why? Just because! Why did He love them? Did they deserve that He love them? It was without a cause.

This passage today is so very foundational to your faith. Let the truth of this passage sink into your life. I love you guys. Stay faithful. Stay the course.

Day #153: Romans 3:14-20

BACKGROUND:


Isaiah 59:7-8 states that rebellion against God leads to violence against others. The shameful milestones of history are marked with bloodstains from the atrocities committed by those who freed themselves from God. There is always talk of peace, but apart from God, there can be no real peace.

Quoting from Psalm 36:1, Paul states the bottom line condition of these people: they have no fear of God to restrain them. To fear the Lord is to recognize God for who he is: holy, almighty, righteous, pure, all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-wise. When we regard God correctly, we gain a clearer picture of ourselves: sinful, weak, frail, and needy. When we recognize who God is and who we are, we will fall at his feet in humble respect. Only then will he show us how to choose his way.

Paul’s brief tour of truth ends almost full circle. He began with the fact that no one is like God (who is righteous), and he ends with the parallel truth that we lack fear of God. Some people lack this fear out of ignorance, while others, through familiarity with God, lose the sense of humble awe that ought to characterize a person’s attitude before God.

The verses above quoted from the Scriptures condemn all people, but especially those under the law, the Jews. Those who read the verses above are silenced. There are no more excuses to be made, no more self-defenses uttered. No one has any excuses; everyone is liable for judgment. And if the Jews—God’s special chosen people—can say nothing in their own behalf, then no one can.

In the silence filling the court, one thought is clear: guilty as charged. That accountability of guilt must be answered, even though every explanation and excuse had failed. We are held accountable to God because he is our Creator, the personal source behind the standard (law), and the faithful Judge. We owe our existence and obedience to this One.

With this all-inclusive statement, Paul closes his opening arguments that describe the state of human lostness. The purpose of the law is not to bring salvation, but to make us aware of sin.
The only way people can be made right in God’s sight is for God to declare them so. No one can do it by trying to do what God’s law commands, meaning keeping certain traditions, such as circumcision, in order to be identified as a Jew and so remain under God’s covenant promises. These traditions have to do with identifying with God’s people and maintaining one’s relationship within that people. Again Paul drives the point home: being a knowledgeable, faithful, and law-keeping Jew doesn’t make a person righteous. The law was not meant to become something the Jews boasted about; rather, it was given to eliminate anyone’s boasting and to make all people aware of sin and their constant need for God’s grace. The law only makes it painfully clear that people aren’t obeying it.


SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)


In describing their actions in v. 15-17. he actually describes us. He moves from the throat, tongue, lips and mouth to "their feet are swift to shed blood, ruin and misery mark their way and the way of peace they do not know." They are violent and as a result their lives are filled with misery. They don't know peace. This would be a good verse for the cornerstone of the United Nations building. "The way of peace they have not known."

Finally he gives the cause in v. 18. "Because there is no fear of God before their eyes."
The reason why we do our own thing is because we don't even let God enter our thoughts.

Paul starts with questions then he moves to quotations then he moves to conclusion. The last two verses (19-20) summarizes everything Paul's been building in the first three chapters of Romans. "Now, we know that whatever the law says it says to those who are under the law so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God." Paul says, Summing it up I can say two truths: One, the whole world is accountable to God. Two, the whole world is without excuse. He says every mouth will be silenced. You're going to stand before God and you'll be speechless! You will not be able to defend yourself. You will not be able to say "I was innocent". The whole world is accountable and the whole world is without excuse. We're helpless.

Not only that, we're also hopeless without Christ. Verse 20. "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law. Rather through the law we become conscious of sin." Paul says here, no one can ever be saved keeping the Ten Commandments. No one can ever be saved by keeping all of the law. No one has ever been saved by keeping the law. Why was the law given? If it can't get you to heaven, why did God give the Law?

God gave the Law in the Bible for two reasons: It makes us aware of our sin. Through the law we become conscious of sin. When you have a standard you know when you fall short. When you have a goal you know when you don't reach it. When you have a law you know when you break it. The first purpose of the law is it shows us we need to be saved.

The second purpose of the law. Galatians 3:23-24. "Before this faith came we were held prisoners by the law locked up until faith should be revealed. The law imprisons people; it doesn't set people free. Grace sets people free, not the law. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith." The second purpose of the law is to point us toward Christ. It shows us we have a need to be saved and then who the savior is; it directs us to the one who can save us.

The final verdict is man is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The whole world is lost. The bottom line is everybody needs to be saved. Whether you're respectable, religious or rebellious. Ray Steadman titled this passage, "Total Wipe Out". It's a description of the doctrine of the total depravity of man.

That's the bad news! Tomorrow we get into the good news. Between v. 20 and v. 21, J. Vernon McGee says it's like the Grand Canyon. Like night and day. All of a sudden Paul switches roles and becomes the attorney for the defense. All of a sudden we realize that we don't have to live under condemnation. One verse is so key: Romans 8:1 - "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." That's the good news.

I love you guys. Stay faithful. Stay the course. Make sure you've given your life to Christ.

Day #152: Romans 3:9-13

BACKGROUND:

There can be no more argument about special privileges for the Jews, for from their own Scriptures Paul strings together a series of verses outlining universal indictment. The advantage of being a Jew does not apply to salvation. All have sinned; no one is righteous. No one can earn right standing with God.

The phrase no one is seeking God is from Psalm 14:2. Seeking is a way of expressing what is most important to us. This kind of seeking means training ourselves to turn to God first for help, to fill our thoughts with his desires, to take his character for our pattern, and to serve and obey him in everything. The phrase all have turned away from God; all have gone wrong is from Psalm 14:3. The failure to seek God does not leave a person immobilized; rather, it sets him or her on a course of destruction. Whatever does not include the seeking of God ends up leading people in the wrong direction.

From Psalm 5:9 comes the statement that their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Jesus made it clear that the indications of sinfulness come from inside of us (Matthew 15:11). Up until this verse, the evidence of rebellion has been mainly evident between a person and God. Here Paul begins to point out that sinfulness corrupts human relationships too. The gift of communication becomes twisted into a weapon to deceive others.

From Psalm 10:7 comes the picture of sinful people’s mouths full of cursing and bitterness. Eventually, rebellion against God shows itself by tainting the way a person speaks. Cursing and bitterness may strike us first as offensive expressions, but they are also clues about a person’s inward condition.

SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

One last question, question #5 - from verse 9. Paul is this great prosecuting attorney making his closing arguments: "What shall we conclude then? Are we [Paul's fellow Jews] any better. Not at all. We have already made the charge that all Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin." The last question is about man's sinfulness. Are we any better? Paul answers, “not at all.”

ll. Then Paul goes into section two which is 10-18 which are the quotations. Paul brings in his supporting testimony and since he's speaking to Jews he uses their own Old Testament to reinforce his case. Paul quotes five Old Testament passages. He took the five Old Testament passages, put them together and wrote a poem. v. 10-18 are a poem composed of five quotations out of the Old Testament.


We have in these verses today Paul's topical sermon on sin. And like a good Baptist he has three points. Point #1 he talks about man's character (v. 10-12); Point #2 he talks about man's conduct (v. 13-17); Point #3 he talks about the cause of sin. He does a spiritual clinic of man. He takes some X-rays of the human being and gives the diagnosis that everybody is terminally ill. This is Paul's final indictment.

Paul in these verses makes 14 statements:

1. v. 10-12 actually comes from Psalm 14:1-3. Paul says "There is no one righteous not even one." Universal sin. Nobody bats 1000. All races, all religions, all nationalities. "No one who understands. No one who seeks God." Many people seek the things that God offers but they don't seek God.

They're seeking things about God but not God. In fact, they don't seek God. They run from God. Paul makes a case of that. You don't seek God; He seeks you. Remember the bumper stickers "I found it!" The only problem with that is that God wasn't the one who was lost. God's not lost. It should have said, "He found me!" When you look at the parable of the lost shepherd -- there isn't such a parable! There is the parable of the lost sheep.

It wasn't the shepherd who was lost it was the sheep. It wasn't the sheep trying to find the shepherd, it was the shepherd trying to find the sheep. Jesus didn't say, I came to earth to be found. He said "I came to earth to seek and to save that which is lost." Who's doing the seeking? Not man. God is doing the seeking. What are all these religious people looking for? God says they don't know what they're looking for.

v. 12 "And all have turned their own way" every body's doing their own thing. The Knox Translation says: "Everybody's taken the wrong course" they're detoured. "They have altogether become worthless." Notice the word "worthless" -- in the Greek the word was originally used for sour milk. It literally meant these have gone sour. They stink! Have you ever had a thermos of milk and leave it set for a few days? Nothing stinks worse than sour milk! It's wasteless. Useless. The point: Sin stinks. Sin wastes. Sin sours us.

v. 13 is a quote from Psalm 5:9 "Their throat are open graves, their tongue practice deceit." The next couple of verses he's going to talk about our speech. Our speech gives our sinfulness away. When you go to the doctor and he wants to check your health what is the first thing he says? Stick our your tongue! By looking down your throat and looking at your tongue he can diagnose your health.

God says He can do it spiritually. "Stick out your tongue. Let Me see what you've been saying. Let Me see what you've been talking about and I can tell what you're like." What you say is what's inside of you. "Out of the heart a man speaketh." The Living Bible says: "The poison of vipers is on their lips." That's a quote from Psalm 140:3.

What's the point? We are all sinners. Everyone of us. On our own, apart from God, we are corrupt, foul people. There's a crescendo building. Hang in there this week. I love you guys. Stay faithful. Stay the course.