Romans by the Book (Lesson 24)

Home Bible Study- Lutz, Florida

Established November 2008

Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth

(2 Timothy 2:15)

This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1Timothy 2:3-4

Romans by the Book

Lesson 24

Welcome to our Home Bible Study. 

If you’re a new visitor, thanks for taking the time to check us out.

I pray you’ll come back and visit us often.

For all the regular visitors and for those who are members of our Home Bible study in Lutz, Florida, we’re going to get right back to the business of studying the most important book in the N. T. written by the Apostle Paul, in my opinion.

Other people share this opinion, by the way.

Martin Luther wrote in his preface to the Roman letter:

‘This Epistle is the chief book of the New Testament, the purest gospel.  It deserves not only to be known word for word by every Christian, but to be the subject of his meditation day by day, the daily bread of his soul …  The more time one spends in it, the more precious it becomes and the better it appears.’  He spoke of it as ‘a light and way into the whole Scriptures …’

John Calvin said of it, ‘when any one understands this Epistle, he has a passage opened to him to the understanding of the whole Scriptures.’

Gordon H. Clark recently wrote of Romans that it is ‘the most profound of all the epistles and perhaps the most important book in the Bible …’

Paul wrote this letter while he was in Corinth during his 3^rd missionary journey in the winter of 56-57 AD (approximately).  Some folks have him writing it a year later.

He was on his way to Israel (see Acts 19:21) to deliver an offering that had been taken up among the established gentile churches to give to the poor Jews in Jerusalem.  

You see, the Jews had misinterpreted Jesus’ words and the signs prior to His Ascension.  Consequently, they sold all their personal possessions, pooled their money, and lived off these funds while they waited for Jesus to return – which would be soon by their reckoning (see Acts 4:32-37).  They thought that money, land, and possessions really didn’t mean all that much once Jesus returned?  The Jews would have their King and their Kingdom.  But that didn’t happen.  What did happen was their money ran out and these Jews became impoverished.  Sometime later James, Peter, and John, after extending their hands in friendship, asked Paul and Barnabas to take up a collection from among the gentile churches and bring those offerings back to Jerusalem (see Galatians 2:9-10; Acts 24:17). 

So as they say, that was free for nothing, but it may help you to understand what you are reading as we go along.

Why do I think this is the most important book in the N.T.?

“Romans” is a carefully constructed book with a logical summary of Biblical Theology.

It explains our natural inclination to sin and how this separates us from God

It explains that we cannot make ourselves “right with God.”

It goes on to explain that we cannot earn salvation. 

It explains God’s plan of salvation by Grace, through faith in Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection and not by works, or by trying to keep the Law. 

Once a Believer, the Holy Spirit works in each one of us to help us avoid sin and to assist us in our efforts to become more Christ-like i.e. sanctification. 

And there’s so much more…

But we’ll move on.

If you will please open your Bible to the book of Romans, chapter 3, at verse 19 we’ll pick up where we left off in the last lesson.

Romans 3

19: Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are (what) under (the control of) the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God (see Romans 2:12).

20: because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His (God) sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

If no one could be saved (justified) “by the works” of the Law, what was its purpose?

The Apostle Paul addresses this concern in his letter to the Galatians in chapter 3.
Let’s turn there now.

The question is how does the Law work as it applies to salvation today? 

The answer given by the New Testament is that the Mosaic Law was a temporary dispensation.  It was given to Moses by the LORD God for the purpose of ruling Israel, but it was never intended to direct the way His people would relate to God on a permanent basis. 

Galatians 3

19: Why the Law then?  It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until (the word until is a time related word and speaks of some future event – in this case, it speaks of) the seed would come to whom the promise had been made (who was the promise made to?  Abraham and the nation of Israel, right).

In this verse, it’s clear that the Law was a temporary dispensation.  It would last only until “the seed” or the Messiah would come as promised to the nation of Israel.

After Jesus came, the Law would be replaced by something else (something better) because Jesus was the end of the Law. 

What replaced the Law?

Drop down to verse 23.

Galatians 3

23:  But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.

24: Therefore, the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by (what’s the next word) faith.

25: But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

26: For you are all sons (and daughters) of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

We have our answer.   Faith in Christ Jesus replaced the Law.

More accurately stated, faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ replaced the Law.

Not that the Law at any time had the power to save anyone. 

As verse 24 clearly points out, the Law was meant to lead the Jews to Christ Jesus. 

The Law was temporary and a means of ruling Israel until Jesus came. 

A lot of people miss this important point.  This is why I’m taking the time to teach on it. 

Jesus was the end of the Law.  But what does the book say?

Romans 10

4: For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

So it could be said from the time the Mosaic Law was given to the Israelites, the outpouring of God’s wrath upon the nation was inevitable.  Why?

The Jews were no different than either you or me. 

We’re all sinners, “no one does good, not even one.”

This is what the Bible says. 

But the Old Testament is dotted with prophecies of their failure to obey the LORD God and the consequences for doing so.  It’s a sad part of their history. 

One of the Major Prophets Jeremiah wrote this:

Jeremiah 9

12: Who is the wise man that may understand this?  And who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD has spoken, that he may declare it?  Why is the land ruined, laid waste like a desert, so that no one passes through it?

13: The LORD said, “Because they have forsaken My law which I set before them, and have not obeyed My voice nor walked according to it,

14: but have walked after the stubbornness of their heart and after the Baals, as their fathers taught them.”

15: therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink.

16: “I will scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the sword after them until I have annihilated them.”

Due to the sinfulness of the human heart it is inevitable that the Law would bring about this negative effect on the nation of Israel. 

You and I can’t keep the Ten Commandments, if we’re being honest, so let’s not be too hard on the Jews (see Romans 3:19).

Paul writes:

2 Corinthians 3

6: (The Lord Jesus Christ) who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter (of the Law) but of the Spirit; for the letter (does what) kills, but the Spirit gives life.

This verse in plain English is saying the Law can only condemn a person whereas the Spirit gives life to an individual.

The actual stated purposes of the Mosaic Law are:

It reveals God.

It ruled the nation of Israel until Jesus Christ came.

It led the way from the days of the Old Covenant under the Law to the days of the New Covenant in Jesus Christ.

The Jewish people lived their lives “under the control” of these commandments.

The Bible says the Israelites were enslaved by the Law.

How does this “Good Thing” make slaves out of those who trust in it?

Since the Law made the Jews like children, in the way that it controlled their behavior, and in some cases their thinking, they tried to keep to the letter of the Law, but missed the spirit of the Law. 

The letter of the Law is a matter of physical action, whereas obeying the spirit of the Law involves the attitude of the mind.

Here’s an example: Jesus said merely to refrain from adultery is obedience to the “letter of the Law.”  But to obey the “spirit of the Law, one must also use self-control and not even lust after someone.  For to do so means you’ve already sinned.

Scripture says the Law was meant to make the Jews feel the weight of their sins (see Romans 7:7).  God intended for the Jews to realize the depth of their own depravity under the Law and run to Christ Jesus dependent on His grace.  Instead, like children with a list of rules, the Jews scrambled about trying to please God but in truth this was unachievable on their best day.  Paul understood this to be the worst kind of slavery.

Jesus was “sent” by God the Father; “under the control” of the same Law (commandments), to “redeem” those who were “slaves to the Law.

Galatians 4

4: But when the fullness of the time came (which means: according to God’s time table) God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the (what’s the next word) Law (Law and not Grace. 

(I’ve said this many times but it bears repeating; Christianity did not begin with the birth of the baby Jesus and it certainly did not begin at Matthew 1:1, as some people teach.  Jesus was born under the Law; read what the book says),

5: so that He might redeem (buy back) those who were under the Law (now think – who is Paul referring to?  What people were “under” the Law?  The Jews were of course) that we might receive the adoption as sons.

Galatians 4:1-3 - Paul gives us a portrait of a little Jewish boy in a wealthy home. 

This child is the legal heir and future master of the entire estate.  But as long as he is a child, his life is just like that of a slave.  He is subject to guardians and trustees.  They supervise him, discipline him, and control him.  They regulate his behavior.  He is under their authority until the time set by his father, when he will be free from their control and then enjoy his full rights as heir and master of the family estate.

Paul clearly constructed this illustration to dramatize what life was like under the supervision of the Law.  It demonstrates that the Jewish people, the rightful heirs of God’s promises to Abraham, experienced a certain kind of slavery for a time while under the Law (see Galatians 3:23; 3:25).   Jesus (the Messiah) was the intended end of the Law.  But the Jews could not/would not see this Truth so God the Father turned His attention to the Gentiles (see Acts 9).

However, this illustration Paul presents is a positive image.

Even though this child is subject to guardians and trustees, he is still loved by his father. When he reaches the age of maturity, he will be the heir of his father’s estate. 

(To be continued)

© Copyright 2011

GJ Heitzman’s Ministry

All Rights Reserved