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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 26
I
want to welcome you back to our study of the book of Romans.
As
I was driving to school this morning, I couldn’t help but notice the line of
cars circling the McDonald’s Restaurant one block away from my destination. There must have been fifteen cars in line and
more pulling in the parking lot every minute.
I’ve
been driving this route for months and I’ve seen a similar sight every morning.
Since
I had more than two cups of coffee my brain was alert, so I got to thinking.
I
wondered if those people were aware of “What
they were being fed.”
The
majority of the food coming through any drive-thru window has very little (if
any) nutritional value. I mean let’s be
serious except for a few exceptions it’s basically all junk food = high in fat
content, sodium, carbohydrates, and calories…
Let’s
get serious. It’s not healthy. It’s actually bad for you.
People, by choice,
wind up with fast food but have they weighed the price?
I
believe they have.
Much
research has been done on this subject. Many
articles have been published and many programs have aired on the dangers of
fast food diets and the consumption of pre-packaged meals. Therefore, it’s hard to believe that people can
stand up and claim ignorance on the health risks of obesity. And yet people continue to ignore the truth.
We
have a similar situation occurring in the Body of Christ today.
It’s
called Spiritual Blindness, and you
have to wonder, “What’s the root cause?”
The
answer comes back to this starting place, “What
are they being fed?”
Much
has been written from a Believer’s standpoint addressing the state of morality
in America today and it is based on the Word of God.
Matthew
24
37:
“For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the
days of Noah.”
We
are seeing immorality tolerated today in our Christian churches. It goes beyond that really. It seems that it is being “invited.” An example of this is welcoming homosexuality
and those who practice this lifestyle.
The
Word of God speaks clearly on the subject of homosexuality. It is a sin.
God
does not tolerate sin of any kind.
Therefore, we who choose to follow Jesus Christ likewise love or are
accepting of the sinner, but we do not approve of or close our eyes to the sin. And that’s the way it is.
When
pastors, priests, and preachers stand up in the pulpit and tell it like it is,
they are more than likely to be ridiculed or worse by the members of their
congregation in this age. There are many
liberal minded Christians sitting in the pews these days and they don’t
necessarily believe what the Bible says.
Many of these have never visited the Bible, if the truth be known. They’ve never opened the book once in their
life. But they have multiple opinions
about what’s inside it. If the liberal
minded members believe homosexuality is not a sin, then you’d better believe
their pastor had better get on board and toe the line. This begs the question, who’s leading these
congregations?
Who
wants to hear the Word of God? Who will
tolerate it today?
Isn’t
it much better to stay safe in the pulpit and preach on how to be a good
parent?
Isn’t
it safer to preach about how to be a good husband or a good wife?
It’s
best to stay away from sin topics altogether.
That’s a hornets’ nest...
The
Word of God has withstood the test of time and the attacks of Satan.
Jesus
has spoken clearly about its Truths.
John
8
31b:
“If you continue in My word, then you are truly
disciples of Mine;
32:
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you
free.”
Therefore,
I find it hard to believe that people, especially Christians, can stand up and
claim ignorance of the harmful effects of unrepentant sin.
As
I’ve said before, sometimes the line gets blurred between Bible teaching and
preaching. This is one of those
occasions. I have to call them as I see
them…
Let’s
get back to the business of Bible study.
Please
open your Bible to Romans, chapter 3, at verse 21.
I
think you’ll agree that it’s preferable to hear your boss say that you’ve done
a good job, or that your work is commendable vs the opposite. I think that goes without saying, really. Each one of us has a need for positive
reinforcement from time to time. Even
small children feel the need to be hugged and loved on by their parents on a
regular basis. This is basic human
nature.
In
light of this fact, we will all want to stand before the Creator God one day
future and hear Him say to us, “Well done, good and
faithful servant.”
We
all want to hear Him declare us “righteous”
in His sight.
This
Truth explains all the “religious” activity in the world.
From
bowing low in Mecca, to resting on a bed of nails in India, from going to
Sunday School, to saying the Lord’s prayer, we do what we do because we WANT TO
BE RIGHT WITH GOD, but most folks aren’t sure how to go about this.
How
can a person be RIGHT WITH GOD?
The
Apostle Paul gives the answer in Romans 3:21-26.
It
is the essence of the Gospel and the very heart of the Believer’s message.
Since
Paul opened this letter to the Romans at Romans 1:1, he has been painting a
realistic picture of the human condition apart from Jesus Christ. It is one of universal sinfulness –
widespread depravity on a worldwide scale.
Mankind
can deny this Truth all day long but it remains the Truth still.
Humanity
is infected with the terminal disease of sin.
Without a miracle, there is no hope
for any of us.
Well,
after that opening what we all need is some Good
News.
And
that’s precisely what we have beginning at verse 21 – the Gospel
condensed.
This
is God’s plan for saving sinners, or HOW TO BE RIGHT WITH GOD.
Martin
Luther called this segment of Scripture “the marrow of theology.”
Let’s
review Scripture.
Justification by
Faith
Romans 3
21: But now
apart from the Law the righteousness of God
has been manifested,
being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
22: even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;
25: whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His
blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;
26: for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
We’re
going to break these verses down – this is a Bible study.
Paul
discusses 7 aspects of the righteousness of God in the following verses, if we
truly want to be RIGHT WITH GOD; we need to pay attention to each one.
Verse
21:
But now apart from
the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the
Law and the Prophets,
“But now” What great Truth
is contained in these two little words?
The
difference between heaven and hell hangs on the meaning of those tiny words.
What
is God’s answer to the total depravity of the whole human race?
Does
He turn His back on us and condemn us all to hell?
No! Thank you God for those two tiny words – they
guarantee that God has an answer for the worst that man can do. His grace is greater than our sins.
“…apart from the
Law the righteousness of God.”
Why
do we need the righteousness from God?
Simply
put, because we have no righteousness of our own.
We
weren’t born righteous. We certainly didn’t
inherit righteousness.
Some
would argue, “But what about all my good deeds?”
God
says, “Your good works (self-righteousness) are like filthy rags in my sight.”
Since
there is no righteousness within you, the only kind of righteousness that will
save you is a righteousness that comes from outside yourself. That’s exactly what Paul means when he says, the
righteousness from God has been revealed.
That’s
where the Good News begins.
The
righteousness we need comes from God Himself!
Now
the second fact about this righteousness is that Paul says it is “apart from the Law.” To the observant Jew, this would be an “offensive”
statement.
In
Paul’s day, the religious Jew believed that their religious devotion would win
God’s approval. They “hoped” by
following the Ten Commandments and by following all the other ordinances,
offering sacrifices when required, etc. this would satisfy God and their sins
would be forgiven. They were working
diligently…
But
Paul says it doesn’t work that way.
When
Paul says that righteousness comes “apart
from the Law,” he is really saying that it comes apart from…Religious
observance, Good works, Baptism, Giving money, Devoted prayer, and Rituals of
any kind. You know - anything we do to
try to gain God’s favor.
Since
God demands perfection, and since no one is capable of keeping God’s perfect
standard, no one can be saved by keeping the Law. This is why the righteousness we need must
come apart from the Law.
Verse
22:
Even the
righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe;
for there is no distinction;
Not
only does the righteousness of God come apart from the Law, it is received by
faith.
This
point is crucial. Many people say, “I
trust in God,” as if this is enough to carry them into heaven. But salvation depends on more than a vague
confidence in a few chosen words remembered from childhood, or some Sunday
program at church.
In
fact, it is not faith in God that saves us.
That kind of faith is too general, and too non-specific. The only faith that saves us is directed at
His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
God is quite
specific about what He wants and He will accept no lazy substitutes.
Why
shouldn’t He be specific? He sent His
one and only Son to die on a cross for us.
It
should come as no surprise that He will accept nothing less than a faith that
is 100% focused entirely on the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to believe in the death, burial, and
resurrection, of our Lord and Savior in order to be saved (see 1 Corinthians
15:1-4).
“for there is no
distinction.”
These
words inform us that we are all sinners in God’s eyes.
Once
again, during this dispensation (Grace Age) God the Father has united all humanity. There is no longer Jew and Gentile in regard
to salvation.
Now
“there is no distinction
(difference).”
We
all need God; every man, woman, boy and girl.
We
all need salvation.
Therefore,
we all need God’s righteousness.
Jesus
said,
John 14
6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes
to the Father but through Me.”
(To be continued)
©
Copyright 2011
GJ
Heitzman’s Ministry
All
Rights Reserved
[1] When
Biblical Becomes Political, posted September 7, 2011, by Erik Stanley – ADF Senior
Legal Counsel – Church Project. http://blog.speakupmovement.org/church/churches-and-politics/when
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