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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
28
Welcome
back to our study of the book of Romans.
For
those of you who are new visitors to this website I want to take the time to
welcome you to our Home Bible study.
Secondly, please know all the previous Bible lessons dating back to 2008
are posted here in sequence. The newest
lessons appear first and the older lessons show up in the rear, but they’re all
here for you to review and to study at your leisure.
I’d
also like to say, and remind my classes as well, what I say doesn’t matter all
that much. I’m not promoting my
words. This Bible study is all about
what the Word of God says. So please get
in the habit of opening up your Bible at home, so that you can see these things
for yourself in Scripture. Don’t be a
lazy Believer.
These
are trying times. False teaching is
everywhere.
***************************************************************************************************
I
plan to finish chapter 3 today. I say that’s
the plan. I have a tendency to get
side-tracked, as my classes know. Once I
get a rhythm going the Spirit leads so we’ll see how it goes.
As
you spend time in the Apostle Paul’s writings, you’ll certainly notice the
difference in the language and terminology he uses compared to that of his
counterparts Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were operating under the Dispensation of
Law which was based upon the Abrahamic Covenant and God’s Prophetic Program.
Starting
with the book of Matthew, his theme is about the King and the Kingdom.
Matthew 4
2: “Repent, for the (what’s the next
word) kingdom of heaven is at
hand (it goes without saying that you can’t have a kingdom without a King,
so the King was nearing as well).
And:
Matthew 6
33: “But seek first His
(what) kingdom and
His righteousness (all of Israel), and all these
things will be added to you.
And
this one:
Matthew 10:
5: These twelve
Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do
not go in the way of the Gentiles (Jesus was sent to
fulfill the promises made to the fathers see Romans 15:8), and do not enter any
city of the Samaritans;
6:
but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel (this is strictly Jew only – not my words. This is what the book says. Jesus and the twelve did not minister to
gentiles during His earthly ministry…there were a few exceptions recorded in
the gospels but that’s what they were exceptions and not a ministry).
7:
(read carefully – this is why we’re here) And as you
go, preach, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
There
are many other references to the king and the kingdom, I just chose three.
But
what’s missing? There is no language
here about Jesus’ shed blood, Jesus dying on the cross, being saved by faith
(alone), being justified by faith, or righteousness based on one’s faith.
Look
over the four gospels and see if you can even one remark about any one of these
by Matthew, Mark, Luke, or even John. I’ll
save you the time. It’s not in there.
It’s
not in there because it hasn’t happened yet? God will not ask you to believe on something
that hasn’t happened yet (See Deuteronomy 29:29); but once God brings it to our
attention, you’d better believe He expects us to believe it.
The
gospel (or good news) at that time of Jesus’ ministry was believe that Jesus
is the Son of God (see Luke 9:18-21; John 11:21-27; Acts 8:30-37).
The
entire nation of Israel had to believe this gospel in order to
achieve salvation. Where do I get this
information? It comes from
Scripture? Follow me.
Exodus 19
6: ‘Now then, if
you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own
possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine;
7: (read carefully) and you shall be to Me a (what) kingdom of priests and a holy
nation…”
That’s
the LORD God speaking, to the newly formed nation of Israel at the base of Mt.
Sinai, after He rescued them from their bondage in Egypt.
Let
me ask a question. What’s a priest? He’s a go-between, right.
In
this case, the nation of Israel would be a “go-between” between God and the
gentiles.
But
what does the book say?
Zechariah 8
23: “Thus says the
LORD of hosts, ‘In those days ten men from all nations (these are gentile
nations in the future) will grasp the
garment of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is
with you.”
This
was God’s plan; this would have been the role of the Jew, if they’d believed Jesus
was the Messiah. They did not. God knew that they would not – but it was a
viable offer all the same, you can’t take that off the table.
After
the stoning of Stephen (Acts chapter 7), which in my opinion was God’s last attempt
to reach His chosen people (through their religious leaders) with the Truth
about Jesus Christ, God altered the way He managed the affairs of the world by
temporarily “blinding” the nation of Israel.
God then turned His attention to the Gentiles, using Saul as His “chosen
instrument” (See Acts chapter 9).
At
this God commenced a parenthetical period of time known as the Age of Grace, or
the Church Age. This is the sixth
dispensational period. No one knows how
long it will last. It began with the
death of Jesus Christ on the cross. It
will end with the rapture of the church or when the last individual is saved
and brought into the Body of Christ.
This
triggers the rapture event, in my opinion.
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Let’s
review Scripture.
Justification by
Faith
Romans 3
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.
27: Where then is
boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works?
No, but by a law of faith.
28: For we maintain that a man is justified by
faith apart from works of the Law.
29: Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,
30: since indeed
God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through
faith is one.
31: Do we then
nullify the Law through faith? May it never
be! On the contrary, we establish the
Law.
Starting
with verse 26, let’s take a closer look at what we have here.
Verse
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.”
God
is just and the Justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus!
I’m
sure you’ve heard somewhere that God is the God of love. It’s true.
Therefore,
God wants to forgive sinners. But God
does not wink at sin.
Follow
the equation: God is Holy. He is sinless. Therefore, He cannot overlook sin.
Sound
like a problem? God had an answer.
He
sent His One and only Son to die for every sinner.
In
this way, the just punishment for sin was met in the death of Jesus
Christ and now any sinner who trusts in Him is freely forgiven. Thus, Paul says, God is both just (in punishing sin) and the justifier of those who believe in
Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.
Verse
27:
“Where then is boasting? It is excluded (disqualified).”
The
Jews were proud of their Religion and its traditions.
But
Paul, having explained the doctrine of justification, now explores three
implications of this teaching.
“Where then is boasting? It is excluded.”
If
you say men are justified by faith alone, who receives the credit for your
salvation?
This
is a crucial question for the Jews because it focuses attention on God in the
salvation process and not their works based religion.
Does
salvation begin with man, or does it begin with God? The answer is clear.
It
begins with God alone. Salvation
is a work of God’s Grace and therefore begins with Him. Man has nothing to boast about.
Verse
27b
“By what kind of law? Of works?
No, but by a law of faith.”
Law
and works can be summed up in two words - Human
Achievement.
God
has said, “Not on your best day.” Why?
When
we got the ball we fumbled; every time.
God
has a better plan. The focus is on believing
and not “achieving.” Get it?
Verse
28:
“For we maintain
that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”
When
Martin Luther translated Romans 3:28
he was bluntly criticized for adding the word “alone” to the Bible text:
“For we maintain that a man is justified by faith (alone) apart from works of the Law.”
Martin
Luther was right! That’s exactly what
Paul is saying. Salvation is by faith alone;
you can’t add one thing to it. What were
Jesus’ final words? “It is finished.”
Correct?
Now
what do you suppose finished means? It
means Jesus accomplished all that God the Father demanded. Jesus Christ paid humanity’s sin debt in
full.
Why
is this important?
It
eliminates human pride.
It
is human pride that got us into this mess and keeps the majority in it!
Those
who believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ are
saved immediately and forever (see 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
Verse
29:
“Or is
God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,”
This
is the answer to the question, “Who can qualify for this salvation?”
Since
there is only one God, says Paul, (this
was the moral heart of Judaism even his most relentless opponents would have to
agree with this assertion), there can only be one way of salvation.
Salvation
has always been by grace through faith.
It’s the same in every dispensation.
Old
Testament, New Testament, under the Law, before the Law, after the Law. Salvation is always by grace through faith. It is never through works.
Verse
30:
“…since indeed God who will justify the
circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one”
God
isn’t a Jewish God or a Gentile God.
Christianity is a universal faith.
No
culture or country is excluded. Since
salvation is by faith (alone), anyone, anywhere, can believe and be saved. This is not an exclusive club.
There
are no restrictions of any kind. All
that is required is that you come in
faith.
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot;
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
To rid my soul of one dark blot;
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt;
Fightings within, and fears without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
With many a conflict, many a doubt;
Fightings within, and fears without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind;
Yes, all I need, in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Sight, riches, healing of the mind;
Yes, all I need, in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come! (Elliott, 1835)
O Lamb of God, I come, I come! (Elliott, 1835)
Verse
31:
“Do we then nullify the Law through
faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law”
Let’s
put this Bible verse in English.
If
salvation is by faith and not by keeping the Law, does that make the Law
null and void? Or in other words can
we ignore the Ten Commandments?
Paul’s
response: May it never be!
Nowhere
in Paul’s writings does he say the Law has no value.
We’ve
talked about this before in previous lessons.
The
Law is from God – it has tremendous value but not as a means of salvation.
You
can’t be saved by trying to keep the Ten Commandments, but that doesn’t mean
you throw them in the trash bin and live your life any way you please.
God’s
Grace is not license
to live your life fast, free, and easy.
Put
another way, God’s Grace is not license to sin it’s God’s only solution for
sin.
Justification by
faith
upholds the Law in four ways:
The
Law shows us our sins.
The
Law shows us our need for Jesus Christ (see Galatians 3:24).
The
Law was fulfilled in Jesus Christ (see Galatians 3:23-25).
The
Law is fulfilled in Believers by the power of the Spirit.
When
an individual trusts Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within them.
The
Sanctification Process begins… (There’s another teaching series.)
Warren
Wiersbe sums up the basic message of this passage in his own words:
“If
salvation is through the Law, then men can boast; but the principle of faith
makes it impossible for men to boast.
The swimmer, when he is saved from drowning, does not brag because he
trusted the lifeguard. What else could
he do? When a believing sinner is
justified by faith, he cannot boast of his faith, but he can boast in a wonder
Savior.
(Romans
pp. 40)
And
that closes chapter 3, my friends.
(To
be continued)
©
Copyright 2011
GJ
Heitzman’s Ministry
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