LESSON # 6
CHAPT. 2:V-17.
THE NEED OF THE JEW: THE LAW COULD NOT SAVE HIM: NEITHER COULD IT MAKE HIM RIGHTEOUS:
The Jew was well schooled in the law, from the time they were born the parents started teaching them so that by the time they were thirteen they were held responsible for it them selves. This was the time Paul talked about in his life, in Rom.7;15-25. The Jew who knew the law thought it would make him righteous because he kept the law, He trusted it, confident that he could be saved by it, This is the Pharisees, and Sadducees, of Jesus time, some today are in the same shape. They think they can live under the law and make it to Heaven, But look at 2: V-12 Those who live by the law will also perish by the law, and he is not speaking of physical death but of spiritual death.
V-19,20, The Jew thought he could fill four roles in the law.
1.He thought he could guide the blind.
2.That he was the light to those who were in darkness
3. An instructor to the foolish.
4. A teacher of babies.
But Paul said, in Verse 21 O.K., Thou that teachest another, does not thou teach thy self. If you teach that a man should not steal. WHY DO YOU????. If you teach a man that he should not commit adultery. THEN WHY DO YOU????. Thou that boast that you Know the law, Though breaking the law your self, you dishonor God.
Then look at verse 24, He nails it down here. If you preach against sin and then do it yourself, you are blaspheming God. Ever wonder why some preachers are afraid to preach against sin. Uncircumcision (Sin-nature) you were born that way. And if the law of Uncircumcision or circumcision fulfilled the law, Then Jesus would not have had to die.
The Jews were like some of our crowd today, They were already to preach to the Gentiles, But their lives did not match their talk. V-28. Being circumcised, which is an outward showing of the flesh, does not make you a Jew. But being circumcised in the heart and in the Spirit does make you a follower of Jesus Christ, which was born of the Jew.
CHAPTER III
" THE ADVANTAGE OF THE JEW: WORKS HIS GREATER DAMNATION:
1.What advantage then hath the Jew?? Or what profit is there in circumcision? Much in every way, because to them was given the oracles of God.
"THE JEW WAS WELL SCHOOLED IN THE LAW"
The Gospel was first given to the Jew. Then the great responsibility, of spreading the Gospel, but they choose not to believe and there by brought the greater condemnation. James said in Jas. 3:1 Be ye not many masters, knowing that we shall have the greater condemnation. Once you know the law, and you do nothing with what he teaches or gives you to do, then you will be held accountable for it. Greater than the one who does not know and does nothing. I believe there will be greater punishment for some over others. I also believe that the same goes for the Christian, once you are saved and you know what the Lord wants you to do, ( No great work) Maybe just something simple like go to Church, read your Bible. He may or may not give you a large task, But you will be held responsible for what he does give you. That's what Paul is talking about here to the Jew who figured they knew all about the law, but they did not know the law giver, they did not believe. Some people today do not believe he is coming, But one day they will wake up to a surprise. It will be to late for them to do anything about their salvation then.
The Jew was well schooled in the law, From the time he was born, his mom and dad, and everyone else in the family taught him the law. Would to God that every Christian family today would teach their children that way. If they were taught from the time they were born, how to live a Christian life, the world would be a better place to live now. Most children in our society hear nothing of the Gospel, till they are big enough to ride a church bus to church and Sunday school
They come to church and hear the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and get saved and trust him as their savior. They never hear nothing about God at home except in a cuss word. And the first time they hear the Gospel of Christ, they believe it and are saved.
The Jew however knew the law from birth. He always thought he was better than anyone else, especially the Gentiles. Paul was saved when he wrote the book of Romans. &;14-25 These verses are autobiographical but also exemplary. That means they explain a way of life that the Jew lived, No one can actually say when Paul lived these verses weather before or after salvation, But they tell of a time in his life when he lived a Jewish life style and thought he was doing God a favor by killing Christians. This portion of scripture is put right here in this place between where Paul tells us the wrong way and the right way to sanctification. Paul said he was the chiefest of sinners But God brought him out of that mess. Rom 8:1. He was remembering his life as a Jew, And this is the same place he finds the Jews now. Do you remember the day you passed from death unto life? Paul did and he told us about it in Rom 7:14-25. You may be 30,40 60 years old, but did you learn all you know after you were saved. Sometimes I wish I had!!! Sometimes I wish I could forget some of the things I did before I was saved. But even though I am saved I can still look back on some of the things my mom and dad taught me. And draw strength from it. Why do you think Paul could write so well about the Law, Because he knew the law. All these verses here in Romans are about the law and salvation by GRACE.
My Dad died when I was 10 years old, but I still remember some of the way he taught me the law of our house. With a belt or a 2x4, which ever one came first. If some of the kids today had a 2x4 upside the head once or twice, it would break them of the crimes they commit. If I would have killed someone when I was a child My Dad would have killed me Right on the spot. The courts would not have got the chance.
I saw a bumper sticker one time that said "READ YOUR BIBLE IT WILL SCARE THE HELL OUT OF YOU" That is so true. If we could just scare the hell out of some of you children you would have a much better life. That's what the Jewish people did to their children, they scared the hell out of them with the law. They thought they could be saved by keeping the law, but salvation or righteousness neither came by the law, if it did then Jesus would not have had to die on the cross.
Look at some of the trials that God had to put Hosea through, just for him to learn from experience. He wanted him to be able to preach from experience, same with Paul.
You mean to tell me, that you believe that before the foundation of the world, that Jesus The Son and God the Father and the Holy Spirit, sat down and discussed how they laid out a blueprint for the universe, before the beginning of time, and in it to slay the Son of God on the cross of Calvary, That he would be born as a babe in a stable, and that he would die and be resurrected, and sit at the right hand of the father, AND THAT HE DID NOT KNOW THAT PAUL WOULD BORN SAUL OF TARSUS, WOULD BE A MURDER OF CHRISTIANS, WOULD BE SAVED ON THE DAMASCUS ROAD, AND BE CALLED TO BE AN APOSTLE TO THE GENTILES. If you believe that then you will have no trouble believing that the lake of fire is a tub full of hot water. NO !! NO!!! God knew full well what he was doing. And so did Paul when he wrote the book of Romans.
In everything, God is never taken by surprise. He knew back in Gen..3:15 When he started that fine line of blood through the history of the human race, who would be the supreme sacrifice, for the salvation of man. He gave the oracles of God to the Jew, Paul says in his Epistles a number of times, that the Gospel was first given to the Jew. God started the plan in Gen 3:15. And the Jews had the Old Testament scriptures, and knew that the Lord was coming as the Messiah, But like to day the prophets preached of his coming but there was doubt, skepticism, an unbelieveth. But he did come. And they were told just exactly how he would come. An knowing full well that they would crucify the Son of God. Verse 3 Does their unbelief make the word of God without effect, GOD FORBID. Just because you or anyone does not believe does not change the word of God one bit. Some will believe, some will doubt, but by the preaching of the word of God, faith will come to many. It is still the word our fathers preached 30,40 60 100, years ago, people were saved then and they will be now if we will just keep preaching.
Our problem today is in our pulpits. Some are not feeding the flock, some are scattering the flock, If you feed sheep the right kind of food they will not leave home. Most churches today are preaching a social gospel, and are only interested in numbers and prestige in the community. V-4 God forbid, let God be true and every man a liar.
As it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy saying, and mightest overcome when thou standest in judgment. Let God be true and every man a liar, is a phase found through out this Apisle. God is truth, He does not will according to the influences of man, But according to who he is. God is God, and no matter what man says or does or believes God is faithful in his promises. God has promised to save all who will come to him, through his Son the Lord Jesus. He has also promised to send all who do not come to HELL. That is a promise to a world of lost people. The Christian after salvation, must then find place where he can receive the promises of God. His only promise to the lost man is his salvation if he will except his Son as savior. As a Christian, He promised to supply all your needs, but you dont need nothing if you are not doing nothing.
I hate to disappoint some of you, but I want to give you a positive negative from the Bible and it is an absolute too. Gods love is unconditional to HIS CHILDREN, but it is conditional to the lost, and if you believe what you are hearing from some of our pulpits, you will die in your sin and go to Hell.
He promised to forgive you of your sins, if you will confess him before men. But he can not , if you wont. This is the greatest thing that holds back the promises of God from his people, and the greatest thing that holds back revival from Gods people is "UNCONFESSED SIN" VERSE 7 Paul has been slandered by the Jews for teaching salvation by Grace, apart from works. It was the Jewish argument that Paul was teaching the "big lie". "Let us do evil that good may come of it" Pauls emphasis was on Justification by faith and it made the law look like it had no effect. But justification by faith never meant that the believer could disregard the precepts of the law. If they did, It is their greater damnation whose is the worst. God is just in condemning the Jews. For they had sinned against Him. As all have who were born since Adam. The JUSTIFIED man, whether Jew Gentile, Bond or free. Heathen or moralist, must never do evil. 3:v-9
What then?? Are we better than they No! Because he had already proven both Jew and Gentile alike, they are all under sin. That means they were born in sin with a sin nature. He did not say that they had all sinned, but that they were all under sin. In the first part of this chapter, he was differing between the Jew and the Gentile. Now he brings the indictment against the whole world. "All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God". These two verses come from the old testament. Psa. 14. Paul is quoting them here, the change is not mental but spiritual.
CHAPT.3:V-11 "There is none that understandeth, There is none that seeketh after God; Here the charge is not mental but spiritual. The sinner is totally lacking in discernment, I Cor.2;14. The natural man may not be mentally deranged but he sure is spiritually deranged, and can not understand the word of God, because he is sinful and only thinks of things pertaining to the world, things he can see and not things he can hope for. This came from Psa.53;1,2. Notice that in V-2. "The children of men". Not the children of God. The Holy Spirit seeks Man, and when he realizes and is drawn by God to repent and be saved, then he, as a child of God will seek after God. If he doesnt seek after Gods word and the things pertaining to God, if he doesnt change, if he doesnt start to love Gods people and the word of God, then it is doubtful if he got saved.
VERSE 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes. There is no fear of God in the world today among sinners, the child of God fears his Heavenly Father as he would his Father here on earth. Some more than others. In a pole the other day I saw where 89% of the church people in the world to day, did not believe that the Bible is the word of God, and 59% of the Baptist did not.79% of the Methodist did not. So if one does not believe that the Bible is the word of God how can he fear it.
VERSE 19: One day EVERY MOUTH will be stopped before a HOLY GOD. No one will have an excuse, or defense there will be no lawyers to plea bargain the case when the sinner stands before God. The BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN has an advocate with the Father, but not the sinner. Those who live by the law will die by the law, what the law sayth it sayth to them that are under the law, V20. Therefore by the deed of the law shall no flesh be saved. NO! Not those who live by the law, but those who BELIEVE ON JESUS CHRIST will be saved. For the law is the knowledge of "SIN". And by "SIN" came death.
No Law, the law of nature, or the law of morals, or the law given to Moses by God can justify a man and make him fit for Heaven. Only by being born again, and dieing and being raised in the resurrection can one get to Heaven. This flesh we live in will not go to Heaven in its present state. Before we go any further, we must define the word flesh, or fleshly. Fleshly is the same word used by Paul in 1Cor.3:1. They looked like carnal (fleshly) people. This flesh we live in can not please God, unless it is completely controlled by the Holy Spirit. But Paul says here Ye are not in the flesh What? Have you left your body? No He is talking about being controlled by the Spirit. He is talking about your Sin Nature If you still let it control your life then you probably look just like the ones that Paul described in 1Cor. 3:1. Verses 7-10 He is not talking about two types of Christians. He is talking about believers and unbelievers. The word carnal in V-7 means the man before salvation. Chapter 3:1 to 8:13, Paul is showing the contrast between the sinner and the saint.
1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.