Recover Me WebLog

WHO IS MY BROTHER?

RECOVERY FOR ROMANS
1-21-2005
WHO IS MY BROTHER?

Romans 3
God's Faithfulness
1What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.
3What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? 4Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.”[a]
5But if our unrighteousness brings out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) 6Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? 7Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” 8Why not say–as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say–“Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is deserved.
No One is Righteous
9What shall we conclude then? Are we any better[b]? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. 10As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”[c] 13“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.”[d] “The poison of vipers is on their lips.”[e] 14“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”[f] 15“Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16ruin and misery mark their ways, 17and the way of peace they do not know.”[g] 18“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”[h]
19Now 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. 20Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
Righteousness Through Faith
21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished– 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
27Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. 28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. 29Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

We humans have a propensity for wanting to have a good reputation, but we still want to get away with doing selfish acts. God’s law is written on our hearts, but when that writing gets in the way of our own desires, sin is conceived. If we act on our desires and ignore God’s law, sin is born. We have become so good at doing this that no longer recognize that law that God has written, and we have to be reminded by laws that man has recorded. In Luke 10:25 an expert of the law asks Jesus “What must I do to be saved?”, the answer comes back as “Love the Lord your God with all your soul, strength and mind, and love you neighbor as yourself”. This answer wasn’t good enough though. The lawyer wanted to know exactly “Who is my neighbor?”. Jesus replied with the familiar story of the Good Samaritan. I challenge you to change the word Samaritan to whatever people group you perceive as least deserving of God’s favor. This could be Muslim, Lawyer, Car salesman, Telemarketer, Street Person, Politician, whatever.
The point is, we frequently ask God to spell out what we should do to be good enough, and His reply is there is nothing you can do to be good enough, quit trying, and just live your life as best as you can to love God and others.

Do you feel you must earn your way to heaven?

How can your life here be better by following the law?

---