The apostle has been saying that all human beings, both Jews and Gentiles, are sinners who need a Savior. He's been warning both groups that in the judgment God will make His rulings according to what is in a person's heart, not according to the person's nationality. So the question would naturally arise: What advantage is there in being a Jew? If all people are sinners, why is one nation any better off than another?
"What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God." (Romans 3:1-2) God chose the nation of Israel when He called Abraham out of Ur, "The Lord had said to Abram, 'Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.'" (Genesis 12:1-3) In speaking to Abraham, God was speaking to a nation not yet born. In promising a territory to Abraham, God was promising it to Israel. In guaranteeing a blessing upon Abraham, God was making clear His intention to cause the nation of Israel to know Him in ways no people on earth had ever known Him. It is to these people God sent His word, His law, and His prophets. So Paul says, "Of course there is an advantage in being a Jew! The Jews have been given the opportunity to know the living God. They have been provided with His promises and His laws for living. This gives them a great advantage over the pagan Gentiles who for thousands of years have been serving false gods."
Abraham, though he lived in an idolatrous city, knew in his heart there was only one God. He longed to know and serve that God, so when God called, Abraham answered. "So Abram went, as the Lord told him." (Genesis 12:4a) This man was willing to leave behind everything he knew in order to know the God who created him. Yet not all his descendants had such faith, so Paul moves on to his next question. "What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God's faithfulness?" (Romans 3:3) Earlier in the week we discussed the fact that many of Paul's countrymen are trusting in their status as God's chosen people rather than trusting in God Himself. Because they have the precious promises of God, some have taken a lax attitude toward sin because they believe God would be breaking His word if He withdrew His blessing from them. But as we stated yesterday, they are not all Israel who are of Israel or, in other words, not everyone in the nation is faithful to God. Throughout the Old Testament we find that there is always a faithful segment of the nation and there is an unfaithful segment of the nation. Paul knows there are going to be people who will make the argument that God isn't keeping His word if He passes judgment on those of Israel who have not been faithful to Him, but this is not the case. The true Israel is made up of those in Israel who love the Lord. The real Jew is the man or woman who honors the Lord. It is to this faithful remnant that God's promises stand.
"Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: 'So that You may be proved right when You speak and prevail when You judge.'" (Romans 3:4) Paul quotes the words of King David from Psalm 51, the psalm David composed when he repented of his adultery with Bathsheba and when he mourned over having caused the death of Bathsheba's husband. King David was a descendant of Abraham, a Jew, a citizen of Israel, a member of the nation to whom God had made great promises. But did this exempt him from discipline? No, and David himself recognized this fact and said to the Lord, "For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight; so You are right in Your verdict and justified when You judge." (Psalm 51:3-4) God sent the prophet Nathan to confront David with the sin he was trying so desperately to sweep under the rug. God presented His ruling in the case by sending Nathan to show David that he had despised the Lord's words and had done evil. Therefore, God also passed sentence, warning David that the sword would never depart from his house, and that from his own family trouble would come against him. (2 Samuel 12:7-12)
David wasn't exempt from God's judgment and discipline simply because he was a Jew. This didn't absolve him of personal responsibility. Paul's readers can easily understand that God had to discipline King David, not only for David's own sake, but for the sake of the nation. If God had not disciplined David, this would have given David's subjects an excuse for falling into sin. They could have said, "God turned a blind eye to David's adultery and murder. This is probably because David is of God's chosen nation and David is God's chosen leader of the nation. This means we too, who are of God's chosen nation, can sin with impunity. If David can sleep with another man's wife without consequences, then surely God won't mind if I look lustfully on my neighbor's wife. If David can take what isn't his, God will look the other way when I skim funds from my employer. If David can cause the death of an innocent man, surely God won't be concerned that I harbor hatred in my heart for my co-workers." David's actions could have resulted in both Jews and Gentiles feeling contempt for the Lord and for His laws. In judging David's sin and in sending discipline into his life, God showed the world that He will not tolerate the breaking of His laws by the ones who know His laws. Therefore, since it was to the Jews that God gave His laws, Paul wants his readers to understand that they bear a greater responsibility than the pagan Gentiles to do what is right.
The apostle must have known or sensed that some would put forth the argument that sin shines a spotlight on God's grace and mercy. "But 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.) Certainly not!" (Romans 3:5-6a) Man fell from grace through sin, but God provided a way of atonement for sin. On that basis, some would ask, doesn't man's sin glorify God? Doesn't man's sin showcase the love and mercy of a God who is willing to accept repentance? This is a foolish argument, but we are never more aware of the mercy of God than when we have just confessed to Him a sin that has been troubling our souls.
Paul wants to know how anyone can justify sin based on the fact that God is merciful. He wants to know how God is supposed to judge the world (meaning the world outside of Israel) if He does not punish sin. Paul's countrymen expect God's wrath to fall on Gentiles who don't convert, yet some of them think God's wrath won't fall on a Jew who drifts away from the Lord. "If that were so, how could God judge the world?" (Romans 3:6b) He's saying something like, "If sin glorifies God, then the Gentiles have been glorifying Him for a long time. How would He be justified in judging them if their sin brings Him glory? Can't you see that your thinking on this subject is twisted? As I said earlier in my letter, God is going to judge each man and woman according to what they know about Him. So doesn't this put you in a position of greater responsibility than the Gentiles? God gave His laws to Israel, not to the Gentiles. Seeing that you are the receivers of His law and His promises, you are held to a higher standard. You bear more responsibility. You can't make the excuse that you didn't know what is expected of you. No, sin does not glorify God, and He is not pleased with it."
The apostle concludes with these ominous words, "Some might argue, 'If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases His glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?' Why not say---as some slanderously claim that we say---'Let us do evil that good may result'? Their condemnation is just." (Romans 3:7-8) It would appear that some of the enemies of the gospel have been slandering the apostles by claiming they are preaching a perpetual state of grace for the believer. While I do not believe a person can lose his salvation, the Bible clearly tells us that God disciplines His children. (Hebrews 12 contains a discussion on this matter.) King David belonged to the Lord but the Lord disciplined him for his sins. David didn't escape the consequences of his actions. Though he repented, his casual attitude toward sin and his prideful arrogance over being God's chosen king of Israel had already done damage to his family. David had set a bad example for his children, so the troubles that were about to come into his life were going to come from his own household.
Sin hurts us and it hurts those around us. God does not turn a blind eye to it---He can't because He is righteous. He wouldn't be a God worthy of our worship if He shrugged His shoulders at all the harm people cause each other and said, "Oh well, what can you do? People will be people." It is blasphemy to say that God won't judge sin and, because it is such horrible blasphemy against the name of a holy God, Paul warns that those who say such things deserve any condemnation that comes their way.
If you are a Jew, you have been richly blessed by being the recipients of God's word and His laws and His prophets and His promises. But this places a great deal of responsibility on you for the way you live. Likewise, if you are a Christian, you have a great deal of responsibility for living in a way that honors the name of Christ. All of us who know and cherish the word of God are blessed abundantly by it, but at the same time we are accountable for following what the word of God says.
No comments:
Post a Comment