Author: missionspaul

The Church should be composed of people who are different in every way but who carry the same faith and experience of God’s grace. Look around your church, is that true? Then it is a church that the Apostle Paul could envisage.

Following on from King David’s, “Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them” (v8) Paul asks an important question: who is that for? The Jew or the Gentile? The answer is it is for anyone who has through faith been credited as righteous (Genesis 15:6) and not some outward sign that they had been accepted by God, i.e. circumcision (seen later with Abraham in Genesis 17:11).

“Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.” (Romans 4 v 9-12)

If Abraham is then the spiritual father of all (circumcised and uncircumcised) why is this important?

(This is not to negate circumcision or any other outward sign of an inner working, i.e. baptism, that’s not the point) It is simply this:

There are no barriers to the pure grace of God to everyone and anyone. Churches that are not mono-cultural and who have an array of diversity and where the different classes and tribes worship together then we have the best display of the grace of God on the earth. This is the application of Paul calling for the circumcised Jewish Christians and the uncircumcised Gentile Christians to walk together because what holds everything in unity is their righteousness by faith given by God’s amazing grace!

I met a man the other day who had achieved so much for God but he was incredibly miserable.

Why are some believers like this?

“David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.” (Romans 4 v 6-8)

In short, happiness is only found when you receive from God and not when you have earned something from Him (or think you have).

Sit back, receive His presence, be thankful for His forgiveness and be happy today.

Do you ever worry about being good enough for God? Do you wonder if He is pleased or angry or is He someone who is rolling His eyes at you? How debilitating that must be! And more important what a waste of time as a follower of Jesus!

“Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. “ (Romans 4 v 4-5)

God looks for faith; works with faith; pays out because of faith.

That is the gospel.

Faith … trusting Jesus.

Faith gives you enough credit for you to be declared innocent because the debt on your account has now vanished. God did it.

If that’s the truth why are you worrying about being guilty?!

Ever felt that life is passing you by and you are becoming impatient?

Ever feel you want to help God out a bit and take matters into your own hands?

Ever felt that faith wasn’t enough?

Me too!

So far Paul has been saying we cannot boast in anything. It is all of His grace. No matter who you are (Jew or Gentile) the declaring of your innocence before God is done by trusting in Jesus and following Him (faith).

Faith. Simple faith. Nothing else. All of Him.

So Paul chooses Abraham to illustrate this teaching. Abraham died nearly 250 years before Moses was born. So this ancestor pre-dates the Law of God. Paul uses him (seen as the spiritual father of both Jew and Gentile) to show that not even such a heroic figure has the right to boast because of their works. He then uses Genesis 15 v 6 as a key verse set around the story of him and Sarah:

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? ² If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. ³ What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4 v 1-3)

How to live with hope that God will do with your life what He said He would do:-

• Hold on to the promise God has given you. It’s what Abraham did.
• As you do you will create a legacy that will outlive you. It’s what Abraham did. (The countless followers of Christ are Abraham’s sand on the seashore family).
• Don’t Ishmael your promise for it will lead to pain. It’s what Abraham did. (The hatred of Arab Muslim and the Israeli Jew stems from this impatient act).
• Recover your ground of faith and get back on track when you fail, believe in the impossible working God that His Isaac promise is coming. It’s what Abraham did.
• Be willing to sacrifice/lay down/let go of what God has given you knowing He can give it back to you again/resurrect your Isaac. It’s what Abraham did. (This faith in the resurrection of Isaac points to the faith in the resurrection of the dead that followers around the world now hold on to).

I’m trying to reach a target of £5,000 for Svetlana and Maxim. In 3 days Justgiving will release the funds to be sent to her. Please can you share the link on social media to help me get past that target, the link will take you to the story. Thank you to everyone who has already given. They are overwhelmed and thankful to God for you.

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/helpforsvetlana?utm_term=XdwgaAzGE

The gospel is God comes in grace to free us from His wrath towards our sin. The grace means there is nothing that we can do which can force God to do that. There is no achievement, heritage or enough obedience to His law/standard that qualifies us to demand or expect the hand of grace. It is purely and totally God and it is always surprising to the recipient.

So no one can boast about anything!

Recently I listened to a man tell of his many accomplishments in the kingdom of God. He never mentioned God in all of those achievements.

One thing is certain, it is impossible to boast of your own salvation without mentioning God!

“Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.” (Romans 3 v 27-31)

Being made right before God is never achieved by working at being right or good or the best you can be.

Being made right before God is only by faith in the act of Christ on the cross and your daily trust in Jesus to follow Him.

With this there is no difference whether Jew or Gentile, it is the same for everyone in this world.

So should we not bother to try and be good?

Paul emphatically says NO!

Here is the Message to help us: “Not at all. What happens, in fact, is that by putting that entire way of life in its proper place, we confirm it.” (v31)

So we approach the Law/standard of God in the right way and Paul will throughout his letter teach a healthy approach to it. He already has said that we uphold the Law by being convicted of our own sin, “through the law we become conscious of our sin” (Romans 3 v 20) and he will say more later in this letter.

I’m trying to reach a target of £5,000 for Svetlana and Maxim. In 4 days Justgiving will release the funds to be sent to her. Please can you share the link on social media to help me get past that target, the link will take you to the story. Thank you to everyone who has already given. They are overwhelmed and thankful to God for you.

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/helpforsvetlana?utm_term=XdwgaAzGE

How can God ever say anyone of us is innocent?

How can God turn a blind-eye to our sin if that is what He indeed does?

How can God say someone isn’t guilty when everyone and He knows we are?

How can God bring justice to satisfy the obvious need to punish the guilty?

Here comes the good news:

The heart of God.

The problem of justice existed until that moment of the amazing move of God Himself.

But now … Jesus!

“But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3 v 21-26)

The cross of Christ was the act of love and grace but we must see it as the act of punishment to fulfil justice for sinners like us.

How can we know this to be true?

By placing our trust in Jesus and following Him demonstrating our belief by actions.

This is the gospel!

613 laws of God and all given via Moses to prepare us all for the need of a Saviour to rescue us from the penalty of not being able to do them!

Paul talks a lot about the law simply because that is the high standard of God. Take away the standards and the holiness and there can be no sin.

Now 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. ²⁰ Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. (Romans 3 v 19-20)

Every mouth silenced and the whole world accountable for their own sin. No one person is excluded.

But what about what Paul said in 2:13 “For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.”? That’s the point: no one has been able to fulfil the law in order to be declared righteous. No one but Jesus.

Every person that ever lived is speechless before God. That’s the point. It is like the criminal in the court now awaiting sentence. There isn’t anything that can be said. There is no defence. All they have to rely on is the mercy of the judge.

No one can appeal to their good works done aligned to God’s laws. No one can claim any heritage of religious duty. No one can achieve the standards of God. Silenced.

It doesn’t matter who the person is, Jew or Gentile or whatever status of identity they are and wherever they live in the world, class, race or religion, everyone is in the same situation, under the power of sin and unable to fix that position. There is no good news if we haven’t exposed the bad. Remove sin and there is no need for a Saviour.

So let’s remind ourselves of the truth. As we do look around you and see the many examples of sinners needing a Saviour. More importantly, look within your own heart.

• Sin the overall problem.

“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Romans 3 v10-12)

It is likely Paul is taking from Psalm 14 as it sounds so similar:

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. (v1-3)

Paul turns his attention to how sin is seen. He looks at how people speak to one another. It looks like he is using every description possible for their voice.

• The sins of the mouth.

“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” (Romans 3 v 13-14)    

It could be that he is using a number of Psalms:

Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with malice. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they tell lies. (Psalm 5:9)

They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s; the poison of vipers is on their lips. (Psalm 140:3)

His mouth is full of lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue. (Psalm 10:7)

Paul then moves from the sins of the mouth to the way people treat each other and the violent actions that are seen.

• The sins of action.

“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.” (Romans 3 v 15-16)

It seems he is using Isaiah 59:

Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. They pursue evil schemes; acts of violence mark their ways. The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths. (v7-8)

• The conclusion.

Paul brings the reader back to where he started in stating the overall problem of sin:

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3 v 18)

Here it seems he is using Psalm 36.

I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes. (v1)

It looks hopeless but set against the backdrop of Saviour Jesus then there is only thing that can be done and that is to give our lives every day to Him. Paul is leading in this way in this letter.

When you witness the bad today acknowledge the need of the Saviour. Whether that is what you hear coming from someone’s mouth or what is happening in the war in Ukraine and elsewhere in the world. This world needs Jesus more than ever.

“What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin.” (Romans 3 v9)

The biggest problem in the world has always and will always be this:

We are all imprisoned by a greater power than us, the power of sin.

We all need liberating.

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/helpforsvetlana

How does God deal with this sinful world of ours? Is God’s wrath over the top? If sinners experience God’s love is it fair to say sin draws the best out of God and therefore it is okay to sin?

Strange questions maybe but ones that have been asked and still do.

What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? ⁴ 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.” ⁵ 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.) ⁶ Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? ⁷ Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” ⁸ Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is just!  (Romans 3 v 3-8)

With his attention on the Jews who had the covenant and their responsibility to the Law of Moses Paul says things that are true and a blessing to all. I hold onto 3 things this morning (because I’m a preacher who thinks in 3’s!)

1. God will not fail to fulfil His responsibilities even if mankind (Jews) fail to fulfil theirs.
2. God is always true, right and faithful even in His punishment/judgment. For example, King David knew that God’s punishment of him over the sin with Bathsheba was right (that is on Paul’s mind as he quotes David’s Psalm 51 written after the judgment)
3. God making all things right (the Jews failure to the covenant leading to the righteousness of Christ) doesn’t mean it wasn’t wrong and deserving judgment. Sin is never right.

It applies to the Jews. But it also applies to me.

God doesn’t get it wrong in His dealings with me: He will never fail me; He is always faithful even in His discipline of me; He makes all things good which only means they were bad to begin with. Thank you Jesus!

Thank you for reading this would you please help me raise money for an old Bible College friend, I was her Pastor for several years, Ukrainian Svetlana Souzko, currently in Romania with her son having left her family behind in Kyiv.

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/helpforsvetlana