Best. Job. Ever. Series

Good morning! Please open your Bibles to Romans 3. I appreciate Lauren reading the Scripture passage for us earlier. You guys should be proud of Lauren. This year she is taking leadership in the State of Alabama as one of the emerging leaders identified by the Alabama WMU, and this past weekend was involved in leadership the the Complete conference for teen girls. So, Lauren, we are so proud of you, and Cody, thank you for the leadership you are giving to our students.

Speaking of Cody, I want to thank him again for bringing the word and providing leadership for our students during their DNow two weeks ago. Cody, you handled a tough passage really faithfully, and I am thankful to serve with you.

And when I asked Lauren to read Scripture a few days ago, I wouldn’t have blamed her if one of the first thoughts that went through her head was, “Hey, are we still talking about circumcision?” And the answer is no. But we are still talking about the wrath of God. Paul is continuing to make the case that no one is righteous on their own. The second half of Chapter 1 is all about how Gentiles are not righteous. But then chapter 2 is all about how the Jews aren’t righteous either. That just because you have the law, just because you’ve been circumcised, just because you are part of the people group that is identified in Scripture as God’s chosen people, those things don’t give you any more standing before God. And so chapter 3 begins with the question, “Is there any advantage to being a Jew?”

And you might expect Paul’s answer to be, “Nope—no difference. No advantage. But let’s look at verse 1:

3 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much in every way.

So there is an advantage. There is something that makes the Jews special What is it?

Before we look at the answer, I want to ask you, what is the coolest job title you have ever heard? What’s something you’ve seen on a business card that has just made you say, “Dude—that’s the job I want.”

And I’m not talking about goofy job titles that just try to make something boring sound cool. Like an accountant that has “Number Ninja” on her business card. Or a middle manager that put “Master of Minions” on his card. I’m talking about cool job titles that are actually for cool jobs.

Something like, oh, I don’t know, “Commander of the 187th Fighter Wing.” Doug—that’s a cool job title, because you’ve got a cool job.

But if you look at verse 2, I think the Jews are given a job title that even beats “Wing Commander.” Paul says that the Jews have the coolest job ever. Let’s look at it again:

3 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.

See, here’s another place where Paul says, “first,” and there’s not even a second. It’s like, what else can I say? You’ve been entrusted with the oracles of God. You are a Trustee of Oracles.

Sounds like a character in Harry Potter, working at the Ministry of Magic—“I’m a trustee of the Oracles.” What in the world does that mean?

Other translations say that the Jews were entrusted with the “very words of God.” And that helps us understand what Paul means, but I really think “oracles” gives it the weight it deserves.

James Mongomery Boice, in his commentary on Romans, points out that there are three basic answers to the question, “What is the Bible?” There is the classic evangelical doctrine that the Bible is the Word of God. There’s the liberal doctrine that the Bible is a collection of the words and ideas of men. And then there’s the idea that the Bible is some combination. Some things that are really the words of God, and others that are the traditions and opinions of men.

But Paul argues in Romans 3:2 is that these words are the words of God. They aren’t human opinion. In Baptist life we say that the Bible is “truth without any mixture of error.” So “oracles of God” is the phrase that expresses this. Another translation says, “they have been entrusted with the very words of God. And in verse 2, Paul says that the great advantage of being a Jew is that the Jewish people were entrusted with the oracles of God. Not some of the words of God. It isn’t like the Jews have some, and the Buddhists and Hindus have some, and then when Mohammed came along six hundred years after Jesus, he got some more, and then Joseph Smith got a whole ‘nother testament in 1823 when he dug up some golden plates in his backyard in upstate New York. No. God chose the Jews, out of all the people on earth, to be entrusted with His words. All His words. And no one else.