Justification Through Faith Leaves No Room For.... Series

Rom 3:27 – 31.” JUSTIFICATION THROUGH FAITH LEAVES NO ROOM FOR …..

PAUL WASN’T WITHOUT HIS CRITICS TO JUSTIFICATION THROUGH FAITH ALONE SO HERE HE ADMINISTERS HIS MEDICINE TO ANSWERS THOSE CRITICS IN A FORM OF A DIATRIBE. AS HE HAD DONE EARLY TO SHOW THAT JEW AND GENTILE ARE ALL UNDER JUDGMENT OF GOD AND THE JEWS ARE NOT EXEMPT.

• HAVE YOU EVER HAD A BITTER PILL TO SWALLOW? AS A CHILD IT WAS THAT HORRIBLE DISGUSTING TREACLE LIKE MEDICINE. IT WAS BITTER AND IT WAS HORRIBLE BUT IT DID ME GOOD. AND SO IT IS WITH THIS NEWS FOR THE JEW “JUSTIFICATION THROUGH FAITH ALONE” IF ACCEPTED AND BELIEVED IT WILL DO THEM GOOD.

I THINK THIS HAS TO BE ONE OF THE BITTEREST PILLS TO SWALLOW FOR A HUMAN BEING RELIGIOUS OR NOT THAT YOU’RE HEADING FOR A LOST ETERNITY IN HELL. UNABLE TO SAVE YOURSELF IN ANYWAY AND TO ADMIT THAT ALL OUR WORKS ARE LIKE FILTHY RAGS AND THAT WE NEED HELP.

1. JUSTIFICATION THROUGH FAITH LEAVES NO ROOM FOR BOASTING V27 -28

ALL OF HUMANITY BY NATURE IS PROUD ITS ALL PART OF OUR FALLEN HERIATAGE WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT AND SO MOST OF US WILL FIND JUSTIFICATION THROUGH FAITH ALONE AT FIRSTIS A BITTER PILL TO SWALLOW BECAUSE MOST OF US BELIEVE ABOUT OUR SELVES THAT WE ARE INTRINSICLY GOOD. AND WE WILL OFTEN BOAST ABOUT OUR ACHIEVEMENTS. THE BITTER PILL IS: WE ARE NOT MADE RIGHT WITH GOD THROUGH LAW AND WE ARE NOT GOOD.

A. THE LAW: MOST RELIGIONS POINT YOU IN THIS DIRECTION SADLY SOME PROFESSING CHRISTIANS BELIEVE IT TO. SAY: IF I DO THIS, AND DO THAT AND TRY MY BEST TO FOLLOW WHAT IS SAYS IN THE BIBLE AND FOLLOWS THESE RELIGIOUS OBSERVERANCES, I AM MADE RIGHT WITH GOD ITS REALLY BOASTING.

• DURING A BRITISH CONFERENCE ON COMPARATIVE RELIGIONS, EXPERTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD DEBATED WHAT, IF ANY, BELIEF WAS UNIQUE TO THE CHRISTIAN FAITH. THEY BEGAN ELIMINATING POSSIBILITIES. INCARNATION? OTHER RELIGIONS HAD DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF GODS APPEARING IN HUMAN FORM. RESURRECTION? AGAIN, OTHER RELIGIONS HAD ACCOUNTS OF RETURN FROM DEATH.

THE DEBATE WENT ON FOR SOME TIME UNTIL C. S. LEWIS WANDERED INTO THE ROOM. “WHAT’S THE [COMMOTION] ABOUT?” HE ASKED, AND HEARD IN REPLY THAT HIS COLLEAGUES WERE DISCUSSING CHRISTIANITY’S UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION AMONG WORLD RELIGIONS. LEWIS RESPONDED, “OH, THAT’S EASY. IT’S GRACE.”

THE NOTION OF GOD’S LOVE COMING TO US FREE OF CHARGE, NO STRINGS ATTACHED, SEEMS TO GO AGAINST EVERY INSTINCT OF HUMANITY. THE BUDDHIST EIGHT-FOLD PATH, THE HINDU DOCTRINE OF KARMA, THE JEWISH COVENANT, AND THE MUSLIM CODE OF LAW—EACH OF THESE OFFERS A WAY TO EARN APPROVAL. OFFERS AN AVENUE TO BOAST – BUT ONLY CHRISTIANITY DARES TO MAKE GOD’S LOVE UNCONDITIONAL

YET FOR THE JEW HIS RIGHTOUSNES WAS NOT OBTAINED EVEN BY CARRYING OUT THE LAW IT WAS DEEPER THAN THAT…..THE QUESTION: V27 WHERE, THEN, IS BOASTING? IT IS EXCLUDED, ON WHAT PRINCIPLE? PAUL HAD PULLED THEM UP ON THIS POINT BEFORE 2:17, 23 THIS WORD TO BRAG (KAUCHAOMAI ) IS TO BOAST V27 .

• DO YOU REMMBER AS A CHILD BRAGGING IN THE SCHOOL PLAYGROUND, MY DAD IS BETTER THAN YOUR DAD SCENARIO WELL AS WE GROW OLDER THINGS DON’T CHANGE MUCH.. WHEN IT CAME TO GOD THESE JEWS WERE BRAGGERS THEY WERE THE ELITE WHEN IT CAME TO THEM AND GOD.

B. EXTERNAL RITE’ THE JEWS ASSUMED THEY WERE RIGHT WITH GOD BECAUSE OF NATIONAL, CULTURAL, RELIGIOUS SUPERIORITY. AFTER ALL THEY WERE GODS CHOSEN PEOPLE. THIS THEY BELIEVED PUT THEM IN GOD’S GOOD BOOKS. LUKE 3:8 JESUS REFUTED THE JEWS HERE THAT RELIGION WAS NOT AN INHERITED RITE.

C. INTERNAL RITE : JEWS WERE PROUD ABOUT THEIR OWN PERSONAL RIGHTEOUSNESS CONSIDER PAUL’S PRE CONVERSION MINDSET WHERE HE SPEAKS OF HIS PHIL 3:3. JEWISH INHERITANCE AND JEWISH ATTAINMENT: LUKE 18:9 JESUS REFUTED THE SELF RIGHTOUS WITH THE PARABLE OF THE PHARISEE AND THE PUBLICAN

V27 -28. PAUL IS SAYING THAT BOASTING IS EXCLUDED BECAUSE: JUSTIFICATION IS THROUGH FAITH ALONE . ITS NOT BY OBSERVING THE LAW , ITS NOT BY EXTERNAL OR INTERNAL RITES.

A BITTER PILL TO SWALLOW FOR THE JEW AND GENTILE ALIKE IN THOSE DAYS . AND NOTHING IS CHANGED WE BY HUMAN TRIAT FROM ADAM IS THAT WE ARE BOASTERS BY NATURE IN OURSELVES … THERE IS SOMETHING INAVERTLY WRONG ABOUT A JUSTIFIED CHRISTIAN WHO BOASTS ABOUT THEMSELVES…. A CHRISTIANS ONLY CAUSE FOR BOASTINGIS IN GOD 1COR 1:31.LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD… GIVE THE CREDIT TO GOD. GAL 6:14. MAY I NEVER BOAST EXCEPT IN THE CROSS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

2. JUSTIFICATION THROUGH FAITH LEAVES NO ROOM FOR DISCRIMINATION V29 -30.

THIS WAS ANOTHER ONE OF THIOSE SHOCKING NEWS FLASHES FOR THESE JEWISH BELIEVERS THAT GOD DOESN’T DISCRIMANTE BETWEEN JEW AND GENTILE THESE JEWS WERE ELITEST.THEY LOOKED DOWN UPON OTHERS AFTER ALL THEY HAD RECEIVED 3:2 THE VERY ORACLES OF GOD AND MUCH MORE TURN WITH ME TO ROM 9: 4- 5. ADOPTION AS SONS -.DIVINE GLORY – THE COVENANTS- THE LAW- THE TEMPLE WORSHIP- THE PROMISES –PATRIARCHS –TRACED FROM THEM THE HUMAN ANCESTRY OF CHRIST. WHAT PRIVALAGES….