The Righteousness Debate
Romans 3:5-6
October 7, 2007

Of course, we are in a section of Scripture in which Paul is answering common arguments that he faced when preaching the gospel.

Last Sunday morning, we saw “The Religion Debate”.
Paul spent chapter 2 telling the Jews that their religion had no saving value.

“If our religion has no value to save,
Then what advantage is there in being religious?”

Being involved in religion, you have access to the word of God,
And that is a good thing.

Sunday night we saw “The Faithfulness Debate”

“Paul you said Jews aren’t saved just because they are Jews,
Then are you saying that God lied to Abraham?”

“May it never be!”

God wasn’t unfaithful, it was the Jews who were unfaithful.
Besides God’s promise to Abraham was not a physical one
But a spiritual one anyway.

And so Paul’s point that Jews without Jesus
Are lost and in need of a Savior still stands strong.

This morning we get the third argument.
“The Righteousness Debate”

Vs. 5, “But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He?”

Now hopefully you picked up on the accusation.
It is people so in love with their life, that they actually accuse God
Of being unrighteous for being angry at them.

“The Righteousness Debate”

But before we dive into the specifics of that debate, I want to take a few minutes and explain where this question comes from.

And I want you to see that the basis for this argument
Is not gone today by any means.
There is a key and vital component in regard to salvation.

(Indeed there are several,
But I want to specifically remind you of one this morning.)

It is the one that Jesus mentioned in Matthew 16.

Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

We talk about it a lot,
If a man is to come to Jesus, he must “deny himself.”

Jesus of course taught it again in
Matthew 13:44-46 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

Jesus taught that entrance into the kingdom was not “free”
It is free in the sense that you cannot buy it,
But in one sense, it very really costs you everything.

And the reason of course is because selfishness
Is exactly opposite of the attitude that God is looking for.

Self is the biggest idol that man allows to rest in his heart,
And so in order to be saved, that idol must be removed.

AND SO MAN MUST “DENY HIMSELF”

Some responded accurately to the call.
Matthew 4:18-22 “Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.”

Luke 19:5-9 “When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.”

And you see that these guys turned their back
On the important things of life in order to follow Jesus.
Some however, responded in a less than acceptable manner
Matthew 19:21-22 “Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.”

Luke 9:57-62 “As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Jesus was asking for them to deny the very most important things about their lives in order to follow Him.

And this is not new with Jesus.
God was asking this, even in the Old Testament.

Genesis 12:1-3 “Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Then later he was tested again.
Genesis 22:1-3 “Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.”

The Psalmist understood this requirement.
Psalms 45:10-11 “Listen, O daughter, give attention and incline your ear Forget your people and your father’s house; Then the King will desire your beauty. Because He is your Lord, bow down to Him.”

AND THE POINT IS
In order to be saved, you must see the worth of your life Through God’s eyes.

If you need help:
Isaiah 64:6 “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”

You must see that there is absolutely nothing you bring to the table.
There is absolutely nothing of merit to God in your life.
You have absolutely no bargaining power, and no leverage.
There is nothing worth keeping in your old life.

It is to confess with Paul.
Romans 7:18 “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.”

And of course this is the attitude required for salvation.
Matthew 5:3-10 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

It is a person so spiritually broken, realizing their spiritual bankruptcy,
Not only do they hate their sin, and hunger for righteousness,
But they are willing to fully surrender to the God who can supply it.

To be saved a person must completely disown their entire life.

And that is summed up in what Jesus told Nicodemus.
John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

And when you read a statement like that, I hope you get the picture.
Denying self is not just a commitment to change your actions.
Denying self is not just a commitment to do things better…
Denying self is not just a commitment to stop doing things bad…

You must look upon your entire life as being futile in all attempts.
THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WORTH SAVING

IT IS NOT SIMPLY A DENIAL OF DEEDS, BUT A DENIAL OF SELF.

To Peter this meant letting go of his dreams.
Matthew 16:21-24 “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

Thomas had to deny his right to live.
John 11:16 “Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”
But perhaps we see it even better in Paul,
Who declared, that not only was his future in the hands of God,
But also his past was absolutely worthless.
Philippians 3:5-7 “circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.”

DO YOU GET THE PICTURE
To reach a point to cry out to Jesus,
Man must realize that there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
Worth saving in the old life.

BUT AS YOU KNOW
MANKIND HATES THAT THOUGHT

In a temporal sense we hate it.
Type in a sermon, only to realize that it is not right.
TIME – WORK – ENERGY
Wasted and valueless

BUT EVEN BIGGER IN REGARD TO SALVATION
It is not as though the last few hours of our life is wrong,
It started with the first brick.
It was laid by a carnal heart, bent on self, in love with the world;
And because the foundation is wrong, the whole house must come down.

We have to turn our back on the whole thing and start over.

So you can see why the Jews here hated Paul’s teaching
That all of their religion was in vain.
AND SO THEY ARE CHALLENGING PAUL HERE.

BUT THE CHALLENGE IS NOT WHAT YOU WOULD THINK.
You would think they would argue
That there was value in their religion.

Paul already proved that wrong.
Romans 2:17-24 “But if you bear the name “Jew” and rely upon the Law and boast in God, and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? For “THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,” just as it is written.”

And so now, KNOWING that argument holds no ground,
The Jews give Paul a most unusual and backwards approach.

They are scrapping for any reason at all
Why they don’t have to completely discard their entire life

#1 THE MISCONCEPTION
Romans 3:5

And this is really an amazingly far-fetched and backwards approach
That is given here by the Jews.

“But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God..?”

“demonstrates” translates SUNISTEMI (soon-is-tee-mee)

Literally “to stand with”
“to approve, to commend, to exhibit”

The idea is that when we sin,
We only succeed in making God look that much better.

THEY LOST THE ARGUMENT THAT THEIR RELIGION
MADE GOD LOOK GOOD
“name of God is blasphemed”

So now the Jews try a different approach.

“Your right Paul, our good deeds weren’t really good, they were actually bad, but if they were bad, it only makes God look that much better”.

It gets better.
“But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He?”

Now they have actually concocted a full blown heresy.

If our badness only makes God look that much better,
Then God should not be angry with us.
In fact, if God is angry with us, when all we did was make God look better, Then God is the one with the real problem.

It is literally a worldly logic argument.
In fact Paul says, “(I am speaking in human terms)”

BUT WHAT IT REALLY IS:
Is another attempt of mankind to justify
Their wicked, selfish, unacceptable behavior.

If God isn’t pleased with me, then God is the one with the problem.

Why do you think people are so quick to argue with the Bible?
The Bible condemns their sin, so they condemn the Bible.
That is precisely the same thing that is going on here.

But let’s look at how Paul answers them.
#2 THE MESSAGE
Romans 3:6

There again we get that strong statement from Paul
“May it never be!”

It is an absolute foolish and faulty assumption
To even assume for one second
That God is anything but perfectly righteous.

That is not even up for debate.
Isaiah 6:1-3 “In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”

In fact 25 times does the book of Isaiah refer to God as “The Holy One of Israel”

The angels in Revelation second that claim.
Revelation 4:8 “And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say,
“HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY,WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.”

Psalms 99:9 “Exalt the LORD our God And worship at His holy hill, For holy is the LORD our God.”

If the only way you can justify yourself is by condemning God,
You will never justify yourself, for God is holy.

He is perfectly righteous.
Psalms 97:1-6 “The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; Let the many islands be glad. Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. Fire goes before Him And burns up His adversaries round about. His lightnings lit up the world; The earth saw and trembled. The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples have seen His glory.”
God is righteous.
When He says sin is sin, He is right to say so.
When He says someone is guilty, He is right to say so.
When He is angry, His anger is always just.
When He is full of rage, it is always right.

So these Jews need to know that God is not unrighteous in being angry with them, for He is never unrighteous.

But then Paul does a very interesting thing in proving his point.
There are several ways, and several examples,
Paul could have used to prove God’s righteousness.

Paul could have talked about His great faithfulness…
Paul could have mentioned how many good things God has done…
Paul could have quoted a bunch of Old Testament…
BUT HE DIDN’T

DID YOU CATCH HOW PAUL REMINDED THESE JEWS OF GOD’S PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS?

By reminding them of judgment.
“For otherwise, how will God judge the world?”

THERE IS NOTHING IN THIS WORLD THAT PROVES THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD BETTER THAN HIS JUDGMENT.

Paul already stated it.
Romans 2:9-11 “There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.”

Paul was not simply trying to prove to the Jews that God was righteous.
God is righteous, whether they believe it or not.

Paul is reminding the Jews that if they don’t deny themselves,
They will fall under the righteous judgment of God.

They can justify their sin until they are blue in the face…
They can invent all sorts of reasons why God shouldn’t judge them…
But it won’t matter, for God judges in righteousness.

Every sin must be paid for.
Hebrews 9:22 “And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

Come the final day of judgment men will throw all sorts of arguments at God as to why He shouldn’t judge them.

Some will say, I did good, and of course they did not do good enough.
Some will say, I did bad, but it made you look good, that won’t was either.

God is not asking men to justify themselves.
God is asking men to deny themselves.

You see God already made a way to justify men.
That is found through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.

Romans 3:23-24 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;”

God is asking men to deny themselves and follow Jesus.

As long as you try to hold on to your life, there can be no salvation.
Matthew 16:25 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

In order to be saved, you must come to grips with the fact,
That there is nothing in your life ever,
That is of any value in regard to saving you.

No good deed you ever did…
No religious work you ever accomplished…
No amount of trying hard…

It all has to be scrapped, it was built on a faulty foundation.
Then you must quit looking to yourself for justification
And start looking to Jesus.

That is why Jesus didn’t stop after He told us to deny ourselves.

Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, AND take up his cross and follow Me.”

Quit trusting in yourself, and start trusting in Jesus.
He was sinless.
He was perfect.
He died for sinful man.
And if sinful man will deny himself and trust Him for salvation.
He will be saved.

“The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous is He?”

ABSOLUTELY NOT
Mankind deserves the judgment that awaits.

But this morning, you can be saved from the wrath of God.
Romans 5:8-9 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”

The Faithfulness Debate
Romans 3:3-4
September 30, 2007

This morning we began listening to Paul
As he answered the critics of his preaching.

They argued that he preached against Moses and the Law.
This was not true.
Paul taught that there is advantage to religion,
Just no saving value in being a part of it.

Tonight Paul addresses a second argument he faced.
“The Faithfulness Debate”

They argued that Paul’s teaching said
That God was not being faithful to His word.

They accused Paul of teaching
That God had broken his promise to Abraham
AND THAT ACCORDING TO PAUL, GOD WAS UNFAITHFUL.

We read it this morning, but listen again.
Acts 21:27-29 “When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, upon seeing him in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him, crying out, “Men of Israel, come to our aid! This is the man who preaches to all men everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.”

Later, look at why they get mad at him.
He is giving his testimony, most of which they listened to,
UNTIL HE GOT TO THE END.

Acts 22:17-22 “It happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I fell into a trance, and I saw Him saying to me, ‘ Make haste, and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.’ “And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in You. ‘And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing by approving, and watching out for the coats of those who were slaying him.’ “And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'” They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, ” Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live!”

DO YOU SEE WHY THEY ARE ANGRY?

It’s not just as though Paul was telling the Jews they were wrong, Paul was also insinuating that the Gentiles were right.

THAT WAS THE ISSUE.
It appeared that Paul was teaching that God had a new people,
That the promise to Abraham was gone,
Now God was selecting some other group of people as His own.

The Jews couldn’t tolerate that notion,
So they attacked his preaching.

They believed Paul was teaching that God had abandoned the Jews
And therefore that God was unfaithful to His word.

So let’s look at this second argument this evening.
Same three points.

#1 THE MISCONCEPTION
Romans 3:3

The argument is simple to see.

If Jews didn’t believe,
Paul says they are lost.

If Jews are lost,
Did God lie to Abraham when He said his descendants would be
saved?

Of course they Jews don’t really think God lied,
They’re just trying to prove to Paul that he is wrong.

So again, let’s look exactly at what Paul did teach.

The tough statements he made in chapter 2.
Romans 2:13-15 “for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,”

Romans 2:26-27 “So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law?”

To the Jews that sounded like Jews were out and Gentiles were in.

And indeed, to some degree, Paul had taught that very thing.
Romans 9:30-33 “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written, “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”

Romans 10:18-21 “But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have; “THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD.” But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says, “I WILL MAKE YOU JEALOUS BY THAT WHICH IS NOT A NATION, BY A NATION WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING WILL I ANGER YOU.” And Isaiah is very bold and says, “I WAS FOUND BY THOSE WHO DID NOT SEEK ME, I BECAME MANIFEST TO THOSE WHO DID NOT ASK FOR ME.” But as for Israel He says, “ALL THE DAY LONG I HAVE STRETCHED OUT MY HANDS TO A DISOBEDIENT AND OBSTINATE PEOPLE.”

Romans 11:7-10 “What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened; just as it is written, “GOD GAVE THEM A SPIRIT OF STUPOR, EYES TO SEE NOT AND EARS TO HEAR NOT, DOWN TO THIS VERY DAY.” And David says, “LET THEIR TABLE BECOME A SNARE AND A TRAP, AND A STUMBLING BLOCK AND A RETRIBUTION TO THEM. “LET THEIR EYES BE DARKENED TO SEE NOT, AND BEND THEIR BACKS FOREVER.”
And not only did Paul teach those things,
But some of his decision while in the ministry
Seemed to reinforce that belief.

Acts 18:5-7 “But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” Then he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next to the synagogue.”

Acts 28:23-29 “When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening. Some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe. And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one parting word, “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, saying, ‘GO TO THIS PEOPLE AND SAY, “YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING,BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; AND YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES; OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.”‘ “Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen.” [When he had spoken these words, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves.]”

Paul taught that Jews were missing out on the salvation of God,
And Paul definitely taught that Gentiles
Were receiving the salvation of God.
PAUL ALWAYS TAUGHT THAT SALVATION WAS BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Galatians 3:26-29 “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”

If salvation is by grace, through faith,
Then Gentiles with faith are saved, and Jews without faith are lost.

THE JEWS HOWEVER, SAID THIS CAN’T BE,
FOR GOD PROMISED ABRAHAM.

AND SO THEY TOOK ISSUE WITH PAUL’S GOSPEL

Before we get to Paul’s answer, let’s once again,
Talk about why the Jews were so adamant about this point.

#2 THE MOTIVE
Romans 3:3

The Jews liked being able to rest in the fact that they were secure
Because they were the seed of Abraham.

WHY?
Because that is a secure salvation with no responsibility.

Under that theology, you are saved regardless of what you do.
It was already decided when God caused you to be born a Jew,
And now there is nothing that anyone else could do about it.

We know that is what they thought.
That is why what Jesus taught them floored them.
Luke 13:28-30 “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. “And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. “And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.”

If I thought my salvation was automatic because of my parents
I wouldn’t like that sermon either.

Remember the rich man in hades, called Abraham, “Father Abraham”?
And the reason they fought so hard for this
Is because it meant a salvation without effort.

OF COURSE, THIS DOES NOT EXIST.
It is a great mystery when we go to laying God’s sovereignty
Beside man’s responsibility, but the two equally exist.

God’s sovereignty is a fact.
Ephesians 1:3-6 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”

And I do believe that means your salvation
Was set before the foundation of the world.

HOWEVER
That does not negate the fact that in order to be saved,
You must repent of your sin, confess the Lord Jesus,
Live in submission to Him, and persevere in your faith.

John 8:31-32 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

WE LOVE TO TALK ABOUT HOW FREE SALVATION IS. (really?)
Matthew 13:44-46 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
(Ask the Rich Young Ruler if salvation is free.)

WE LOVE TO TALK ABOUT HOW EASY SALVATION IS. (really?)
Luke 13:23-24 “And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”

Matthew 10:21-22 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”

(Ask the persecuted Church Peter wrote to if salvation is easy.)

WE TALK AS IF SALVATION COULD ALMOST OCCUR
WITHOUT A PERSON EVEN REALLY KNOWING IT.

Hebrews 2:1 “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.”

“pay much closer attention to” translates PROSECHO (pro-sek-o)
“to hold to”

It was primarily a nautical term regarding mooring a ship to the dock.

“drift away” translates PARARHEO (par-ar-eh-o)
“to flow past”

Also a nautical term of a ship allowed to drift past the harbor.

That verse screams that if you are to be saved,
You must take persistent action towards being saved.
Salvation doesn’t just haphazardly occur.

Listen to the writer of Hebrews again.
Hebrews 4:1 “Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it.”

That is heavy on the responsibility of man.

THE POINT IS THAT SALVATION IS NOT CHEAP, OR EASY.
Although God is sovereign ordaining the end from the beginning,
It does not negate the responsibility of man in regard to salvation.

Too many times man is commanded to:
Come, Repent, Trust, Obey, Persevere, etc.
All the while God is
Drawing, saving, changing, and sealing

I cannot rationalize the two,
But only tell you that both are highly biblical.

A JEW WOULD OF COURSE BE ALL SOVEREIGNTY
AND NO RESPONSIBILITY.
(The basis for arguing salvation simply because of a promise to Abraham)

SOME DO THIS TODAY.
They take God’s sovereignty to a point
That Scripture never intended.

Romans 11:17-22 “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.”

Jews thought they were secure, until they were broken off,
Then Paul warns against Gentiles thinking the same thing.

But I think you understand why the Jews
Didn’t like what Paul was teaching.
He was teaching that they were spiritually bankrupt.
He was teaching that their salvation was incomplete.
He was teaching they needed more.

They didn’t like that because it
Pulled them out of their spiritual apathy and laziness.

So they accused Paul of being wrong,
saying his preaching accused God of being unfaithful to His promises.

“What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?”

Let’s get Paul’s answer.
#3 THE MESSAGE
Romans 3:4

And there is that strong, immediate, and forceful answer.
“May it never be!”

If you thought I was insinuating that God is not faithful
Then you completely missed my point.

In all those passages we read,
Did Paul ever say that God was unfaithful to Israel.

PAUL SAID ISRAEL WAS UNFAITHFUL, NOT GOD.

Romans 10:21 “But as for Israel He says, “ALL THE DAY LONG I HAVE STRETCHED OUT MY HANDS TO A DISOBEDIENT AND OBSTINATE PEOPLE.”

God has never ceased to be faithful,
In fact, do you want to see how faithful He is?

“Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, “THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS, AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED.”

If you are curious where that Old Testament quote came from.
Psalms 51:1-4 “Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.”

Of course that is the great Psalm of repentance,
And did you catch David’s point?

God, I am pleading your mercy, I am pleading your grace,
But since there is no doubt about my sin, you are justified in judging me.

David knew God had promised him great things.
But because David was unfaithful to God,
God would not be unfaithful in judging David,
Including taking away His Spirit from David, as He did to Saul.

And that is Paul’s point.

God hasn’t ceased to be faithful, Israel has.
Now God’s faithfulness is not revealed in keeping a promise,
But in maintaining righteousness.

GOD IS FAITHFUL TO JUDGE ACCORDING A RIGHTEOUS STANDARD.

That is what we just read that Paul told the Gentiles wasn’t it?
Romans 11:22 “Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.”

If you think for one second that God is being unfaithful in this,
You are absolutely wrong.
God is more than justified in putting away Israel.

Remember these Old Testament warnings?
Isaiah 50:1 “Thus says the LORD, “Where is the certificate of divorce By which I have sent your mother away? Or to whom of My creditors did I sell you? Behold, you were sold for your iniquities, And for your transgressions your mother was sent away.”

If God wants to send Israel into oblivion,
He would not be unfaithful in doing so.

BUT NOW LISTEN TO ME

God would be justified in sending Israel away forever,
BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT HE HAS DONE.

These Jews argue that if one Jew doesn’t get saved,
Then God lied to Abraham.
WRONG.

That promise was not made nationally, but personally.
It was also not made physically, but spiritually.

Romans 9:6 “But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel;”

That promise to Abraham still stands in tact,
Because children of the flesh are not who God was talking about.

Galatians 3:7-9 “Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.”

SO IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT IT IN THAT SENSE.
God didn’t break that promise, they just misinterpreted it.
That promise was to those who had the faith of Abraham.

But let’s go a little further to see the mercy of God at full force.
Romans 11:25-29 “For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery — so that you will not be wise in your own estimation — that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION,
HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.” “THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.” From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

GOD HAS EVERY RIGHT TO SEND EVERY JEW TO HELL FOREVER.
But, despite His right, God will still show mercy, by drawing Israel back to salvation, which is what Paul said right there.

Zechariah 12:10-13:1 “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. “In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo. “The land will mourn, every family by itself; the family of the house of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves; all the families that remain, every family by itself and their wives by themselves. “In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity.”
That can only be Israel.

SO LET ME MAKE SOME SENSE OF THIS.

GOD WOULD BE JUSTIFIED TO TOSS ISRAEL
1) Because He never promised that national Israel was safe
2) Because even if He did, they are the ones who left

BUT GOD’S MERCY HAS PROMISED THAT HE WILL BRING THEM BACK.

BUT PAUL’S POINT TO THIS SECTION IS THIS.
God is not unfaithful to any of His promises.
In fact, God is faithful to judge anyone who rejects Jesus.

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

And God is not required to save one single person
Simply because they grew up in the right family.

Romans 2:11 “For there is no partiality with God.”

God hasn’t broken a single promise, and He never will.
He is faithful.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”

TONIGHT, TRUST IN THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD.

Paul put it best.
2 Timothy 2:11-13 “It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”

If you trust Him, He promises to save you.
AND HE IS FAITHFUL

If you deny Him, He promises to judge you.
AND HE IS FAITHFUL

The Religion Debate
Romans 3:1-2
September 30, 2007

Last Sunday we concluded Paul’s chapter on
“Exposing False Security”.

Paul revealed that if you are trusting in:
Your Moral Goodness
Your Ancestry
Your Knowledge
Your Ministry
Your Works (circumcision)
For your salvation, then you have a false assurance.

NONE OF THOSE THINGS ARE INDICATORS OF SALVATION
And Paul made no bones about saying so.

He concluded that chapter with a wonderful summation of his point.
Romans 2:28-29 “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.”

If you missed the point throughout the chapter,
You would have been hard pressed to miss it there.

IN REGARD TO SALVATION,
God does not require religion, God requires righteousness.
God is not looking at the flesh, God is looking at the heart.

Paul concluded that section with that strong statement.

However, just because Paul concluded the section,
That doesn’t mean we are finished talking about it.

For now Paul assumes there is an argument coming.
Paul assumes that people are going to disagree
With not only those final two verses, but most likely all of chapter 2.

And the first (of 4) arguments against his preaching
Is one that Paul commonly dealt with.

We will call it “The Religion Debate”.

There was continually an argument posed at Paul
As to just how valuable religion really was.

Paul continually cut the legs out from under legalism.
If you thought you were saved because of something you did,
Paul always seemed to have your number.

Paul reminded the Jews that it didn’t matter how religious they were, they were not pleasing to God based upon their religion.

AND PAUL WAS CONSTANTLY CONFRONTED ABOUT THAT.
Perhaps you will remember why the Jews
Sought to arrest him, and put him to death.

Acts 21:17-22 “After we arrived in Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. And when they heard it they began glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law; and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. “What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come.”

Then later,
Acts 21:27-28 “When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, upon seeing him in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him, crying out, “Men of Israel, come to our aid! This is the man who preaches to all men everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.”

They had labeled Paul as one who preached against all of Judaism.

“against our people, and the Law and this place”

He was removing their false assurance of religion,
And they took it personally.

As the Romans read this letter,
They had either heard these arguments,
Or it was only a matter of time.

We will look at the first this morning: “The Religion Debate”.

Let’s look at it in three ways.
#1 THE MISCONCEPTION
Romans 3:1

Here is the first of four misconceptions that the people had.

They accused Paul of teaching
That there was absolutely no value in Judaism
(and all that it entails) or circumcision.
Every time Paul preached, they quickly passed him off as an anti-Semitist.
Paul was just against the Jews.

And that is revealed through their sarcastic question here.
“Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision?”

Certainly they had certain Scriptures
Pulled up in the back of their minds.

Deuteronomy 10:15 “Yet on your fathers did the LORD set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day.”

Exodus 19:4-6 “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself. ‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”

Zechariah 2:8 “For thus says the LORD of hosts, “After glory He has sent me against the nations which plunder you, for he who touches you, touches the apple of His eye.”

Or in regard to circumcision.
Genesis 17:10 “This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.”

And I think you get the point.
They had been taught that being a circumcised Jew
Was what made them different.
Being a circumcised Jew was what made them pleasing.

And now this Paul comes about,
And starts preaching that all of that is insignificant.

And so here they challenge him.
“Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision?”
You can hear their scorn.

But let’s look for a second at exactly what Paul did teach.
We’ve already studied chapter 2, so we won’t go back there in detail,
BUT LOOK AT WHAT HE HAS PREACHED OTHER PLACES.

1 Corinthians 7:18-20 “Was any man called when he was already circumcised? He is not to become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? He is not to be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God. Each man must remain in that condition in which he was called.”
Galatians 5:1-6 “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.”

These two churches make good illustrations of what Paul taught.
• Primarily Gentile Churches
• Had already heard the gospel
• By in large were saved

Paul writes to them in order to say,
There is now no benefit in becoming Jewish.

To the Corinthians, he said,
If you are a Jew; fine. If you are a Gentile; fine.
“but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God.”

Then to the Galatian church.
If they think circumcision is going make them “more” saved,
Then they are throwing Christ aside in order to be saved by their works.

What Paul taught there, he taught everywhere.
THERE IS NO SAVING VALUE TO WORKS

And this wasn’t just Paul.
Peter (when the matter came before Jerusalem)
Acts 15:10-11 “Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

James
Acts 15:19-20 “Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.”

THERE IS NO SAVING VALUE TO WORKS

BUT PAUL ALSO TAUGHT
WORKS DO NOT GET YOU CLOSER TO GOD.

Galatians 3:1-9 “You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain — if indeed it was in vain? So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.”

AT CRAWFORD: The youth through “Lent”
The idea was: to get closer to God through sacrifice.

THAT IS ABSOLUTE NONSENSE

DID YOU COME TO GOD THROUGH WORKS? (no)
THEN WHY DO YOU EXPECT TO GET CLOSER TO GOD THROUGH WORKS?

You get close to God, the same way you initially came to God
FAITH.

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

And this is what Paul continually taught,
Especially in regard to the regulations of Judaism,
And circumcision.

Religious works (even Judaism) do not get you to God,
Nor do they get you closer to God.

And it is that teaching that people are arguing with Paul about.

AND THEY STILL DO TODAY.

People today still think that if they go to church,
They are more pleasing, than if they didn’t go to church.

People today still think that if they read their Bible,
They are more pleasing, than if they didn’t read their Bible.

And when you step up and tell them that there is no saving value
They scoff just like these Jews.

WHY DO THEY SCOFF?

#2 THE MOTIVE
Romans 3:1
We won’t stay here long,
But it is important to understand why people hold such views,
And why they are so angry with Paul over exposing them.

WHY DO PEOPLE ARGUE WITH PAUL’S TEACHING?
Because they like a “works based” salvation.
Because then they get the glory for their salvation.

If you can do something to get yourself saved,
Then you get the glory for getting saved.

And the legalistic Jews were no different.
Remember the Pharisee?
Luke 18:11-12 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’”

And not only do they get the glory for earning salvation,
But continuing in those deeds causes them to suppose
They are closer to God than other people.

WE DO THIS
Wednesday night people are closer to God than Sunday night people…
Sunday night people are closer to God than Sunday morning people…
SO WE THINK

So did the Jews.
Remember how Paul said they viewed themselves?
Romans 2:17-20 “But if you bear the name “Jew” and rely upon the Law and boast in God, and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth,”

Not only did they pat themselves on the back for getting saved,
But they were certain that their religiosity made them closer to God.

Then Paul comes preaching in such a way
As to pull the rug right out from under them,
IT IS NO WONDER THEY TOOK ISSUE WITH HIM.

“Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision?”

That was their argument.
Now let’s hear Paul’s answer.

#3 THE MESSAGE
Romans 3:2

When they wanted to know the advantage or the benefit of their religion, look at what Paul says.

“Great in every respect.”

That seems like that goes against
What Paul has been teaching everywhere else.

It even seems to contradict what he just said in chapter two.
“What advantage has the Jew? What is the benefit of circumsion?”

“Great in every respect.”
Not only is there a great advantage,
But it is a great advantage in every respect.

AND THERE IS THE KEY WORD
“advantage”

THERE IS NO SAVING VALUE IN BEING A JEW
OR IN BEING CIRCUMCISED,
BUT ONE WHO IS A JEW OR WHO IS CIRCUMCISED
HAS AN ADVANTAGE IN REGARD TO ACHIEVING SALVATION
OVER SOMEONE WHO ISN’T JEWISH.

And then Paul gets specific.
“First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.”

There are many advantages to being a circumcised Jew,

Paul lists their advantage in even more detail in chapter 9.
Romans 9:3-5 “For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.”

BUT THE BIGGEST ADVANTAGE
IS ACCESS TO THE WORD OF GOD.

An uncircumcised Gentile had no access to the word of God.
Jews could go to Synagogue
Jews could enter the temple

And we all know how important the word of God is
In regard to salvation don’t we?

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Romans 10:14-15 “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!”

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

If you have two lost men that you want to get saved, and only one of those two lost men has access to the word of God, which one has the advantage?

The Jews had the Scriptures
All of the Old Testament is filled with Jesus.
John 5:39 “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;”

A circumcised Jew had a definite advantage
Over anyone else in regard to finding the true salvation of God.

Of course the problem was they didn’t make use of that advantage.
Romans 10:16-21 “However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have; “THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD.” But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says, “I WILL MAKE YOU JEALOUS BY THAT WHICH IS NOT A NATION, BY A NATION WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING WILL I ANGER YOU.” And Isaiah is very bold and says, “I WAS FOUND BY THOSE WHO DID NOT SEEK ME, I BECAME MANIFEST TO THOSE WHO DID NOT ASK FOR ME.” But as for Israel He says, “ALL THE DAY LONG I HAVE STRETCHED OUT MY HANDS TO A DISOBEDIENT AND OBSTINATE PEOPLE.”

Hearing the word of God didn’t make them saved, but it certainly gave them greater opportunity to be saved, then not hearing it.

AND HERE IS THE POINT.
You may know right from wrong…
You may have Christian parents…
You may have Bible knowledge…
You may be involved in ministry…
You may have tons of good works…

None of those things means you are saved,
But all of those things do give you a distinct advantage
In finding the salvation of God.

IF YOU READ CHAPTER TWO, OR LISTENED TO THESE SERMONS,
AND THOUGHT TO YOURSELF:
“I knew I didn’t have to go to church” or
“I’m just as good as those people who go all the time.”
YOU MISSED THE POINT.

Attending church faithfully doesn’t automatically closer to God.
But it sure gives you an advantage over those who don’t.

I’VE ALWAYS HATED THE ARGUMENT
“You don’t have to go to church to be a Christian.”

That’s true,
But if you are serious about learning how to live like a Christian,
And finding encouragement to live like a Christian,
And finding opportunity to grow in Christianity.
Name me one place better to be.

I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH A GIRL
Inviting her to church, she wouldn’t because she was too confused.

“Do you think you will find the answers by skipping church?”

Christian parents don’t automatically make you closer to God.
But they sure give you an advantage over those who don’t.

Remember Timothy?
2 Timothy 1:5 “For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well.”

Remember what God told Moses?
Exodus 20:5-6 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
That is not to say that if your grand-daddy feared God
You have nothing to worry about,
Nor is it say that if your grand-daddy was a worthless fellow
That there is no hope for you.

BUT I’LL PROMOTE GODLY PARENTS OVER UNGODLY ONES ANY DAY OF THE WEEK.

Don’t get legalistic
Thinking you are saved because you did something,
But don’t get lazy either.

AND THAT IS PAUL’S POINT.
They accused Paul of devaluing religion altogether.
That is not true.

Religion has value, just not to save.
It has value in making you aware of what it takes to be saved.

THE FACT REMAINS:
Only Jesus is the way of salvation.
Only Jesus died upon a cross to satisfy the wrath of God.
Only Jesus rose from the dead putting an end to it’s power.
Only Jesus can save.

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

But don’t stop going to church, or reading your Bible

Those things cannot save you,
But those things can expose you to Jesus,
Who is the only One who can.

Romans 5:8-9 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”

Exposing False Assurance
Romans 2:1-29
September 23, 2007

(Read Verses 28-29)
We have concluded chapter 2 in our study of Romans,
As Paul really took a shot a organized religion.

WHEN READING THE BIBLE
Verse by Verse – gives you depth
Large Portion – gives you themes

TONIGHT I WANT TO SKIM ALL OF CHAPTER 2, TO MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THE THEME BEFORE WE MOVE ON.

The purpose for Paul writing chapter two was to expose false assurance.

Chapter 1 (at least the end) was to reveal the wrath of God.
Chapter 2 is to expose those who think they are safe from that wrath simply because they have convinced themselves that they are.

Chapter 2 deals with people who are in great danger before God, But who have convinced themselves that they are fine.

AS BELIEVERS, WE MUST LEARN TO EXPOSE FALSE ASSURANCE,
IN ORDER THAT WE MAY LEAD MEN TO SALVATION.

You have often heard the phrase in regard to evangelism:
“You’ve got to get them lost, before you can get them saved.”

THIS IS TRUE.
It takes a certain attitude to be saved.
It takes an attitude of brokenness and humility.
Self-assurance, self-righteousness, self-confidence do not lead to salvation.

Jesus outlined the attitude required for salvation.
Matthew 5:3-10 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
In that list there is no place for False Assurance.

Those attitudes are of a person who has correctly diagnosed their spiritual condition, and as a result is crying out for mercy.

That being the case,
We must first lead men to lostness, before leading them to salvation.
This is why Paul starts Romans with wrath instead of grace.
THIS IS WHY IT IS NECESSARY TO LEARN TO EXPOSE FALSE ASSURANCE.

And if you read the Bible,
You will see this is a necessary part of evangelism.

Jesus did it: (Scribes and Pharisees)
Matthew 23:23-27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. “You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. “You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”

Stephen did it. (Sanhedrin)
Acts 7:51-53 “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. “Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.”

Peter did it. (Simon the Magician)
Acts 8:20-23 “But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! “You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. “Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. “For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”

And that is also what Paul is doing here in chapter 2.
Now certainly it won’t be fun, but it is necessary.

In Romans 2, Paul outlined 5 major sources
Of false assurance that people have.

As we study, let us learn to expose this deadly problem.
LET US ALSO EXAMINE OURSELVES.

2 Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you — unless indeed you fail the test?”

The five things Paul exposed.
#1 THEIR RIGHTEOUSNESS
Romans 2:1-6

As Paul pointed out the danger of the immoral pagan in chapter 1,
These Jews were sitting in their synagogue seats giving a hearty “Amen”.

They eagerly condemned the immoral pagan, because they truly believed that they were better people than the immoral pagan.

They worship idols – we don’t
They abandon the natural function – we don’t
They disregard the Word of God – we don’t
We are better people than them.

But in those first 6 verses we were reminded,
That although their sin wasn’t visible, it was still present.

Vs. 3 “But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?”

Idolatry is to misapply God’s glory.
(They may not bow to idols, but they love themselves)
Homosexuality is to reject God’s natural design.
(They may not be gay, but they abandon God’s role in other places)
Apathy is to disregard God’s word.
(They may not outwardly, but if you disobey at all, it is the same)

The point is they were sinful, they had no fruit of salvation,
Yet they were certain that they were acceptable to God.

Their false assurance was based upon their personal righteousness.
And we have heard this haven’t we?

“I’m a good person.”
Holiday, TX – “Home of good people and the fighting Holiday Eagles”

I’ve certainly never attended a funeral of a “bad person”.

That is a false assurance.
WHY?

Isaiah 64:6 “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”

Ezekiel 36:17 “Son of man, when the house of Israel was living in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds; their way before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.”

And of course we are all familiar with the famous:
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

The Rich Young Ruler certainly had this false assurance.
Matthew 19:16-17 “And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

And we could go on and on.
Even today, the world seems to be
Consumed with the “goodness” of people.

Psychologist’s claim that we are all “good” only victims of our circumstances.

A Preacher told me: “Rory, I remember back several years ago, while I was preaching, that it hit me. I could look at a congregation like they are all a bunch of [condemned] sinners, or I could look at them like they are all pretty good people, just doing the best they can.”

That preacher is a “Wide Gate” preacher,
Pushing people down the easy road of false assurance.

There is no such thing as “good” people.
There is only lost people, and redeemed people.

WE MUST EXPOSE THE FALSE ASSURANCE OF GOODNESS
In our own lives
In the lives of those we witness to.

And so Paul exposes their righteousness.
#2 THEIR ANCESTRY
Romans 2:7-11

The Jews had a real hang up with the fact that they believed themselves to be untouchable simply because they were descendants of Abraham.

Remember John the Baptist?
Matthew 3:7-9 “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘ We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.”

Even later in the book of Romans, Paul will blow a hole in this false assurance.
Romans 9:6-13 “But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED.” That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. For this is the word of promise: “AT THIS TIME I WILL COME, AND SARAH SHALL HAVE A SON.” And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.” Just as it is written, “JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED.”

Ishmael was a lost child of Abraham (and his descendants)
Esau was a lost child of Isaac (and his descendants)

The whole Abraham argument was foolish.
Yet Jew upon Jew trusted in the fact that because
They were Abraham’s descendant, they could not be judged.

This is a false hope alive today.
Certainly among Jews, but also among Gentiles.

I specifically remember asking one man if he was a Christian.
He answered, “My grandpa was a deacon in that church.” (I could tell you more of what he said, but it would give away who he is.)

F-A-L-S-E H-O-P-E

You do not become a Christian genetically.
John 1:12-13 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

But do you want more information?
Deuteronomy 24:16 “Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.”

Jeremiah 31:29-30 “In those days they will not say again, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ “But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge.”

Ezekiel 18:2-4 “What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, ‘The fathers eat the sour grapes, But the children’s teeth are set on edge’? “As I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore. “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die.”

Each of those verses remind us that judgment is personal.
And the fact that the faith of the father
Does not automatically apply to the son is also obvious.

Did not Eli have two wicked sons whom God destroyed?
Did not Aaron have sons who made “strange fire” before the Lord?
Was not David’s son Absalom one who rebelled?
Solomon’s son was a fool.

The point is it doesn’t matter who your parents are,
Or if they were the greatest Christians on the planet,
It does not make you one.

And that is what Paul was revealing here in these verses in Romans.

Vs. 9 “There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek,”

It didn’t matter if you are Jewish or not,
You still must personally obey God’s Law.

WE MUST EXPOSE THE FALSE ASSURANCE OF ANCESTRY.
In our own lives
In the lives of those we witness to.

Exposes their Righteousness…their Ancestry
#3 THEIR KNOWLEDGE
Romans 2:12-16

Paul really knocked over a big false assurance here.
The Jews, assumed that because they had the Law,
That made them more pleasing to God.

ALL IT REALLY DID WAS MAKE THEM MORE ACCOUNTABLE.

Even in the gospels, as Jesus exposed this one.
John 5:39-40 “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.”

Paul exposes it here as well.
Vs. 13, “for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.”

Yet today, do we not hear this as a false hope of man?
“Sure, I know about Jesus…Jesus died on the cross….”

You’d think God is going to hand out #2 pencils on judgment day
And ask men if they can answer a series of questions.

Knowledge is not what God is looking for.

1 Corinthians 1:20-21 “Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.”

The Corinthians are a wonderful example.
1 Corinthians 1:26-29 “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.”

YOU DO NOT ENTER THE KINGDOM THROUGH KNOWLEDGE
YOU ENTER THROUGH SUBMISSION.

Luke 18:16-19 “But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.”

WHAT DOES A CHILD HAVE THAT THE RICH YOUNG RULER DIDN’T?
It certainly wasn’t knowledge.
It was submission / trust / faith

Knowledge doesn’t save anyone, it only increases the torment of hell.
Luke 12:47 “And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes,”

I used to have people tell me all the time,
When I would ask them about Jesus.

They would say, “I know He’s always been there with me. He’s pulled me out of a lot of tight jams.”

DUH! “You’re lungs are working aren’t they?
Of course God has always been with you.”

THE QUESTION IS NOT WHAT HAS GOD DONE FOR YOU,
IT IS WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR GOD?

There is no doubt He is God.
We aren’t debating that.
We are trying to find out if you are His follower.

Just because you know He is God, does not make you saved.
James 2:19 “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”

Knowledge is a false assurance. God is looking for faith.

Paul exposes their Righteousness…their Ancestry…their Knowledge
#4 THEIR MINISTRY
Romans 2:17-24

This may be one of the most deceptive and dangerous false assurances on the market today.

People assure themselves that they are saved
Because they are busy in the Lord’s work.

They preach…they teach…they are deacons…they go on mission trips…
they give money…they pray…they read their Bibles…they volunteer…
SO WHAT!

That is useless if your heart is not right before God.
Vs. 21-24, “you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? For “THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,” just as it is written.”

Jesus said it like this.
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”

YOU CANNOT TELL IF A PERSON IS SAVED
JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE IN THE MINISTRY.
(That includes preaching, casting out demons, and working miracles)
NONE OF THOSE ARE PROOFS OF SALVATION.

But today people use their involvement as their source of security.
“I don’t know why I’m under conviction, I know I’m saved,
I teach Sunday School, or I ________________”

That is false assurance.
The Pharisees were the most religiously active people you could find, and Jesus told them on numerous occasions that they were going to hell.

Religious involvement is NOT a proof of salvation.

Don’t allow men to go to hell just because they go to church.
Ministry, when used as a means of security, is a false assurance.
Their Righteousness…their Ancestry…their Knowledge…their Ministry
#5 THEIR WORKS
Romans 2:25-29

Jews thought they were saved because they were circumcised.
LIKE SALATION IS THAT EASY.

Vs. 25, “Indeed circumcision is of value, if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.”
Circumcision can’t save you.

And today, how many times, when I ask someone if they are a Christian, do they answer to me, “I was baptized when…”
I must really be saved, I’ve been baptized twice!!
IT’S JUST WATER!!!!

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

I HEAR PEOPLE TELL ME ALL THE TIME
WHY THEY THINK THEY ARE SAVED.
MOST OF WHAT I HEAR IS INSIGNIFICANT.

Your Righteousness (visible morality) is insignificant (Rich Young Ruler)
Your Ancestry is insignificant (Lost Jews)
Your Knowledge is insignificant (Scribes)
Your Ministry is insignificant (Even preachers will be kicked out)
Your Works are insignificant (God is looking for faith)

EVEN YOUR ASSURANCE IS USELESS
People seem to think if they are sure they are saved,
Then they are saved.

WE MUST EXPOSE FALSE ASSURANCE.

SO WHAT ARE EVIDENCES OF SALVATION?

Let’s start with the biggest
1) LOVE FOR GOD
Matthew 22:37-38 “And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment.

And of course the barometer:
John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
2) OBEDIENCE REVEALS LOVE FOR BRETHREN.
1 John 3:14-19 “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him”

And of course this is a barometer of our love for God.
1 John 4:20 “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.”

Romans 13:8-10 “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”

1 John 5:2 “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.”

3) REPENTANCE FROM SIN
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

1 John 3:7-10 “Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.”

4) SEPARATION FROM THE WORLD.
James 4:4-6 “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Love for God
Love for your brethren
Repentance from sin
Separation from the world
ALL ARE REVEALED BY OBEDIENCE

1 John 2:3-5 “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:”
OBEDIENCE IS PROVED BY PERSEVERANCE

Perseverance reveals that our obedience
Is the characteristic of our lives, and not just a momentary sham.

Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”

John 8:31-32 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

There are many who can fake obedience at certain times,
But it is perseverance in obedience that truly reveals our faith.

If your obedience is not continuous, then it is not real,

If it is not real, then neither is your
Love for God, Love for your brother, Repentance from sin,
Separation from the world.

And if those are not real, you have never been saved.

THE POINT TONIGHT IS TO EXPOSE FALSE ASSURANCE.
There are ways to tell if a person is saved,
But do not allow a person who is not saved
To live in assurance that they are.

That was Paul’s point in Romans chapter 2.

Romans 2:28-29 “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.”

The False Hope of Circumcision
Romans 2:25-29
September 23, 2007

Throughout chapter 2, Paul has been systematically
Exposing all the false hopes of the Jews.

He revealed that their righteousness was deficient…
He revealed that their lineage was powerless…
He revealed that their knowledge was insignificant…
He revealed that their ministry was in vain…

This morning, Paul shoots down yet another false hope of the Jews.
CIRCUMCISION

Today Circumcision doesn’t mean a whole lot, but it did in Paul’s day.

Listen to these Rabbinic oral traditions.
• “No circumcised Jewish man will see hell.”
• “Circumcision saves us from hell.”
• “God swore to Abraham that no one who was circumcised would be sent to hell. Abraham sits before the gate of hell and never allows any circumcised Israelite to enter.”

Obviously it was a big deal to the Jews.
And it had become a false assurance of their faith.

Of course you know where circumcision originated.
Genesis 17:9-11 “God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. “This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. “And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.”

Man recognizes the sinfulness of the flesh, and circumcision was symbolic of the need to remove the flesh from man.
(By removing the foreskin of the procreative male organ)

The problem was when people took upon themselves the “sign”
Without ever entering into the covenant.

And that misses the point.

Romans 4:9-12 “Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, “FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised; and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.”

Even Paul said that circumcision was “a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised.”

God did not justify Abraham because he was circumcised,
God justified Abraham because he had faith.

But the Jews had completely missed the point.

God would send leaders to correct the misconception of the Jews.

Moses tried.
Deuteronomy 10:15-17 “Yet on your fathers did the LORD set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day. “So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer. “For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.”

Jeremiah tried
Jeremiah 4:3-4 “For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, “Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns. “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD And remove the foreskins of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My wrath will go forth like fire And burn with none to quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds.”

Jeremiah 9:25-26 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet uncircumcised — Egypt and Judah, and Edom and the sons of Ammon, and Moab and all those inhabiting the desert who clip the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart.”

But the people had still obviously missed the point.
The false hope of circumcision was alive and well.

Even during New Testament times,
Jews were hindering the church by requiring circumcision
In order to be a Christian.

This of course was why Paul wrote the letter to the church in Galatia.
Galatians 6:12-13 “Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh.”

The Jews were missing the point.
Instead of seeing circumcision as a symbol of salvation,
They saw it as a means of salvation
And began to trust in their circumcision as their savior.

This morning Paul will seek to set the record straight
In regard to “religious works” such as circumcision.
4 things Paul shows us in our text this morning.
#1 THE REWARD OF CIRCUMCISION
Romans 2:25

Paul here begins this point in a very positive way,
And that is by first revealing that circumcision does have value.

“For indeed circumcision is of value”

WHY?
Because it was commanded by God,
And there is value in obeying God’s commands.

Perhaps you will remember this story.

God had selected Moses to go to Pharaoh, and he was on his way there.
Exodus 4:24-26 “Now it came about at the lodging place on the way that the LORD met him and sought to put him to death. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and threw it at Moses’ feet, and she said, “You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me.” So He let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood” — because of the circumcision.”

God was actually going to kill Moses for his lack of obedience.
Obviously circumcision is of value

Consider the New Testament.
Acts 16:1-3 “Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.”

Now obviously, if circumcision had no value whatsoever,
I think Timothy would have most certainly objected.

THE POINT IS, THERE IS VALUE IN CIRCUMCISION.

“For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law”

The value of circumcision is conditional,
Based upon the condition of the heart.

If a person walks in obedience to the word of God,
Then circumcision is valuable, for it is a sign of faith.

THAT IS WHAT WORKS ARE = A SIGN OF FAITH
James 2:17 “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”

SO THERE IS DEFINITELY VALUE
BUT THERE IS A FLIP SIDE TO THE CONDITION
“but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.”

Now that is a very insightful statement.
Paul could have said,
“If you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision is worthless.”

But that is not what he said.
Who cares if you are circumcised, if you willfully reject God?

But Paul went further.
“your circumcision has become uncircumcision”

Paul said, your outward act has actually become the very thing
That keeps you from getting your heart right before God.

Your physical circumcision prevents your heart circumcision.

WHY?
As long as they thought God accepted them
Based upon their physical circumcision,
What was the need in circumcising their hearts before Him?

WHAT THEY THOUGHT WAS MAKING THEM PLEASING,
WAS ACTUALLY KEEPING THEM FROM BEING PLEASING.

THIS IS THE DANGER OF WORKS BASED RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Not only does it not please God, but when people trust in that for salvation, it keeps them from seeking the righteousness of God.

Is this not why the Pharisees refused to seek the salvation of Jesus?
They thought they were acceptable to God based upon their works.
That was their stumbling block.

Romans 9:30-33 “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written, “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”

Romans 10:3 “For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.”

Their righteousness actually became unrighteousness.
Their circumcision became uncircumcision.
AND THIS IS PAUL’S POINT
Circumcision is valuable, it if it is an indicator of a righteous heart, but if it is a cover up for unrighteousness, it holds no value at all.

So first, the reward of circumcision
#2 THE REQUIREMENT OF CIRCUMCISION
Romans 2:26

After revealing the flaw of circumcision,
Paul now reveals what God is really looking for.

“So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?”

Now certainly that statement was a shocker to the Jews.

DID PAUL JUST SAY THAT AN UNCIRCUMCISED MAN COULD BE PLEASING TO GOD?

NO.
That is not what he said at all.
In fact, and uncircumcised man cannot be pleasing to God.

BUT IT HAS VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH THE FLESH.

WHAT DOES GOD LOOK AT?
The heart.

What did Moses ask of them?
“So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer”

What did Jeremiah ask of them?
“Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and remove the foreskins of your heart.”

You cannot be pleasing to God if your heart is not circumcised. God wants the vile, sinful nature, removed from the heart.

And what Paul just said,
If a man will walk in righteousness before God,
Then even though he is physically uncircumcised,
“his uncircumcision will be regarded as circumcision”

THE POINT IS SIMPLE
God wants righteousness of heart,
Not some outward display of religion.
This is why Paul was so adamant to the Galatians.
Galatians 5:2-6 “Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.”

I don’t care how religious you are,
I don’t care if you have fulfilled every ritual,
If your heart is not right before God, it is not acceptable to Him.

So first, the Reward of circumcision; the Requirement of circumcision
#3 THE RISK OF CIRCUMCISION
Romans 2:27

This rings eerily true
To what we learned last Sunday morning about knowledge.

Just when you thought something was beneficial for salvation,
It turns out to be the thing that condemns you the hardest.

Here Paul says that circumcision works in a similar way.
“And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who through having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law?”

Now of course, God is the judge,
So we are not speaking as though these “physically uncircumcised”
Will actually deal out God’s judgment.

But what we are speaking of is
In the day of judgment, those who keep the Law
Will be a witness against those who did not.
Especially if those who did not keep the Law
Owned a copy of the Law and received circumcision.

They obeyed with little instruction…
You disobeyed with much instruction…
They will testify against you.

The point is that when the unreligious perform righteousness,
It makes the religious look extremely bad.

Remember the uncircumcised Centurion?
Matthew 8:8-10 “But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. “For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.”

Remember the immoral woman wiping Jesus feet?
Luke 7:44-47 “Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. “You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. “You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

Remember the tax Collector showing up the Pharisee?
Luke 18:10-14 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

And we could go on and on.
Zaccheus
Tyre, Sidon, Sodom, Gomorrah
The Assyrians, The Queen of the South

Time and time again, Paul’s point rang true.
God looks at the heart, and those who are righteous in heart,
Will testify against those who are only righteous in appearance.

The Reward of…The Requirement of…The Risk of…
#4 THE REALITY OF CIRCUMCISION
Romans 2:28-29

Here Paul pulls the whole chapter together.

TO ALL WHO TRUST IN THEIR RELIGION
Paul deals them the ultimate blow

He shows them the reality of circumcision.

1) THE PLACE IT OCCURS (28a)
“For he is not a Jew is one outwardly; nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart,”

What God is looking for has nothing to do with the outside.
What God is looking for concerns the inside.

In churches today, we continually teach people
How to clean up the outside.
How to dress…how to talk…what not to drink… etc.

It is as though righteousness naturally moves from the outside inwardly.

Matthew 12:43-45 “Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. “Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. “Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”

Righteousness starts in the heart, and then works itself outward.

Don’t convince yourself of your eternal security
Simply because the outside appears to be in order.
By the time you stand before God,
The outside will have long since been done away with.
GOD IS LOOKING AT THE HEART.

This is where circumcision must occur.
You must let God remove the vile, sinful, evil tendencies of your heart.

And you see this in Jesus.
“You have heard…but I say…”

GOD IS AT WORK ON THE INSIDE,
THAT IS THE REALITY OF CIRCUMCISION.

2) THE PERSON WHO CAUSES IT (28b)
“circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter;”

The Jews thought the Law made them safe, but
Righteousness doesn’t come through the Law.

Romans 3:20 “because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”

The Law doesn’t lead to righteousness, the Law leads to judgment.
Romans 7:9-11 “I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.”

You do not get righteous by reading the Law.
You do not get righteous by reading the Bible.
They don’t remove sin, they expose sin.
CIRCUMCISION OF THE HEART OCCURS AT THE HANDS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

It is God who must work that transforming work in your heart.
Listen to what Moses told the Jews.

Deuteronomy 30:6 “Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”

This is what Jeremiah spoke of:
Jeremiah 31:33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

Jeremiah 32:38-40 “They shall be My people, and I will be their God; and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. “I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.”

It is what Ezekiel spoke of:
Ezekiel 36:26-27 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”

It is also what Ezekiel saw: (Old Dry Bones)
Ezekiel 37:11-14 “Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.’ “Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. “Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. “I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it,” declares the LORD.'”

Heart Circumcision only occurs at the hands of God.

The place it occurs The Person who causes it
3) THE PRAISE IT BRINGS (28c)
“and his praise is not from men, but from God.”

When your heart is circumcised, it is not about pleasing men,
It is about pleasing God.

In fact, the Bible teaches that
Men don’t praise you for getting your heart right with God.

BUT WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT REMOVES YOUR WICKEDNESS,
IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT PEOPLE THINK, GOD IS PLEASED.

That is how to be pleasing to Him.

TO SUM UP.
The Jews thought they were pleasing to God
Because they were circumcised.
In reality they were only pleasing to themselves, and to each other.

God is only pleased when the heart is circumcised,
And it is this heart circumcision that merits His praise.

I know this morning that you are not Jewish,
And you probably aren’t struggling with circumcision.

BUT DON’T MISS THE POINT.
It is not about some religious work you did.

Baptism today is much like circumcision of their day.

WITHOUT THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT,
THE BAPTISM WITH WATER IS ABSOLUTELY USELESS.

“For God does not see as man sees. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

He is concerned with the righteousness of your heart,
Not the appearance of your flesh.

And this morning, regardless of your outside,
Your heart can be made righteous before God.
Your heart can be made clean.

It happens when we stop trusting in ourselves, and start trusting in Christ.
Romans 8:3-4 “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

Give your life to Jesus, trust Him only for salvation
(Forgiveness, New nature, Eternal Life, the Favor of God)

Jesus can save us from the wrath of God.
Romans 5:8-9 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”