His Love Ministries

ROMANS 5:6-11 OUR SECURITY IN CHRIST/11 BENEFITS OF TRUSTING CHRIST PART 3

Romans
5:6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the
ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a
good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love
toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more
then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath
through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through
the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by
His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord
Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
 1.    V-5-8 We have the Love of
God poured out in our hearts:
Eph 2:4 But God, who is
rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we
were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have
been saved
Titus 3:4 But when the
kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us,
through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He
poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.
v-6 While we were without
strength (helpless in our sin) Christ died for us( the ungodly)
Isaiah 25:4 For You have
been a strength to the poor, A strength to the needy in his distress, A refuge
from the storm, A shade from the heat;
v-7 Scarcely for a
righteous man, perhaps a good man...and we are neither of these.
 Kid feeding brother in Africa
John 15:13 "Greater
love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
v-8 God demonstrates his
love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us
1John 4:9 In this the love of God was
manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world,
that we might live through Him.
2.    We have the Holy Spirit
from God: The evidence that we have been saved
Eph 1:12-14 that we who
first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him you
also trusted, after you heard the
word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you
were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our
inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of
His glory.
It is the Holy Spirit
living in us which gives us the peace of God, the ability to hope, the strength
to carry on during hard times
3.    v-9  We have a pardon from wrath by God: Changed
our status(justification- being declared righteous) & our
state(sanctification- being made more and more like Christ)
Eph
2:1-3 And you He made alive, who were
dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course
of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who
now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted
ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of
the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
v10
Before we were enemies with God
4.    We have Reconciliation
with God: We are saved by his death and atoning work. Jesus paid for our sins
Colossians 1:19-22 For it
pleased the Father that in Him all
the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by
Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the
blood of His cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your
mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh
through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His
sight
Much
more shall we be Saved by Christ's life: His resurrection proved God accepted
His sacrifice and He is a living Christ
Hebrews 7:25 Therefore He
is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since
He always lives to make
intercession for them.
5.    V-11 We have Joy in God
and from God:
Habakkuk 3:18 Yet I will
rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Joy which of his grace and
goodness, He has provided for us, and not which we have merited and earned for
ourselves:
Psalms 45:7 You love
righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.
 Illustration:
He is there and He is alive:
 Fog
has a way of hiding things. The view from our window may give us a feeling of
security because we can see everything around us. But let a heavy fog roll in
and we tend to feel trapped and isolated. Sometimes this can happen to a
Christian. We fail to see God at work in our lives when troubles and sorrows
come.
 
     In Napoleon's day a great sea battle took place and the British
were waiting to see if their Duke of Wellington would be able to defeat the
great French Commander Napoleon. Men on shore waited to read the message given
by flags. The message came in "Wellington defeated" and then a fog
rolled in. Britain believing the worst fell into despair. Later the fog lifted
and they were able to read the full message "Wellington defeated the
enemy". The same thing happened when Jesus died. The message read Jesus
defeated, but three days later they were able to see the full message was Jesus
defeated the enemy. Are you living today like you are defeated or are you
living in the power and might of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans
8:35-39
 Romans 8:37 Yet in all
these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

ROMANS 5:3-5 OUR SECURITY IN CHRIST/11 BENEFITS OF TRUSTING CHRIST PART 2

Romans
5:3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that
tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and
character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has
been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
 1.    
V-3
We are able to Glory or rejoice in Tribulations through the Strength of God: We
will have troubles because we are believers. Our troubles in life as believers
allow us to not only endure trials but grow stronger through them
It
is strange that Paul should move from the brightness of our future hope to the
darkness which so often envelopes our present circumstances. But he may have
done this in order to counteract Jewish antagonists who denied that Christians
enjoyed the justified life now since they are still struggling with suffering
and problems. Paul contradicts this thesis by showing that the present in no
way jeopardizes the future (5:5).
Whatever the
particular reason was that Paul decided to talk about our present experience,
one should not fail to see the implied comparison with Abraham in 4:19-21 and
his hope in the midst of hopeless circumstances. Even though we as
Christians are in the midst of enormous trials, and we believe in hope against
hope, as it were, we like Abraham will overcome and we will see the promise of
our glorification realized (Rom 8:30).
John
16:33b In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have
overcome the world.
·       Psalms 62:6 He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved.
7 In God is my salvation and my
glory; The rock of my strength, And
my refuge, is in God. 8 Trust in Him
at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
Ro
5:4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
2.    
V-3-4
We have Perseverance (patience or endurance), Character, and Hope from God:
2corinth
12:9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength
is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in
my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
·       Our Character is
tested and proven by trials. The word character should be translated proven
character and it is the word that means a metal purified by fire.
Jeremiah
17:7-8 "Blessed is the man who
trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree
planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not
fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in
the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
The
Divine design, in this life, is to fit us for the next by enlarging our present
spiritual capacity for hope!
"Our
English word 'tribulation' comes from a Latin word tribulum. In Paul's
day, a tribulum was a heavy piece of timber with spikes in it, used for
threshing the grain. The tribulum was drawn over the grain and it
separated the wheat from the chaff."
"The newborn child of God is precious in His
sight, but the tested and proven saint means even more to Him because such a
one is a living demonstration of the character developing power of the gospel.
When we stand in the presence of God, all material possessions will have been
left behind, but all that we have gained by way of spiritual advance will be
retained."
Ro
5:5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
3.    
V-5-8
We have the Love of God poured out in our hearts:
Eph
2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He
loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with
Christ (by grace you have been saved
Titus
3:4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He
saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.
God’s
love has been poured out into our
hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Paul is not talking
about the objective love of God shown to us in the cross (3:25; 5:8), but
rather the subjective apprehension (i.e., in our hearts) of God’s love. For
Paul this is primarily an emotional experience with a force greater than the
doubt inflicted through trials (cf. Phil 4:6-7).
This
hope, the focal point of this section, will not suffer disappointment, because
God loves us and enables us to withstand tribulations. He does this by His Holy
Spirit whom He has given to indwell every justified sinner in the church age
(cf. Acts 2:33; Rom. 8:9). Paul developed the Holy Spirit's ministry to the
believer later (ch. 8).
4.    
We
have the Holy Spirit from God: The evidence that we have been saved
Eph
1:12-14 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His
glory. 13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with
the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until
the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
It
is the Holy Spirit living in us which gives us the peace of God, the ability to
hope, the strength to carry on during hard times
 Note the progression in these verses from
faith (v. 1) to hope (vv. 2-5) to love (v. 5; cf. 1 Cor.
13:13).

ROMANS 5:1-2 OUR SECURITY IN CHRIST/11 BENEFITS OF TRUSTING CHRIST PART 1

Romans
5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ,
 2 through whom also we have access by faith
into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Chapter
1 of Romans Paul says in verse 16 that the Gospel is the power of God unto
salvation.
In
Chapters1-3 He declares all have sinned and are guilty before God.
In
chapter 4 Paul shows that David and Abraham were justified by faith not works
In
chapter 5 Paul starts out in the first 11 verses showing us that since we are
saved by faith we are kept by Jesus’ power not by our own works and Paul gives
us 11 benefits of trusting Christ
Uses
the words through Jesus Christ 6 times in verses 1, 2, 9, 10, 11—Twice in verse
11.
Romans
5:1-11                                      
Having
been Justified: Justification is the pardoning of guilt and the penalty of sin
(legally being declared righteous because Jesus paid the penalty for our sin)
1.    
V-1
We have Peace with God:        
John
16:33a These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace
We
have declared ourselves at war with God because of our sinful rebellion which
means He is at war with us too
James
4:4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world
is enmity
or
hostility with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes
himself an enemy of God.
·       But if you have
trusted Christ that war is ended
Phil
4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of
God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus.
2.    
V-2
We have Access to God: Or an introduction to Grace through Jesus Christ
The
word access means to be ushered into the presence of royalty, Jesus through his
sacrifice on the cross ushers us into the very presence of God.
It
also means a harbor or haven, we are safe now in the arms of God just like a
ship in the harbor.
Eph
2:18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
3.    
V-2
We have Standing before God: A permanent secure position in grace
Eph
2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near
by the blood of Christ., 19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and
foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of
God,
Heb
10:19-22 19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the
blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through
the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and having
a High Priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in
full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience
and our bodies washed with pure water.
Rev.
1:6 He has made us priests and kings
1Peter
5:12 By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you
briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which
you stand.
4.    
V-2
We can rejoice in the Hope of the Glory of God:
1Peter
1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us
again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away,
reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith
for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
·       A hope of heaven
because Jesus paid the price and God promised to save us if we believe that he
paid for our sins.
Hebrews
6:19 This hope we have as an anchor
of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner
has entered for us, even Jesus,
having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

ROMANS 4:18-25 ABRAHAM’S BELIEF LEADS TO HIS SALVATION

Romans
4:18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of
many nations, according to what was spoken, "So shall your descendants
be." 19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body,
already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of
Sarah's womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but
was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced
that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore
"it was accounted to him for righteousness." 23 Now it was not
written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24 but also for us. It
shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the
dead, 25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because
of our justification.
(NKJV)                                                                                   
v-18
contrary to hope  in other words it was
humanly impossible This was too good to be true, it was beyond belief that God
would make him heir of the whole world and give him a standing(eternal Life)
which he did not deserve
Don't
talk about faith, but about the God in whom you have placed your faith
According
to what was spoken: this is a quotation from Gen 15:5
v-19
being not weak .. he did not doubt God even though what God had promised was
too amazing
Sarah
90 years old and Abraham about a hundred
Gen
18:1 Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was
sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day.  Gen 18:9 Then they said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" So he said,
"Here, in the tent." 10 And He said, "I will certainly return to
you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a
son." (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.) 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced
in age; and Sarah had passed the age
of childbearing. 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After
I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?" 13 And
the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, `Shall I surely
bear a child, since I am old?' 14
"Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to
you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."
v-20
giving glory to God.. believing him gives GOD the glory
1John
5:10 He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does
not believe  God has made Him a liar,
because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.
v-21
fully convinced
v22
accounted for righteousness because of his genuine faith
v-23-24
Not written for his sake alone. If Abraham was justified by faith in Christ
then so are we.
v-25
delivered up means crucified, for our offenses means our sins
raised
because of our justification(being declared righteous)
The
resurrection proved that God had accepted the sacrifice of his Son and would be
able to be just and yet justify the ungodly
Colossians
1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Hebrews
11:1 Now faith is the substance (or certainty) of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
The
only good thing about you or me is Jesus Christ, He wants to make us like Him.
Hebrews
4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our
weaknesses, but was in all points
tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews
10:12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat
down at the right hand of God,
Hebrews
12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right
hand of the throne of God.
Romans
10:9-13 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your
heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the
heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will
not be put to shame." 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and
Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For
"whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."

ROMANS 4:13-17 THE PROMISE OF SALVATION IS THROUGH THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH

Romans
4:13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham
or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For
if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made
of no effect, 15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law
there is no transgression. 16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be
according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only
to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham,
who is the father of us all 17 (as it is written, "I have made you a
father of many nations") in the presence of Him whom he believed--God, who
gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they
did;
 Romans
4:13-25 INTRO:
1.    
One
one side we have God's promise, faith, and grace
·       God's promise
Genesis
17:4-5 "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a
father of many nations. "No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your
name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.
·       God's gift of Faith
Staking
everything on God's love and believing what He promised is true
·       God's Grace or Mercy
An
unearned and undeserved gift of eternal life
2.    
On
the other side we have the law, transgression and wrath:
·       The law is a tutor or
teacher to show us where we have gone wrong. It can only show us we are sick
with sin. It can never cure us. When we see a keep off the grass sign, it
usually makes us want to walk on it. This is the sin nature which does this to
us.
·       Transgression or Sin:
If we did not have the law we would never know right from wrong and therefore
we would not be condemned for breaking the law
·       Wrath or Punishment:
Is what we think of when we break a law, it is punishment for doing wrong. We
know if we get caught we will pay for our sin, but God knows everything and
whether we get caught or punished here on earth doesn't matter because God will
punish us if we do not know Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.
Hebrews
4:13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to
whom we must give account.
1.    
v-13-15
God's promise to Abraham and his heirs is not through the law
To
his seed refers to Jesus Christ
v-13
Abraham was 75 when the promise was given, several hundred years before the law
was given to Moses
There
are two Greek words for the word promise. One is conditional and means to
promise to do this if you do that. The other is an unconditional promise, which
is based on doing it out of the goodness of ones heart, no matter what the
other person does.
This
is the word Paul uses here, it means the promise was unconditional
Gen
15:1-21 Is where the Lord made the covenant that was unconditional.
Gen
15:17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold,
there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces.
Hebrews
6:13-19 gives us an explanation of Gen 15:1-21
13
For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one
greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, "Surely blessing I will bless
you, and multiplying I will multiply you."
Gal
3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the
faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be
justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a
tutor. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as
many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is
neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male
nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's
seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Faith
is the key to Heaven:
What
is faith, it is not just believing mentally;
James
2:19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons
believe----and tremble!
Luke
4:33-34 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean
demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, 34 saying, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You,
Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are----the Holy
One of God!"
 Nor is it trusting God temporarily for prayers
or help in a time of trouble
What
is it: Faith is trusting in the right object, trusting in Jesus Christ alone
for eternal life
Acts
16:31 So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be
saved, you and your household."
v-14
If those of the law are heirs then faith is made void
If
I promised to give you a million dollars if you would jump up and touch a limb
in a tree 50 feet up could you do it? No, the promise is worthless, no one can
jump 50 feet high. Even though I am sincere the promise is no good to you.
That
is what the Scriptures tell us, to keep all Ten commandments, yet we can't in
our own strength
James
2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
v-15  The law exposes our sinfulness
Wrath
is the removal of all divine protection,  you can do what you want. In Romans 1 Paul
said God gave them up, God gave them up, and God gave them over
CS
Lewis said that there are two kinds of people, those who say God," thy
will be done" and those to whom God is saying'" thy will be
done" That is wrath.
Our
lives fall apart when God abandons us and we feel the emptiness, loneliness and
worthlessness which leads to despair and depression and who knows what we are
capable of when this happens.
2.    
God's
promise to Abraham and his heirs is through faith
v-16
The promise comes by faith. What works could not do faith does.
1Cor
3:22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or
things present or things to come----all are yours. 23  And you are
Christ's, and Christ is God's.
Ephesians
1:3 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,
·       Not only of the law
but to us of the faith
Those
of the law are Jews and we are the ones of faith, but Abraham is the father of
us all
·       According to grace
v-17
As it is written: quoted from Gen 17:5
gives
life to the dead: God made Sarah's womb and Abraham's body able to have a child
calls
those things: calls us righteous and called Christ sin who knew no sin. This is
the God who created everything out of nothing (ex nihilo)
2
Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might
become the righteousness of God in Him.
·       Having proved that
the law can't save you and that it is by God's grace that you are saved Paul sets
out to prove a third point

ROMANS 4:9-12 RELIGIOUS RITUALS CANNOT SAVE YOU

Romans 4:9 Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. 10 How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.
Abraham Justified before Circumcision
• Religious rites cannot save you
Ro 4:9 Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness.
Paul is anticipating the Jews response to everything said so far. They would ask if Abraham was justified by faith alone, then why did God command him and his descendants to be circumcised?
His response answers not only the question about circumcision, but all other questions about clinging to some other kind of religious ceremony or activity as a basis for righteousness
Uncircumcised... the Gentiles or any one other than the Jews
Ro 4:10 How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.
The order of events in Genesis prove that Abraham was circumcised at least 14 years after God declared him to be righteous
Gen 15:6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
Gen 16:16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.
Gen 17:10 "This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised;
Gen 17:24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.
The argument of vv. 9-10 is that since Abraham was justified before he was circumcised (at least 14 years earlier, 29 years by rabbinic calculations), circumcision and being a biological descendant of Abraham (or any manner of inclusion in the nation of Israel) is not the issue as far as receiving the blessing of justification is concerned. What is at issue is expressed in vv. 11-12
Ro 4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, Ro 4:12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.
Addresses the Gentiles first(uncircumcised) so as to let the Jews know faith is the priority
Circumcision was a sign of righteousness, not the cause
His circumcision was a sign (certificate of authenticiy) of what he already possessed. This point would have encouraged Paul's Jewish readers, who made so much of circumcision, to keep it in its proper place as secondary to faith.
As a sign, it was evidence that he belonged to God and believed His promise. As a seal, it was a reminder to him that God had given the promise and would keep it.
sign of the covenant... a sign that one was of line of Abraham, but the symbolism had to do with the need to cut away sin and be cleansed. It symbolized the need for cleansing which would reverse the wickedness of man. Every time a baby is conceived, we have just produced another sinner.
Sign of the covenant... a sign that one was of line of Abraham, a health benefit, but the symbolism had to do with the need to cut away sin and be cleansed. It was the male organ that which most clearly demonstrated the depth of our wickedness because it carries the seed which produces wicked sinners. So it symbolized the need for cleansing which would reverse the wickedness of man
It was a sign just as Baptism is today. It is the OT equivalent of the NT Baptism. A sign to others that we have trusted in the cleansing of sin by the death of Jesus Christ on the cross to get us into Heaven and nothing else.
Seal... an outward demonstration of the righteousness credited to him by faith
A seal is the guarantee, it shows the authenticity of something like on a college degree.
a seal on a legal document means it is a finished contract,
It also means security.. We are secure in Christ
Hebrews 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,
Authenticity… It’ real
Ownership…He owns us
Authority and power
Abraham did not receive circumcision as a result of his obedience to the Torah, nor is genuine membership in the people of God based on works, religious rites, or inclusion in the nation of Israel. This is what John 1:12 says
Joh 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
1Co 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.
Gal 3:7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.
In verse 12 Paul has only one group in mind—Jews who believe. His argument is that Abraham is not the spiritual father of any Jew who is circumcised, and yet has no faith. Rather, he is the spiritual father of every Jew who has faith—the kind of faith, that is, that Abraham had while he was still uncircumcised.
This final comment about “the faith our father Abraham possessed when he was still uncircumcised” emphasizes a faith that has no desire to rest on the rite of circumcision or any other foundation (e.g., works) other than God’s grace and mercy.
What are you believing in to be saved? Your works, keeping the law, I am a good person or some other ceremony such as Baptism, confirmation, communion, ... What can wash away my sin, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Idea: Accept God’s Gift of Righteousness by Faith Alone
I. Don’t Trust Your Works (4:1-8)
A. God Doesn’t Justify People by Works (4:1-3)
B. God Justifies the Ungodly by Faith (4:4-8)
II. Don’t Trust Religious Rites (4:9-12)
Lessons
1. First, the use of Genesis 15:6 to demonstrate an essential NT doctrine, i.e., justification by faith apart from works, demonstrates the essential, salvational unity between the testaments. Thus the OT can be read with profit by any Christian—a fact Paul appeals to later in Romans 15:4.
2. Second, and in keeping with the overarching theme of promise, is that justification is by grace through faith involving no merit of our own. This passage affirms that we are unable to save ourselves and that grace is our only hope. This being the case, the observance of religious rites, such as circumcision, communion, confirmation, or baptism, for that matter is of no value in securing a relationship with God.
3. Third, this passage, through the use of Abrahamic traditions, affirms the offer of salvation beyond the confines of Israel. Those who become Christians by faith participate in the Abrahamic promise and are children of Abraham.
4. Fourth, this passage teaches that an essential element of justification involves the forgiveness of sins.

ROMANS 4:4-8 ARE YOU SAVED BY WORKS OR BY FAITH?

Romans
4:4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. 5 But
to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his
faith is accounted for righteousness, 6 just as David also describes the
blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 7
"Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are
covered; 8 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin."
 v4-5
Paul broadens the argument to include all men. If a man works to earn
righteousness then a debt is owed by God to man, but as we saw in Eph 2:8-9
that salvation is a free gift given by a sovereign God in whom is supreme power
and authority over all the world and universe.
He
is contrasting faith with works and showing that faith must put an end to all
attempts to earn salvation through works.
Justifies
the ungodly .... only those who give up all claims of righteousness and
acknowledge they are ungodly(sinners) are candidates for justification by God
through faith.
Luke
5:32 "I have not come to call the
righteous, but sinners, to repentance."
David Justified by Faith v-6-8
v-6
Paul now turns to David for support of this argument of righteousness through
faith alone, in Christ alone, by God's grace alone.
v-7-8
Psalm 32:1-2 read through v-5
This
is a Psalm in which David is telling about the forgiveness of the sin which
occurred in 2Sam 11. David coveted Bathsheba, then committed adultery with her
and lastly murdered her husband Uriah.
2Sam
12:13 -14 So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD."
And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall
not die. 14 "However, because by this deed you have given great occasion
to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die."
Each
of these sins that David committed were by themselves worthy of the death
penalty under the Law
 

ROMANS 4:1-3 ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS

Romans
4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the
flesh?  2 For if Abraham was justified by
works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the
Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for
righteousness."
Chapters
4-7 in Romans are the key issues which face all believers
In
Romans 3:21 and 3:28 Paul has stated God's position on how a man is saved and
now in Romans 4:1-12 Paul uses two illustrations to prove it.
Abraham,
Issac, and Jacob were regarded by the Jews as not having sinned against God
3
times Abraham is called God's friend:2 Chron 20:7, James 2:23 and
Isaiah
41:8  "But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have
chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend.
Charles
Hodge points out that Abraham was the centerpiece of the Jews position of
righteousness by works. He was known to them as the father of faith. He was
believed to have kept the whole law. They even believed that the Torah or the
Jewish law had been given before the foundation of the world for Abraham's
sake.
1.
Abraham Justified by Faith
V-1
John 8:39 They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."
Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the
works of Abraham.
v-
2 If Justified by works he has something to boast about
Eph
2:4-10
1Corinth
1:26-31
The
law was not given until the time of Moses...several hundred years later after
Abraham's death
Gal
3:1 7 And this I say, that the law,
which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that
was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no
effect. 18 For if the inheritance is
of the law, it is no longer of
promise; but God gave it to Abraham
by promise.
v-3
Abraham believed...
Gen
26:3-6 "Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to
you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath
which I swore to Abraham your father. 4 "And I will make your descendants
multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these
lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; 5
"because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My
statutes, and My laws." 6 So Isaac dwelt in Gerar.
We
know that Abraham lied twice about his wife Sarah
Genesis
20:2 Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, "She is my sister." And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and
took Sarah.
Gen
12:13  "Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with
me for your sake, and that I may live because of you." To Pharoah in Egypt
Gen
15:4-6  And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one shall
not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your
heir." 5 Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward
heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said
to him, "So shall your descendants be." 6 And he believed in the
LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
Accounted
or imputed is a financial or legal word that means to take something that
belongs to someone else and credit it to another's account. God took his own
righteousness and credited it to Abraham as if it were his because Abraham
believed. This word is used 9 times in chapter 4 alone.
What
did Abraham believe?
1.    
Went
out not knowing where he was going Hebrews 11:8
2.    
Promise
of a son even though he and Sarah were past childbearing age.
3.    
All
nations will be blessed through Abraham 
Gen 12:3
4.    
Promises
in Gen 22:18 of a blessing through a single descendant; Not just a son, but
Jesus Christ
Gal
3:16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say,
"And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your
Seed," who is Christ.
John
8:56-58 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." 57  Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not
yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" 58 Jesus said to them,
"Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."
5.    
God
could resurrect his son Issac through whom all the promises were given since he
was an only child of Abraham and Sarah. Ishmael was born of Hagar his handmaid
and is the ancestor of all the Arabs who constantly cause Israel trouble today.
Genesis
22:9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham
built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac
his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched out
his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the Angel of the LORD
called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said,
"Here I am." 12 And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or
do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not
withheld your son, your only son,
from Me."

ROMANS 3:25-31 GOD’S GLORY IN THE CROSS

Romans
3:25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to
demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over
the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time
His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has
faith in Jesus. 27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of
works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is
justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. 29 Or is He the God of the
Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also,
30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the
uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith?
Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.
 The
worldly spirit of self-ism is perhaps the major reason most Christians are not
aggressive in witnessing to the lost. It is the reason the church, for the most
part, is not moving out into the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The
Christian who is primarily concerned about his own comfort and blessings, even
his spiritual blessings, does not have his focus on God. Consequently, his life
will not be directed toward fulfilling God’s Great Commission.
In
the summer of 1865, Hudson Taylor became tremendously burdened for the land of
China. His biographer reports that he also became greatly troubled about the church
he was attending in Brighton, England. As he looked around the congregation he
saw pew upon pew of prosperous bearded merchants, shopkeepers, visitors; demure
wives in bonnets and crinolines, scrubbed children trained to hide their
impatience; the atmosphere of smug piety sickened him. He seized his hat and
left.
“Unable
to bear the sight of a congregation of a thousand or more Christian people
rejoicing in their own security, while millions were perishing for lack of
knowledge, I wandered out on the sands alone, in great spiritual agony.” And
there on the beach he prayed for “twenty-four willing skillful laborers.”
(Stott, p. 24)
Out
of that prayer eventually came the China Inland Mission. Due to that ministry
and others like it, there are reportedly twenty-five million to perhaps fifty
million believers in China today, despite its officially atheistic government.
God
could use men such as Henry Martyn and Hudson Taylor because their attention
was not focused on their own interests but on God’s.
Salvation
is first and foremost a way of glorifying God. The fact that it saves men from
hell and gives them eternal life, marvelous and wonderful as that is, is
secondary to the glory of God. The cross of Jesus Christ had the most dramatic
effect on mankind in[1]
 The greatest lie in the world, and the lie
common to all false religions and cults, is that, by certain works of their own
doing, men are able to make themselves acceptable to God. The greatest error in
that belief is its sheer impossibility. But the greatest evil of that belief is
that it robs God of His glory.
His Name Praise Him 19 TimesGlorify God 6
Timesglory of God
17 timespraise of God
2 timespraise of His
glory  3 timesThe cross exalts God through
His righteousness
The death of Christ then is for God, it
propitiates God, it satisfies God.
Two, it puts His righteousness on display. who
believed."
The Reasoning by God v27-3127 Where is boasting then? It is excluded.
By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.After explaining God’s provided
righteousness for sinners, Paul considered five questions (in Gr.) which he
anticipated his readers might ask. Two are in verse 27, two in verse 29, and
the other in verse 31. The first is, Where,
then is boasting? [1]If
salvation is through the Law, then men can boast; but the principle of faith
makes it impossible for men to boast. The swimmer, when he is saved from
drowning, does not brag because he trusted the lifeguard. What else could he
do? When a believing sinner is justified by faith, he cannot boast of his faith,
but he can boast in a wonderful Savior.[1]The cross exalts God through His graceEverything was designed by God and achieved through
Jesus Christ. Therefore, the cross is all grace. You look at the cross, it's all grace. There's no works
there. Verse 24, "Justified as a gift by His grace." It's about faith
and grace. It's a gift of grace, all we do is believe. We make no contribution.28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by
faith apart from the deeds of the law.V28 Justified by faith... Nothing in my
hands I bring, only to thy cross I clingEphesians 2:8 and 9, "For by grace are you saved through
faith, that not of yourselves, it's a gift of God not of works lest any man
should boast." At the cross His integrity is put on display
that He might be glorified.29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He
not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30 since there is
one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through
faith.Does God have two standards?No. Look, if salvation is by faith, if it's by faith
that levels everything because even the people who don't have the Law can
exercise faith. If the Law is not what saves, then the Jews don't have any
advantage in salvation. V29-30 Prejudice is excludedHere is Paul's answer to the Jews who might
say that is okay for Gentiles since they do not know the law, but not the JewsThe cross puts God's
holiness on display31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly
not! On the contrary, we establish the law.The purpose of the Mosaic Law is fulfilled and its place
in God’s total plan is confirmed when it leads an individual to faith in Jesus
Christ (cf. v. 20; Gal. 3:23–25). Paul repeatedly affirmed that faith, not
works of the Law, is the way of salvation. He wrote the word “faith” eight
times in Romans 3:22–31! (See vv. 22, 25–28, 30 [twice], and 31.)[1]Ga 3:21-26Do
we then nullify the law through faith?" Because salvation is by faith do
we nullify the Law? And the Greek, the strongest negative, "May it never
be, no, no, no, no way, impossible, outrageous, on the contrary we establish
the Law."Listen,
if salvation by faith meant that God didn't care about His Law, He wouldn't be
holy, right? All God's Law is is a reflection of His holiness. The cross
displays His holiness. How? Because His holiness demands a sacrifice. His
holiness demands a payment for the violation of His Law. So it is at the cross
where His holiness is satisfied. It is also at the cross where sinners are
converted and regenerated so that we can now as new creatures by the power of
the Holy Spirit, Romans 8, fulfill the law. We aren't saved to ignore the Law,
we are saved to fulfill the Law. And we say with David, "O how I love Your
Law." We love the Word, we long to obey.The Law is on display at the cross. It is the Law that
brings you to the cross. The Law was never designed to save, it was designed to
show you how sinful you are. It's the Law that brings you there so everyone who
is ever saved is affirming the glory of the Law. And being saved you now then
affirm the glory of the Law not because it showed you your sin, but now because
it shows you how to live and you have the power by the Spirit to live according
to the Law. And that all happens because Jesus dies the death the holy Law
requires. The law then is confirmed in every way at the cross and therefore the
holiness of God is confirmed.V31 through faith we establish the law. Salvation by
grace through faith shows the true importance of the law byProviding a payment for the penalty of sin
By fulfilling the law's original purpose which was it was to be a
tutor which showed us our inability to keep the law and drive us to Christ
It gives us the ability to obey the law
 Up to that time
the Jews kept the law out of fear of God, that day is gone. Now we are to keep
the law not out of a fear of punishment, but out of love for God and his
amazing mercy
Many times we are stopped from doing wrong because of
the fear of hurting those we love
Think, sin is not so
much breaking God's law as it is breaking God's heart
The
cross exalts God four ways: His righteousness, His grace, His consistency, and
His law.

ROMANS 3:25-26 GOD’S DEMONSTRATION OF HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS

Ro
3:25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to
demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over
the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time
His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has
faith in Jesus.
 The
Righteousness of God v 25 -26
Forbearance... in Romans
2:4 we saw this spoke of a truce between two warring parties and that God
rather than destroying us the first time we sinned he graciously and patiently
holds back judgement so that we might have a chance to repent and be saved
Passed over sins: doesn't
speak of God ignoring sin, but withholding judgement for a period of time since
every sin requires punishment
Psalm 78:38-40 But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, And did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His
anger away, And did not stir up all His wrath; 39 For He remembered that they were but flesh, A breath that passes
away and does not come again.40 How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, And grieved Him in the desert!
Acts 17:30  "Truly, these times of ignorance God
overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness,
but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all
should come to repentance.
In the OT sins were
temporarily paid for by an animal sacrifice and It might have appeared that God
did not take sin seriously, but the cross removed all doubts
To
demonstrate the righteousness of God was shown by Jesus' incarnation (God
taking on a human form), his sinless life, and substitutionary death
That
he might be just and the justifier: God in his infinite wisdom set in place a
plan that would allow Him to punish Jesus in the place of sinners and thereby
justify undeserving sinners without compromising his standards of Justice
Notice
in verses 25-26 that the phrase to demonstrate or declare His righteousness is
repeated(emphasis)
The
Reasoning by God v27-31V27-28
Boasting is excluded by the law of faith
1Corinth1:28 and the base
things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the
things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29  that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30
But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God----and
righteousness and sanctification and redemption---- 31 that, as it is written,
"He who glories, let him glory in the LORD."
V28
Justified by faith... Nothing in my hands I bring, only to thy cross I cling
There
was a certain kind of Judaism which tried to keep accounts with God and finally
come to a point where they felt God owed them and then they could go to heaven
Faith
is a self-emptying, self-denying and casting all our hope of Heaven on Christ
and Him alone
This
reasoning allows God to get all the glory which he deserves
V29-30
Prejudice is excluded
Here
is Paul's answer to the Jews who might say that is okay for Gentiles since they
do not know the law, but not the Jews
Deut 6:4 "Hear, O
Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is
one!
V31 through faith we
establish the law Salvation by grace through faith shows the true importance of
the law by
·       1. Providing a payment for
the penalty of sin
·       2. By fulfilling the law's
original purpose which was it was to be a tutor which showed us our inability
to keep the law and drive us to Christ
·       3. It gives us the ability
to obey the law
 Up to that time the Jews kept the law out of
fear of God, that day is gone. Now we are to keep the law not out of a fear of
punishment, but out of love for God and his amazing mercy
Many times we are stopped
from doing wrong because of the fear of hurting those we love
Think, sin is not so much
breaking God's law as it is breaking God's heart
 

ROMANS 3:21-24 BUT NOW THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD APART FROM THE LAW IS REVEALED

Romans
3:21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being
witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God,
through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no
difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being
justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
 Man's
so called quest for God has gone down so many roads, The Jews have said you
need to keep the Law. Most of the other false religions of the world say you
have to do works or good deeds to get into Heaven, some say you keep coming
back until you get it right and then you can attain a release from this world.
So
what is it that allows a man to be acceptable in God's sight, what is it that
can remove the penalty of the law, what is it that makes a person's entrance
into Heaven a sure thing.
False
religion says do and God says it is done
Verses
21 -26 are probably the most important words ever written
Donald
Grey Barnhouse drew a heart over these verses in his Bible and said this
passage was not only the heart of Romans, but the heart of the NT and the whole
Bible.
 1.    
The
Righteousness from God apart from the Law 
v21-23
V21
Now we come to the great BUT Now of God's Righteousness apart from law revealed
1ST
of all, this but now signals the start of a new train of thought and 2nd
it also show that in this current period of time that the righteousness of
Christ has been revealed
Having
shown the impossibility of gaining righteousness by human effort, Paul now
turns to explain the righteousness that God himself has provided.
Philippians
3: 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and
count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having
my own righteousness, which is from
the law, but that which is through
faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
Being
witnessed to by the Law and the Prophets:
Deut
18:18 `I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren,
and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I
command Him. 19 `And it shall be that
whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him. 20 `But the prophet who
presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak,
or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.' 21 "And
if you say in your heart, `How shall we know the word which the LORD has not
spoken?' -- 22 "when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the
thing does not happen or come to pass, that is
the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it
presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.
V22  Through Faith......all who believe
Acts
10:43 "To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever
believes in Him will receive remission of sins
Charles
Spurgeon said faith is believing Christ is what he said he is, He will do what
he said he promised he will do and then to expect this of Him.
v-22-23
No difference..all fall short of the glory- All 
men of all races cannot meet the standard of complete perfection(glory
of God)
1
Corinthians 11:7  For a man indeed ought
not to cover his head, since he is
the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.
This
righteousness is available to all who believe
All
have sinned- Paul is restating what he has already proved in Rom 1:18-3:20
Nowadays
preachers who speak of the sinfulness of man are looked down on, because they
are always speaking of how bad man is and how you are going to hell, they
forget the fact that the whole reason this is done to show man a better way of
living. It is living based on what God has done and can do with us if we let
Him run our lives. Saying man is a sinner is not just to make him feel bad
about himself, but to make him realize what he can be through God. The motive
is a good one.
2.    
The
Justification by God   v24
Justification
is a word from the law courts which 
speaks of a man on trial before God
This
word means not to make a person something he is not, but to treat him as if he
was that. To reckon or account to him something he does not deserve. If an
innocent man appears before a judge then to treat him as innocent is to acquit
him
 Justification means that even though man is
thoroughly guilty that God in his amazing mercy treats him, reckons him,
accounts him as if he were innocent.
When
Paul says that God justifies the ungodly he means that God treats the ungodly
as if he were a good man. This is what shocked the Jews, they thought this was
a sign of a wicked judge
That
is why the Bible says in Mark 10:15 and Luke 18:17  "Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does
not receive the kingdom of God as a little child
will by no means enter it."
We
must come to the Lord as a little child who comes to his mother brokenhearted
and sorry for the wrong committed and asking for forgiveness, knowing as a
mother who loves her child will receive that child in love and forgive him.
Before
Christ there was judgement, now there is Justification
Numbers
21:7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, "We have sinned, for we
have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD that He take
away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. Numbers 21:8
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is
bitten, when he looks at it, shall live." Numbers 21:9 So Moses made a
bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten
anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
John
3:14-20
Freely
....
this is the word gratis or without charge
Rev
22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears
say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him
take the water of life freely.
By
his grace: the unmerited favor granted to undeserving sinners
It
is not merely a free gift, but a free gift to those(us) who deserve exactly the
opposite given to us while we are without hope and without God.
Redemption
is a commercial term. It was used in the OT to speak of purchasing the freedom
of a prisoner or slave for the purpose of setting them free. Jesus' death,
blood sacrifice, and the wrath of God poured out on Him while he was on the
cross is the price that was paid to set us free.
Leviticus
25:50 Thus he shall reckon with him who bought him: The price
of his release shall be according to the number of years, from the year that he
was sold to him until the Year of Jubilee; it
shall be according to the time of a hired servant for him.

ROMANS 3:13-20 THEREFORE BY THE DEEDS OF THE LAW NO FLESH WILL BE JUSTIFIED IN HIS SIGHT

Romans
3:13 "Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced
deceit"; "The poison of asps is under their lips"; 14
"Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." 15 "Their feet
are swift to shed blood; 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways; 17 And
the way of peace they have not known." 18 "There is no fear of God
before their eyes." 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to
those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world
may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh
will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
 We see the
Wickedness of the tongue of man in v 13-14V13
This expresses the filth of human speech and the rottenness that comes from
within as a grave is sealed to keep the stench or smell in.
They
have practiced deceit: They lie and cheat and show themselves to be sons of the
devil who is the father of all lies
John 8:44 "You are of
your father the devil, and the
desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning,
and does not stand in the truth,
because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
The
poison of asps: They lie about their neighbors and ruin their good names
Asps
are small and so is the tongue, yet they cause much harm to those who feel
their bite
V14
Cursing refers to wanting the worst for someone, expressing it publicly in
nasty derogatory or cutting language
Bitterness
is the public expression of open hostility towards ones enemy
James
3:2-12 - Even the saved sometimes have problems controlling the tongue
The
Wickedness of the Conduct of Man v15-17V15
The words are cited from #Isa 59:7, and seem to point at the times of
Manasseh, who shed so much innocent blood, as to fill Jerusalem with it from
one end to the other. - No regard for life
V16
The word destruction means to rub together or crush and it shows that they live
only to destroy others and make them as miserable as they are
V17
the ways of peace they have not known: They are constantly fighting and in
their lives are in turmoil (the dictionary describes this as confused motion)
they don't know what they are doing.
A man
is never more miserable than when he is a slave to his sins, it is its own
punishment.
NO
God, No Peace, Know God and Know Peace
V18
No fear of God:
Proverbs
1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction
A
Man's true spiritual condition is seen very clearly by the fact that he doesn’t
have a proper submission and reverence for God. Biblical fear consists of an
awe of God’s greatness and glory and the dread of the results of the
consequences of ignoring God's Holiness.
The
Wickedness of Man Condemned v19V19 1st
a man is convicted by the Law. The standard is complete perfection. The
evidence against man is overwhelming. We cannot keep the Law
2nd
Man is condemned by the Law: 
Romans
3:2 The Jews have the written law of God, which came by Moses
The Gentiles have the law
of God written on their Hearts
 Romans 2:15 who show the work of the law
written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between
themselves their thoughts accusing or
else excusing them) 16 in the day
when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.
The
Wickedness of the Works of Man V20
The standard is complete perfection: No man can keep all the commandments
perfectly,
The
law was written to show us our need for a Savior
Galatians 3:10 For as many
as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written,
"Cursed is everyone who does not
continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do
them." 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall
live by faith." 12 Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does
them shall live by them." 13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the
law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"),
14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus,
that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
You see no one ever saw
the evil of human nature more clearly than Paul did; yet this evil was not a
call to hopelessness but a challenge to hope. Paul believed in original sin and
the depravity of human nature. But that doesn't mean he despaired of human
nature.
Once when William Jay of
Bath was an old man he said my memory is failing but there are two things I
shall never forget, that I am a great sinner and Jesus Christ is a great
Savior.
Paul never underestimated
the sin of man and he never underestimated the redeeming power of Jesus Christ
Once when William Roby was
preaching he despaired because of his lack of success and wished to quit
preaching. Mr. DL Moody reproved him when he asked him are they then too bad to
be saved. Paul believed that no man was too bad to be saved. If Christ could do
it for him he could do it for any man.
 

ROMANS 3:9-13 THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, NO, NOT ONE

Romans 3:9 What then? Are we better than
they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they
are all under sin. 10 As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not
one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12
They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is
none who does good, no, not one." 13 "Their throat is an open tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit"; "The poison of asps
is under their lips";
 V9 could refer to the Jews
being better than the Gentiles or the Christians being better than the
unsaved.  But we are no better than the
unsaved because, but for the Grace of God we would be in the same state and be
headed for hell for eternity.
Jews and Greeks are all
under sin- this word under means to be in the power of or under the authority
of sin. Until we are saved we are completely enslaved and dominated by sin.
V10-12 are quoted from
several OT texts:
Verses #10-12 come from
#Ps 14:1-3, and 53:1-3. The first half of #13 from #Ps 5:9, the second half
from #Ps 140:3; verse #14 from #Ps 10:7; #15-17 from part of #Isa 59:7; verse
#18 from #Ps 35:1.
Paul is quoting verses
10-18 from memory, so they are not exact quotations of the verses. He is using
a common technique the Jewish Rabbis used called stringing pearls.
4 times in v 10-18 Paul
says there is none, God is including everyone in these passages, twice he says
no, not one and then lastly he says there is no fear of God
Paul is going to describe
in verses 10-18 the Wickedness of the character, the tongue and the conduct of
man.
V10 As it is written: This
is a common introduction to a quotation of OT verses and it also implies their
divine authority.
1.    Paul now talks about the
Wickedness of the character of man
None
is righteous: Man is incapable of doing that which is right in the sight of God
Ps 14:1The fool has said
in his heart, "There is no
God." They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who
does good. 2 The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see
if there are any who understand, who seek God. 3 they have all turned aside,
They have together become corrupt; there
is none who does good, No, not one.
Ps 14:2 clearly implies
that all false religions are man's attempts to escape the true God
V11 There is none who
understands:
1Corinth 2; 14 But the
natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are
foolishness to him; nor can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned.
Our natural tendency is to
seek our own interests
Phil 2:21 For all seek
their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.
But our only hope is for
God to seek after us, because it is only a result of God seeking us that anyone
seeks him
John 6:44 "No one can
come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
If
men really understood how bad our sin is, how Holy our God is, what the
difference between heaven and hell are, and at what cost God provided our
salvation we would be in a hurry to be saved
V12 Turned
aside: this word basically means to lean in the wrong direction, it was used of
a soldier who deserted in a fight.
Isaiah 53:6 All we like
sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD
has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
2.    Next we see the Wickedness
of the tongue of man in v 13-14
V13
This expresses the filth of human speech and the rottenness that comes from
within as a grave is sealed to keep the stench or smell in.
They
have practiced deceit: They lie and cheat and show themselves to be sons of the
devil who is the father of all lies
John 8:44 "You are of
your father the devil, and the
desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning,
and does not stand in the truth,
because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
The
poison of asps: They lie about their neighbors and ruin their good names
Asps
are small and so is the tongue, yet they cause much harm to those who feel
their bite

ROMANS 3:5-8 AND WHY NOT SAY, "LET US DO EVIL THAT GOOD MAY COME"?

Romans 3:5
But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we
say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) 6 Certainly not! For
then how will God judge the world? 7 For if the truth of God has increased
through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? 8 And why
not say, "Let us do evil that good may come"? --as we are
slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is
just.
 In verses
3:5-8 Now Paul answers the objection that his teaching speaks against the
holiness and purity of God's character
1.   
Objection 3 
If our unrighteousness shows the righteousness of God then isn't it
unjust for God to punish our sin
V-5
demonstrates the righteousness of God
If the unrighteousness of the Jews gave occasion for God
to call the Gentiles then why are the Jews so blamed and criticized
Jude
4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for
this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and
deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
The diamond
is often laid on a black cloth to make it appear even more beautiful
I speak as a
man-- Paul is emphasizing the fact that this unbiblical train of thought comes
from unregenerate or corrupt minds
V-6 Certainly
not...If God condoned sin then He would have not right and fair way of Judging
all men
Genesis 18: 25 "Far be it from You to do such a thing as this,
to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the
wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do
right?"
2.    Objection
4 If the truth of God's glory and faithfulness has increased through my lie or
sin then why am I judged as a sinner…. Luke 7:47
V-7 Charles Hodge --according to this reasoning, says
Paul, the worse we are the better. For the more wicked we are, the more clearly
will the mercy of God be seen in our pardon
V-8 Unfortunately some had perverted the Gospel Paul
preached. They argued that it not only provided a license to sin, but
encouraged them to do so.
This argument is called Antinomianism if we are saved by
grace alone through faith alone, by Christ alone,  totally apart from works then why does it
matter whether we live a righteous life or not. Isn't it good that we sin since
God will be given even greater glory as our Saviour? If you are a real Christian
you will hate sin, and be angry when you and others sin. You will feel bad
because you have sinned.
Men will use any excuse to justify their sin
1 John 4:8 He
who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
Exodus 34:7 "keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving
iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty,
But Paul says that your sin is not justifiable in any
way and God who is righteous and holy will judge it.

ROMANS 3:1-4 WHAT IF SOME DID NOT BELIEVE?

Romans 3:1 What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the
profit of circumcision?  2 Much in every
way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. 3 For what if
some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without
effect? 4 Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is
written: "That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when
You are judged."
 In this chapter are an answer to several
objections which follow one upon another, 
relating to what the apostle had said concerning the equality of the
Gentiles with the Jews; and various proofs out of the Psalms and Prophets,  showing the general depravity and corruption
of mankind,  of the Jews as well as of
the Gentiles; and the conclusion from all this, 
that there is no justification by the works of the law, but by the
righteousness of God received by faith, 
of which a large and clear account is given. The first objection is in Romans 3:1, and is taken from the
unprofitableness of being a Jew and a circumcised person, 
Since Paul has been saying that the Jew and Gentiles are
on equal footing or stand equally before God he asks and answers a series of
questions remove any objections some might bring up
Deuteronomy 33:29 Happy are you, O Israel! Who is
like you, a people saved by the LORD, The shield of your help And the sword of
your majesty! Your enemies shall submit to you, And you shall tread down their
high places."
1.    
Objection 1 
If Jew and Gentile stand on equal ground then what advantage then has
the Jew
V-1 What advantage then has the Jew, or
what is the profit of circumcision?
Psalms 147:19 - 20 He declares His word to Jacob, His
statutes and His judgments to Israel. 20 He has not dealt thus with any nation;
And as for His judgments, they have
not known them. Praise the LORD!
V-2 Much in every way
Rom 9:4-5 who are Israelites,
to whom pertain the adoption, the
glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; 5 of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
 the oracles, scriptures, promises, and sayings
of God - oracle is the word which we get logos or the Word (the words or utterances of God
The OT word contains the truth about
salvation and also the basics of the gospel
The Jew had the advantage of the special
revelation of God's law. Yet this could not save him because he could not keep
it. The law increased his responsibility but demonstrated his inability to live
up to God's standards.
Psalms 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8 The
statutes of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
1Peter 1:23 - 25 having been born again, not of
corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and
abides forever, 24 because "All flesh is
as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass
withers, And its flower falls away, 25 But the word of the LORD endures
forever." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.
2Timothy 3:15 and that from childhood you have known the
Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith
which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is
given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for
every good work.
2.    
Objection 2      Does the unfaithfulness of man make God's
faithfulness of no effect
v-3 What if some did not believe
Isaiah 55:5 Surely you shall call a nation you do not
know, And nations who do not know you
shall run to you, Because of the LORD your God, And the Holy One of Israel; For
He has glorified you." 6 Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon
Him while He is near.
 v-4 Is God's faithfulness diminished by our
unfaithfulness. God Forbid.
Paul knew that the Jewish leaders would
disagree with the statements that God has not guaranteed to fulfil his promises
to every physical descendant of Abraham. But Paul would say that before any Jew
can inherit the promises that he must first come to repentance and faith.
Paul knew the Jewish leaders would try to
make others believe that he was saying God had abandoned the Jews since they
had been entrusted with many promises and the word and were not transformed by
them
Can man change the natural laws of the
planet? The sun coming up, the moon rising, gravity working, the seasons
changing,
No and man cannot change a God who made
promises to the Jews and us that will be fulfilled in response to our belief
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday,
today, and forever.
Let God be true or found true.
As it is written: quoted from Psalms 51:4
When
David sinned with Bathsheba and committed adultery and murder, God sent Nathan
to confront him in about this sin in 2Samuel 11-12 and rather than try to make
God out a liar he confesses his sin. David says he has done evil in God's
sight(in other words he agrees with God)
Psalms 51:3 or I acknowledge my transgressions, And my
sin is always before me. 4Against
You, You only, have I sinned, And done this
evil in Your sight--That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.

ROMANS 2:25-29 WHAT DO YOU CLING TO AS A SIGN OF YOUR CHRISTIANITY?

Romans
2:25 For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are
a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26
Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law,
will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? 27 And will not the
physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your
written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? 28 For he is not
a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the
flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the
heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from
God. (NKJV)
External
Religion cannot replace righteous living
Circumcision is of no avail or the impossibility of rituals
pleasing God
Paul starts to remind his readers that religion without a
heart change is useless
Many today think that because they were baptized as an
infant or an adult, take communion, have been through confirmation, do good
deeds, done more good than bad, or many other things the Bible does not say, they
are going to heaven
v-25 Every male Jew was circumcised as an infant.
Gen 17:10-14 It was a sign that one was of the covenant
community
Romans 4:11 shows that circumcision was a sign of
righteousness
Paul's credentials or resume is in Phil 3:3-7
Profitable- it was profitable if done as an act of obedience
and as a reminder of the covenant relationship with God.
Uncircumcision - If a Jew continued to break the law had no
more of a saving relationship than an uncircumcised Gentile. It was no more
than an outward symbol if there was no heart relationship with God
Circumcision went from being a rite or solemn religious
ceremony practiced in the home to a ritual or practice that had no meaning. It
was done because it was required not because of the love for GOD
V28-29
Deuteronomy 10:16 "Therefore circumcise the foreskin of
your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer.
Colossians 2:11 In Him you were also circumcised with the
circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the
flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
The true mark of
God’s child is not an outward symbol, such as circumcision, but a godly
condition of the heart.
Ga 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor
uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
Ga 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither
circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.
The Gospel of Christ demands an inward change: “You must
be born again” (John 3:7). It is not obedience to a religious system that will
allow one to pass the test when Christ judges the secrets of men’s hearts. It
is the Gospel of Christ that is God’s power unto salvation, both to Jew and
Gentile (Rom. 1:16). If a person has never believed the Gospel and received
Christ, then he or she stands condemned. The Jews, with all their religion and
legalism, were (and are) just as much under sin as the Gentiles—and more so,
because to them were given greater privileges and opportunities to know the
truth
 Lessons
It is possible to think you are okay with God by
what you sayIt is possible to think you are okay with God by
what you doYour walk should match your talk
if you are truly a Christian

ROMANS 2:21-24 DOES YOUR WALK MATCH YOUR TALK

Ro
2:21 You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who
preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?22 You who say, "Do not commit
adultery," do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob
temples?  23 You who make your boast in
the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law?  24 For "the name of God is blasphemed
among the Gentiles because of you," as it is written.
 
V21-23
Paul asks a series of questions designed to show the difference between what
the Jews knew and what they practiced
v-21
First he asks do you practice what you preach
Matt
23:1-5 Pharisee's taught it but did not practice
Then
he speaks of three sins that were in abundance among the Jews
Stealing
- Psalms 50:16-21 ungodly God does not want them teaching his covenant, stealing
Matt 23:14-15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour
widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will
receive greater condemnation. 15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is
won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
James 1:27  Pure and undefiled religion before God and
the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble,
and to keep oneself unspotted from
the world.
v-22  Adultery - Malachi 3:5  And I will come near
you for judgment; I will be a swift witness Against sorcerers, Against
adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who exploit wage earners and widows
and orphans,
Rob temples  - Acts 19:37 
"For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers
of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess.
V
23 Paul goes back to verse 17 and mentions again their boasting in the law and
yet you break God's law and dishonor Him
John
MacArthur says that since it was impossible to keep the law perfectly some of
the rabbis began teaching that learning the law was sufficient, then some
claimed that possessing the law in the form of scrolls was sufficient and
lastly some taught that the Jews were safe from Judgement because they were
God's chosen people to be the receivers and custodians of the law
V
24 quoted from Isaiah 52:5
Blaspheme means
to be evil spoken of, reviled, railed at
This means the
Jews were not speaking evil of God but that the Gentiles were speaking bad
about God, His Word and Christianity because of What they taught vs what they
practiced.
Psalms
1:1-6
Matt 23:27
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like
whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full
of dead men's bones and all
uncleanness. 28 "Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but
inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 33 "Serpents, brood of
vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?
 
Circumcision
of no avail or the impossibility of rituals pleasing God
Paul
starts to remind his readers that religion without a heart change is useless
Many
today think that because they were baptized as an infant they are going to
heaven
 
We
minister to people who are locked up in one way, shape or form:  nursing homes (in bodies that don't
function);  jail, prison or youth
detention centers;  and those addicted to
drugs, alcohol and depression.

ROMANS 2:17-20 THE JEWS PROFESSION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Romans
2:17 Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in
God,  18 and know His will, and approve
the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, 19 and are
confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are
in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the
form of knowledge and truth in the law.
V2:17-20 We see the Jews profession (What they believed and
thought they were doing for the world) 
Paul says all this to show that what he is about to say is not said out
of his ignorance of them
You who rest or rely on the law( the law referred to the
first 5 books of the Old Testament  and
also the Psalms, Proverbs, and prophets which had been given to the Jews up to
that time
The Jews not only had the law, they trusted its truth and
believed it and did not study anything else.   
The problem is not believing, which they only did mentally.
They did not believe in their hearts and with their emotions that this was for
them. They thought they had it all.
James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe----and tremble!
Make your boast in God- Because they were called the people
of God and had been chosen as his vessels of revelation of God and His Word
they thought they had the market on God and there was nothing else to be done
Growing up in church - Pastor or Missionary parents will not
get you into heaven
V-18 To know his will- means to know what is
agreeable to God (what is right, wrong, commanded by Him, what He approves of,
prohibits, and what God rewards. The Jews had an awesome knowledge of God
The word approve means to recognize as
genuine after examination and refers to the Jews ability to know right from
wrong
The word instructed is the word we get
catechism from
Catechism is to instruct orally, especially
by repetition
The Jewish boys memorized large portions of
scripture they had head knowledge of God not heart
2Tim 3:7 always learning and never able to
come to the knowledge of the truth.
v-19 confident that you are a guide to the
blind, a light to those who are in darkness,
Jesus tells them in these verses they are
blind
Matt 13:13-15
v-20 an instructor of the foolish,
A teacher of babes,
 Having
the form of knowledge and truth in the law.
The word form is morphosis which means
external appearance of knowledge and truth 
To the outsider they looked good but to God all their works was nothing,
it was not from the heart
2Tim 3:5 having a form of godliness but
denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those
who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with
sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to
the knowledge of the truth.
Head knowledge of God is not Heart Knowledge
and it will not save you
Matt
3:7-9 But when he
saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them,
"Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8
"Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 “and do not think to say to
yourselves, `We have Abraham as our
father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from
these stones.
Luke 18:10-14 Pharisee and tax collector be
merciful to me a sinner
It is no new thing for evil to be masked as Light in the
darkness, Sometimes the one who promises the most to help you is your worst
enemy and will destroy you if he can
2 Corinthians 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan
himself is transformed into an angel of light.
 

ROMANS 2:12-16 GOD WILL JUDGE ALL OF US ONE DAY

Romans
2:12 For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and
as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law  13 (for not the hearers of the law are just in
the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; 14 for when
Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these,
although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of
the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and
between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) 16 in the day
when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.
 V11-15 Judgement according to
Impartiality
Acts 10:34-43 is the key
V-12 Sinned in the law, judged by the
law
Luke 12:41-48 Faithful steward-- those
having greater knowledge fall into greater judgement
V-13 will be justified
James 1:22-26
You can't have real faith without
works, deeds and fruit
James 2:14-26 says faith without works
is dead but I will show you my faith by my works
V-14 by nature do the law--without
Scripture men naturally know right from wrong and establish laws based on this
natural knowledge
Law unto themselves-- the practice of
some good deeds and the avoidance of some evil ones shows they know there is a
God.
A knowledge which will witness against
them in the day of judgement
John 5:45-47
V-15 their thoughts accusing or else
excusing
1 Tim 4:2 speaking lies
in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,
Eph 4:17-19.
If we want to do something bad enough
we can always justify our actions somehow
1.   
V16 Certainty of Judgement
Secrets refers to the motives of men
·      
Secret
sins will be revealed
Psalms 139:1 LORD, You
have searched me and known me. 2 You
know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. 3
You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my
tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know
it altogether.
Psalms 140:1 Deliver me,
O LORD, from evil men; Preserve me from violent men, 2 Who plan evil things in their hearts;
·      
Secret
service will be rewarded
1Corinth 4:5 Therefore
judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to
light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then
each one's praise will come from God.
Acts 17:31 “because He
has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the
Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him
from the dead."
Rev 20:11-15

ROMANS 2:8-11 THE GOODNESS OF GOD LEADS YOU TO REPENTANCE PART 2

Ro
2:8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey
unrighteousness--indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every
soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but
glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first
and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God
 V8 & 9 Three characteristics of an
unbeliever
·      
Self seeking
·      
Do not obey the truth
·      
Obey unrighteousness
Job
24:13 "There are those who rebel
against the light; They do not know its ways Nor abide in its paths.
4 results of unbelief or the wages of
sin a wage is payment for something you did
·      
Indignation or anger of God
·      
Wrath... anger shown by punishment from
God
·      
Tribulation...affliction, trouble,
persecution being put under pressure
·      
Distress... narrowness of place,  a narrow
place, dire calamity,  extreme affliction
To the Jew 1st and Greek
Amos 3:1 Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against
you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the
land of Egypt, saying: 2  "You only
have I known of all the families of the earth; Therefore I will punish you for
all your iniquities."
V11 Judgement according to
Impartiality (Not favoring another, being fair
when called on to give judgment has no
respect of the outward circumstances of man and so does not prefer,  as the more worthy,  one who is rich, high born, popular, or
powerful,  to another who does not
have these qualities)Look back at v 6 this is how they are
judged
Mt
28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them,
saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Go
therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 “teaching them to observe
all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
God does not play favorites
Acts 10:34-43 is the key

ROMANS 2:4-7 THE GOODNESS OF GOD LEADS YOU TO REPENTANCE

Romans
2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and
longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?  5 But in accordance with your hardness and
your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of
wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who "will render
to each one according to his deeds": 7 eternal life to those who by
patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;
 1.   
V4 &  5 Judgement according to opportunity
Forbearance
is God holding back the judgement we deserve rather than destroying us the
moment we sin
Longsuffering
is sending kindness and withholding judgement or being slow to send it
God
gives us a chance to be saved by repenting.
Repentance is a change of mind, as it appears to one who
repents, of a purpose he has formed or of something he has done
V5
Hardheartedness or being unrepentant - comes from the word sclerosis as in
arteriosclerosis which is a hardening of the arteries 
Here the danger is not physical but spiritual hardness
A hardened heart can disable you permanently for eternity
Psalms 95:8 Harden
not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
Treasuring (or storing) up wrath... to reject God's offer of
forgiveness and clinging to your sin will earn you more severe judgement
2.   
v6 - 10 Judgement according to deeds or
works
V6 This verse shows the right or just judgement of God
1John 1: 5 -8
1John 3:2-11 Says if we abide in him we purify ourselves, we
can't habitually sin, we love the brethren
v7 &10 These are the redeemed or saved in these verses
·      
The
saved are the object of his favor
Those who by patient continuance
1 Corinthians
9:25 And every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now
they do it to obtain a corruptible crown;
but we an incorruptible.
Those who have a holy ambition
Those who are patient in well doing
They run the race with endurance
Hebrews
12:1-3
Next
we see the product of his favor which are also the goals of every believer
Glory the
wonderful condition of blessedness or sinlessness and perfection which is
appointed and promised that true Christians shall enter after their Savior’s
return from heaven
Honor is the privilege of being in
heaven...we are precious to God because are bought and paid for by him when he
died on the cross for our sin
 Immortality or eternal life in heaven
John 17:3
"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and
Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Not only length of life but quality also. No sin, sickness,
sorrow, pain, suffering, loneliness

ROMANS 2:1-3 YOU WHO JUDGE ARE INEXCUSABLE

Chapter 2:1 Judgment according to Knowledge
The Therefore
connects Chapter 1 with 2 and speaks to the Gentile’s sin – the problem is, however, that the Jew and other hypocrites somehow think
he is exempt from God judging him in accordance with that same truth. Thus
he thinks that when he commits the same sins he will somehow escape the
judgment of God!
The
apostle now warned them that they had indeed "practiced" the same
things (v. 1). He seems to have been thinking as Jesus did when our Lord
corrected His hearers' superficial view of sin (e.g., Matt. 5—7). Evil desires
constitute sin as well as evil actions.
Jews who judge
Gentiles hypocritically are without excuse since they practice the same sins
and will also be judged by God in accordance with knowledge and the truth
The Jew who judges Gentiles has no excuse because at the
same point at which he judges another he condemns himself. Why? Well, when he
judges, he admits that such behavior is wrong, and worthy of just punishment
from God, yet he himself knowingly commits the same sins
          Self
righteousness exists because we minimize God's moral standards
Because we underestimate our own sinfulness
Verses 2 & 3 Judgment according to Truth or
Righteously
1Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at
the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as
man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the
heart."
Psalms 9:7 But the LORD shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for
judgment. 8 He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer
judgment for the peoples in uprightness.
          The first
principle by which God judges is that He judges righteously (v2). He judges on
the basis of what really exists, not what merely appears to be.
Paul’s point is that since God’s
judgment is based on truth and not on any fudging of the grades for the sake of
the “chosen” crowd, the Jew is equally held accountable to God. They cannot
condemn others for their sins when they practice the same ones. The Jew of
Paul’s day knew and approved of the fact that God’s judgment is in accordance
with the truth, yet he failed to apply it to himself because, in his zealous
criticism of obvious Gentile sin, he failed to similarly apply God’s revealed
standard to his own life. Paul’s says that God’s impartial judgment extends to
the covenant people as well. When it comes to God’s judgment against sin, we
must all examine our lives, for we have a tendency to throw the first stone,
all the while conveniently forgetting that we all live under the same rules that others do.

ROMANS 1:22-32 PROFESSING TO BE WISE, THEY BECAME FOOLS

Romans
1:22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,  23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible
God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals
and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the
lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who
exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature
rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God
gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use
for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use
of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing
what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which
was due. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God
gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29
being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness,
covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit,
evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent,
proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31
undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing
the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are
deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice
them. (NKJV)
 The Ignorance in v 21, leads to Idolatry
v 22, which leads to impurity v 23
The word wise is the Greek expression
that describes a cultured and learned man skilled in letters. It is the word
from which we get sophisticated, philosophy, and philosopher.
The word fool is the word moron which
means one who has had the opportunity to receive the truth of God and has
deliberately rejected it.
Psalm
14:1 The fool has said in his
heart, "There is no God."
They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good.
Mythology
and idolatry have resulted from man's need to identify some power greater than
himself and his refusal to acknowledge God as that power. Men and women have
elevated themselves to God's position (cf. Dan. 2:38; 3:1; 5:23). In our day,
humanism has replaced the worship of
individual
human leaders in most developed countries. Man has descended to the worship of
animals as well (cf. Ps. 106:20). This is perhaps more characteristic of third
world countries.
"This tragic process of human
'god-making' continues rapidly in our own day, and Paul's words have as much relevance
for people who have made money or sex or fame their gods as for those who
carved idols out of wood and stone.
The expression God gave them over means
that the process envisioned in 1:18-32 is not simply the natural course of
events but an ongoing history directed by a sovereign God who makes decisions
which affect people, societies, and cultures. The thought is truly a frightful
one. It is reminiscent of Pharaoh turning his back on God and God hardening his
heart (Exod 9:16; cf. Rom 9:17).
How can a loving God send men to hell?
He will only when men consistently
reject God, then He will abandon them
If people really want their sinful lifestyles, then the
awesome reality is God will give them over to it. As C. S. Lewis as aptly
remarked, “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God,
‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘Thy will be done.’ All that
are in hell chose it.” The point is, that although Paul is not talking about
hell here, and indeed there is still hope for these people, there is
nonetheless a continuum between their present existence and their future. If a
person really wants God out of their thoughts, as these people most definitely
do, Love has decided to provide a place in the end where they can choose to go
and never have to think about him again.
God only gives men over after He has
shown Himself to us clearly
God doesn't cause our downfall, the
natural law of consequences does
God cannot abide in the presence of
sin, that is why he abandoned his son (Jesus) on the cross at Calvary while He
was bearing and suffering for the sins of the whole world
Verse 25 is a good definition of idolatry
To believe the lie--
2Thessalonians 2:9 -12 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working
of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10  and with all unrighteous deception among
those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they
might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that
they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not
believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
V 26 For this reason God gave them up
Why ....... look back at verse 25
What God gave them up to
Vile Passions.. Homosexuality.. Even
the women lusted for one another.
Paul shows the extent of the moral
collapse by telling us first that the women who are usually the last to be
affected by this kind of sin have fell totally and completely from any moral
standards.
This is why Sodom and Gomorrah were
judged
V28 God gave them over......man
comes to the point where he totally rejects any knowledge of God
He gave them over to a debased mind or reprobate
mind in the Greek means not passing the test
Often used to describe useless,
worthless, metals discarded because they contain too much impurities or trash
in them.
God has tested man's mind and found it useless and worthless.
And
the idea of knowledge always means
“moral or religious knowledge” in the NT. The point Paul is making, then, is
this: Men and women tested the idea of God and having concluded that he would destroy their freedom (after
all, he is the powerful Creator who
has a legitimate claim on all his creation) made the conscious choice to dispel
him from their thinking.
These people no longer have the ability to know right from
wrong
v-29-31 Paul now goes through a list of
words that describe Shameful Human Character, Shameful Human Conduct and
Shameful Human Conversation
In this world it is getting where more and more that right
is wrong in the majority of people's eyes and wrong is right. Our leadership is
just a reflection of our nation with our sins totally uncovered and in our face
for the whole world to see.
There are two
lessons in Romans 1
1.    Because all have sinned only the grace
of God can keep us from living the way these people have in Romans 1
2.    The opposite of sin in Romans 1 is the
power mentioned in v16 of the Gospel of Christ unto Salvation.

ROMANS 1:18-21 THE WRATH OF GOD IS BEING REVEALED

Romans
1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because
what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen,
being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and
Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God,
they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their
thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
 The reason for human guilt 1:18
The
downward spiral of man from sin to idolatry is shown from verses 18-32
1st
of all man knows God in verses 18-20
Next
he fails to glorify God in verses 21-23
Then
man changes the truth of God into a lie in verses 24-25
Lastly
man rejects any knowledge of God at all in verses 26-32
The
downward spiral of man from sin to idolatry is shown from verses 18-32
1st
of all man knows God in verses 18-20
Next
he fails to glorify God in verses 21-23
Then
man changes the truth of God into a lie in verses 24-25
Lastly
man rejects any knowledge of God at all in verses 26-32
Ro 1:18 For the wrath of
God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,
who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
The wrath of God is not
some sudden outburst of anger or impulsive thing; it is a predetermined and
rational act of a righteous God against sinful man.
It is revealed or more accurately constantly revealed. The
word means to uncover to make visible or make known
God has revealed His wrath
as well as His righteousness (v. 17) from heaven in the gospel.53 As Paul would
explain, the unfolding of history also reveals God's hatred toward sin and His
judgment of sin. The moral devolution of humanity is not just a natural
consequence of man's sinning but also a result of God's judgment of sinners.
The final judgment of sin will occur in the end times, but already God is
pouring out His wrath against sin to a lesser degree (cf. Eph. 5:6; Col. 3:6).
Paul described wrath as revealed from heaven because it comes from God who is
in heaven.
"God's wrath is his
divine displeasure with sin. We call it 'wrath' because it shares certain basic
characteristics of human wrath. But because it is God's wrath it can have none
of the sinful qualities of its human counterpart.
God has two ways he reveals his wrath
1.   
Indirectly through natural consequences of
violating his moral law
Galatians 6:7 Be
not deceived, God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but
he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9
And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap,
if we faint not.
2.   
Directly through his personal intervention
or his decisive changing of events so that a price is paid for sin
·      
The sentence passed on Adam and Eve
·      
Sodom and Gomorrah
Deuteronomy
29:23  the whole land brimstone and salt,
and a burnt-out waste, unsown, and growing nothing, where no grass can sprout,
an overthrow like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD
overthrew in his anger and wrath--
·      
The Flood
2 Peter 2:5 
and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;
 The
wrath of abandonment which is removing all restraint and letting people go to
their sins
Psalms 81:11 "But my people did not
listen to my voice; Israel would have none of me.12 So I gave them over to
their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.
This is what God is doing
in this section of scripture:
The
wrath of God is revealed against
The
sinfulness of man
1st
in Ungodliness which is a lack of respect, devotion and true worship of God
2ndly in Unrighteousness which is a result
of Ungodliness means injustice toward other human beings
That is, their sinful
transgressions against God and their corrupted behavior exhibited within human
relationships. In short, all of human life is polluted with sin.
We
see it in any attitude or action that is not loving. Together these two words
show humankind's failure to love God and other people as we should, which are
our two greatest responsibilities (Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:37-39).
Verses 19-27 demonstrate man's ungodliness, and verses 28-32 show his wickedness.
The "truth" refers to truth that people know about God (cf. v. 25).
They suppress this truth by their wickedness.
Further, people suppress or hinder the
truth  by their unrighteousness Here
“unrighteousness” is not so much a general reference to the way in which they
suppress the truth, but a reference to the sinful acts themselves which are
used to hold the truth from one’s sight. Nothing could be more futile than to
think that we can extinguish or destroy the truth through the means of sin. In
the end, all we end up doing is confirming the truth.
The reason for his wrath
is because of their
·       Unrighteousness is a lack of conforming to
the law of God with our thoughts words and our deeds
·       Suppressing 
revealed truth
But
what truth do they suppress? Undoubtedly it refers to the truth about God,
i.e., his power, authority, and the fact that we are accountable to him as
Creator (1:19-20
Even
though God has revealed Himself through their conscience, creation and God's
word they still choose to resist and oppose God's truth so they can live in
sin.
Whenever the truth starts
to exert itself and makes them feel uneasy in their moral nature, they hold it
down, suppress it. Some drown its voice by rushing on into their immoralities;
others strangle the disturbing voice by argument and by denial.
Next
we come to the age old question of is a person lost who has never heard the
Gospel of Jesus
"Napoleon,
on a warship in the Mediterranean on a star-lit night, passed a group of his officers
who were mocking at the idea of a God. He stopped, and sweeping his hand toward
the stars, said, 'Gentlemen, you must get rid of those first!'
Missionaries from all over the world testify
that they find no atheists or people who do not believe in God even in the most
primitive tribal settings. There is always a belief in a god whether it is a
correct belief or not.
All
of us have a conscience and a sense of morality whether we choose to obey it or
not. We know wrong from right.
Why they are without excuse
Because, Even though they
Knew God
1.   
They did not glorify God.... Scripture
constantly demands it
Lev
10:3 Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD meant when he said,
'Through those who are near me I will show myself holy, and before all the people
I will be glorified.'" And Aaron was silent.
2.   
They were not thankful
3.    They became futile in their thoughts or in
other words they tried to  find meaning
in life by dreaming up ways to be satisfied without GOD
Therefore,
to suppress the knowledge of God is to engage in the futility of idolatry.
4.    Their foolish hearts were darkened
John 3:19 "And this is the
condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness
rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
If man will respond to the light or
revelation of God he has been given, even if he is in the middle of the jungle,
God will crash a plane and parachute a missionary in to him so that he can hear
the gospel and be saved.
Every one of us has a God shaped vacuum that
we try to fill with things such as money, drugs, alcohol, love, power, or sex.
1Jo 2:16 For all that is in the world--the
lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the
Father but is of the world.
 
 
 

ROMANS 1:14-17 THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH

Romans
1:14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to
unwise. 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who
are in Rome also. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is
the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and
also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from
faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
 Flow of thought with the three I am statements
I am a debtor v14
So, because I am a debtor, I am eager v 15
I am eager, For or Because I am not ashamed v 16
Because I am not ashamed, why, it is the power of God v
16
Negatively I am not ashamed, Positively, I am eager to
share the gospel
It is a debt to humanity he needed to repay and
obligation, (he had been given a stewardship) and it is the Power of God to
everyone who believes (He had a sense of conviction because he knew if the
Gospel could change him it could change anyone.
1.            
He was not ashamed of Christ, the person of
the Gospel – even though Jesus was a Jew
Jews were a
despised minority and Rome was a mighty and proud city 2.   
The
nature of the gospel is that it is the power of God ........without that power
it is but a dead letter
3. The aim of the gospel is salvation, not
ashamed because of the plan of the Gospel
4.            
The gospel is for everyone who believes...
Believes means an ongoing condition not a one-time event of belief. True faith
is a way of life.
5.            
Saving faith consists of three elements:
·      
Mental - The mind understands the gospel and
truth about Christ
·      
Emotional - one embraces the truthfulness of
those facts with sorrow over sin and joyfulness over God's mercy and Grace
·      
A volitional or voluntary submission of the
sinners will to Christ and trusts in Christ alone as the only hope of
salvation.
V17 the
revelation of God's righteousness - Better
translated the Righteousness from God
·      
The gospel is the revelation of God's
righteousness through faith that He is just and holy and we are guilty sinners
·      
Justification of believers means God
absolves or removes the consequences of our sin which is accomplished by
Propitiation
·      
The gospel is the Propitiation or legal
payment for our sins which is why Jesus had to die on the cross. The legal side
had to be paid. There is no remission of sins without the shedding of blood.
 Salvation is of God's appointing, of God's
approving and God's accepting
To cut off all claims to a
righteousness resulting from the merit of our own works
Now Paul quotes Habakkuk
2:4 The just shall live by faith
This verse summarizes the Gospel
The Law was given to Moses
in 613 precepts or rules of conduct
In the 15th
Psalm they are reduced to 11
In Isaiah 6 ........Micah
to 3 ........then again Isaiah reduces them to 2 and finally Habakkuk condenses
them into 1 rule
The words " The just
shall live by faith" are found 4 times in the Bible, Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17,
Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:38
God established Abraham as
the pattern of faith in the OT and thus calls him the father of all who believe
OT faith was in a Christ to come and NT faith is in the
fact that Christ has already come

ROMANS 1:11-13 FOR I LONG TO SEE YOU, SO THAT YOU MAY BE ESTABLISHED

Romans
1:11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so
that you may be established-- 12 that is, that I may be encouraged together
with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. 13 Now I do not want you to be
unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until
now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other
Gentiles.
 1.   
Paul wants to establish the Romans
V11For I long to see you, that I may
impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established
“I long to see you!” This is the pastor’s heart in Paul the great missionary.
Some of the saints in Rome were very dear to Paul, such as Priscilla and Aquila
(Rom. 16:3–4), who risked their lives for him; “the beloved Persis” (Rom.
16:12); and others who had labored and suffered with Paul. But he also loved
the believers that he did not know, and he longed to be able to share some
spiritual gift with them. He was looking forward to a time of mutual blessing
in the love of Christ.
Paul
wanted to give them God's blessings through his preaching, imparting of
knowledge that they would become rooted and grounded in the faith with deep
spiritual knowledge so they would grow in service to the Lord Jesus.
1Peter 5:2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving
as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but
eagerly; 3  nor as being lords over those
entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;
2.            
Paul wants to encourage
the Romans and be encouraged by them
V12 that is, that I may be encouraged
together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me
He is thinking generally about God
imparting a spiritual blessing (i.e., encouragement; cf. 15:4) to the church
while he is fellowshipping with them in Rome. Through his presence with them
and the blessing worked by the Holy Spirit the church would be strengthened in
their faith, and fortified in their resolve to live obedient lives for Christ
(6:12-14).
Shows the humility of Paul
- none of us knows so much that we cannot benefit from others
Hebrews
10:24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good
works,25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you
see the Day approaching.
Paul
was comforted by the strong faith of the Romans
Proverbs
27:17 As iron sharpens iron, So a man
sharpens the countenance of his friend.
3.            
Paul was hindered from
going to see the Romans
Ro 1:13 Now I do not want you to
be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered
until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the
other Gentiles.
Why
is someone who wants to do the will of God sometimes hindered or stopped from
doing it?
Four reasons we can be
hindered
1.    Sometimes hindered from advancing to the
next stage of God's will because the current
stage is
not complete or in other words God is not finished in this area yet.
Paul wanted to come before
but he had been hindered or kept from doing by an unfinished obligation to
preach the Gospel of God in Greece and Asia Minor
Romans
15:20-23 20 And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ
was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation, 21  but as it is written: "To whom He was
not announced, they shall see; And those who have not heard shall
understand." 22 For this reason I also have been much hindered from coming
to you. 23 But now no longer having a place in these parts, and having a great
desire these many years to come to you,
2.    We are sometimes hindered by Satan
1Thessalonians
2:18 Therefore we wanted to come to you----even I, Paul, time and again----but
Satan hindered us.
3.    We are sometimes hindered by a greater
opportunity
One
time Paul desired to preach the Gospel in Asia Minor (Acts 16:6-7) and he was
prevented by the Lord because the Lord was opening the door into Macedonia Acts
16:9-10
Started
first church in Europe the Philippian Church, it was a beachhead to allow him
to go all over because of its strategic position.
God
often shuts a door to open another one. Today we have the Epistle to the Romans
because Paul was prevented from going to Rome when he desired to.
Re
3:8 "I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no
one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have
not denied My name.
4.    We are sometimes hindered because God is
preparing us for the next work He has for us or God is preparing
people’s hearts and minds and getting things prepared in the area He is leading
us to go next.
What
this means is no matter the hindrance God has work for you to do now wherever
he has placed you. If God is not answering yes to whatever you are praying to
be enabled to do then ask what you can do in the meantime to accomplish His
will for your life. Do not just sit back and wait, continue to do whatever he
has given you to do now and wait on HIM. His timing is perfect.
Concerning
the expression “even as among other Gentiles,” Denney says, “Nothing could
indicate more clearly that the church at Rome, as a whole, was Gentile.”
In
the end it seems best to take “fruit” as a general reference to spiritual
blessing and growth, more in line with its usage in 6:21-22.

ROMANS 1:6-10 PAUL GIVES THANKS FOR THE ROMANS

Romans
1:6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; 7 To all who are in
Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus
Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 9
For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son,
that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10 making
request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to
come to you.
 1.   
The people of Rome
Our practice
always comes from our position or who we are
Note the repetition of the word called: Paul was called to be an
apostle; the believers were the called of Jesus Christ;
They were also called beloved– This
means they are much loved by God, the much loved are those who have trusted
Christ and are also the saints
And they were also called saints. (Not “to be” saints; they already
were saints! A saint is a set-apart one, and the person who trusts Jesus Christ
is set apart and is a saint.) Salvation is not something that we do for God; it
is God who calls us in His grace (2Thes. 2:13–14). When you trust Christ, you
are saved by His grace and you experience His peace.
Saint is a common term for believer in
the New Testament. It refers more to position than condition when used this
way, though the implication of holiness is strong. We are saints even though we
still sin
The salutation reveals the
germ ideas that the writer proceeded to develop later. This feature is also
characteristic of Paul's other epistles. So far Paul said he had a message that
was in harmony with the Old Testament. It was from the risen Christ, and it was
for all people. Furthermore it should lead people to obey God by exercising
faith in Him.
It was common for Paul,
having greeted the recipients of the letter, to move on to a somewhat lengthy
note of thanksgiving and prayer for the church in question (except in Galatians
where he is constrained to move immediately to the question of the gospel).
Such is the case here in Romans 1:8-15.
He Expressed His Care For
Them (Rom. 1:8–15)
1.            
He was thankful for them or Paul praises the
Romans
The personal
pronoun my
reminds one of similar expressions in the Psalms (3:7; 5:2; 13:3; 22:1; cf.
Also Phil 1:3; Philemon 4) and reflects Paul’s deep personal relationship and
dependence on God.
The first thing he wanted to do was to tell them how
thankful he was for their faith and its influence.
Through Jesus
Christ. Christ
is the center of God’s plan for the world: He is the way in which God reached
out to us and the way we in turn approach God
“Paul expressed
his thanks for the Romans salvation and witness in the whole world
Rome was the center of the world and whatever happened there
became known throughout the world
The whole world”— a hyperbole meaning throughout the Roman Empire, meaning the
whole Roman Empire—knew of the faith of the Christians at Rome. Travel was
relatively common in that day and “all roads led to Rome.” It is no wonder that
the testimony of the church spread abroad, and this growing witness made Paul’s
ministry easier as he went from place to place, and was able to point to this testimony
going out from the heart of the Roman Empire.
It was like living
in Washington DC, Las Vegas, and San Franscisco all rolled into one
2.            
Paul prays for the Romans
V9 The statement God…is my witness is a very strong expression, used
by the apostle on other occasions. It probably represents an oath he had taken
to pray for the church with great constancy (2 Cor 11:23; Gal 1:20; Phil 1:8; 1
Thess 2:5, 10). But it is not the frivolous kind of oaths condemned by Jesus
(Matt 5:33-37; cf. Jas 5:12), but is rather Paul’s attempt to communicate his
true love (expressed through prayer on their behalf) for this largely Gentile
church which he had never visited—a fact which may not have gone unnoticed by
the people.
God knows that Paul serves
and worships Christ out of love not legalism or the fear of God
Paul had seen the shallow
hypocritical religion of the Pharisees and the superstitious and pleasure
seeking morality of pagan idolatry
The verb serve is from a Greek verb (latreuo„)
which is connected in the Greek Old Testament (LXX) to ideas of priestly
service and worship. While it may not have the idea of priestly service here,
it definitely suggests imagery pertaining to worship.3
·      
He prays for them always – These saints
were constantly in his thoughts and prayers
We are reminded that the real work of the ministry is prayer.
Preaching is more a result of the ministry of prayer than it is a ministry
itself. A sermon that does not rise from intense and heart-searching prayer has
no chance of bearing real fruit."
3.            
Paul wants to come see the Romans
V10 making
request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to
come to you.
 Paul wants God through his sovereign
will to work it out so that he could go to Rome
God
did later as a prisoner of Rome so that Paul could have a mighty witness for
God
Lessons
1.   
God places a high priority on Faith
2.   
You will never know in this life the
impact you have had on other people

ROMANS 1:2-5 THE PROMISED GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD

Romans 1:2 which He promised before
through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ
our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and
declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness,
by the resurrection from the dead. 5 Through Him we have received grace and
apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,
 The promise of
Christ through the prophets
V2 The
coming of Christ is the prophesied culmination to a long history of
expectation. Jesus Christ is not an afterthought, but the very realization of
God’s plan for the world, Jew and Gentile. Indeed, Jesus himself is the gospel!
Prophets
were all the writers of the OT
Paul next began to exalt the gospel
that God had called him to proclaim. It was a message that God had promised,
not just prophesied, in the Old Testament Scriptures.
The words "his" and
"holy" stress the unique origin of the gospel.
Paul was accused of preaching a new
message by the Jews
1Peter 1:10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and
searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 11 searching what, or what manner of time,
the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified
beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.
Joh
5:39 "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal
life; and these are they which testify of Me.
Christ was prophesied of 333 times in
the OT.
2 Sam 7:12-16, Isaiah 1:18, 53:7–8
with the Ethiopian eunuch is a good example, Is 55, and Gen 3:15- first mention
of the Jesus in the OT
Lu 24:25 Then He said to them, "O
foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have
spoken!  26 "Ought not the Christ to
have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" 27 And beginning
at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things
concerning Himself.
1.   
Paul proclaimed this Gospel was about
Jesus Christ
V3 The reference to Jesus as a
descendent of David according to the flesh functions on two levels. First, it
makes plain that the eternal son of God took on full and complete humanity
(John 1:1, 14; Phil 2:6-11). Second, the explicit link with David is not just
to suggest his humanity, but also to make clear his special relationship to the
line of promise. Jesus met the qualifications of one to whom the promise of 2
Samuel 7:12-16 could be made
The promise in 2 Samuel 7:12-16 is
extremely important in the New Testament and the connection to it is apparent
here (e.g., Matt 1:1; Acts 13:34; 2 Cor 6:18). Nathan tells David, among other
things, that he will never lack a “son” to sit on his throne.
God’s good news concerns His Son,
identified as Jesus Christ our Lord. This asserts Christ’s deity as basic to
His person and prior to His Incarnation
Jesus was born of a virgin and delivered
normally
Jesus was a historical figure written of
by many ancient writers
Roman historian Tacitus in Annals
Jewish Historian Josephus in Antiquities
Pliny the Younger in Letters
Jesus was born of the seed of David,
Mary was his natural parent
Matthew 1:6-16 is Mary's family tree
Luke 3:23-31 is Joseph's family tree
John makes believing Jesus came in the
flesh a crucial test of orthodoxy( or having sound Biblical teachings about
Christ)
1John 4:2-3
Jesus Christ is the center of the Gospel
message. Paul identified Him as a man, a Jew, and the Son of God. He was born
of a virgin (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:18–25) into the family of David, which gave Him
the right to David’s throne. He died for the sins of the world, and then was
raised from the dead. It is this miraculous event of substitutionary death and
victorious resurrection that constitutes the Gospel; and it was this Gospel
that Paul preached
V4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to
the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. The Gr word from
which declared comes from is the word horizon which means to make distinguish.
Just as the horizon serves as a clear divider between the sky and the earth,
the resurrection of Jesus clearly divides Him from the rest of humanity proving
without a doubt that He is the Son of God
The idea of Jesus’ universal Lordship is often connected in
the New Testament to his resurrection and exaltation to a place of power and
authority (cf. Matt 28:18; Acts 2:36; Phil 2:11
The
term Son of God with power is used about 30 times in the Gospels
"A
man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a
great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who
says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make
your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or
something worse." C.
S. Lewis, Mere Christianity,
Jesus was always the Son of God, but the Father declared Him
to be the Son by resurrecting Him. Jesus did not change in essence—He always
was the Son—but in status and function. God appointed the Son to a new and more
powerful position in relation to the world at the Resurrection (cf.
Matt.
28:18). He is now not only the Messiah but the Lord of all.
Jesus
took on a submissive role to the father while he was here on earth
we have received grace and apostleship – a gifting as an apostle which Paul
did not deserve, but we are all gifted and called to be little a apostles, ie
messengers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
V 5 is
the firstreference to the most crucial part of the Gospel-
salvation is a gift from God totally separate from any human effort or
achievement - Eph 2:8-9
Paul
probably meant that he had received the special grace (gift) of being an
apostle.
Matthew
10:1-4 Jesus selected all twelve apostles-
Matthias
picked by disciples in Acts 1:15-26
 Acts 9:3-9, 15-18 Paul was personally chosen
by Christ when he appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus
For
obedience to faith- True saving faith always produces obedience and submission
to the Lordship of Jesus Christ- Romans 10:9-10, James 2:17-24
"The law lays down what a man must do; the
gospel lays down what God has done.
"Someone has truly said that the
Gospel is 'good news' not 'good advice,'
Faith
is obedience to God because God commands everyone to believe in Christ (cf.
John 6:29; Acts 17:30-31).
Lessons
1.     God’s promises
never fail
2.     All we have is a
gift from God
The Gospel is 'good news' not 'good advice

INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF ROMANS AND PAUL’S CREDENTIALS IN VERSE 1

Romans 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus
Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God
 Paul spent
the winter of A.D. 56-57 in Corinth. There he wrote the Epistle to the Romans
and sent it by Phoebe (16:1-2) to the Roman church
PURPOSES FOR WRITING THE BOOK
Paul
wrote this epistle under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for several
reasons. He wanted to prepare the way for his intended visit to the church
(15:22-24). He evidently hoped that Rome would become a base of operations and
support for his pioneer missionary work in Spain and the western portions of
the empire that he had not yet evangelized. His full exposition of the
gospel in this letter would have provided a solid foundation for their
participation in this mission.
As
Paul looked forward to returning to Jerusalem between his departure from
Corinth and his arrival in Rome, he was aware of the danger he faced (15:31).
He may have written the exhaustive exposition of the gospel that we have in
Romans to set forth his teaching in case he did not reach Rome. From Rome his
doctrine could then go out to the rest of the empire as others preached it. Paul
may have viewed Romans as his legacy to the church, his last will and
testament.
Another reason for writing Romans was undoubtedly Paul's desire to
minister to the spiritual needs of the Christians in Rome even though they were
in good spiritual condition (15:14-16). The common problems of all the early
churches were dangers to the Roman church as well. These difficulties included
internal conflicts, mainly between Jewish and Gentile believers, and external
threats from false teachers. Paul gave both of these potential problems attention in this epistle (15:1-8;
16:17-20).
Paul
also wrote Romans as he did because he was at a transition point in his
ministry, as he mentioned at the end of chapter 15. His ministry in the Aegean
region was solid enough that he planned to leave it and move farther west into
new virgin missionary territory. Before he did that, he planned to visit
Jerusalem, where he realized he would be in danger. Probably, therefore, Paul wrote Romans as he did to leave a full
exposition of the gospel in good hands if his ministry ended prematurely in
Jerusalem.
The great contribution of this letter to the body of New
Testament inspired revelation is its reasoned explanation of how God's
righteousness can become man's possession
VALUE
The
Epistle to the Romans is, by popular consent, the greatest of Paul's writings.
William Tyndale, the great English reformer and translator, referred to Romans
as "the principle and most excellent part of the New Testament." He
went on to say the following in his prologue to Romans that he wrote in the
1534 edition of his English New Testament.
"No man verily can read it too oft or study
it too well; for the more it is studied the easier it is, the more it is chewed
the pleasanter it is, and the more deeply it is searched the preciouser things
are found in it, so great treasures of spiritual things lieth hid
therein."
Martin Luther wrote the following
commendation of this epistle. "[Romans] is worthy not only that every
Christian should know it word for word, by heart, but occupy himself with it
every day, as the daily bread of the soul. It can never be read or pondered too
much, and the more it is dealt with the more precious it becomes, and the
better it tastes."
OBJECTIVES
IN STUDYING THIS CHAPTER
1)            
To
be impressed with the all-sufficiency of the gospel
This
first sentence (vv. 1-7) implicitly sets forth the most fundamental facts of Christianity.
In particular, it shows that the main facts of the gospel fulfill Old Testament
predictions.
2)    To see how God's wrath may be directed
toward our society today
Outline of the Book of Romans
Righteousness of
God Revealed or Doctrinal Section Chapters 1-8
Chapters 1-2 Condemnation
Chapters 3-5 Justification
Chapters 6-8 Sanctification
Righteousness of
God Vindicated Chapters 9-11 or National Section – Israel
Chapters 9- Election
Chapters 10- Reason for Rejection
Chapters 11- Future Restoration
Gods Righteousness
Applied or the Practical Section Chapters 12-16
Chapters 12 - Spiritual gifts
Chapters 13- Relationship to Government
Chapters 14-15 - Gray Areas or Doubtful Areas
Chapters 16 - Closing

REVIEW OF THE BOOK OF RUTH

In this lesson we will go through the
whole book of Ruth at one time to get the big picture. 
1.         
This is a story of pure love by a woman named
Ruth for her mother in-law Naomi. Yet the word love is not in it
§ 
A romance that triumphs over racial and
religious prejudices
2.         
It also exalts women for the unique, miraculous
role they play in God’s plan
§ 
Probably the book that best shows the strength
of a woman’s character and purity of motive. 
She exemplifies the Proverbs 31 woman
§ 
We see God’s care for women in the most
desperate circumstances
§ 
A woman of great faith
3.         
Most importantly it is a book about God’s
purpose to redeem all those who will put their trust in Him
4.         
It is a book that shows the Sovereignty of God
§ 
God will take a Moabite woman who is not even
supposed to go into the temple of God until the 10th generation and
will take her from that low position to the highest privilege of being in the
line of the Messiah Jesus
5.       It
starts out in Bethlehem and ends in Bethlehem, the birthplace of King David and
ultimately the Lord Jesus
In spite of the fact that
Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and his two sons (Mahlon and Kilion) are living
according to the spirit of their day (“doing what is right in their own eyes”),
two people (Ruth and Boaz) stand out as examples of those who live by faith in
the God of Israel, and whose lives exemplify living in accordance with God’s
Word. And one of these two – Ruth – is a Moabite, not an Israelite. In the dark
shadows of the days of the judges, we find two individuals whose lives are
truly lights in the darkness. Here is
a story that not only warms our hearts, it encourages our faith by unveiling
the providential hand of God in bringing salvation and blessing during one of
the darkest periods in history.
Whereas the book
illustrates the theological concept of redemption beautifully, its primary
purpose appears to have been to reveal how God often providentially works
behind the scenes to bring His will to pass. Twenty-three of its 89 verses
mention God. Of these, only 1:6 and 4:13, which bracket the book, are the
narrator's comments. All the rest appear in the characters' speeches. Contrast
the Book of Esther, which also teaches the providence of God but does not
mention God once.
"The scriptural message of the Book of Ruth may be
summarized as follows: God cares for needy people like Naomi and Ruth; he
is their ally in this chaotic world. He richly rewards people like Ruth and
Boaz who demonstrate sacrificial love and in so doing become his instruments in
helping the needy. God's rewards for those who sacrificially love others
sometimes exceed their wildest imagination and transcend their lifetime." "The Ruth narrative provided a gratifying
reminder that even in the darkest times God was at work in the hearts of His
faithful remnant."