BAPTISTWAY PRESS Adult Online Bible Commentary By Dr. Jim Denison, Pastor, Park Cities Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas Studies in Romans: What God Is Up To Lesson Four Here s the Solution Focal Text Romans 3:21-31 Background Romans 3:21-31 Main Idea God has provided graciously in Christ a way of rescue for all people through their faith. Question to Explore How can people get out of the mess they we are in? Quick Read All Christians are the children of God by grace and are called to share that grace with the world. Commentary A small boy visiting his grandparents on their farm was given a slingshot to play with in the woods. Heading back to dinner, he saw Grandma s pet duck. Out of impulse, he shot a rock at it, hit the duck in the head, and killed it. He was shocked and grieved. In panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile, only to see his sister watching. Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing. After lunch that day Grandma said, Sally, let s wash the dishes. But Sally said, Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today, didn t you, Johnny? Page 1 of 10 Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations in Adult Online Bible Commentary are from The Holy Bible, New International Version (North American Edition), copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Then she whispered to him, Remember the duck? So Johnny did the dishes. Later Grandpa asked whether the children wanted to go fishing, and Grandma said, I m sorry, but I need Sally to help make supper. But Sally smiled and said, But Johnny told me he wanted to help you. And she whispered again, Remember the duck? So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed. After days of doing Sally s chores as well as his, Johnny couldn t stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed her duck. She knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, I know. You see, I was standing at the window, and I saw the whole thing. Because I love you, I forgave you. But I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you. Where does guilt live in your mind or heart? What past failures sting you? What secrets from your past still bother you? Where does your past enslave you? Are you living with failure and wondering whether you re forgiven? Are you facing tough times and wondering whether you re being punished? Does your past poison your present? How can you make peace with your past? How can you help your class members do the same? It s been said that living with guilt is like being stung to death by a single bee. How do we remove that stinger this week? Who are the Jews? Paul had explained to his readers that Jews and Gentiles alike were in need of the grace of God. Jewish Christians had no right to feel superior to Gentile converts. And Gentile Christians had no right to feel superior to Jews who were not yet followers of Jesus. The unity of the church is not found in our merit but God s mercy. We are beggars helping other beggars find bread. Romans 3 makes this argument practical and personal. Here Paul quoted statement after statement from the Old Testament to prove that none are righteous before a holy God. The Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God (Romans 3:2), but they have not kept them any more perfectly than the Gentiles. Paul s readers obviously understood his reference to Jews and their history, but some in your class may not. So let s take a moment to understand the background of Paul s argument so we can see why it is still relevant for our lives and churches today. Israel in the Bible The history of Israel begins with God s call to Abram (later called Abraham) from Ur of the Chaldees around 2000 B.C. (Genesis 12). Abram had lived in this part of Page 2 of 10
Mesopotamia (southeastern Turkey today) with his father s family before beginning a pilgrimage west. He followed God s call to Canaan, the land that would later become Israel. His son Isaac became the father of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel (one who wrestles with God) after a dramatic encounter with the Lord (Gen. 32:28). Jacob/Israel became the father of twelve sons. The families of these twelve sons would eventually constitute the twelve tribes of Israel. Israel s son Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery in Egypt. There Joseph rose to become second to Pharaoh in power. When his brothers families became threatened by famine, they joined him in Egypt. The Jewish people would remain in Egypt for 400 years, until they were liberated by Moses (the Exodus) and led to the land God had promised Abraham centuries earlier. Under Moses successor Joshua, the people crossed the flooded Jordan River, captured Jericho, and took the land that would be identified with them throughout history (about 1200-1020 B.C.). The nation was first led by a series of rulers called judges, until the people asked God for a king. He gave them Saul, who was followed by David, their most beloved ruler. David s son Solomon (about 961-922 B.C.) led the nation to its greatest heights of wealth and prosperity. Solomon s son Rehoboam was such a cruel ruler, however, that the nation divided. The ten northern tribes rebelled and became known as Israel, while the two southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin became known as Judah (the far larger tribe of the two). In 722 B.C., the Assyrian nation (area of modern-day Syria and northern Iraq) conquered the ten northern tribes and assimilated most of their people. From this point forward, Jewish history focuses on Judah. (Jew is derived from the Hebrew for Judah.) In 586 B.C., the armies of Babylon (area of modern-day Iraq) conquered and enslaved the people of Judah. The rise of Persia (area of modern-day Iran) led to the demise of the Babylonian empire and liberated the Jews (about 538 B.C.). Most of the Jews returned to their homeland. They rebuilt the temple first constructed under Solomon, making this the Second Temple period of Jewish history. The Greek empire displaced the Persian and thus controlled the Jewish nation. After rebelling against the Greek authorities, the Jewish nation was independent and autonomous from 166 to 63 B.C. In 63 B.C. the Roman general Pompey annexed Israel for the Empire. During the ministry of Jesus, Israel was an occupied country. In A.D. 66, the Jews began their First Revolt. Roman armies crushed their rebellion and destroyed the temple in A.D. 70. After a second Jewish revolt (A.D. 132-35), Rome scattered the Jewish people and renamed the area Palestine. (The name Palestine is from Philistines, the ancient people who lived on the Mediterranean coast centuries earlier). From this time until 1948, there was no geo-political nation called Israel. Page 3 of 10
Israel as a political state Following World War I, Britain was given control of the region, an arrangement confirmed by the League of Nations in 1920. This mandate also affirmed the British effort to create a national Jewish homeland in Palestine. Jewish settlers began migrating to the area in ever-greater numbers, buying land and building homes. As tensions in the area mounted, the British relinquished their mandate over the region after World War II and placed the Palestinian situation in the hands of the newly-formed United Nations. The eventual result was the 1947 Partition Plan that divided the nation along demographic lines (Arab territory where Arabs lived, Jewish territory where Jews lived). But the Arabs opposed this proposal, for they were unwilling to consider Jewish independence in the region. In response, David Ben Gurion, chairman of the Jewish National Council, led the Council to proclaim the birth of a new Jewish nation in the land of Israel. By declaration, on May 14, 1948, the State of Israel was born. The Jewish War of Independence (1948-49) conquered the land except for the Gaza Strip (in the southwestern region, along the Mediterranean Sea) and the West Bank of the Jordan River. The 1956 Sinai campaign enabled Israel to conquer Gaza and the Sinai peninsula. In 1967, Israel responded to Arab plans to destroy the Israeli nation, taking the West Bank and the Golan Heights (to the north, along the border with Syria). In the 1973 war, Israel annexed the Golan Heights as part of the nation. The 1979 Camp David accords brought peace between Israel and Egypt, in exchange for Israel s return of the Sinai to Egypt. In 1994, Israel signed a peace treaty with Jordan (the nation to their east, across the Jordan River). In 1993, Yasser Arafat (chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization) recognized Israel s right to exist. Later that year, the two nations signed a Declaration of Principles that led to Palestinian self-rule in the Gaza Strip and the area around Jericho. In 1997, Palestinian autonomy was expanded to most of the West Bank area. The area enjoyed relative peace until an Intifada (Arabic for uprising) began in September 2000 following the visit of political leader Ariel Sharon to the Temple Mount (the remains of the Jewish temple area). A peace accord signed with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in 2005 brought about a lessening of tensions in the region. Israel political and spiritual This very brief history illustrates the fact that there are two answers to our question, Who are the Jews? One is racial: the Jews are descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob. They stand in the lineage of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The other answer is religious: Jews are people who follow the teachings of Moses and worship Yahweh as their only God. Paul distinguished clearly between the two, as we noted last week: a Page 4 of 10
man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code (Rom. 2:29). The nation of Israel is similarly an ambiguous term. By it we can refer to the Jewish people from Abraham to today, scattered around the world. (At present, more Jews live outside Israel than within its borders.) Or, we can refer to the State of Israel as it was official constituted in 1948. Many believe the people of Israel today include all God s children who follow Christ as Lord, Jews and Gentiles alike. Paul s statement seems clear: You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham s seed, and heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3:26-29). When Paul asked, What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? (Rom. 3:1), he meant the question spiritually. He answered it quickly: Much in every way! (3:2a), for the Jews have been given the very revelation of God himself. However, they have not followed its teachings, so that they are in need of the grace of God in Christ. It was and is not enough to be descended from Abraham, to accept the Jewish law, or to live in Israel. All Jews need Jesus, as do we all. What is the answer to our problem? Our problem is simple: sin. Jews and Gentiles alike are under sin, Paul claimed (3:9). God s word in the Old Testament agrees: There is no one righteous, not even one (3:10, quoting Psalm 14:1). Our words are sinful and deceitful (Rom. 3:13-14, quoting Psalms 5:9; 140:3; 10:7). Our actions are likewise war-like and sinful (Rom. 3:15-18, quoting Isaiah 59:7, 8; Ps. 36:1). The purpose of the law is not to save us from sin, for none of us can keep it perfectly. Rather, through the law we become conscious of sin (Rom. 3:20). When we measure ourselves by God s standards, we see how short we have come and how sinful we are. God gave the law to show us our need for grace. Here s the good news: But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify (3:21). But now turns from the problem to the solution, from our guilt to God s grace. If our salvation rested solely in our ability to keep the law, all would be lost. Conversely, if this solution were not attested by the law and the prophets, we could not trust it. So what is this righteousness that God has made available to us? Page 5 of 10
How can we be right with God? The Old Testament word for righteousness is tsedeq, a Hebrew word meaning to be put right. The term is legal in nature, describing a person who has been cleared of all charges. Its Greek correspondent, dikaiosune, is the word used by Paul in our text. It means to be declared innocent of all crime, to be found not guilty by the court. This righteousness is described in both the law and the prophets. The law pictures it in Genesis 15:6, where Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. Psalm 32:1-2 points to this possibility: Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. How do we achieve this status? The prophet Habakkuk quoted this promise from God: the righteous will live by his faith (Habakkuk 2:4). Faith in whom? Paul s answer is clear: this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe (Rom. 3:22a). Faith (pistis in the Greek) transcends intellectual assent, describing personal trust and unconditional commitment. Why do we need such faith in Jesus Christ? Because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (3:23). Sinned (hamartano) means to miss the mark. The word translated fall short means can be translated as to be lacking, to fail to reach. Because of our sins and failures, we all fail to reach the glory of God, that glory we had with the Lord before the Fall (see Gen. 1:26-28; Ps. 8:5-6; Colossians 3:10). We are not what we were or what we were made to be. We cannot enter the perfect presence of a perfect God. We are barred from God s glory by our sins. However, we are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:24). Justified is another translation for dikaiosune, meaning to be made righteous. This experience comes freely by his grace, not as the result of our legalism or religious works (see Ephesians 2:8-9). We have experienced redemption, a word that means to redeem a slave from his master by paying his debts. The Jews were redeemed from their Egyptian masters through the Exodus, even as we can be redeemed from our slavery to sin. This payment came by Christ Jesus. How? God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood (Rom. 3:25a). Sacrifice translates hilasterion, the means or place of expiating or paying for our sins. The mercy seat was this place in the Jewish temple. There the High Priest brought the sacrifice for the people, as God by his grace transferred their guilt to the Page 6 of 10
innocent animal. In the same way, God himself presented the sacrifice of atonement in his Son s death for us. This sacrifice becomes real for us through faith in his blood, as we trust in his death to pay the penalty of our sins. God s decision to send his Son as the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world (Revelation 13:8) was made for this reason: to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished (Rom. 3:25). God could not be holy and just without punishing sin, any more than a righteous judge can allow a criminal to go free. In his forbearance (passing by or letting go in the Greek), God did not punish us as we deserved. This was because God knew his Son would come to pay the debt we owed. So he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus (3:26). By sending his innocent Son to die in our place, God is both just and the one who justifies. The demands of the law are met, and yet God s loving desire that all come to repentance and faith is fulfilled (see 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4). So we must not boast in our eternal life in Christ, for we have received salvation only by God s grace, not through our merits (Rom. 3:27). To the contrary, a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law (3:28). As we cannot boast in our previous legalistic deeds (2:17-24), so we cannot brag now about our salvation. Since the law could only condemn the guilty and never pardon the innocent, our salvation cannot result from legal justification. Salvation is the result of grace, not of works. How can we be right with each other? This discussion leads to another expression of Paul s concern for unity in the church: Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too (3:29). If salvation came through the Jewish law, it would be reasonable to exclude the Gentiles. But since salvation has come by grace rather than law, all can experience its blessings. Paul s logic is inescapable if there is only one God (3:30a). Any Jew would recognize the allusion to the Shema, the central declaration of Judaism: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one (Deuteronomy 6:4). This statement functioned in the Jewish faith as the profession Jesus is Lord functions in our churches. All Jews believed that there is only one God. Yet the Gentiles did not know God s law and thus could not come to God through its truth. So how could God be the only God of all the world? In this way: God will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith (Rom. 3:30b). All cannot be circumcised, but all can have faith in Jesus. All cannot know the law, but all can ask for grace. Page 7 of 10
Paul expected to be accused of antinomianism (denying the value of the law). So he concluded his discussion by asking his opponent s question: Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? (3:31a). That is, if this is true, is not the law null and void? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law (3:31b). We show that the law is still God s word for our lives, still God s expectation for our actions, still God s standard for our conduct. But Paul s theology also admitted the reality that none could keep the law. Thus all must be saved by grace (see Rom. 1:16-17). Our unity in grace transcends all other issues that divide Christians today. I know Presbyterians who disagree with me about infant baptism and the doctrine of election, but they have been saved by the same grace that has saved me. I know Catholics who disagree with me about local church autonomy and the priesthood of every believer, but they have been saved by the same grace that has saved me. I know Baptists who disagree with me regarding denominational politics, but we have the same Savior and Lord. If God is your Father, you are my brother or sister. We will be in the same family forever. Conclusion Why is Romans 3 part of God s word for us today? For the simple reason that we are as tempted by legalism as anyone in the first century. Last week we admitted that selfrighteousness and legalistic superiority are still tests of our faith. We are no better than those who attend the Bible studies we teach, or those who do not. If we are saved, we are all saved by the same grace. This week we must admit the other side of the issue: guilt is also a test of our faith. Living with the mistakes of our past and dealing with the shame we cannot confess to others are very real problems for most of us. We see Christians who seem to live with peace and purpose, and we wonder why we cannot. But we cannot see the turmoil of their souls any more than they can see the pain in ours. The answer for us all is to come to the cross. Know that Jesus died for every sin you have ever committed and for every sin you will ever commit. Know that Jesus blood has cancelled your debt, no matter how large it seems to you. Know that your Father loves and likes you and that he wants to spend eternity with you. Give your guilt to God s grace, and you ll find freedom in God s forgiveness and love. In the modern world, truth was objective and logical. Now, in the postmodern world, truth is personal and subjective. The best way to convince people that you and I have experienced the forgiveness of our sins is to show them the peace we have found in our souls. Then we can invite them to experience such grace for themselves. Here are the steps I often encourage people to take when they talk with me about their past and its guilt. Page 8 of 10
First, make a spiritual inventory. Take a piece of paper and a pen, and get alone with God. Ask God s Spirit to show you everything that is wrong between you and him, and write down what comes to mind. Be specific and honest. Then confess these sins individually to God, asking God s forgiveness and claiming the promise of God s grace (1 John 1:9). Now throw the paper away. Second, ask the Lord whether you must do something else about the sins you have confessed to him. Is there a relationship to repair, forgiveness to give or receive? Take this step only if doing so is in the best interest of the other person. The Lord will guide you in this way and will use your surrendered faithfulness to heal your heart and others as well. Third, when your guilt strikes you again, point to the moment you confessed that sin, and claim God s forgiveness. You may need to claim God s grace for that specific failure a hundred times today, and ninety tomorrow. But eventually the guilt will leave, and you will be free in faith. If it does not, you may need to speak with a trained counselor, for you may need help in identifying or resolving the issues involved. Very rarely have I known a person to need this step, for usually we find freedom and joy in claiming God s grace when guilt attacks. His grace is indeed greater than all our sins. The Lord may lead you to invite your class to take these same steps. I have led groups to burn their sin papers together or to nail them to a wooden cross to be thrown away. Such tangible expression of forgiveness can be powerful. However God leads you to claim his forgiving grace, do so this week. In the depths of the Great Depression, an impoverished elderly woman approached the front desk of an insurance office in Minneapolis. She wanted to know whether she could stop making payments on the yellowed policy clutched in her work-weathered fingers. The clerk glanced at the document, and then studied it in amazement. This is quite valuable, he said. I would not advise you to stop paying the premiums now, after all these years. Have you spoken with your husband about this? No, she said, he s been dead for three years. She held in her hands an insurance policy on her husband s life worth $300,000. The company immediately paid the benefits of that policy and refunded the years of overpaid premiums. She finally began to experience the financial security that had been hers all along. Let s not repeat her mistake in our souls this week. God s blessings are available now. Page 9 of 10
See www.baptistwaypress.org for additional study materials on Romans: What God Is Up To and on other Bible studies by BaptistWay Press, or call 1-866-249-1799 (M-Th 8:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.; Fri 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. central time). A recent book by Dr. Denison, The Bible You Can Believe It: Biblical Authority in the Twenty-First Century, is available from BAPTISTWAY PRESS. The cost is $4.95 each plus shipping, handling, and any applicable taxes. A Teaching Guide is available for $1.95 plus shipping and handling. Page 10 of 10