Month: March 2011

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

There are so many theological errors in our day and age that would be cleared up if we only understood the truth contained in the statement above.  Who is a Jew according to God’s definition?  It is an individual that has a new heart, that has been born of the Spirit of God!  It is not an outward, fleshly achievement.  It has nothing to do with your natural birth.  It is a work on the inside of an individual that identifies Him as a Jew, one of God’s chosen people!

The Old Testament by and large dealt with the natural Israelites, and there was great benefit to being born a natural Jew per Rom 3:2 because they received the law and the prophets.  They were raised learning truths of which most Gentiles had no knowledge.  But there were some exceptions, and throughout the Old Testament we see a foreshadowing of God’s plan to include the Gentiles into His spiritual Israel.  Jesus mentioned some of these exceptions as He taught in the synagogue in Lk 4:24-29, namely the widow of Sidon that Elijah was sent to and Naaman the Syrian that Elisha cleansed of his leprosy.  Guess how the literal Israelites responded?  They tried to kill Jesus!  Why?  Because in their eyes, they had a corner on the market of God’s favor.  They were a step above the Gentiles surrounding their region.  Sadly, a lot of people today, Jew and Gentile alike, still believe this way!

The New Testament is ripe with passages that say there is no difference between the Jew and Gentile in the church.  God doesn’t divide the world up into three categories–unbelievers, Gentile believers, and Jewish believers.  No, God says all mankind is divided into believers and unbelievers, sheep and goats, the righteous and the wicked.  Just listen to the following verses:

“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.” (Rom 10:12)

“…but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Co 1:23-24)

“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” (1 Co 12:13)

“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  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.  And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal 3:27-29)

“…and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.” (Col 3:10-11)

God could have just said it once, and it would have been enough for us to receive it as truth.  But, as if to make sure that there was no confusion our part, He tells us repeatedly that Christ has brought Jew and Gentile together into one glorious body that He calls His church.  Speaking of Jews and Gentiles in Eph 2:14, the apostle Paul writes “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation…”  There is no longer a distinction between the two!  If we belong to Christ, we are equally heirs of the promises of God! (Gal 3:29) Everyone gets in the same way…through the Way, the Truth, and the Life (there’s only one way!).  So, go ahead Gentile and Jewish Christians.  Embrace the promises made to Abraham’s seed as your own because you are the true Jews!  I hope this will help clear up verses like Rom 9:6: “For they are not all Israel who are of Israel”.  Verses like this one make perfect sense when we realize there are two Israels–the natural Jews born by natural birth, natural Israel, and spiritual Israel, those made spiritual Jews by the new birth!  “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.” (1 Co 2:14)

Jamie

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; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath…”
Romans 2:6-8

Have you ever been passed over for a position or a role when you were clearly the more qualified candidate? Have you ever had to watch someone else receive the prize that you worked hardest to obtain? It happens all the time in this biased world! Someone else gets the job because of who they know or how they look NOT because they have the best skills for the task. But, with God, that’s not the case: “For there is no partiality with God.” (Rom 2:11)

God doesn’t care who your parents are, what nationality you are, or what color your skin is.  God is unbiased when it comes to judgment, and in that day, all that will matter is what YOU are. Rom 2 tells us that Jew and Gentile alike will be judged by the same criteria.  Are you an obedient servant of Jesus Christ, one who patiently continues in doing that which God commands, or do you live your life in rebellion to the truth? Some would argue, “But I was saved by grace, so why is God looking at what I do?”  Because what you do is the evidence of whether or not you have been saved! As Jms 2:20 tells us plainly, “faith without works is dead.” If God has granted you faith and put His Spirit within you, the natural result will be that you do good!

Now, consider why these individuals are doing good. Our text tells us they are seeking “glory, honor, and immortality,” but is that the reason they do good? Are they walking in obedience simply to receive a reward for themselves? Is that the main goal? That would be self-seeking, wouldn’t it? Well, that’s exactly how the unrighteous are described in v. 8.  They are “self-seeking and do not obey the truth,” so, the righteous cannot be described in this fashion.

The fact is that if you do that which is pleasing to God, you are by nature a seeker after glory, honor, and immortality. In other words, you’re not focused on this life but on eternal matters. You aren’t interested in the glory this world offers, but you’re much more interested in the glory God will share with all His people. (Rom 8:18) Unlike the world that seeks “honor from one another”, you “seek the honor that comes from the only God”. (Jn 5:44) And, you’re not living by the mantra, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” (1 Cor 15:32) You believe there is a life after this life, and your state of affairs in the world to come is far more important then your standard of living here. You are seeking immortality or eternal life!

But, why do you seek these things? The answer is simple. You’re not interested in obtaining “things”.  Your sight is set much higher! What you want is God Himself, and you are a diligent seeker of Him! (Heb 11:6) Your heart’s cry is that of the psalmist in Ps 73:25-26: “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” God has made an astonishing promise to such an individual.  He will forever receive the desires of his heart! (Ps 37:4)

Jamie

Romans 1:32 “Who knowing the judgment of God…”

Well, we’ve finally begun our study of Romans, and we ran into this verse last week.  What a statement! It will change the way we share the gospel. God says we ought to approach others in the awareness that they know the judgment of God! It’s not our job to convince men there is a God and that they must give Him the honor due Him. They already know according to v. 18-19! “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.”

The devil has been working hard to trip us up in our day. He’s told us that we have to first convince men that God is real and the Bible is true before we can share the gospel with them, but God never said that! God said we are simply to declare what He has said. It’s His job to convince men it’s the truth!

Earlier in the chapter, the gospel of Jesus Christ is called “the power of God to salvation”. (v. 16) There is power in declaring God’s word in its purity and simplicity!  We don’t need to add anything to it to spice it up.  We don’t need to take anything away from it tone it down and make it less offensive.  It is a word that transcends time and applies just as well in 2011 as it did thousands of years ago.  Ps 18:30 says “the word of the LORD is proven” meaning “refined”.  The refiner’s fire can’t consume it because there is no impurity in it.  It will stand the test!  It is sure and perfect according to Ps 19:7.  You can’t depend on another’s word like this word.  Heaven and earth won’t outlive it!  Jesus said, “My words will by no means pass away”! (Mt 24:35)

When Eph 6 lists the pieces of the Christian armor, only one weapon is included in the list.  It is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”. (v. 17) In declaring this word, the enemy will flee away!  What did Christ do that sent the devil running following the temptations of Mt 4:1-11?  He quoted the word of God!  There is no other weapon like this weapon.  It pierces deeper than any natural weapon can reach.  It will disturb the conscience of a man because it “is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb 4:12)  This fact should lift a heavy load off of you, Christian, if you’ve been struggling trying to figure out how to break through to that unbeliever over whom you are so burdened.  Just faithfully declare the word of God as God by His Spirit leads you.  The rest is up to the Lord.  We are but to plant and water.  Only God can bring forth the increase! (1 Co 3:6)

Jamie