“One of the green-turban-wearing Muslims peremptorily told us to recite the Islamic holy Kalima [profession of faith] or face direct bullets and the lethal consequences,” said Khushi Masih.

Both Christians said that they joyfully refused, and instead they began reciting Psalm 91.

“Our decision infuriated them,” Imran Masih said, “and instead of shooting into the air, they shot us, leaving us only after being convinced that we were dead. Praise the name of Lord Jesus Christ, who raised us from the dead!”

Acts 14:19-23 But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

Per that same conversation with my friend, Ben, in my aforementioned post last Friday, I was challenged with this:

“How would you teach on any given subject: give the information or let the person figure out for themselves?”

My immediate instinct and answer, “Give the information. Done and done.”

He suggests to see how Jesus taught.  For instance, throw out a doctrine or scripture for discussion and see how people respond to it.  But when someone goes astray on the text, the teacher doesn’t instantaneously correct the right information but instead takes the cues from Jesus himself on how to engage with others to keep pulling people in.

“How did you arrive at that conclusion?”

“How do you deal with what the Scriptures say over here?”

My little bitty teacher/scholar brain is getting rocked to the core and massively rewired by the second.

Then it is this very timely post by Ray Ortlund that completely hits it home for me:

“As you are likely to be engaged in controversy, and your love of truth is joined with a natural warmth of temper, my friendship makes me solicitous on your behalf. . . . I would have you more than a conqueror and to triumph not only over your adversary but over yourself. If you cannot be vanquished, you may be wounded. To preserve you from such wounds as might give you cause of weeping over your conquests, I would present you with some considerations . . . .

As to your opponent, I wish that before you set pen to paper against him, and during the whole time you are preparing your answer, you may commend him by earnest prayer to the Lord’s teaching and blessing. This practice will have a direct tendency to conciliate your heart to love and pity him, and such a disposition will have a good influence on every page you write.

If you account him a believer, though greatly mistaken in the subject of debate between you, the words of David to Joab concerning Absalom are very applicable: “Deal gently with him for my sake.” The Lord loves him and bears with him; therefore you must not despise him or treat him harshly. The Lord bears with you likewise, and expects that you should show tenderness to others from a sense of the much forgiveness you need yourself. In a little while you will meet in heaven. He will then be dearer to you than the nearest friend you have upon earth is to you now. Anticipate that period in your thoughts. And though you may find it necessary to oppose his errors, view him personally as a kindred soul, with whom you are to be happy in Christ forever.

But if you look upon him as an unconverted person, in a state of enmity against God and his grace (a supposition which, without good evidence, you should be very unwilling to admit), he is a more proper object of your compassion than of your anger. Alas! “He knows not what he does.” But if God, in his sovereign pleasure, had so appointed, you might have been as he is now, and he, instead of you, might have been set for the defense of the gospel. If you attend to this, you will not reproach or hate him, because the Lord has been pleased to open your eyes, not his.

Of all people who engage in controversy, we who are called Calvinists are most expressly bound by our own principles to the exercise of gentleness and moderation.”

John Newton, writing to a young minister, The Works of John Newton, I:268-270.

“What we are claiming is that Evangelicalism at its best is nothing more than Biblcally-faithful Christianity at its best.” – D.A. Carson

Shocking statement, I know.  Yet I am not known for pitching softballs either.

Watch the following:

ht: The Gospel Coalition

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Whoa.

Is this video promising with the growth of the Muslim population?  How God is so good when He is the one who creates and forms all human beings in their mother’s wombs (Psalm 139:13 cf. Ruth 4:13)

Is this clip seducing us Christians to share and proclaim the love, grace and the gospel of God tons more people who don’t know Him? (Acts 1:8 cf Deuteronomy 7:6-7)

And God to be so good to us that we don’t have to go to the Middle East but yet He brings the Middle East straight to our doorstep?

I watched this video and this verse hits me hard:

Romans 9:16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

Naturally, I always read this and knew our salvation had nothing to do with us.

But the Holy Spirit made me see it from another angle.

God is telling me, “I told you not to judge others.  You know my heart for the sinner, lost and the dead.  You know the way you would have been if it wasn’t for my grace.  That is, dead.  Yet, you still think that some are too far out of my grace to be saved.  I have people who do not worship me.  I have elected them.  I will call them.  I will justify them.  I will glorify them.  If you won’t go into their homelands and tell them about me, I will bring my people to you so that you will proclaim my gospel to them.”

“I will have mercy on those who those who were called No Mercy.  I will say to those who were not my people, ‘You are my people’.  And they shall say, ‘You are my God’.”

“… whether you want it to be or not.”

God will run and smash through eternity, time, creation, history, the Cross, Satan, death, sin, hell, disease, death, the tomb, my life and yes, even my will in order to save the ones whom He has always loved.

I thank God that He is bigger and better than what we make Him out to be.

Glory to our King.

“An eye witness who was also captured by the Islamic militants gave us details of how the pastor was killed. He told us they were persuading him to accept Islam and he said over his dead body. He was even said to have preached Christ to Mohammed Yusuf and that reportedly angered the sect leader who then as he ordered that the pastor and others be killed immediately,” he disclosed.”

So how did God harden Pharaoh’s heart?  Did He come down supernaturally and made Pharaoh resist Him?

Not necessary.

Exodus 7:1-6 And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.” Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them.  Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

The Lord sends two old dudes.

They approached this mortal  who thought of himself to be god and demanded to be worshiped as god.

These two old dudes proclaim the gospel of God.

They tell this god that he is, in fact, not god and should not be worshiped as such (Psalm 82:6-7).

They tell him the truth: God is Lord above all.

God hardens the heart of Pharaoh through relentless pursuit, absolute truth and enduring mercy.

God knew how Pharaoh would respond and yet, God did not give up.

If you do not trust in God, God has not given up on you.  He will passionately, lovingly, mercifully and graciously pursue you.

Make no mistake about it: our God is good.

ht: The Sun News Online

What are 3-4 books/authors that have heavily influenced you or that you’d recommend? Don’t hold back, I wanna know.

My response would have taken 10 tweets.

Since I own a blog, I will use it and then respond with a link back.

Since I am about all things pastoring and preaching, here are the books/sets that currently have made a huge impact on me.  That is, it has been nearly a year since I have read it and I still think about it.

Here we go:

1. Brothers, We Are Not Professionals by John Piper & Mad Church Disease by Anne Jackson – What is absolutely incredibly that both of these books point to one question: What is your relationship with your God at this moment?  Both authors ask the hard hitting question, “Is the ‘professionalism’ of ministry getting in the way of your first four ministries (1 Timothy 3:1-7).  Short answer, it should not.  Bible references alongside: Ecclesiastes, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus
2. Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea For Preaching – I tore through this book.  There were such a wealth of material here that I felt like I had to dip entire pages into a bin of highlighter fluid. Bible: Ezra, Nehemiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Gospels, Acts, Romans, Ephesians, Philippians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Jude
3. Vintage Jesus & Vintage Church by Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears – The Vintage series is your amuse-bouche to all things apologetics and ecclesiology (respectively) and together, a strong reinforcement (re: beat about the head) in learning and knowing the gospel with all of your heart.  However, just because it is a taste, don’t expect to be light and airy.  You best come strapped with your Bible alongside this reading. Bible: Isaiah, Psalm, Ecclesiastes, Acts, Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Jude, Revelation,
4. Discipleship Counseling by Neil T. Anderson & Death by Love by Driscoll & Breashears – Solid introduction to biblical counseling and for nothing else, will get you in that mindset of caring for His sheep.  Bible: John, Romans, Ephesians, Philippians, Epistles of John
5. Bonus: The Gospel & Personal Evangelism by Mark Dever & Puritan Evangelism: A Biblical Approach by Joel Beeke – You don’t have a fire for evangelism?  Get these books and spark it.  No sales pitches.  No tired-head methods. No zigs.  No zags. Just biblically and theologically solid. (Re: living on mission and letting God be God.  Shocking.  I know.)  If this doesn’t light your fire, then your wood is all wet.  Bible reference: All of it.

What books/sets are hitting you hard right now?

Four months ago it didn’t make sense so I ignored it.

Yet, God won’t relent until He has it all.  Proof of that is the Holy Spirit continued to speak to me with all of His infinite patience and mercies.

About a month ago, I had a meeting with my mentor (Alan Smith, Pastor of Equip/Leadership at Gateway… follow him on Twitter) and he started the meeting with “Joe, God has laid something my heart for the last several months and if it doesn’t sound like from God, totally disregard it.”

He lays on me exactly what God has been laying on me.

I was like, “No, no, that is from God because God has been bothering me about it and I have been totally ignoring/disobeying Him.”

The Thursday after the meeting, I was combing through the Acts 29 website and looking through the church plants and planter candidates and was surprised to find a candidate in Fort Worth, Texas.

I connect with Ben Connelly on Facebook and Twitter.

I checked out the website for The City Church.

I read the prospectus.  Realized that their first vision dinner was that coming Sunday.

(The connection with The Village Church? They are the one of the churches that planted them.)

Long story short, we got connected and I committed to The City last Friday morning over coffee.

When I first heard about The City, I prayed for direction and wisdom. But those prayers start morph into prayers for strength and grace to do His will. In other words, I knew that I knew where I was going to serve.

I know that I am going to plant a church. But I also know that I am 2-3 years out from this. The only thing I really don’t have is church planting experience. If for nothing else, I will most certainly get that experience with The City.

Part of that commitment to The City was submitting myself to the eldership process. I desire the office of elder of the church but I know I will fulfill the role of elder/pastor/overseer/shepherd even if I don’t have the title.

I never need the title because I know what I am called to do.

For the record, I am not seeking out a church plant because I don’t like what Gateway is doing.  Unlike some of the other church planters I have heard from, I love love love Gateway and I have full blessing from my mentors, leaders and friends.

I tend to be “all eggs in one basket” type of guy and I rather be 100% committed to one church then to partake of an evangelical buffet that is the church scene in DFW.

I am so happy to be part of a church plant and even more happy to be one of the very few church planters (from my humble perspective) to say “my last church was wonderful. Glory to God!”

I was pondering thoughts on the Apostle Peter mostly because of studying 1 & 2 Peter (thank to Mars Hill) and my conversation with my son about authorship and penmenship of the different books of the Bible and then spent time dwelling on this verse:

Matthew 16:18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

It was then what my heart start to ache and I cried out to God, screaming, “CAN YOU DO WHAT YOU PROMISE TO DO?  DESPITE OUR FAILURES, CAN YOU OVERCOME AND LOVE, BUILD AND NURTURE YOUR BRIDE, YOUR LOVE… THE VERY ONE YOU CAME TO DIE FOR!?”.

I hear of the gospel exploding in Africa and Asia and my heart is doing cartwheels.

I hear that Europe has apparently evolved past God with everyone onboard with post-modernism and I think, “My God is King and Lord of post-moderns”.

I hear the upcoming generation is aimless and wandering without a purpose and embraced the “de-churched” label.

Only by the power of the Holy Spirit and utterly dependent on His strength and grace, I will declare, “It’s go time.”

For it is never that we have to worry about us pushing back the forces of hell but rather, we rejoice and celebrate as the gates of hell cannot possibly contain the greatness, power, glory, victory and majesty of our loving God as he works through us, that is, His Church and His Bride.

For God’s glory alone.

Psalm 22

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.

Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
To you they cried and were rescued;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
“He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

Yet you are he who took me from the womb;
you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.
On you was I cast from my birth,
and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
Be not far from me,
for trouble is near,
and there is none to help.

Many bulls encompass me;
strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.

I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.

For dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet-
I can count all my bones-
they stare and gloat over me;
they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.

But you, O Lord, do not be far off!
O you my help, come quickly to my aid!
Deliver my soul from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dog!
Save me from the mouth of the lion!
You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!

I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
For he has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not hidden his face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to him.

From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
May your hearts live forever!

All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before you.
For kingship belongs to the Lord,
and he rules over the nations.

All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
even the one who could not keep himself alive.
Posterity shall serve him;
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
that he has done it.

I. God’s Righteousness Upheld

Romans 3:1-8

1 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. 3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,

“That you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when you are judged.”

5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) 6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world? 7 But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? 8 And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.

After the junior high gigglefest we had when Paul spoke of true circumcision in Roman 2:25-29, Paul answers the obvious followup question to his statement, “Then what is the point of being a Jew?”.

Everything.

2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.

‘Oracles of God’ is the Old Testament. Israel was the nation that was picked by God, rescued by God, delivered by God, provided by God and entrusted by God so that God could be magnified in the highest and glorified in the highest based on Who He Is and what He does through this tiny little bitty nation. It is through Israel that the world will know who is the One True God. Think about it all the enemies that God has delivered Israel from. No longer in slavery to the Egyptians. As a ragtag nation with no land to call their own, God delivered them into the land He promised them into a land where Satan had several hundred years to raise up enemies to go against God’s people. Even better, how Jesus Christ came down and through His death and resurrection was able to not transcend the merciless Roman Empire but was able to overthrow it less than 300 years later.

Little bitty tiny nations don’t do that on their own. God does that on His own.

3-4 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,

“That you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when you are judged.”

God has always always always upheld His end of the covenant, even if and when we fail. God is faithful even when we are not faithful. Look at Abrahamic covenant: “I will bless the nations that bless you and curse the nations that curse you.” Look at the Davidic covenant: “Out of your lineage will be The Messiah who will rescue all and will establish His kingdom and reign forever.” Between the time He gave David that covenant and Jesus Christ appear in a manger, Israel falling completely out of favor of God. Yet, God still delivered on what He promised.

We are all liars but God is always true.

5-8 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) By no means! For then how could God judge the world? But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.

When Paul writes his epistles, I cannot think of the exception where Paul was not responding to a letter. Like Paul’s letters to the churches in Corinth, Galatia, Ephesis and Phillipi were responses to the letters he received from those respected churchs. Much like his other epistles, it seems very clear that Paul is using this epistle to the Romans to answer some of the questions he received earlier.

Sometimes I think it is unfortunate that we don’t have the originating letter from the churches (Corinth: is it okay to sleep with my father’s wife?). On the other hand, I almost rather not know because I feel like we would try to match up our thoughts and questions against those being asked. If their questions are not the questions we would asked, why even bothering with reading the answer?

Here, Paul is either quoting their question or thought of a possible question as feedback to what he wrote in chapter 2. People might be quick to say, “Okay, if through our sin that God is glorified or through our unrighteousness, God is righteousness, then how can God judge us for our unrighteousness?

You speak as though His righteousness is utterly dependent on our unrighteousness. You speak as though He wasn’t righteous, just and holy before our first parents sin and thus broke all of creation. Remember the Hebrew word shalom? This is not peace because of absence of conflict, strife and war. This is true peace that only comes from God. Likewise, God’s righteousness is not due to the absence of holiness and righteousness in us. This is righteousness despite our unrighteousness that can only come from God. God is forever faithful despite our unfaithfulness.

II. No One Is Righteous

Romans 3:9-20

9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
13 “Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 in their paths are ruin and misery,
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 speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,

Paul already leveled the playing field back in Romans 2:12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. But look at what Paul is saying thus far in chapter 3. Do we have the advantage? Yes because we had the law and God laid down His standard to us. Are the Jews better off? No.

Do we Christians have the advantage? Yes, because we should know His word and have it written upon our hearts. You have the Word. You should know better. So are we Christians better off?

There are many people who think they are Christians and yet their hearts are not changed by God.

Matthew 7:15-23 (ESV) “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

or check this point out in…

Hebrews 6:4-8 (ESV) or it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

Just because you attend church, listen to nothing but praise and worship, got the Jesus fish on your car, rock the Jesus t-shirts, never cuss and watch inappropriate movies and get yourself deep into the Christian subculture, that doesn’t make you better off. I will contend that you are probably worse off because the Word was made available to you.

(Psalm 14:2-3, 53:2-3)
10-11 as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.

How many are righteous? Who understands? How many seek after God?

No one. “No one”.  “No one” in the Greek translates “no one”.

12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”

How many turned aside? All.

Who does good apart from God? No one. Not even one.

You? Me? Us? All of us? Anybody who has ever lived and will ever live have sinned.

(Psalm 5:10)
13 “Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”

(Psalm 140:3)
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”

(Psalm 10:7)
14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”

Here, Paul has taken bits and parts from Psalm 5, 140 and 10 together in order to reproduce the sinfulness of human speech in sequence: throat, tongues, lips, mouth.

throat as open grave – speaks of the inner corruption and deadly effects of speech if used in in the wrong way. Read Robert Morris’ The Power of Your Words if you don’t believe me.

tongues to deceive, venom… under their lips, mouth full of curses and bitterness – - I always loved the spiritual gift of encouragement. What seems random to us, the Holy Spirit will direct a believer to walk up to another person and start speaking words to uplift, rebuild and strengthen. The antithesis of encouragement, however, is flattery, curses and bitterness. What you say might have the same content of encouragement but when those words are meant for evil, they can utterly tear down if not destroy another person.

(Isaiah 59:7-8)
15-17 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”

This is just touching on not just Israel’s bloodshed and war-filled history but all of history. We, humans, at our very best do nothing slaughter and kill and leave a warpath in our destruction. Funny how this is the complete opposite of God asked us to do, mainly Ephesians 6:15 (ESV) and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. Instead of us running and leaving misery in our wake, we should be joyfully run to the four corners of the earth and proclaim that there is a Saviour and Lord who has already conquered death and hell and has come to bring peace in your life and in this time and He is building His kingdom and when the time comes, He will come to reign and rule over all, bring end to all wars and bring everlasting peace. He is the Lion and the Lamb. He is our gracious Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ.

(Psalm 36;1)

18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

What is the root of all sin? Not to put God first. To put something before God. Not to even fear him.

19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.

Here is what Paul is saying. You had the law and yet, you are still a sinner. Just because you had the law before doesn’t grandfather you in now. Let us put it into modern context: you grew up in a Chriistian home and your parents believe. Heck, you can go back several generations and you have a family tree full of pastors, deacons and missionaries. But, you were still born a sinner and you still need Jesus, no matter what.

Romans 3:20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Listen, the Mosiac Law required perfect obedience to God where everybody fell short of perfect obedience. God laid down His law, which is perfection that all people have to achieve. But God laid this measurement of perfection and you would come up short so that you go back and see out God for help.

III. The Righteousness of God Through Faith

Romans 3:21-29

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-

The righteousness of God still upholds despite the law whether we follow it or not. However, the Law and the Prophets bear witness to this.

Who completed the law? Or who because of His perfection, His righteousness and holiness, fulfilled the Law and the Prophets?

Luke 24:44 (ESV) Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

Matthew 5:17 (ESV) “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Whether you are Jew or Gentile, you have sinned. It doesn’t matter. If you believe in Christ Jesus…

24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Justified – you are not guilty but rather made right standing by God

His grace – God’s unearned favor

redemption – work that was done on the cross by Christ Jesus

25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

propitiation – This goes beyond Christ work on the cross simply “wiping away all of our sins”. It is that we were sinful. God rightfully should have targeted all of us and killed us all. Instead, Jesus Christ became sin, took the full force of God’s wrath and God was then perfectly satisfied. (2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.)

divine forbearance – There is a theology going around that called states that since the future hasn’t happened, the God doesn’t know the future. In fact, the take the following passage and use as an example on how God can have his mind changed:

Exodus 32:9-14 (ESV) And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.”

But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’” And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.

But yet, if I study the Scriptures, I know for a fact since the beginning , God already knew that He would be made flesh, come down, live a perfect life, become sin and die in our place. I read this passage and link this to what we just read in Romans 3:25 and think that God didn’t change His mind but rather be slow to anger and took his wrath out upon His Son upon the cross.

27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.

From this point, it is silly and pointless to boast in what we did and how we brought our piddly works to Christ so that He would be satisfied wtih us. Absolutely pointless. These verses totally unravels the thought of salvation by works. Because if salvation was based on what we can do, then we can boast all the day long. Since we didn’t do jack squat to save ourselves, we cannot boast in ourselves. If we have to boast, Paul suggests by paraphrases Jeremiah 9:23-24 “He who has to boast, boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:31)

28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one-who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.