Roman 3:22
These verses tell it like it is. No one is good enough for God. You can't pile up Brownie points and hope they make you acceptable in his sight. The only people who think they can make it on their own are people who have cut God down to their size. The problem is that God is who he is and he is perfect holiness. That's the bad news and it's the good news.
How can people like you or me be made right with God? Where do we get the righteousness we need? The good news is that God's kind of righteousness has been made available to us (Roman 3:21) as a free gift (Roman 3:24). It's for anyone who has faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22), which simply means you don't get the gift unless you take it.
God can't pretend sin doesn't exist. He doesn't look at us and make excuses for us. He had to do something about sin to break its power over us. So he sent Jesus and we have been rescued-redeemed-by him (Roman 3:24). Jesus died as a sacrifice to pay sin's penalty (Roman 3:25), and to those who believe and receive his offer, he does a wonderful thing: he justifies us (Roman 3:24).
If you need to be justified, it means something is wrong. You don't match the standard. In justifying us, God takes care of our sin-and then does something even greater-he gives us the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It's like receiving new clothes that fit us and are appropriate for going into the presence of the king. What do we lack? Righteousness, What does Jesus give us? His righteousness. he doesn't change his standard in order to include us. He changes us to fit the standard.
We must take a good look at ourselves. Do we deserve this? No, it is God's grace (Roman 3:24) that brings about this marvelous change in our lives. How should a person respond to such a gift? Receive it thankfully. Remember who you are and whose clothes you are wearing. Remember how you came to belong to Jesus Christ.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Can't Anybody go to Heaven? (According to Scriptures)
The book of Romans is my favorite book of the Bible. It presents so many life-changing aspects of Christianity. In this book, the author Paul discusses three main topics in order to make a clear declaration of the faith. He expresses the “lost-ness of mankind and the necessity for God’s intervention”*, that salvation is available to all, and that in Christ there is freedom from sin and the domination of the law.
To address the question about Jews being saved strictly because they are of the line of Abraham, one needs to dive into Paul’s expression that salvation is available to all. As promising as this message may sound, it does not mean that everyone, believer and non-believer, is saved because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. It means that everyone, Jew and Gentile, has the opportunity to be saved because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice.
The early churches had many issues growing as many of them were made up of new and born-again Christians. The book of Corinthians is directed toward issues that rose among these new believers. The Christians in Corinth were surrounded by a world of corruption and sin and were feeling the pressure to adapt. Paul addresses these issues in most of his letters. In Romans, Paul addresses the issue of Jews not accepting Gentiles into the church because they were not “God’s chosen people”. Most importantly, he directs a lot of his message to the Gentiles who felt that they were could not inherit the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ. This was lie, and he made it so clear in this book (Romans 11:11-24). Romans Chapter 4:16 stresses that “the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring.” Romans 9:6-8, Paul defines “Abraham’s offspring”. Abraham’s offspring are not the natural children but the children of the promise, in other words, the children of faith.
If one reads Romans 4 in context with the entirety of the letter, it is evident that Paul is addressing this issue.
The circumcised are the Israelites. The Israelite nation is very important to God the Father, as it is through this chosen nation that the Messiah rose from. It is the nation chosen to bring deliverance to this lost world. It was also through this nation that the word of God was carried from one generation to the next. Why are they so important? Why did God choose Israel instead of another? That is something that I cannot answer. However, he had to choose. Israel is the chosen one. This does not mean that all the Israelites (believer or non-believer) are saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. Romans 9:30-to the end makes it clear that not all the Israelites are saved. Many have pursued righteousness by works rather than by faith, therefore cannot obtain it because they have subjected themselves to be judged through the law instead of through Christ (Romans 2:12). By doing so, they subject themselves to a law that is impossible to keep. In result they bring condemnation upon themselves. Galatians 3 supports this by explaining that “before the faith [in Jesus] came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed.” It also states that “the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith” and that “now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.” Paul’s message about the circumcised here is directed to those who are bounded by the law and not by faith.
The uncircumcised are the Gentiles. The Gentiles were those who were not part of the nation of Israel. The Gentiles were made up of believers and non-believers. In Romans 4:16 Paul says that “the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law [circumcised] but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham [includes the uncircumcised].”
Throughout the entire chapter, Paul is speaking about faith. Verses 23-26 make it clear that he is specifically saying that this faith is the faith in Jesus Christ. He says, “This is why ‘it was credited to him as righteousness.’ The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”
With this the faith of Abraham is not just the belief in God. Abraham was part of God’s plan. Abraham, David, Moses, Adam (especially), Paul and the other people in the Bible were all of the same faith. They all knew that they were not worthy to be in God’s presence, they were lowly earthly creatures compared to God’s vastness and his goodness. They all knew that they could not be in the presence of God without being completely righteous, completely holy, and completely devoted to the goodness of the Lord. They also knew that this righteousness was not possible to attain on their own. No good work, sacrifice, or prayer could ever cover their sins from the Lord. The faith of Abraham is the faith that there was going to be a Messiah, a savior. The Messiah is Jesus Christ and the entire Bible (Old Testament and New Testament) prophesies and revolves around this faith in God’s promise of redemption through Jesus Christ.
So the Jew who is still waiting for the Messiah, the Buddhist who does not believe in Christ or even God, and the Muslim who still holds himself to the law do not fall under the faith that Paul speaks of. Romans 4:6-16 cannot be taken out of context to argue this point as every letter in Paul’s message and the rest of the Bible reveals the faith and the only faith is through Jesus Christ. Therefore, one cannot believe in the message of Jesus Christ, and the goodness God’s word, and say that believer and non-believer is saved by the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Please read Romans entirely. Every word in it points toward Christ and the redemption that comes through Him and Him only. The good news is that this redemption is available to ALL. Salvation is available not, given to all. Just because something is available does not mean that one is in complete possession of it. One has to pursue whatever is available and truly believe that it is available in the first place in order to ever attain it. This availability is what Paul is so gladly expressing in Romans 4.
God Bless you all,
Tito
To address the question about Jews being saved strictly because they are of the line of Abraham, one needs to dive into Paul’s expression that salvation is available to all. As promising as this message may sound, it does not mean that everyone, believer and non-believer, is saved because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. It means that everyone, Jew and Gentile, has the opportunity to be saved because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice.
The early churches had many issues growing as many of them were made up of new and born-again Christians. The book of Corinthians is directed toward issues that rose among these new believers. The Christians in Corinth were surrounded by a world of corruption and sin and were feeling the pressure to adapt. Paul addresses these issues in most of his letters. In Romans, Paul addresses the issue of Jews not accepting Gentiles into the church because they were not “God’s chosen people”. Most importantly, he directs a lot of his message to the Gentiles who felt that they were could not inherit the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ. This was lie, and he made it so clear in this book (Romans 11:11-24). Romans Chapter 4:16 stresses that “the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring.” Romans 9:6-8, Paul defines “Abraham’s offspring”. Abraham’s offspring are not the natural children but the children of the promise, in other words, the children of faith.
If one reads Romans 4 in context with the entirety of the letter, it is evident that Paul is addressing this issue.
The circumcised are the Israelites. The Israelite nation is very important to God the Father, as it is through this chosen nation that the Messiah rose from. It is the nation chosen to bring deliverance to this lost world. It was also through this nation that the word of God was carried from one generation to the next. Why are they so important? Why did God choose Israel instead of another? That is something that I cannot answer. However, he had to choose. Israel is the chosen one. This does not mean that all the Israelites (believer or non-believer) are saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. Romans 9:30-to the end makes it clear that not all the Israelites are saved. Many have pursued righteousness by works rather than by faith, therefore cannot obtain it because they have subjected themselves to be judged through the law instead of through Christ (Romans 2:12). By doing so, they subject themselves to a law that is impossible to keep. In result they bring condemnation upon themselves. Galatians 3 supports this by explaining that “before the faith [in Jesus] came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed.” It also states that “the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith” and that “now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.” Paul’s message about the circumcised here is directed to those who are bounded by the law and not by faith.
The uncircumcised are the Gentiles. The Gentiles were those who were not part of the nation of Israel. The Gentiles were made up of believers and non-believers. In Romans 4:16 Paul says that “the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law [circumcised] but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham [includes the uncircumcised].”
Throughout the entire chapter, Paul is speaking about faith. Verses 23-26 make it clear that he is specifically saying that this faith is the faith in Jesus Christ. He says, “This is why ‘it was credited to him as righteousness.’ The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”
With this the faith of Abraham is not just the belief in God. Abraham was part of God’s plan. Abraham, David, Moses, Adam (especially), Paul and the other people in the Bible were all of the same faith. They all knew that they were not worthy to be in God’s presence, they were lowly earthly creatures compared to God’s vastness and his goodness. They all knew that they could not be in the presence of God without being completely righteous, completely holy, and completely devoted to the goodness of the Lord. They also knew that this righteousness was not possible to attain on their own. No good work, sacrifice, or prayer could ever cover their sins from the Lord. The faith of Abraham is the faith that there was going to be a Messiah, a savior. The Messiah is Jesus Christ and the entire Bible (Old Testament and New Testament) prophesies and revolves around this faith in God’s promise of redemption through Jesus Christ.
So the Jew who is still waiting for the Messiah, the Buddhist who does not believe in Christ or even God, and the Muslim who still holds himself to the law do not fall under the faith that Paul speaks of. Romans 4:6-16 cannot be taken out of context to argue this point as every letter in Paul’s message and the rest of the Bible reveals the faith and the only faith is through Jesus Christ. Therefore, one cannot believe in the message of Jesus Christ, and the goodness God’s word, and say that believer and non-believer is saved by the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Please read Romans entirely. Every word in it points toward Christ and the redemption that comes through Him and Him only. The good news is that this redemption is available to ALL. Salvation is available not, given to all. Just because something is available does not mean that one is in complete possession of it. One has to pursue whatever is available and truly believe that it is available in the first place in order to ever attain it. This availability is what Paul is so gladly expressing in Romans 4.
God Bless you all,
Tito
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Who are the Blessed?
Ref: Romans 4:6-16
In Romans 4:6-16 we read about the blessings delivered upon Abraham and his descendants. As I read this in church, I had the following thought:
If Abraham is the Father of Israel, and Israel the nation of Jews, and his people are blessed as righteous, and Abraham was blessed when he was still uncircumcised, then we know that you need not be Christian to be blessed.
So then it would be possible for a Jew or Muslim or Buddhist, for example, to be blessed through faith and living the life prescribed by Jesus in his teachings, without believing that Christ has come.
-- Joe
In Romans 4:6-16 we read about the blessings delivered upon Abraham and his descendants. As I read this in church, I had the following thought:
If Abraham is the Father of Israel, and Israel the nation of Jews, and his people are blessed as righteous, and Abraham was blessed when he was still uncircumcised, then we know that you need not be Christian to be blessed.
So then it would be possible for a Jew or Muslim or Buddhist, for example, to be blessed through faith and living the life prescribed by Jesus in his teachings, without believing that Christ has come.
-- Joe
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Welcome - The Purpose
Hi Everyone,
This blog is a place to challenge our understanding of the Word. Departing from the premise that the Word is consistent and pure, we arrive at the conclusion that any apparent contradiction must come from our feeble understanding of its meaning. To better understand it we need to challenge our thinking and interact with others to seek truth and clarity.
To that goal, bring forth your topics for open discussion. Pray for clarity. Research your positions and provide references for others to read, pray and meditate over, rather than strict opinion. And respect each others positions as we journey together.
God Bless,
Joe
This blog is a place to challenge our understanding of the Word. Departing from the premise that the Word is consistent and pure, we arrive at the conclusion that any apparent contradiction must come from our feeble understanding of its meaning. To better understand it we need to challenge our thinking and interact with others to seek truth and clarity.
To that goal, bring forth your topics for open discussion. Pray for clarity. Research your positions and provide references for others to read, pray and meditate over, rather than strict opinion. And respect each others positions as we journey together.
God Bless,
Joe
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