God’s Grace in Romans
The Purpose Of The Law
We saw from our last discussion the theme of the gospel, which is the revelation of the work of God through the death, burial and resurrection of the Christ from one degree of faith to the other, that the sinner may believe, receive, and be saved thereby.
Like we said earlier, what the apostle Paul intends to reveal in this grand epistle to the Romans is to declare against the Gentiles that it is not to the light of nature, and the works done in obedience to the law of nature, — And against the Jews, that it is not by the law of Moses, and the obedience of the demands that a man is justified.
He begins to rebuke the Gentiles (non Jews) that atheism is a lie, that every man has a God existence intuition on their inside.
God has revealed himself in all men, even his eternal power and godhead, and no man is without excuse. No one can actually say I don’t believe there is God. There is actually no need to debate with anyone on the issue of believing God exists.
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Romans 1:19-20
Atheism is a lie even the devil is afraid of committing. When men say they don’t believe God exists, they only lie against their consciences (Job 32:8).
Even the devil believes there’s only one God, and that he is not the one, and he trembles at the one true God;
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. James 2:19
So the apostle explains to the Gentiles that through the light of nature they are without excuse to call out to the one true God for salvation.
Then he turns to the Jew who looked to circumcision and the keeping of the law in the second Chapter and said;
For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. Romans 2:28-29
Observe carefully this statement “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly “ Boy! This is a radical statement. By this statement he renders all that made the Jew Jewish to be vain. Every carnal ordinance of the law and every outward performance to earn the spiritual blessing a useless thing.
For it was normal for the Jew to trust in his rituals as being holy and accepted before God (Luke 18:9-14). You are not even a Jew if you think it comes by natural birth or by the keeping of the law is what the apostle is saying.
Circumcising the flesh earns you nothing, however, there is something only God can do, and that is a spiritual circumcision, the planting of a new spirit in you which comes with a new heart of flesh.
Something your natural ancestry (Jewish), together with circumcision and the law does not have the power to do (Romans 8:3).
After making these declarations, he turns to both the Jew and Gentile and declares all to be under sin.
What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Romans 3:9-12
The Jew who has the privilege of the law and the Gentile who is without the law are altogether sinners in the eyes of God. All are under sin, for there is none righteous, no, not even one.
Outwardly it may look like the Jew is seeking after God with the law and its ordinances, however, the apostle summits that the Jew is not better than the Gentile. His religious works are not even seen as good works for “there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”
Now you may ask, so what is the purpose of the law then? If the Jew with all the works of the law is deemed unprofitable before God’s throne. Why did God give the Law in the first place?
Here is the apostle’s submission;
Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Romans 3:19-20
Observe carefully the reason God gave the law “that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”
Notice it does not say God gave the law to make the world righteous, but that every mouth may be stopped. Every attempt to trust in our goodness or efforts to be blessed by God should be ridiculed by the standard of the law. The entire world by the law should become guilty before God.
Today it is taught the other way round. Many are seeking to be justified before God by their works. Most times we think God grades on a curve. That if our seemingly good deeds outweighs our evil works God will somewhat accept us. However, that’s a lie from hell. Observe the next verse;
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
No kind of flesh whatsoever will ever be justified before God by the works of the law. And why?
“for by the law is the knowledge of sin”
The law was not given to reveal God, but to reveal sin in us. Before Christ came, we thought we were righteous by our own standards. The law was given to show us how sinful and wretched we are so we would quit trying and run to God for the grace he offers freely through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.
May we Quit trying to be justified by our own goodness and receive salvation and every spiritual blessing as a free gift from our loving father.
Confession
Father I thank you for your love and wisdom in my salvation. I recognize your love in showing me my true state as being insufficient in myself. I trust in your love and grace and accept salvation as a free gift for the unqualified even as I am.
I declare that the life and blood of Jesus has justified my body, finances, ministry, marriage, business and life as a whole. By the righteousness of Christ, I stand today Just-as-if-I-had never sinned before the throne of Grace.
Prophetic Insight
In an encounter with the Lord, I heard “Whatever your heart conceives, You will receive“
When the Lord spoke this, the Spirit began to reveal to me about the sons of God sitting down with the prophecies and dreams, meditating on God’s word until it forms a mental picture in their hearts. The Lord told me this is actually the believer’s spiritual womb.
That whatsoever our hearts will conceive through imagination prompted by God’s word, the father is set to bring to pass at this hour. But if we do not conceive, there will be no birthing. Until our hearts can see it, it won’t come to pass.
May we take this to the Lord in prayer.
Blessings in Christ,
Jahfas Victor Ahua
Living Hill Christian Church