Epistles (written)

Monday, 4 March 2013

They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” Romans 3:12

This verse, taken from Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1, is to be taken in a general sense. The gentile has turned away from the natural revelation given by God which is written in our hearts and consciences. The Jew has turned away from the special revelation he has been given by God and toward apostasy. Paul has shown this in the chapters and verses leading up to this conclusion. Because the Jew has the natural revelation and also the special revelation and yet they still turn from God, it shows the truly depraved nature of man.

And so, both Jew and gentile have “together become unprofitable.” The Greek of this word is echreothesan. It has been variously translated as worthless, useless, completely useless, unprofitable, rejected, rotten to the core, corrupt, etc. The word from which it stems in the Hebrew has the idea of something offensive or putrid. The corresponding word in Arabic is used to describe sour milk. In man, it is the state of moral impurity which is vile and degraded.

Because of these things, the result is that “there is none who does good, no, not one.” As noted in the previous verse, care needs to be exercised here. The portion of the psalm being quoted is specifically speaking of the atheist – “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.'” It would be contradictory to Scripture, even Paul’s writings, and yes even the book of Romans and the very thoughts which he is presenting, to apply this to all people in an absolute sense. For example in Romans 2:14, 15 Paul shows that there are gentiles who “by nature do the things in the law.” He then explains this and other notable traits throughout the rest of chapter 2. This must, by definition, be considered as “good.”

So Paul is clearly not saying, as Calvinism claims, that man is entirely incapable of doing good or seeking after God. Rather, this is the general, not absolute, tendency of man. Having said this, when Paul writes, “there is none who does good, no, not one” it isn’t at all contradictory. The sin in man – both inherited from Adam and committed personally, places a barrier between God and man. It is impossible for man to please God unless the sin is dealt with first. And so truly, “there is none who does good, no, not one.”

Making the leap from not being good to not being capable of doing good is a category mistake. There may be nothing good in us, but this does not mean we cannot see the good in God (or in His revelation of Himself – either natural or special) and pursue it. We see the good in Him and either choose or reject that. Is it the confused soul who says that man has free will to commit evil, but denies the free will to pursue what is good, even if erringly.

Life application: Ideas, concepts, biblical truths, evaluations of man’s relationship with God, etc. all have individual categories which must be kept separate and distinct. When we take one concept from the Bible and inappropriately apply it to, or over, another our thinking on what is biblically correct becomes skewed. Keep the boxes straight and fix your eyes on Jesus.

Heavenly Father, You have shown us what is good, both internally in our hearts and in a specific way in the Bible. And then You have allowed us the choice of pursuing it or going our own way. Help us to choose what will be pleasing in Your sight and by following Jesus who guides the path. In His name we pray. Amen.

Sunday, 3 March 2013

There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. Romans 3:11

Real care needs to be taken when evaluating quotes in the New Testament which come from the Old. Anybody can quote anything to come to whatever conclusion they wish by tearing things out of context. This is the case with today’s verse more often than not. Paul is citing Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1 which are almost a mirror of each other in their first verse.

If taken at face value, and without considering both the context and the rest of Scripture, then one might come to the conclusion that “Man in his natural state cannot seek God” or something similar to this. This is the standard conclusion of Calvinist doctrine as well as some others, especially among those who deny the free will of man in accepting or rejecting Jesus. However, this is wrong.

Taking the verse in proper context as Paul would have expected his readers to do, we see the basis for the original statement which was made by David in the psalms –

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good.

David had in mind, and was speaking of, the atheist – “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.'” To make an all-inclusive claim about this verse as Calvinism does is to completely tear it out of its original context. We could question, “Are Muslims seeking after God?” “Are Mormons seeking after God?” “Are Buddhists seeking after God?” The answer in each case is “Yes. They are just doing it wrong.” Further, if Calvinism were true and this were an all inclusive statement, then David couldn’t have even written the psalm because “none” would include him. Such a conclusion is entirely unsupportable by the rest of Scripture.

Enoch who is recorded in Genesis 5 “walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” (v. 24). Ruth, a young girl from the pagan nation of Moab refused to be separated from her mother-in-law and stated,

“…wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.” Ruth 1:16

Speaking of a time, yet future, Hosea prophesied that the Israelites who had long rejected God will search Him out in the latter days –

“Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.” Hosea 3:5

Those who seek after God, from both within the covenant people of Israel and those from without, are noted time and time again Scripture. Therefore, that this verse today is not “all inclusive” is as evident as water is wet.

Having determined this we can acknowledge that there is “none who understands” God in the fullest sense. If they did, they would be God because only God who is infinite can fully know Himself. It is also true that without His special revelation to us “there is none who seeks after God” perfectly. To perfectly seek after God would imply a perfect knowledge of how to do so. But, in His wisdom, God sent us Jesus to reveal the Father in a way which we can understand. When we look to Jesus, we see the Father (John 14:7).

By showing us who the Father is, we now have the ability to properly pursue God and to accurately understand Him as He continually, ceaselessly is revealed by the Son. It will be an eternal adventure for us if we are willing to start the trip. Jesus offers any to come unto Him and when they do the journey begins. It is not forced upon us, nor are we first “regenerated” in order to accept the offer as those who deny free will must claim. Rather, we are given the free-will to choose and the mental faculties to make the choice.

Life Application: The fact that God already knows what we will choose in no way negates our responsibility in the matter. Don’t be the fool David wrote about and whom Paul analyzes in today’s verse. Rather, think it through and understand that God has given us all we need in order to make the right decision. Now it is up to each of us to do so. Choose life. Choose Jesus.

Lord, Your word is sure and without contradiction. If those throughout the history recorded in it have sought You out, then so can I. And so I commit my life to Jesus and look forward to eternally learning more about You. What a great and awesome God You are! Amen.

Saturday, 2 March 2013

As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;…  Romans 3:10

Today is the start of a rather long set of quotations selected by Paul directly from the Scriptures in order to justify his statements and prove his case. He starts with, “As it is written…” If the Old Testament (the Scriptures of his day) are truly the word of God (and he takes this as an axiom), then what they say is absolute truth and is binding as guidance and instruction.

The verses he selects will continue through verse 18 and come from Ecclesiastes, the Psalms, and Isaiah. They will speak of God in verses 10-12 first as a judge, then in verses 13-15 as an anatomist, and finally in 16-18 as an anthropologist.

Today is a close quote of Ecclesiastes 7:20 –

For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin.

From the first man, Adam, there has been none who have not sinned. Adam was created as a perfect man, but he lacked the knowledge of good and evil. This was not a flaw, merely a lack. Something lacking something else is not necessarily flawed and we cannot ascribe his innocence as such. In his innocent state, he was given one command. But, exercising the free will was given, he chose to disobey this command. This became “fault” or as we would term it “sin.”

From this one man’s sin, sin entered not only the world at large, but into the stream of humanity as well. Sin transfers through man to the next generation and therefore we are born in sin. David understood this when he penned these words –

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. Psalm 51:5

The NIV clearly translates this, “Surely I was sinful at birth.” All people are born into sin and therefore, “There is none righteous, no, not one.”

But this isn’t just a philosophical concept of Solomon which is repeated by Paul. Rather, it is a truth born out in the historical record of the Bible as well. In Genesis 4 this truth is highlighted several times. In verses 3 through 5 offerings are brought to the Lord and yet there is no record of Cain or Abel having committed any sin. The Bible therefore implies that because no demonstrable sin was committed, they had inherited their father’s fallen state. This concept continues to be born out in Cain’s murder of Abel and on through the rest of the Old Testament.

And yet, from the same early pages of the Bible, all the way through to Malachi, there are pictures and promises of One who would come to right the wrong of Adam and thus restore the fellowship that was lost so long ago. Yes, there is none righteous who is born of man. But Jesus wasn’t born of man; He was born of the Holy Spirit and through a woman. The sin of Adam didn’t transfer to Him.

Life application: Are you doing works in order to please God and get you to heaven? Guess what, it won’t work. You have already inherited a problem which works can’t fix. You have inherited a nature which infinitely separates you from God. But there is a remedy. By faith, put your trust in Jesus and what He did and He can be your bridge back to a right relationship with His Father. Only then can your works be found pleasing to God.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the plan of redemption which includes me… a sinner in need of a Savior. Thank You for Jesus who would give up His perfect life in order to restore me to You. I stand in awe of the majesty of what You have accomplished on my behalf. May my lips ever sing Your praises, O God. Amen.

Friday, 1 March 2013

What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. Romans 3:9

“What then?” What is the result of the question posed in 3:1 & 2? “What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God.”

Paul noted that there is both advantage and profit in being a Jew and being circumcised. However, he then laid out the case that if their actions didn’t correspond with the sign they bore that God would be proven just in His judgment of them. He also showed that His faithfulness isn’t negated by their unfaithfulness and that His receiving glory through their unrighteous actions gave them no excuse in acting in an unrighteous manner.

And so he asks “Are we better than they?” In the end, are Jews better than the gentiles? The answer, “Not at all.” In chapter 1, he proved that the gentiles are bound under sin and then in chapters 2 and 3 he showed that the Jew are also – “For we have previously charged…”

The charges have been made and they have been fully substantiated. “All are under sin.” This is a truth not just found in Paul’s philosophy, but is found in Scripture itself. As Paul notes in Galatians 3:22 – “But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”

Yes, Paul wrote Galatians, but he is citing “Scripture” which at that time consisted only of the Old Testament. The proof of Paul’s claim comes from the earliest pages of the Bible and continues right up until its last paragraph. Something more would be needed – Jesus. As chapter 3 unfolds, we will see this clearly.

Life application: God has shown in His word that all people are bound under sin. This doesn’t merely mean that we are sinners individually, but that we are under a broad kingdom of sin. We are trapped in it and there is only one exit. Take time to read Jesus’ words from John 14:1-6 and then stand fast on the truth that Jesus is the only way to be reconciled to God. Then, determine in your heart not to waffle on this conviction when confronted by those who challenge it.

Heavenly Father, I can see that I am no better than any other person. But what is also true is that no other person is any better than me. All it takes is one sin for us to be separated from You. Help me to remember this as I deal with others who seem so much more “sinful” than I am. We are all in the same desperate need of Jesus. Amen.

Thursday, 28 February 2013

And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just. Romans 3:8

“And why not say” is Paul’s conclusion to the previous concepts which he has laid before his readers. Is God’s faithfulness nullified by the unfaithfulness of man? Does man’s unrighteousness demonstrate the righteousness of God? Is the truth of God is increased through my lie to His glory? Each question and its answer has led Paul to say that if the answers are “yes” then we might as well say “let us do evil that good may come.”

This line of argumentation is known as reductio ad absurdum or “reduction to absurdity.” If God is somehow positively affected by whatever evil man does, then let us take the most evil course of all. The idea is that when we commit temporal evil the result will be the greater good of glorifying God. If so, then no matter what we do the outcome justifies the means.

Unfortunately, this means that stealing would not only be acceptable, but a good thing. Personal property would have no value. Murder would magnify God and therefore it would be the right course of action in any circumstance. Adultery would then be a noble thing. Getting married would simply be a step towards many partners – all to bring about a better purpose. For every sin we commit, the glory of God would shine forth all the more brightly.

The absurdity of such thoughts is self-evident, but such is the confused state of the unclear thinker. They only see the results of the first half of their argument, but they have fail to think the entire scenario through. As evident as it is, this is the state which the world is rapidly heading. As one-line arguments fill the cyber-world of Facebook and Twitter, our ability to reason out important issues is diminishing.

As Paul saw in his own time, those around him misunderstood, either unintentionally or intentionally, his comments about the grace of God and reported that Paul had actually affirmed that this was what Christianity held. But he, noting that God’s grace is magnified through the repentant sinner, never went to such extremes. For every note of how gracious God is, there is a note of warning that those who call on Jesus need to abstain from willful sin. Grace, to Paul and the other apostles, never meant a license to commit iniquity.

The Christian world of today though is turning away from the truth of the Bible and is actually following the absurd course Paul lays out. Homosexuals preach from the pulpit. Perversion of all sorts is openly condoned by the church and yet to them the grace of God is expected to cover such unrepentant actions. As Paul says, when this attitude is seen “their condemnation is just.” God will judge and condemn those who hold to such flawed views. They failed to use the brains He gave them and their actions will result in an eternal swim in the Lake of Fire. Let us heed the Proverb –

The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him. (18:17)

Life application: An argument which sounds fine on the surface, such as allowing abortion for rape or incest is found false when it is completely thought through. However, most people hear the initial argument and stop with that, agreeing that the murder of the unborn is somehow just. When you are presented with an argument, make sure to think its consequences through to the end. When you do, you may find that what originally seemed as right as rain is actually as twisted as a tornado.

Lord God, You have created me to be a rational, moral being. Help me to think issues of importance through clearly and to understand the ramifications of those things which could separate me from You when a wrong path is taken. May my life be a testimony to Your grace, but may I never assume that it gives me license to sin. Amen.