Pulling
Down Strongholds:
Against
God’s Goodness
In
a Brief Survey of the Epistle of Paul to
the Romans
Based
on sermons preached in PCC Worship Services, July 2003 to Sep 2005
Part 13a of 83
“1 What
advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? 2
Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of
God. 3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God
without effect? 4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a
liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and
mightest overcome when thou art judged. 5 But if our unrighteousness
commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I
speak as a man) 6 God forbid: for then how shall God judge the
world? 7 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie
unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner? 8 And not
rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose
damnation is just” (Romans 3:1-8).
The
letter of Roman is really a great theological treatise on the doctrine of
salvation. Every aspect of the doctrine of salvation is covered in this book In
it Paul explains the doctrines of election, of regeneration, of faith and
repentance, of justification, of sanctification and of glorification.
Paul
begins this letter by building up a case for the doctrine of justification.
Justification teaches us that if anyone of us is saved, it is entirely by grace
through faith in the finished work of Christ. None of us can be saved by our
own works because all our good works are tainted with sin.
The apostle Paul therefore begins this
letter by telling us that all men, without exception, are guilty before God. In
chapter 1, he shows us that the gentiles who do not know the written Law of God
are guilty. In chapter 2, he shows us that those who know the law of
God,—namely Jews and Christians,—are also guilty.
In
our previous study, we saw how Paul uses a sledgehammer to destroy the
self-righteousness and self-confidence of the Jews. He reproves them for
thinking that their knowledge of the Law of God makes them righteous before
God. He rebukes them for assuming that because they were circumcised, they must
be special in the eyes of God. And he condemns them for being Jews outwardly
but in not inwardly. He condemns them, in other words, for intellectualism,
ritualism and nominalism.
The
true Jew would know salvation by grace through faith. But the sad fact is that
there were very few true Jew. In general, the Jews in the days of Paul were
mostly religious hypocrites who relied on their self-righteousness.
These
same nominal Jews would object strongly to what Paul is teaching them. Pride
always resists the truth. But what are their objections? Paul gives us a
glimpse of them by addressing them in the first 8 verses of chapter 3.
So
then, these 8 verses, are really a kind of excursus from Paul’s main arguments.
He is pausing here to address some objections before going back to his main
thought that all men are guilty before God.
Why
is it important for us to answer these objections? It is important because the
nature is God is being questioned! In particular, if we read carefully, we will
see that the Jews are, in fact, accusing Paul of destroying the goodness of God, the faithfulness of God and the justice of God by his doctrine.
Paul
is addressing sinners. We are all sinners,—whether we are converted or
unconverted. As sinners, we all hate God. True believers love God, but because
they have a remnant of corruption in their heart, they will also be tempted to
despise God. We will be tempted to question God’s goodness, faithfulness and
justice. Unbelievers hate God, and they will latch on anything that will give
them excuses not to believe God’s Word.
Therefore,
unless these objections are addressed, we will all be distracted from hearing
what God has to tell us concerning His mercy and grace in the Gospel. We are
all familiar with this kind of distraction. You are listening to a sermon or a
lecture, and half-way through an objection to what is being said crosses your
mind. When that happens, you stop listening. Instead, the objection grows
louder and louder in your head.
The
apostle, writing under inspiration, is seeking to address this problem. God is
good, faithful and just. We must not doubt that. Neither should we entertain
any thought that the Gospel of Christ is somehow contrary to the goodness,
faithfulness and justice of God.
The Lord helping,
then, let us consider first of all, how Paul affirms the fact that…
1. God is Good
The
objector asks:
“What
advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?” (v.
1)
What is the use of being a Jew, what is the
point of circumcision, when it is no guarantee of salvation? Paul had just said
that being a Jew,—having the Law and being circumcised,—does not guarantee
salvation. In fact, being a Jew outwardly is, in some ways, worse than being a
Gentile. The nominal Jew will certainly be punished more severely than the
moral Gentile.
If
that is so, what is the point of being a Jew? God has called out a people to
live unto His praise. But there does not seem to be any benefit for this
people! It appears that God was merely making use of them. It appears that they
suffered for God and worship God, but He actually hates them. Is God good after
all?
How
would you feel if you are employed by a prestigious company, and you are given
a prestigious title: “Director of Operational Reforms.” You are told that you
will be paid at the end of your contract. But just before your contract ends,
instead of being paid, you are given a termination letter, in which you are
also told all the things you did wrongly.
Perhaps
some of the Jews might have felt like that. What advantage is there in being a
Jew, and in being circumcised?
How
does Paul answer? He says:
“Much
every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God”
(v. 2)
The
word “chiefly” is interesting. It occurs 60 times in the Greek, but most times (5
of 6 times), it is translated “first,” or “first of all.” Essentially, what
Paul is saying is that there are many other reasons why it is advantageous to
be Jews, but he is giving us the first and most important reason: “because
that unto them were committed the oracles of God.”
What
does he mean? Paul is commonly interpreted as saying the Jews had the privilege
of being the custodians of God’s word. Thus it may be said that it is
advantageous to be Jews because the Jews were keepers, transcribers and preservers
of God’s Word. The world owes it to the Jews for being God’s instruments to
preserve and transmit His Word.
But
is this really what Paul is saying? I do not think so. That would not answer
the question: What advantage is there in being a Jew? It would not address the
indignation that may arise in the Jewish heart of being used by God, and then
discarded.
I
believe, rather, that Paul is saying that it was advantageous to be Jews
because God had chosen them out of all the people in the world to hear, know
and practice His Word.
·
The Word of God teaches us
who God is. The Jews, of all people of the world, knew who God is.
·
The Word of God shows us
what duty God requires of us. The Jews, of all people in the world knew what
God requires of man.
·
The Word of God is the
Truth, and the Truth is what gives us true freedom. The Jews, of all people in
the world, knew how they might obtain true freedom.
·
The Word of God contains
God’s promises. The Jews, of all people of the world, had the privilege of
receiving these promises.
We
can think of other reasons why it is advantageous to be Jews, such as God’s
providential protection through the ages, such as having an advance civil
statute to govern them, etc.
But
the privilege of having the oracles of God entrusted to their care and use far
surpasses the other privileges. They were the first to know how to obtain
eternal life. They were the first to hear about the promised Messiah. They were
the first to hear the Gospel of Christ. The Lord himself restricted his ministry
very much to the Jews. And He instructed the apostles to go to the Jews first.
The
Jews had more opportunities for freedom and life than did any other people in
the world. Surely it was a great advantage to be a Jew! God’s goodness towards
the Jews cannot be denied at all!
It
is likewise a great advantage to be a Christian. Whether you are a child or an
adult, it is a great advantage to be a Christian. Let no one think that because
it is possible for a baptised Christian to be worse off than an unbaptised
unbeliever, there is no advantage to being a member of the church. There are
many advantages, which testify of the goodness of God! For, first and foremost
you have been committed the oracles of God. Of all the people in the world, you
alone have heard, and know and can live according to the
Law and Gospel. Is this not a great privilege?
“[Knowest
thou not] that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Rom 2:4). Do
not despise the goodness of God. Millions are perishing without hope even as you
sit here listening to the Word of God. Do not doubt that God is good in leading
you to profess faith and to be baptised and to be part of a church. Do not
doubt that you have great advantage being a Christian. Yes, it is true that you
will be worse off than the unbelievers if you remain disobedient. But no, that
does not nullify the advantage that you have.
But
now a second question arises. It is advantageous to be a Jew, but it is a fact
that some, or rather most of the Jews, did not believe. And according to Paul
doctrine they would perish in their sin. Does this not throw a question mark on
God’s faithfulness? After all, did not God make a covenant to be the God of the
Jews?
…
to be continued next issue
─JJ Lim