3Then what's the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value in the ceremony of circumcision?G5101G4053G3767G2453G2228G5101G5622G40612Yes, there are great benefits! First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God.G4183G2596G3956G5158G4412G3303G1063G3754G4100G3051G23163True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful?G1063G5101G1487G5100G569G3361G2673G846G570G2673G4102G2316G26734Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him, "You will be proved right in what you say, and you will win your case in court."G3361G1096G1161G1096G2316G1096G227G1161G3956G444G5583G2531G1125G3704G302G1344G1722G4675G3056G2532G3528G1722G4571G29195"But," some might say, "our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn't it unfair, then, for him to punish us?" (This is merely a human point of view.)G1161G1487G2257G93G4921G1343G2316G5101G2046G3361G2316G94G2018G3709G3004G2596G4446Of course not! If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge the world?G3361G1096G1893G4459G2919G2316G2919G28897"But," someone might still argue, "how can God condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights his truthfulness and brings him more glory?"G1063G1487G225G2316G4052G1722G1699G5582G1519G846G1391G5101G2089G2919G2504G2919G5613G2688And some people even slander us by claiming that we say, "The more we sin, the better it is!" Those who say such things deserve to be condemned.G2532G3361G2531G987G2532G2531G5100G5346G2248G3004G3754G4160G2556G2443G18G2064G3739G2917G2076G1738
All People Are Sinners
9Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin.G5101G3767G4284G3756G3843G1063G4256G5037G2453G2532G1672G1511G3956G5259G26610As the Scriptures say, "No one is righteous—not even one.G2531G1125G3754G2076G3756G1342G3761G152011No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.G2076G3756G4920G2076G3756G1567G231612All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one."G1578G3956G1578G889G260G889G2076G3756G4160G5544G3756G2076G2193G152013"Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies." "Snake venom drips from their lips."G846G2995G455G5028G846G1100G1387G2447G785G5259G846G549114"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."G3739G4750G1073G685G2532G408815"They rush to commit murder.G846G4228G3691G1632G12916Destruction and misery always follow them.G4938G2532G5004G1722G846G359817They don't know where to find peace."G2532G3598G1515G1097G3756G109718"They have no fear of God at all."G2076G3756G5401G2316G561G846G378819Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God.G1161G1492G3754G3745G3551G3004G2980G1722G3551G2443G3956G4750G5420G2532G3956G2889G1096G5267G231620For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.G1360G1537G2041G3551G1344G3956G3756G4561G1344G846G1799G1063G1223G3551G1922G266
Christ Took Our Punishment
21But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.G1161G3570G1343G2316G5565G3551G5319G3140G5259G3551G2532G439622We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.G1161G1343G2316G1223G4102G2424G5547G1519G3956G2532G1909G3956G4100G1063G2076G3756G129323For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.G1063G3956G264G2532G5302G1391G231624Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.G1344G1432G846G5485G1223G629G1722G5547G242425For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,G3739G2316G4388G2435G1223G4102G1722G846G129G1519G1732G846G1343G1223G3929G265G4266G1722G463G231626for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.G4314G1732G1722G3568G2540G846G1343G1519G1511G1342G2532G1344G846G4102G1537G242427Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith.G4226G2746G3767G1576G1223G4169G3551G2041G3780G235G1223G3551G410228So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.G3767G3049G444G1344G4102G5565G2041G355129After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn't he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is.G2228G2316G2453G3440G3780G1161G2532G1484G3483G1484G253230There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.G1897G1520G2316G3739G1344G4061G1537G4102G2532G203G1223G410231Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.G2673G3767G2673G3551G1223G4102G3361G1096G235G2476G3551
Romans 4
The Faith of Abraham
4Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God?G5101G2046G3767G11G2257G3962G2596G4561G21472If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God's way.G1063G1487G11G1344G1537G2041G2192G2745G235G3756G4314G23163For the Scriptures tell us, "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith."G1063G5101G3004G1124G1161G11G4100G2316G2532G3049G846G1519G13434When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned.G1161G2038G3049G3408G3756G3049G2596G5485G235G2596G37835But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.G1161G2038G3361G1161G4100G1909G1344G765G846G4102G3049G1519G13436David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it.G2509G1138G2532G3004G3108G444G3739G2316G3049G1343G5565G20417"Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight.G3107G3739G458G863G2532G3739G266G19438Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin."G3107G435G3739G2962G3049G3364G3049G2669Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith.G3778G3108G3767G1909G4061G2228G1909G203G2532G1063G3004G3754G4102G3049G11G1519G134310But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised!G4459G3049G3767G3049G5607G1722G4061G2228G1722G203G3756G1722G4061G235G1722G20311Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith.G2532G2983G4592G4061G4973G1343G4102G3588G1722G203G1519G846G1511G3962G3956G4100G1223G203G1519G1343G3049G846G253212And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.G2532G3962G4061G3756G1537G4061G3440G235G2532G4748G2487G4102G2257G3962G11G1722G20313Clearly, God's promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God's law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.G1063G1860G1511G846G2818G2889G3756G11G2228G846G4690G1223G3551G235G1223G1343G410214If God's promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless.G1063G1487G1537G3551G2818G4102G2758G2532G1860G267315For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)G1063G3551G2716G3709G1063G3757G3756G3551G2076G3761G384716So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham's. For Abraham is the father of all who believe.G1223G5124G1537G4102G2443G2596G5485G1519G1860G1511G949G3956G4690G3756G3440G1537G3551G235G2532G1537G4102G11G3739G2076G3962G2257G395617That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, "I have made you the father of many nations." This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.G2531G1125G3754G5087G4571G3962G4183G1484G2713G3739G4100G2316G2227G3498G2532G2564G5607G3361G5613G560718Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, "That's how many descendants you will have!"G3739G3844G1680G4100G1909G1680G1519G846G1096G3962G4183G1484G2596G2046G3779G2071G4675G4690G207119And Abraham's faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah's womb.G2532G3361G770G4102G2657G3756G1438G4983G2235G3499G5225G4225G1541G2532G3500G4564G338820Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.G1161G1252G3756G1519G1860G2316G570G235G1743G4102G1325G1391G231621He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.G2532G4135G3754G3739G1861G2076G1415G2532G416022And because of Abraham's faith, God counted him as righteous.G2532G1352G3049G846G1519G134323And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn't just for Abraham's benefit. It was recordedG1161G1125G3756G1125G1223G846G3440G3754G3049G84624for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.G235G1223G2248G2532G3739G3195G3049G4100G1909G1453G2424G2257G2962G1537G349825He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.G3739G3860G1223G2257G3900G2532G1453G1223G2257G1347
Psalms 134
134[A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.] Oh, praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, you who serve at night in the house of the Lord.H7892H4609H1288H3068H5650H3068H3915H5975H1004H30682Lift up holy hands in prayer, and praise the Lord.H5375H3027H6944H1288H30683May the Lord, who made heaven and earth, bless you from Jerusalem.H3068H6213H8064H776H1288H6726
Dublin, OH
G4183
