Romans 3:1-8 “While I’m Thinking About It”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹Therefore, what [is the] advantage of the Jew, or what [is the] profit of the circumcision? ²[There is] much according to every way, because first they were entrusted with the oracles of God. ³For, what if some disbelieved (were unfaithful), does not their unbelief (unfaithfulness) nullify the truth (truthfulness, faithfulness) of God?  ⁴May it never be! But, let God be truthful but every man a liar, just as it is written, “In order that You may be justified in Your speaking and You will be victorious in what You [are] judging (or being judged).”  ⁵But if our unrighteousness displays the righteousness of God, what shall we say? [Is] not God unrighteous, inflicting the wrath? I speak according to a man. ⁶May it never be! Then how will God judge the world? ⁷But also if the truth of God abounds in my falsehood into His glory, why then am I yet judged as a sinner? ⁸And are we not blasphemed thus and some are saying we say that we should do the evil in order that the good may come? Their judgment is just.

In my last post I stated that I have no problem with the first question in this passage, “What about the Jew?” I said there, “I personally find that a very intelligent question of anyone who reads and understands their Bible. Barrels of ink have been spent over the years by theologians trying to explain the place of the Jew especially in the present Church Age and then into the future. In fact, I strongly suspect the question hasn’t been probed enough, but I’ll have to leave that for another post.”

I hadn’t intended to elaborate on the point, but I think I will, while I’m thinking about it, just for the fun of it. What do I mean, “The question hasn’t been probed enough”? I think people tend to fall into one of two errors: There are those who would claim the church has replaced the Jewish people as God’ chosen people, that they are simply rejected, and that their Jewishness no longer means anything at all. I personally don’t see how anyone can read their Bible and hold that position, but people do – good people do – but that because they allow for words to be simply “spiritual,” not literal. In other words, they accept the idea you can simply make “Jew” in the NT to mean “a spiritual person,” a person set apart by God. They do the same thing with the “thousand years” in Rev 20:4-6, asserting it only means “a long time.” In that passage, the “thousand years” gets repeated three times in three verses. I totally understand that words can be used allegorically, but it is a rule of simple common sense that words mean exactly what they mean unless the speaker is clearly being allegorical. I don’t see any evidence of that in Rev. 20 and the fact it is repeataed three times in three verses leaves me personally with no other defensible choice but to believe He means exactly what He says, that it will be for a period of one thousand years. Similarly, I cannot accept a Bible interpretation that says “Jew” doesn’t mean “Jew.” So while very good people may hold that position, I find it untenable.

The other error, which I think is far more common, and which my blog today is precisely intended to assault is what I would say is a more practical denial of Jewish uniqueness. What do I mean? Throughout the evangelical church, most people would heartily agree with me that the Jewish people are still a special people in the eyes of God. None of us are surprised that in 1947, the nation of Israel was reborn. We still believe in God’s promise to Abraham, “I will bless them that bless you” (Gen. 12:3) and so, we want our government to be good to the nation of Israel, to support them, to honor them, etc. It caused us great fear when the Obama administration took adversarial positions against Israel, and we are very heartened to see the Trump administration do all they can to support Israel. I sit here in May, 2020, sincerely hoping President Trump will be re-elected in November, on the one hand as a blessing of God on him personally, since the Lord said, “I will bless them that bless you,” and on the other hand as I sincerely believe God’s blessings will fall on America if we, as a nation, continue to support Israel.

I say all that to acknowledge that we, the Evangelical Church in America, basically all agree that the Jewish people are still special, that Abraham’s physical descendants are still God’s chosen people, and that they do continue to bear a distinction from us Gentiles. That said, however, I think as we study the Bible and seek to understand it, we fail to maintain that distinction. We read in Galatians that the church is a place where “there is neither Jew nor Greek…,” then speak and act as if there really is no difference any more. For whatever it’s worth, in that passage in Galatians, he also says there is neither “male nor female.” Does anyone care to hold that there is no longer any difference between men and women? Obviously (at least for us Christians) a man is still a man and a woman is still a woman. Obviously that passage is referring to our standing before God. As Paul is proving in Romans, all are under sin, and all must be saved by faith. But I’m saying that doesn’t obliterate the physical (and even mental) differences between men and women. I would maintain that neither does it obliterate the differences between Jew and Gentile – even in the current Church Age – and that means we not only need to acknowledge the (continuing) distinction theoretically, but we must also acknowledge it practically.

Probably everything I have to say from here on out will be completely heretical. However, I have been studying the Bible personally for 40 years and would only say, if someone thinks I’m wrong, then I would welcome your proofs to that end. But, if we would let words mean what they mean, then we need to let the Bible say what it says, and, in essence, let the chips fall where they may.

So let us begin. Are we as NT Christians under the New Covenant? No. Jeremiah prophesied, “‘The time is coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah’” (31:31). With who? “With the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.” The “house of Israel” and “the house of Judah” is not the church. It is not us. The Jewish people need a new covenant, precisely because they were under the old covenant. We weren’t under the old and so we don’t need a new. The nation of Israel by definition is related to God through a covenant, a legal relationship. They utterly failed in their old legal relationship with God, and so they need a new one. As the church, we are the Body of Christ – we are related to Him organically, not legally. We are actually in the Messiah. We enjoy New Covenant blessings – specifically the gift of the Holy Spirit – precisely because we are in the Messiah Jesus, because we are organically united with the One who is the Mediator of the New Covenant.

This, I would suggest, is of monumental importance to us Christians. I am not related to Jesus legally. I am in Christ. By blurring this distinction, we rob ourselves of great peace. As Paul will go on to say in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus…” and, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (5:1). How can I suffer condemnation if I am found “in Christ?” Again, as Paul will say later, “Who is he who condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (8:34). I can enjoy great peace in my relationship with God precisely because I am not bound to Him legally. My relationship with Him is not through a covenant. I am in Christ.

Let the heresies continue. I think we err greatly not recognizing, even in the New Testament, when the Lord is speaking to Jews. In the Gospels, Jesus is a Jew speaking to Jews. When the Syro-Phoenician woman came to ask Jesus to heal her daughter, He said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” It was only her response, “But don’t even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the children’s table?” which won her the approbation of Jesus. In John 12:21-23, the Greeks told Philip, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus,” and it is notable that Jesus utterly ignored them. The mere statement makes our hair stand on end. Yet, read the text. It says what it says. I will say it again, in the Gospels, Jesus was a Jew speaking to Jews. My point is that we totally ignore that reality and try to make every word apply directly to ourselves. I am suggesting that is a poor hermeneutic. We are to ask, “Who is speaking and who is being spoken to?” Why do we drop that rule of interpretation when we read the Gospels?

Two other places in particular we need to acknowledge this distinction are in the book of James and the book of  Hebrews. What does James say? He addresses his letter to “the twelve tribes scattered among the nations.” Once again, we have a Jew specifically writing to Jews. And there is “the epistle to the Hebrews.” Do we not risk error and confusion if we ignore the fact that these books are written to Jews? I think that is exactly what we do and that is exactly what I’m calling a “practical” denial of our distinctions. We say there is a distinction, then read our Bible as if there is not. The book of Hebrews in particular contains some passages that stand our Christian hair on end. What if we acknowledged it is written specifically to Jews and needs to be understood on that basis? Theirs is a legal relationship with God. We shouldn’t be surprised if, when God is speaking directly to them, He doesn’t say some things that we find frighteningly legal!

I suspect there are places even in the book of Acts where we err blurring our distinction. Again, we need to realize that, yes, the book of Acts is a book of the early church, but we should not fail to recognize that still much of what is said and much of what happens involves distinctly Jewish Christians. The Gentile Christians only enter the picture in chapter 10 and then, throughout the rest of the book, there is constantly maintained a clear distinction between Jewish and Gentile Christians. Yes, in the Church and in this Age, we are all “one in Christ,” but a man is still a man, a woman is still a woman, a Jew is still a Jew, and a Gentile is still a Gentile.

The last place where I want to point out the continuing distinction is in the book of Revelation. We have the book clearly open with John writing of and to the Church. Chapters two and three are specifically written to the “Seven Churches.” But beginning in Chapter 4, to me there is no question that from then on, we are reading a Jewish book. Even ponder the passage in 14:6,7: “And I saw another angel flying in midair, having the eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, …; and he said with a loud voice, ‘Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth…’” Here’s my point: if you and I heard an angel proclaiming the eternal Gospel from the sky, what would we expect to hear? Would it not be, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved!” Instead, In Rev. 14:6, it is “Fear God and give Him glory…” That “gospel” should strike us as odd…unless we are realizing we are not in the Church Age in Rev. 14. We are in the “Day of Jacob’s trouble,” the “Seventieth Week of Daniel.” Beginning in Revelation 4, the Church Age as we know it is over. The Lord returns to complete His promises specifically to the Jewish people. He calls His witnesses out of “the Twelve Tribes” and I would suggest, once again, by blurring the distinction between Jew and Gentile, we subject ourselves to an element of confusion that is entirely unnecessary.

Where does all this lead?

Beats me.

In a lot of cases, quite frankly, I haven’t decided what to do with it all. I don’t really know.

I just think we need to be consistent. We need to let the Bible say what it says and neither force it into our preferential mold nor flee from its literal intent. It says what it says. Let us study it, understand it, and seek to live it simply as that. Our God didn’t write to confuse us. He said we would know the truth and the truth would make us free. I want to enjoy His freedom as much as I possibly can, so, God help me, I want to let Him speak, let Him say what He says, then let me understand Him and the life He wants me to live based on what He said.

I don’t even need to understand it today.

As Juba told Maximus, “You will…but not yet.”

Romans 3:1-8 “Stupid”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹Therefore, what [is the] advantage of the Jew, or what [is the] profit of the circumcision? ²[There is] much according to every way, because first they were entrusted with the oracles of God. ³For, what if some disbelieved (were unfaithful), does not their unbelief (unfaithfulness) nullify the truth (truthfulness, faithfulness) of God?  ⁴May it never be! But, let God be truthful but every man a liar, just as it is written, “In order that You may be justified in Your speaking and You will be victorious in what You [are] judging (or being judged).”  ⁵But if our unrighteousness displays the righteousness of God, what shall we say? [Is] not God unrighteous, inflicting the wrath? I speak according to a man. ⁶May it never be! Then how will God judge the world? ⁷But also if the truth of God abounds in my falsehood into His glory, why then am I yet judged as a sinner? ⁸And are we not blasphemed thus and some are saying we say that we should do the evil in order that the good may come? Their judgment is just.

This has been a particularly difficult passage for me to study.  That is always a good thing, of course, because it means there is something about God I do not understand, that there is something about reality and life I need to learn, and that if I can learn it, then in even some small way, the world will make more sense to me. When I come to understand the truth, the truth will make me free! However, having pondered the passage for the last couple of weeks and having read the thoughts of a lot of other people, I can’t say it makes any more sense to me. Sometimes by sitting down like this and typing, things do come together in my head, so I’ll venture to at least articulate my confusion.

Here’s my basic problem: To me the questions that are posed are just plain stupid. Obviously, at this point, Paul felt it necessary to pause in his argument and address these questions. As I related in my last post, I have no problem with the first question, “What about the Jew?” I personally find that a very intelligent question of anyone who reads and understands their Bible. Barrels of ink have been spent over the years by theologians trying to explain the place of the Jew especially in the present Church Age and then into the future. In fact, I strongly suspect the question hasn’t been probed enough, but I’ll have to leave that for another post.

To me that is an insightful, intelligent question, worthy of response. But then we go on to “Will their lack of faith nullify the faithfulness of God?” and “Is not God unjust in bringing His wrath on us?” and “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases His glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” and “Let us do evil that good may result!”

Stupid. I feel like my entire soul bristles at those questions. To me, they don’t even deserve acknowledgment, much less a response. I wouldn’t waste my breath or my ink even answering them. The people who ask such questions aren’t asking because they want an answer. They’re asking because they’ve already decided they don’t want the true God ruling over them. As it says in Proverbs, “When a wise man contends with a fool, the fool scoffs and rages, and there is no peace.”

So then why does Paul “waste his ink” answering such stupidity? I’ll take that one step further and ask, why does God? Though Paul is the writer, what he’s writing is God’s Word. For some reason, even God Himself thought these questions should be recorded and addressed. He’s taking up space in one of the most important books (Romans) in the most important book (the Bible) ever written to acknowledge and answer these questions. Obviously, Paul and God disagree with me. I think anyone sensible can see that puts me in a rather precarious position!

As I’ve pondered this, I think perhaps a part of the answer is in what appear to be two completely conflicting verses in Proverbs 26: “⁴Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him. ⁵Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes”. There you go. “Don’t answer a fool according to his folly” and “Answer a fool according to his folly.” We should do both! That would rather seem a challenge. But I think, considering this passage in Romans, what happens is my mind settles into v. 4, “Don’t answer him,” while Paul (and the Lord) move on to v. 5, “Answer him.”

Interestingly, I think we can see in vv. 1-8 that Paul shares my revulsion at the questions themselves. Two times (vv. 4 & 6) he exclaims “Mai genoito!” which means literally, “May it never be!” and which is, in Greek, a strong exclamation of aversion. In v.5 he clarifies, “I am speaking like a man” or, in other words, “I know this is completely stupid, but people actually think like this.” And, finally, as the NIV translates v. 8, he concludes it all with “Their condemnation is deserved.”

It sort of makes sense to me that such questions had to be acknowledged and answered just to “shut up” the fools who ask them and perhaps so everyone else listening in might not be drawn themselves into the folly. But with all that said, I find still my soul this morning wanting to shout, “No! I will not grant you fools even the honor of an answer. Be gone with you. We’re considering important matters and don’t have time for your wicked stupidity.” Actually, if my soul had the power I would probably shout, “Off with their heads!”

So my soul still disagrees with the Apostle Paul and God Himself! That is pretty thin ice, I’m afraid. But after two weeks, I still don’t “get it.” As of this minute, I think I have to just set it aside and say, “There is something here wrong in my thinking. I want the Lord to correct me, but apparently He hasn’t yet.” So, having given it two weeks, I think it best to just move on.

That is what I’ll do.

Romans 3:1-4 “Reality”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹Therefore, what [is the] advantage of the Jew, or what [is the] profit of the circumcision? ²[There is] much according to every way, because first they were entrusted with the oracles of God. ³For, what if some disbelieved (were unfaithful), does not their unbelief (unfaithfulness) nullify the truth (truthfulness, faithfulness) of God?  ⁴May it never be! But, let God be truthful but every man a liar, just as it is written, “In order that You may be justified in Your speaking and You will be victorious in what You [are] judging (or being judged).” 

Paul pauses here to ponder what I believe turns out to be a question of profound implications: “What about the Jew?” In chapters 1 and 2, Paul has shown that all mankind is rightly under the judgment of God and that the Jew, as a Jew, has no advantage as he would stand before the tribunal of God. Chapter 2 ended with Paul saying, “A man is not a Jew if he is one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit…” (vv.28,29).

People say this question is coming from those objecting to what Paul is saying. I don’t think we need to assume that. The fact is, it is a good question. What about the Jew? What Paul seems to be saying there at the end of chapter 2 is that it really makes no difference whether a person is a Jew or Gentile. Along with that, we have passages like Gal. 3:26-29: “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus…There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” We are also told, “Now in Christ Jesus you who were once afar off have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has broken down the barrier…Through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit” (Eph. 2:13-18).

There are a lot of people down through the years who would take these verses to conclude that the church has replaced the Jews as the people of God, that Jews as Jews no longer possess any distinction, that they were “set aside” when they rejected and murdered the Messiah. Those same people will speak of Israel as “the church” in an Old Testament sense and now we are “the church” in the New Testament sense. So, what about the Jew? Does the Gospel essentially negate their distinction as a people? Does there remain any advantage to being Jewish, any distinction? Notice Paul’s answer: “Much in every way!”

Here’s what I think: Yes, it is true, as we stand before God, it matters not whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, male or female, etc. As Paul will go on to say, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” All human beings are born dead in their trespasses and sins and all need the salvation that Jesus and His gospel offers. All can be born again and become the children of God. However, that said, a man is still a man and a woman is still a woman. A born again man still grows a beard and loves bacon. A born again woman still bears children and loves Reese’s Cups. Yes, our standing before God is exactly the same, but that doesn’t change the distinctions of who we are. The same is true of Jew and Gentile. Spiritually speaking a saved Gentile becomes as a Jew before God. But…a Gentile is still a Gentile and a Jew is still a Jew.

God said to Abraham in Gen. 17:6-8, “I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.” One can read these words again and again and there is much to observe. For one thing, notice the promises are unconditional. The Mosaic Covenant, given later, was conditional: If they obeyed, they would be blessed; if they disobeyed, they would be cast out of the land. But here we have the Abrahamic Covenant and notice there are no conditions. God promised Abraham to bless his descendants.

Notice too it is “everlasting.” This Abrahamic Covenant – God’s promise to bless Abraham’s descendants is a forever promise. For whatever it is worth, even note that their rightful possession of the land of Canaan is an “everlasting” possession. As they say, “Put that in your pipe and smoke it!” I don’t want to get off on another rabbit trail, but I would suggest that is why there has to be a new heaven and a new earth. New earth? Why a new earth? God promised to Israel the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession. Somehow in eternity, the land of Canaan on this new earth will always be the home of Jewish people, of Abraham’s physical descendants. No such promises are accorded to us Gentiles. I think the bottom line is that a physical descendant of Abraham (a Jew) is a physical descendant of Abraham and those who are not (us Gentiles) are not. Men are not women and women are not men. We may be “equal” in our standing before God, but that doesn’t change the distinctions with which we have been created.

So what about the Jew? Since the Cross, is it okay for us to see them as a cursed, rejected people? Should we write them off as the refuse of an ancient past gone terribly wrong? Since we’re all equal in God’s eyes, is their Jewishness now irrelevant? Is there left any advantage to being a Jew? Again, note Paul’s answer: “Much in every way!” He will go on, I know, in chapters 9-11 to elaborate on this entire discussion, but I want to say, based on these Scriptures, that God has not forgotten His promises to Abraham. The Jewish people will always be the Jewish people and yes, they are special to God. If I could inject here, it’s not that they are more special than anyone else, but they are special in their own way.

As an immediate application of this, I want to note that the Lord specifically told Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you” (Gen. 12:3). Based on this verse, I would conclude that no, it is not okay to see the Jewish people as a cursed, rejected people. They are still a blessed people and we should bless them ourselves. We should bless them in our mind and whatever opportunity we may have to offer them respect, we should. I believe without reservation that America in some part enjoys divine blessing precisely because (and if) we seek to be a blessing to the nation of Israel. The Lord went on to tell Abraham that “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” That promise found its fulfillment ultimately in the coming of the Messiah, but, as with all truth, it is a fractal of reality that Jewish people simply are a blessing to the rest of us. I don’t have the statistics in front of me, but historically a very high percentage of the good that has been done in this world has come through Jewish minds and hands – way beyond the tiny fraction of their population.

So, right off the bat here in chapter 3, what about the Jew? Right in the middle of this discussion demonstrating we have all sinned and fallen short, that there is only one Gospel, are we given to dismiss Jewishness? No. Their promises go on. Their “peopleness” goes on. They are still distinct ethnically. And they are still blessed and a blessing as Jews. There is yet much to say about them and about their future (Paul will give three chapters of the book of Romans just to address that matter!). The book of Romans is a book about reality. God is our reality and the Gospel – man’s relationship with his Creator God – is the reality of living in this world. That realization itself begs extensive discussion, but let me conclude by saying here that recognition of Jewishness is part of that reality. It’s not just some religious curiosity. There is a God, He is real, and in His real world there are and always will be Jewish people.

Embracing that truth is part of you and I living in reality.