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SECTION F – The Conduct of
Mankind (1:18 -
3:20)
Balanced
by SECTION f - The Conduct of The Saints (12:01
- 15:07)
Romans Three - verses 1 to 4
The 'evangel of God' concerning His Son, is God's
power for salvation to the Jews and to the Greeks who are believing
(Rom.1:3,16). In this evangel that Paul preaches, GOD'S righteousness is
being revealed, out of faith (though whose faith this is was not specified
as yet) for faith (obviously for the faith of those who believe and of
those who are about to be believing - Rom.1:17).
Paul goes on to detail the
demonstration of God’s indignation on the inherent unrighteousness that is
characteristic of men. It is because men do not recognize and acknowledge
that God is God that He gives them over to behaviour that is not befitting
the purpose for their being (Rom.1:18-32).
By their very own standards
of judgment, human beings stand condemned before God, and their own
consciences should attest to this fact (Rom.2:1-16).
Even the Jew, whom God has
chosen and given the law to, stands condemned for transgressing those very
laws. Their circumcision cannot save them from the penalty of breaking
those laws (Rom.2:17-29).
01. What, then, is the
prerogative of the Jew,
or what the benefit of circumcision?
It
would almost seem, from the preceding argument, that the advantages enjoyed
by the Jews brought them no real benefit. But this seems to be true only of
those who disbelieved and abused the advantages accorded them. Those of
faith among them received untold benefit, like their father Abraham.
Concordant Commentary
The Jew
God’s chosen people came from Abraham, through Isaac and Jacob (whom God renamed Israel). They became known as Israelites, the descendents of Israel.
In general, however, even until the time of the exodus from Egypt
under Moses, these people were also called ‘Hebrews’ (Gen.40:15; Ex.2:6), probably after Eber, a forefather
of Abraham (Lk.3:35). Their God was ‘the God of the Hebrews’ (Ex.3:18; 5:3; 7:16). This was a racial,
ethnic, distinction. To show the purity of his lineage, his
ultra-nationalism, qualifications his opponents could not ignore, Paul
asserts that he is a ‘Hebrew of Hebrews’ (Phil.3:5)
They were established as the
kingdom of Israel under Saul and David. After the reign of Solomon,
civil war divided the twelve tribes of Israel – ten tribes forming the kingdom of Israel to the north,
with the capital and religious centre (with a reconstituted ‘Temple’
system) in Samaria, while the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin formed the kingdom of Judah to the south,
with its capital and Temple (with the Mosaic system) at Jerusalem. Paul was
‘of the tribe of Benjamin’
(Phil.3:5).
The name ‘Jew’ is derived from the patriarch Judah, and was given to those of the ‘loyal’ kingdom of Judah (2Ki.25:25;
Jer.32:12; 38:19; 40:11; 41:3). In time, most of the priestly tribe of
Levi, together with vast numbers from the other nine tribes, defected from
the northern kingdom to the kingdom of Judah to resume their worship of God
at the Temple in Jerusalem. Thus, members of all the twelve tribes were represented at the Temple worship
and all of these were included in
the term ‘Jew’ (Act.26:6). Broadly speaking, the Jew is one who worships the
true God through the Mosaic traditions. It is a religious rather than a
political distinction.
The first mention of the Jews
(those loyal the true God as distinct from those of the contaminated
religion of Samaria) has them at war against the coalition of Israel and Syria (2Ki.16:5,6).
In the Greek Scriptures, however, the usage of these words is a
little different.
Judaism, the worship of God through the Mosaic
traditions, is the religion of the Jews, setting them apart from the rest of mankind whatever other religion
these may profess. Thus, when Jews
are contrasted against the nations, the distinction is religious rather
than ethnic.
When Israel is contrasted
against the nations, however, it has reference to the people and to the
kingdom and the distinction is ethnic and political, rather than
religious.
Hebrew was the language of religion. Except for the
book of Daniel, which was mostly in Aramaic,
the language that developed during what is termed ‘the exile’ periods in
Babylon and Assyria, all the ‘Old Testament’ texts are in Hebrew. In their
homes, however, the people spoke Aramaic, the language they had become
familiar with. This is what Jesus would have used among His family. For
ordinary affairs the ‘lingua-franca’ was Koinê Greek, the everyday dialect of the working and business
class and that of the marketplace, rather than Classical, which was the reserve of the ‘intellectuals’. Though
Rome ruled in the time of Christ, most of those in its army were
mercenaries from conquered nations where Koinê was understood, so Latin was
mainly used for official purposes only. One of the inscriptions on Christ’s
cross was in Latin, the only time this Roman language is mentioned in
Scripture.
Jn.19:19,20 Now Pilate writes a title also, and places it on
the cross.
Now it was written,
"Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews."
20
This title, then, many of the Jews read,
for the place where Jesus
was crucified was near the city,
and it was written in Hebrew,
Latin and Greek.
Many of the people of Israel had, either for advantage or through
necessity, left the land to live in foreign countries. These, not only
spoke the language, but also adopted the Greek customs and culture of the ‘educated’ and progressive
elements of the society they lived in. These were called Hellenists (from [h]ellênistês, GREEKist). Those who were termed Hebrews, proud of
their heritage and culture, refused to absorb such ideas.
Though written in Greek, the book of Hebrews, as the name suggests,
was written for that particular people. It recalls the faith of the
stalwarts back through the years right up to Abel, and reassures them on
the requital of that faith while encouraging the addressees to emulate
their faithfulness.
Circumcision
Circumcision is a religious
ritual in which the foreskins of males are severed. It has primary
significance for the descendents of Abraham, initiating a covenantal relationship between them
and God. It sets them apart from the rest of mankind.
When Abraham was about
eighty-six years old, God promised him that he would have a multitude of
descendents (Gen.15:5,6). Assuming that the fulfillment would be immediate,
and as Sarai was past the time for possible pregnancy, the couple tried to
‘help God’ to keep His promise. Following extant custom of the time, Hagar,
the maid, substituted for Sarah in bed and Abraham had a son, Ishmael,
through her (Gen.16:1-16). But, this was not the son that was spoken of by
God Who needs no ‘assistance’ from man to carry out His designs and to
fulfill His promises.
When Abraham was
ninety-nine years old God spoke to him about the Covenant of Circumcision
which He was about to establish, where the prescribed ritual signified a contract between the circumcised
descendents of Abraham and God.
Gen.17:9-14 And saying is the Elohim to
Abraham,
"And you shall keep My covenant,
you and
your seed after you for their generations.
10 This is My covenant, which you shall
keep
between Me and you and your seed after you for their generations:
Circumcise
to yourselves every male.
11 And circumcised shall you be in the
flesh of your foreskin.
And it comes to be for a sign of the covenant between Me and you.
12 And a son of eight days shall be
circumcised by you,
every male of your generations, homeborn
or acquired with money from any foreigner, he
who is not of your seed.
13 With circumcision shall be circumcised
the homeborn
and the one acquired with your money.
And My covenant comes to be in your flesh for a covenant eonian.
14 And the uncircumcised male,
the flesh of whose foreskin was not circumcised
in the eighth day,
that soul also shall be cut off from his people. My covenant he annuls."
We must keep in mind that,
though all in Abraham’s household
(which included servants and slaves) were to be circumcised, the ritual was
a sign of the covenant God was establishing with Abraham and with his offspring
only. Though the others could
have a share, by association, in some of the blessings, the covenant was to
be only with Abraham and his
descendents.
Gen.17:23-27 And taking is Abraham Ishmael, his
son,
and all who are born in his household, and all
acquired with his money,
every male among the mortals of Abraham's
household,
and he is circumcising the flesh of their
foreskin on this very day,
as the Elohim had spoken to him.
24 And Abraham is ninety nine years of age
at his
circumcision in the flesh of his foreskin.
25 And Ishmael, his son, is thirteen years of age
at his
circumcision in the flesh of his foreskin.
26 On this very day is Abraham circumcised,
and Ishmael, his son.
27 And all the mortals of his household,
home-born or acquired with money from a
foreigner of the nations,
are circumcised with him.
However, though Ishmael was
circumcised, and because God had determined that He would make a further
covenant with Isaac, the promised
line, He rejected Abraham’s plea for Him to make that covenant with Ishmael, his firstborn, rather than with a
son who was yet to come.
Gen.17:21 Yet My covenant will I set up with Isaac,
whom Sarah will bear for you at this, the appointed time another
year."…
When Abraham was a hundred
years of age, unable to generate
children, and when it had become impossible
for a ninety year old Sarah to bear a child, God gave him a son, Isaac,
through her - as He had said He would.
Gen.21:1-5 And Yahweh visits Sarah, as
He had said,
and doing is Yahweh to Sarah as He had
spoken.
2 And pregnant is Sarah and is bearing for
Abraham a son for his old age,
at the
appointed time of which the Elohim had spoken to him.
3 And Abraham is calling the name of his son who
is born to him,
whom Sarah bears for him, Isaac.
4 And circumcising is Abraham Isaac, his
son,
at eight
days of age as the Elohim had
instructed him.
5 And Abraham is a hundred years of age when his
son Isaac is born to him.
Act.7:8 And He gives him the covenant of
circumcision.
And thus he begets Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day,
and Isaac Jacob, and Jacob the twelve patriarchs.
The Covenant of
Circumcision is binding for the eons. Circumcision in flesh will still be
an essential qualification in worship during the kingdom economy. It will
still mark out God’s people from the rest of mankind.
Isa.52:1 Rouse! Rouse! Clothe yourself with
your ornaments, O Zion!
Clothe yourself in your beautiful cloaks,
Jerusalem, the holy city!
For no
more shall come into you any longer the
uncircumcised and unclean.
Ezek.44:9 Thus said the Lord Yahweh:
No son of a stranger, uncircumcised of heart, and uncircumcised of flesh,
comes in
unto My sanctuary,
even any son of a stranger, who [is] in the
midst of the sons of Israel,
Circumcision and the body of Christ
It should be noted at this
point that believers, members of the body
of Christ, are reckoned as having
been circumcised in Christ. For each one of us, therefore, the ceremony of circumcision in
flesh would be superfluous. In fact, we are explicitly warned against
submitting to the rite.
Col.2:10,11 And you are complete
in Him,
Who is the Head of every sovereignty and
authority,
11 in Whom you were circumcised also
with a circumcision not made by hands,
in the stripping off of the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ.
Gal.5:2-4 …if you should be
circumcising, Christ will benefit you
nothing.
3 Now I am attesting again to every man who is
circumcising,
that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
4 Exempted
from Christ were you who are being justified in law.
You fall
out of grace.
5 For we, in
spirit, are awaiting the expectation of righteousness by faith.
6 For in
Christ Jesus
neither circumcision is
availing anything, nor
uncircumcision,
but faith, operating through love.
This is not the case, of course, where the
Circumcision evangel is concerned. There, circumcision is imperative,
baptism necessary, the law indispensable.
Act.15:1 And some, coming down from Judea,
taught the brethren that,
"If you should not be circumcised after the custom of Moses,
you can
not be saved."
Act.15:5 …some from the sect of the
Pharisees who have believed rise
up,
saying that they
must be circumcised,
besides charging them to keep the law of Moses.
Act.2:38 Now Peter is averring to them,
"Repent and be baptized each of you in the name of
Jesus Christ
for the pardon of your sins,
and you shall
be obtaining the gratuity of the holy spirit.
Those at the Council of
Jerusalem came to realize, through holy spirit, that circumcision and the
observance of the law were not to be imposed on those of the nations who were coming to believe through the
Uncircumcision evangel Paul had been preaching among them. However, not even a hint is given of these
regulations being abrogated where those who came under the Circumcision evangel were concerned.
Act.15:23-29 "The apostles and the elders
and the brethren,
to the brethren at Antioch and Syria and
Cilicia, out of the nations:
Rejoice!...
28 For it seems good to the holy spirit and
to us
in nothing
to be placing one more burden on you save
these essentials:
29 to be abstaining from idol sacrifices,
and blood,
and what is strangled and prostitution;
from which, carefully keeping yourselves, you
will be well engaged….”
In the closing verses of
Chapter 2, Paul emphasises the fact that it is not in the externals that a
man is judged but in his inner being. A Jew is as unworthy as a non-Jew if
all he has is physical circumcision.
A non-Jew believer, on the other hand, if he does what the law justly
requires even while he does not know that law, may be reckoned as
circumcised. It is a matter of the
heart.
Rom.2:25,26 ...circumcision, indeed,
is benefiting if you should be
putting law into practice,
yet if you should be a transgressor of law,
your
circumcision has become uncircumcision.
26 If the Uncircumcision, then,
should be maintaining the just requirements of
the law,
shall not
his uncircumcision be reckoned for circumcision?
Rom.2:28,29 For not that which is apparent is the Jew,
nor yet that which is apparent in flesh is circumcision;
29 but that which is hidden is the Jew,
and circumcision is of the heart, in spirit,
not in letter,
whose applause is not of men, but of God.
Now, if this is the case,
what advantage has the Jew? And what is the big deal about circumcision, one
might well ask!
02. Much in every manner.
For first, indeed, that they were
entrusted with the oracles of God.
The
greatest treasure in all the world was once the exclusive possession of the
Jews. To them were confided the oracles of God. Today we, who in that day
had no revelation from God, are entrusted with the same treasure, yet with
jewels infinitely more precious than were ever in their care. This epistle
is one of them. Have we anything like a true sense of our responsibility?
Have we explored and enjoyed these treasures in any measure as they
deserve? May God grant that the present attempt to open this treasure house
to all His saints from the highest to the humblest, may lead to a greater
appreciation of the infinite value of this sacred deposit.
Concordant Commentary
‘…much in every manner…’
Very much, indeed! Most
importantly, circumcision marked Abraham's people as special and exclusive to God - the one and only nation
out of all nations that GOD chose for
Himself. He revealed Himself to them as He had never done to any other
nation. Circumcision was the gateway, so to speak, which opened to these
people a number of other
exclusive privileges and contractual relationships with God.
Rom.9:4,5 who are Israelites,
whose is the
sonship
and the
glory
and the
covenants
and the
legislation
and the
divine service
and the
promises;
5 whose are the
fathers,
and out of whom is the Christ according to the flesh,
As such, they received
blessings and benefits the other nations never even knew of. The nations
were treated as outsiders and aliens, left under the control and influence
of forces they acknowledged as gods – until the emergence of the evangel
entrusted to Paul.
Eph.2:11,12 Wherefore, remember that once you,
the nations in flesh--who are termed
"Uncircumcision"
by those termed "Circumcision," in
flesh, made by hands--
12 that you were, in that era,
apart from Christ,
being alienated from the citizenship of Israel,
and guests of the promise covenants,
having no expectation,
and without God
in the world.
Gal.4:8 …then, indeed, having no perception of God,
you were slaves of those who, by nature, are not gods.
Eph.4:17,18 … walking according as those of the
nations also are walking,
in the
vanity of their mind,
18 their comprehension being darkened,
being estranged
from the life of God
because of the ignorance that is in them,
because of the callousness of their hearts,
Eph.2:2 … once you walked,
in accord with the eon of this world,
in accord with the chief of the jurisdiction of the air,
the spirit
now operating in the sons of stubbornness
The Passover
Circumcision was the essential qualification for the
observance of the Passover. The uncircumcised
were prohibited from partaking of
it.
Ex.12:43-48 Yahweh said to Moses and to Aaron:
This is the
statute of the passover:
Any son of a foreigner, he shall not eat of
it.
44 Yet any man's servant acquired with
silver,
when you have circumcised him, then he may eat of it.
45 A settler or a hireling, he may not eat
of it.
46 In one house shall it be eaten.
You shall not bring forth any of the flesh from
the house to the outside;
and a bone in it you shall not break.
47 The whole
congregation of the sons of Israel shall do it.
48 In case a sojourner is sojourning with
you
and makes a passover to Yahweh,
every male
of his is to be circumcised,
and then
he may draw near to make it,
and he will become as a native of the land.
Yet anyone
uncircumcised, he shall not eat of it.
The Sabbath
The observance of the
Sabbath was a binding covenant instituted at the time of Moses between God
and the descendents of Abraham, the
sons of Israel, those who were marked
out by circumcision. One who is not bound under the covenant of circumcision,
cannot be included in the Sabbath covenant. So, unless one has been
circumcised in flesh even the
strictest observance of the Sabbath has no efficacy at all.
Ex.31:12-14 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying:
13 Now you, speak to the sons of Israel saying,
Surely, My sabbaths shall you keep,
for it is
a sign between Me and you throughout your generations
to know that I,
Yahweh, am hallowing you.
14 Hence
you will keep the sabbath, for it is holy to you.
Profaners of it shall be put to death, yea
death, for
if anyone is doing work in it, that soul will be cut off from among his
people.
Ex.31:16,17 Hence the sons of Israel will keep the
sabbath
so as to make the sabbath an eonian covenant throughout their generations.
17 Between Me and the sons of Israel it shall be a sign for the eon,…
Ezek.20:12 And also My sabbaths I have given to them,
To be for a
sign between Me and them,
To know
that I [am] Yahweh their sanctifier.
Neh.9:14 And Your holy sabbath You have made known to them,
and commands,
and statutes, and law,
You have commanded for them, by the hand of Moses Your servant;
Much of ‘Christianity’,
following the false leadership and teaching of Catholicism, has conferred
the holiness of the seventh day Sabbath to the first day Sunday. As the
Sabbath covenant does not include non-Circumcision people, this
transference of observance of the day carries no sanctification at all.
The Territorial Covenant
Only those of the seed of Abraham,
set apart through circumcision, will be eligible to participate in the joys
of possessing the vast parcel of land God has reserved for His people,
Israel. Scripture declares the choice blessings of the earth that will pour
on the sons of Israel.
Gen.15:18 In that day Yahweh contracted a covenant with Abram,
saying, "To your seed I give this land,
from the
stream of Egypt as far as the great stream, the stream Euphrates,
Gen.17:7,8 And I set up My covenant between Me
and you,
and your
seed after you, for their generations, for a
covenant eonian,
to become your
Elohim and your seed's after you.
8 And I give to you and to your seed after you the land of your sojournings,
all the
land of Canaan, for a holding eonian.
And I become their Elohim.
Deut.1:8 See! I have set the land
before you.
Enter and tenant the land about which Yahweh had
sworn to your fathers,
to
Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob,
to give to them and to their seed after them.
Deut.4:37,38 … He loved your fathers
and chose their seed after them
and brought you forth from Egypt into His
presence by His great vigor,
38 to evict greater and more substantial nations
than you from your presence,
to bring
you in and give to you their country as an allotment, as it is this day,
Amos.9:14,15 And I will reverse the captivity of
My people Israel,
and they shall build the desolated cities and
dwell in them.
And they shall plant vineyards and drink their
wine,
and shall make gardens and eat their fruit.
15 And I will plant them on their ground,
and not again shall they be plucked up off their
ground which I give to them.
Says Yahweh, your Elohim, Him Who-Suffices.
Jer.50:19 And I have brought back Israel unto
his habitation,
And he has fed on Carmel, and on Bashan.
And in mount Ephraim, and on Gilead is his soul
satisfied.
Isa.61:4-6 And they will build the places
deserted for an eon;
the former desolations shall they raise.
And they will renew the cities deserted;
the desolations of generation after generation
shall they raise.
5 And aliens
will stand and graze your flocks,
and sons
of foreigners will be your
farmers and your
vineyardists.
6 And you, priests of Yahweh shall be called,
"Ministers
of our Elohim," to you shall be said.
The estate of nations shall you eat,
and with their glory you shall change
yourselves.
Isa.61:9 And known among the nations is their seed,
and their
offspring in the midst of the peoples.
All seeing them shall recognize them,
that they are the seed blessed by Yahweh Elohim.
‘…the oracles of God…’
‘Oracle’ comes from the
Greek logion, literally LAY(say). Here, it refers to things God has
said, to what He has declared. Up until the introduction of the evangel of
the Uncircumcision, the only
record of what God had said to mankind was given into the safe-keeping of
the sons of Israel, those who were under the covenant of circumcision.
Ex.24:4-8 Now Moses wrote all the words of Yahweh.
And he rose early in the morning and built an
altar below the mountain
and twelve stone monuments for the twelve tribes of Israel.
5 Then he sent youths of the sons of Israel,
and the brought up ascent offerings
and sacrificed young bulls as sacrifices of
peace offerings to Yahweh.
6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in
goblets,
and half of the blood he sprinkled on the
altar.
7 And he took the
scroll of the covenant and read it in the ears of the people;
so they said: All that Yahweh has spoken we shall do and hearken to.
8 Now Moses took
the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said:
Behold the blood of the covenant which Yahweh contracts with you
concerning all
these matters.
Act.7:38 This is he who came to be in the
ecclesia in the wilderness
with the messenger, who speaks to him in mount
Sinai, and with our fathers,
who receives the
living oracles to give to you,
Ps.147:19,20 He is telling His words
to Jacob,
His statutes and His ordinances to Israel.
20 He has not done so for any other nation,
And His ordinances, they do not know them at all. Praise Yah.
Deut.4:7,8 For what great nation is there
which has elohim so near to it as Yahweh our
Elohim is
in all that we call to Him?
8 And what
great nation is there
which has statutes
and judgments so righteous as all this law
that I am putting before you today?
Deut.4:32-36 For ask now about the former days which came
before you,
from the day that Elohim created humanity on the
earth,
and from one end of the heavens unto the other
end of the heavens:
Has there
occurred anything like this great thing,
or has
anything been heard like it?
33 Has a people ever heard the voice of the living Elohim
speaking from the midst of the fire just as you
heard it, and lived?
34 Or has an elohim ever tried to come and take for himself
a nation from among another
nation by trials, by signs and by miracles,
by war, by a steadfast hand and by an
outstretched arm
and by great fear-inspiring deeds,
such as all that Yahweh your Elohim did for you
in Egypt before your eyes?
35 You were shown this to know that Yahweh, He is the only Elohim.
There is no one else aside from Him.
36 From the heavens He let you hear His
voice, to discipline you,
and on the earth He showed you His great fire,
and you
heard His words from the midst of the fire.
Isa.41:8-10 Now you, Israel, My servant; Jacob,
whom I have chosen;
the seed of Abraham, My love, whom I
encourage;
9 from the ends of the land, and from beside it I
called you.
And I am saying to you,
`My servant
are you. I choose you, and I do not reject you.
10 You must not fear, for I am with you,
and you must not take heed for yourself, for I
am your Elohim.
I make you
resolute; indeed, I help you.
Indeed, I
uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness.'
These sacred scrolls, from
Genesis to Malachi, termed the ‘Old Testament’, were their exclusive possession. These were Israel’s base for divine
knowledge and featured in her religious system in Temple and synagogues.
Scripture refers to this record of revelation as ‘the Law and the Prophets’.
There is an exception, however, for though the preaching of John, the
baptizer, is considered under that
body of revelation, the record of it is in the ‘gospels’ part of what is
termed the ‘New Testament’.
Mt.7:12 All, then,
whatever you should be wanting that men should
be doing to you,
thus you, also, be doing to them, for this is the law and the prophets.
Mt.22:40 On these two precepts is hanging the whole law and the prophets.
Mt.11:13 For all the prophets and the law prophesy till John.
Lk.16:16 The
law and the prophets are unto John;
One of the objectives for
Christ’s coming in flesh was to confirm the promises given to those of the
seed of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and who were given to believe in Jesus
their Messiah, believers who were the
Circumcision.
Rom.15;8 For I am saying
that Christ has become the Servant of the Circumcision,
for the sake of the truth of God, to confirm the patriarchal promises.
Jn.1:10-12 In the world He was,
and the world came into being through Him, and
the world knew Him not.
11 To His
own He came, and those who are His own accepted Him not.
12 Yet whoever
obtained Him,
to them He gives the right to become children of
God,
to those who are
believing in His name,
03. For what if some disbelieve?
Will not their unbelief nullify the faithfulness of God?
‘…for what if some disbelieve?...’
But not all of the sons of
Israel were able to fully realise and appreciate the privileges that were
theirs through their having been circumcised. As ever, those that were
stubborn and impatient did not believe that God would actually fulfill His
promises at some date in the far distant future. They seized every
opportunity at hand to be masters of their own destiny. Others, though born
and nurtured within the framework of the religion, saw circumcision as an
unavoidable custom in their racial culture, and looked on the promises as
empty incentives appended to inveigle adherence to their traditions.
Rom.10:16 But not all obey the evangel,
for Isaiah is saying, "Lord, who
believes our tidings?"
And there were still others
who imagined that they were chosen because of their innate qualities that
gave them racial superiority, and because of their strict adherence to the
Mosaic system. They were, in fact, spiritual retards who thought that they actually deserved God’s blessings,
or that they could qualify for His benevolence just by going through the
rituals and ceremonies without repentance and contriteness for their
failings.
Isa.1:11-15 "Why, to Me, your many sacrifices?" saying is Yahweh.
"I am
surfeited with ascent approaches of rams, and the fat of fatlings,
and in the blood of young bulls and he-lambs and
he-goats I do not delight.
12 In case you are coming to appear before
Me—
Who seeks this from your hand, to tramp My
courts?
13 Do not continue to bring a futile
approach present.
Incense--it
is an abhorrence to Me! The new moon and the sabbath,
the calling of a meeting--! I cannot bear a fast and a day of restraint!
14 Your new moons and your appointments are
hated by My soul.
They become an
encumbrance to Me. I am tired
of bearing them.
15 And when you spread your palms to Me,
I will
obscure My eyes from you.
Moreover, in case you are increasing your
prayers,
there is
no hearing by Me.
Your hands are full of blood. Amidst your
fingers extrudes lawlessness.
Act.7:51-53 Stiff-necked and uncircumcised
in your hearts and ears,
you are ever clashing with the holy spirit! As your
fathers, you also!
52 Which of the prophets do not your
fathers persecute? And they kill
those who announce before concerning the coming
of the Just One,
of Whom
now you became the traitors and murderers--
53 who got the law for a mandate of messengers
and do not maintain it!
Rom.10:2,3 …they have a zeal of God, but not
in accord with recognition.
3 For they, being ignorant of the righteousness of God,
and seeking to establish their own righteousness,
were not subjected to the righteousness of God.
Heb.4:2 For we also have been evangelized, even as those also.
But the word heard does not benefit those hearers,
not having
been blended together with faith in those who hear
‘…will not their
unbelief nullify the faithfulness of God?...’
Considering such unbelief
that the sons of Israel display, some may think,
`Will not
the unbelief of some, such as these, prevent God from giving to all Israel whatever He has promised
them?
Will it
not cause God to become unwilling and unforgiving to carry out His
intentions?
Will not this relieve God of
His obligation to fulfill His promises?
Since
these did not appreciate the promises, and some did not even want them,
would not God be ‘within His rights’ to put them aside altogether and
cancel the validity of His promises?
Will not
their unbelief be a valid excuse for Him to discard them and to transfer His covenants and
promises to others?
04. May it not be coming to
that!
Now let God be true, yet every man a liar,
even as it is written:
"That so Thou shouldst be justified
in Thy sayings,
And shalt be conquering when Thou art being
judged."
'…May it not be coming to that…'
Paul uses this phrase a
number of times (nine times in Romans) in response to some question that
could arise from his preceding statement. The sense is that ‘We should not come to such a faulty
conclusion’, or ‘That is
stretching it too far’.
Rom.3:5,6 Now if our injustice is commending
God's righteousness,
what shall we declare? Not that God Who is
bringing on indignation is unjust!
(As a man am I saying it.)
6 May it not be coming to that! Else how shall God be judging the
world?
Rom.3:31 Are we, then, nullifying law
through faith?
May it not
be coming to that! Nay, we are sustaining law.
Rom.6:1,2 What, then, shall we
declare?
That we may be persisting in sin that grace
should be increasing?
2 May it
not be coming to that!
We, who died to sin, how shall we still be
living in it?
Rom.6:15,16 What then? Should we be
sinning,
seeing that we are not under law, but under
grace?
May it not
be coming to that!
16 Are you not aware
that to whom you are presenting yourselves as
slaves for obedience,
his slaves you are, whom you are obeying,
whether of Sin for death, or of Obedience for
righteousness?
Rom.7:7 What, then, shall we declare?
That the law is sin?
May it not
be coming to that! But sin I knew not except through law….
Rom.7:13 Became good, then, death to me? May it not be coming to that!
But Sin, that it may be appearing Sin, is
producing death to me through good,
that Sin may become an inordinate sinner through
the precept
Rom.9:14,15 What, then, shall we be
declaring?
Not that there is injustice with God?
May it not
be coming to that!
15 For to Moses He is
saying,
"I shall be merciful to whomever I may be
merciful,
and I shall be pitying whomever I may be
pitying."
Rom.11:1,2 I am saying, then, Does
not God thrust away His people?
May it not
be coming to that!
For I
also am an Israelite, out of Abraham's seed, Benjamin's tribe.
2 God does not thrust away His people whom He
foreknew.
Rom.11:11 I am saying, then, Do
they not trip that they should be falling?
May it not
be coming to that!
But in their offense is salvation to the
nations, to provoke them to jealousy.
1Cor.6:15-17 Are you not aware that your bodies
are members of Christ?
Taking, then, the members of Christ away, should
I be making them members of a prostitute?
May it not
be coming to that!
16 Or are you not aware that he who joins a
prostitute is one body?
For, He is averring, the two will be one
flesh.
17 Now he who joins the Lord is one spirit.
Gal.2:17,18 Now if, while seeking
to be justified in Christ,
we ourselves also were found sinners,
is Christ, consequently, a dispenser of sin?
May it not
be coming to that!
18 For if I am building again these things
which I demolish,
I am commending myself as a transgressor.
God knows what He does. He operates all in accord with
the counsel of His own will. He does not ‘play it by ear’ and merely react to man’s unholy deeds and
selfish desires. He chose Israel
for Himself - and bound her to Him through covenants. These contracts were assurances, not for Himself but for her, of His commitment to her.
He promised her a glorious destiny
which He would make her fit for.
Can He go back on His word without compromising His integrity? The people,
being human and prone to sin, may be expected
to fail, even dismally, along the way. Can He forsake them permanently for
their inherent weakness, which only He can remedy, and yet
be righteous?
Rom.10:16 But not all obey the evangel, for Isaiah is
saying,
"Lord, who believes our tidings?"
Rom.11:1,2 …Does not God thrust
away His people?
May it not be coming to that!
For I
also am an Israelite, out of
Abraham's seed, Benjamin's tribe.
2 God does
not thrust away His people whom He foreknew….
Rom.11:5-8 Thus, then, in the current era
also,
there has come to be a remnant according to the choice of grace.
6 Now if it is in grace, it is no longer out of works,
else the grace is coming to be no longer grace.
Now, if it is out of works, it is no longer
grace,
else the work is no longer work.
7 What then? What Israel is seeking for, this she
did not encounter,
yet the
chosen encountered it. Now the
rest were calloused,
8 even as it is written, God gives them a spirit of stupor,
eyes not to be observing,
and ears not to be hearing, till this very day.
Rom.9:6-8 Now it is not such as that the word
of God has lapsed,
for not all
those out of Israel, these are Israel;
7 neither that Abraham's seed are all children,
but "In Isaac shall your seed be
called."
8 That is, that the children of the flesh,
not these are the children of God,
but the
children of the promise is He reckoning for the seed.
Rom.2:28,29 For not that which is apparent is the Jew,
nor yet that which is apparent in flesh is circumcision;
29 but that which is hidden is the Jew,
and circumcision is of the heart, in spirit,
not in letter,
whose applause is not of men, but of God.
Deut.10:16 Hence you will circumcise the foreskin of your heart,
and you should no longer stiffen your neck.
Jer.4:4 Be circumcised to Yahweh,
And turn aside the foreskins of your heart,…
The claims of orthodox
theologians notwithstanding, the people of Israel have not been discarded permanently, but only for a time while another phase of God’s
program for the world is in effect. When Christ comes back and the kingdom
is established, it is the people of
Israel (and not the
Christians of today) who will take their own places in the kingdom and
enjoy the fulfillment of God’s promises to
them.
Rom.11:25-27 …I am not willing for you to be
ignorant of this secret, brethren, lest you may be passing for prudent
among yourselves,
that callousness, in part, on Israel has come,
until the
complement of the nations may be entering.
26 And thus all Israel shall be saved, according as it is
written,
Arriving out of Zion shall be the Rescuer.
He will be turning away
irreverence from Jacob.
27 And this is My covenant with them
Whenever I
should be eliminating their sins.
Rom.11:28,29 As to the evangel, indeed, they are enemies
because of you,
yet, as to
choice, they are beloved because
of the fathers.
29 For unregretted
are the graces and the calling of God.
Num.23:19 El is not a man that He should lie.
Nor a son of humanity that He should feel regret.
Does He say it and then not do it? Or speak and then not carry it out?
Isa.43:1-7 .. thus says Yahweh Elohim,
your Creator, Jacob,
and your Former, Israel:
"You must not fear, for I redeemed you,
I called you by your name. You are Mine .…
3 For I, Yahweh, am your Elohim, The Holy One of
Israel, your Redeemer.
…
4 You are more
precious than riches, in My eyes.
Glorified are you, and I, I love you. … 5 You must not fear, for I am with you!
From the rising of the sun will I bring your
seed,
and from the west will I convene you.
6 I will say to the north, `Give.' And to the south,
`You must not detain.'
Bring My sons from a land afar, and My daughters
from the ends of the earth;
7 everyone being called by My name.
And for My
glory I created him, I formed him. Indeed, I made him.…
Isa.43:10,11 "You are My witnesses," averring is Yahweh Elohim,
"And My servant whom I have chosen,
that you
may know and will believe Me,
and understand
that I am He:
Before Me was formed no El. And after Me none
shall come.
11
I, I, Yahweh am El!
And there is no Saviour apart from Me.
Isa.43:12-15 I tell and save and announce.
And an alien is not among you.
And you
are My witnesses," averring is Yahweh, "And I am El.
13 Moreover, from the eon I am He, and
there is no rescuing from My hand.
I will
contrive, and who will reverse it?"
14 Thus says Yahweh, your Redeemer, The Holy One of
Israel: …
15
I am Yahweh Elohim, your
Holy One, Creator of Israel, your King."
Isa.62:5 … And as the elation of a bridegroom over the bride,
so will Yahweh, your Elohim, be elated over you.
Isa.60:14-21 And go to you to prostrate shall all the sons of your humiliators,
and worship
at the soles of your feet shall all your spurners.
And they call you the city of Yahweh, Zion of
the Holy One of Israel.
15 Insomuch as you became forsaken and
hated, and there was no help,
I
constitute you a pomp eonian, an elation of generation after generation.
16 And you suck the milk of nations, and
the breast of kings shall you suck.
Then you
will know
that I, Yahweh, am your Saviour,
and your Redeemer is the Sturdy One of Jacob.
17 Instead of the copper, I will bring
gold,
and instead of iron, I will bring silver,
and instead of wood, copper, and instead of
stones, iron.
And I constitute your supervisor, welfare, and your exactors, righteousness.
18 And no
further shall violence be heard in your land,
devastation and breaking within your boundaries.
And you call your walls "Salvation,"
and your gates "Praise."
19 No further, for you, is the sun coming
to be for light by day,
and for brightness the moon shall not give light
to you at night.
Yet Yahweh
comes to be your light eonian,
and your
Elohim to be your beauty.
20 No further shall your sun set, nor your
moon be gathered in,
for Yahweh
shall be yours for light eonian;
and repaid are the days of your mourning.
21 And your people, all of them are righteous;
for the eon shall they tenant the land,
the scion of
Yahweh's planting, the making of
His hand, to beautify itself.
Isa.61:5-9 And aliens will stand and graze your flocks,
and sons
of foreigners will be your farmers and your vineyardists.
6 And you, priests of Yahweh shall be called,
"Ministers
of our Elohim," to you shall be said.
The estate
of nations
shall you eat,
and with
their glory you shall change yourselves ….
8 For I, Yahweh, …give them their wage in truth,
and a covenant eonian will I contract with
them.
9 And known among
the nations is their seed,
and their offspring in the midst of the peoples.
All seeing them shall recognize them,
that they are the seed blessed by Yahweh Elohim.
Jer.46:28 You, you do not fear, My
servant Jacob,
An affirmation of Yahweh--for with you I [am],
For I make an end of all the nations whither I
have driven you,
And of you I
do not make an end, And I have reproved you in judgment,
And do not entirely acquit you!'
Jer.50:4,5 In those days, and at that
time, An affirmation of Yahweh,
Come in do sons
of Israel, They and sons of Judah
together,
Going on and weeping they go, And Yahweh their
Elohim they seek.
5 [To] Zion they ask the way, Thitherward [are]
their faces:
Come in, and we are joined unto Yahweh, A
covenant eonian--not forgotten.
Jer.50:19,20 And I have brought back Israel unto his habitation,
And he has fed on Carmel, and on Bashan.
And in mount Ephraim, and on Gilead is his soul
satisfied.
20 In those days, and at that time, An
affirmation of Yahweh,
Sought is the
iniquity of Israel, and it is not,
And the
sin of Judah, and it is not found,
For I am propitious to those whom I leave!
Ezek.34:30,31 And they have known that I, Yahweh, their Elohim, [am] with them,
And they--the
house of Israel--My people,
An affirmation of the Lord Yahweh.
31 And you, My flock, the flock of My pasture,
Men you [are]--I [am] your Elohim, An affirmation of the Lord Yahweh!'
Ezek.36:24-28 …I have taken you out
of the nations,
And have gathered you out of all the lands,
And I have brought you in unto your land,
25 And I have sprinkled over you clean water, And you have been clean;
From all your uncleannesses, and from all your
idols, I do cleanse you.
26 And I have given to you a new heart, And a new spirit I give in your midst,
And I have
turned aside the heart of stone out of your flesh,
And I have
given to you a heart of flesh.
27 And My
Spirit I give in your midst,
And I have
done this, so that in My
statutes you walk,
And My judgments you keep, and have done them.
28 And you have dwelt in the land that I
have given to your fathers,
And you have
been to Me for a people, And I--I am to you for Elohim.
Ezek.37:26-28 And I have made to them a covenant of peace,
A covenant eonian it is with them,
And I have placed them, and multiplied them,
And placed My sanctuary in their midst--to the
eon.
27 And My tabernacle has been over them,
And I have been to them for Elohim, And they
have been to Me for a people.
28 And known
have the nations that I Yahweh
am sanctifying Israel,
In My sanctuary being in their midst--to the
eon!'
Ezek.39:25-29 …said the Lord Yahweh:
Now do I bring back the captivity of Jacob,
And I have pitied all the house of Israel,
And have been zealous for My holy name.
26 And they have forgotten their shame,
And all their trespass that they trespassed
against Me,
In their dwelling on their land confidently and
none troubling.
27 In My bringing them back from the
peoples,
I have assembled them from the lands of their
enemies,
And I have
been sanctified in them before the eyes of the many nations,
28 And they have known that I [am] Yahweh
their Elohim,
In My removing them unto the nations,
And I have gathered them unto their land,
And I leave none of them any more there.
29 And I
hide not any more My face from them,
In that I
have poured out My spirit on the
house of Israel,
An affirmation of the Lord Yahweh!'
Zech.8:22,23 And many peoples and staunch
nations will come
to seek Yahweh of hosts in
Jerusalem, and to beseech the
face of Yahweh.
23 Thus says Yahweh of hosts: In those days
ten mortals, from all the languages of the
nations, will take fast hold.
And they will take fast hold of the hem of a
man, a Jew, saying,
We will go with you, for we hear that Elohim is with you.
Isa.52:1 Rouse! Rouse! Clothe yourself with
your ornaments, O Zion!
Clothe yourself in your beautiful cloaks,
Jerusalem, the holy city!
For no
more shall come into you any longer the
uncircumcised and unclean.
Ezek.44:9 Thus said the Lord Yahweh: No son
of a stranger,
uncircumcised of heart, and uncircumcised of
flesh,
comes in unto My sanctuary,
even any son of a stranger, who [is] in the
midst of the sons of Israel,
Deut.30:6 Yahweh your Elohim will
circumcise your heart and the
heart of your seed
so as to love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul,
that you may stay
alive.
'…let God be true…'
To even suggest that God
will respond to man’s unfaithfulness in like manner reveals a gross
misconception of God, one that ignores the premise that God is faithful, an essential characteristic He reiterates
often in revelation. We can
depend on the faithfulness of God to fulfill His promises! Even if everything else fails, God
will not! He will prove true!
If He can renege on His
promises there will be no basis for faith in Him on our part. If He fails
the Circumcision, what guarantee do we have that He will not fail the
Uncircumcision, and the whole of creation after that?
Jer.33:24-26 RSV "Have you not observed what these people are saying,
`The LORD has rejected the two families which he
chose'?
Thus they have despised my people
so that they are no longer a nation in their
sight.
25 Thus says the LORD:
If I have not established my covenant with day
and night
and the ordinances of heaven and earth,
26 then I will reject the descendants of
Jacob and David my servant
and will not choose one of his descendants to
rule over the seed
of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
For I will restore their fortunes, and will have
mercy upon them."
Num.23:19 El is not a man that He
should lie.
Nor a son of humanity that He should feel regret.
Does He say it and then not do it? Or speak and then not carry it out?
Deut.32:4 The Rock--flawless is His
contrivance,
for all His ways are righteous judgment.
The El of
faithfulness and without iniquity; just and upright is He.
1Sam.15:29 the Pre-eminence of Israel does not lie nor repent,
for He [is] not a man to be penitent
Ps.100:5 For Yahweh is good; His
benignity is eonian,
And His
faithfulness unto generation after generation.
Ps.119:160 The sum of Your word is truth,
And all of Your righteous ordinances are eonian.
Ps.138:2 I shall worship toward
Your holy Temple
And shall acclaim Your Name For Your benignity and for Your faithfulness,
For You have magnified Your Name, Your promise, over all else.
Isa.54:10 For the mountains shall
remove, and the hills shall slip,
yet My
kindness from you shall not remove,
and the
covenant of My welfare shall not slip,
says your Compassionate One, Yahweh
Isa.55:11 so shall be My word
which shall fare forth from My mouth.
It shall not return to Me empty,
but rather, it does that which I desire, and prospers in that for which I sent it.
Mic.7:20 You wilt render the truth
to Jacob, the kindness to Abraham,
which You
swear to our forefathers from days aforetime.
Mt.24:35 Heaven and earth will pass
away,
but my
words will not pass away.
Jn.3:33 He who is getting His testimony
sets his seal that God is true.
Jn.7:18 He who is speaking from
himself is seeking his own glory,
yet He Who is seeking the glory of Him Who sends
Him, this One is true,
and injustice is not in Him.
Jn.8:26 Much have I to be speaking
and judging concerning you,
but He Who sends Me is true,
and what I hear from Him, these things I am speaking to the world
Heb.6:13-18 For God, promising
Abraham,
since He had no one greater to swear by, swears
by Himself,
14 saying, "If, in sooth, it is
blessing, I shall be blessing you,
and multiplying, I shall be multiplying"
you!
15 And thus, being patient, he happened on
the promise.
16 For men are swearing by a greater,
and to them an oath for confirmation is an end
of all contradiction,
17 in which God, intending more superabundantly
to exhibit
to the enjoyers of the allotment of the promise
the
immutability of His counsel, interposes with an oath,
18 that by two immutable matters, in which it is impossible for God to lie,
we may have a
strong consolation,
who are fleeing for refuge to lay hold of the
expectation lying before us,
19 which we have as an anchor of the soul,
both secure and confirmed,
Heb.10:23 We may be retaining the
avowal of the expectation without
wavering,
for
faithful is He Who promises.
1Pet.4:19 …let those also who are
suffering according to the will of God
commit their souls to a faithful Creator in the doing of good.
1Jn.5:9-12 If we are obtaining the testimony
of men,
the
testimony of God is greater;
for this is the testimony of God, that He has
testified concerning His Son.
10 He who is believing in the Son of God
has the testimony in himself;
he who is
not believing God has made Him a liar,
for he has not believed in the testimony
which God
has testified concerning His Son.
11 And this is the testimony,
hat God gives us life eonian, and this life is in His Son.
12 He who has the Son has the life;
he who has not the Son of God has not the life.
Rom.8:31.32 …If God is for us, who is against us?
32 Surely, He Who spares not His own Son,
but gives Him up for us all,
how shall He not, together with Him, also, be
graciously granting us all?
Rom.11:29 For unregretted are the graces and the calling of God.
1Cor.1:9 Faithful is God,
through Whom you were called into the fellowship
of His Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
1Cor.10:13 …Now, faithful is God,
Who will not be leaving you to be tried above
what you are able, but,
together with the trial, will be making the
sequel also, to enable you to undergo it.
2Cor.1:18 Now God is faithful,….
Eph.2:10 For His achievement are we,
being created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God
makes ready beforehand, that we should be walking in them.
Phil.1:6 having this same confidence,
that He Who undertakes a good work among you,
will be
performing it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Phil.2:13 for it is God Who is operating in you
to will as well as to work for the sake of His delight.
1Thes.5:24 Faithful is He Who is calling you, Who will be doing it also.
2Thes.3:3 Yet faithful is the Lord,
2Tim.2:13 if we are disbelieving, He is remaining faithful—
He cannot disown Himself.
Tit.1:2,3 in expectation of life eonian,
which God, Who does not lie,
promises before times
eonian,
3 yet manifests
His word in its own eras by heralding,
with which I was entrusted, according to the
injunction of God, our Saviour,
‘…yet every man a liar…’
This is how we should
assess situations. Because of some reason or other, whether frivolous or a
matter of life and death, and at one time or another, men go back on their
commitments. What they had earlier promised to do, they may fail to carry
out because they will not or
because they cannot due to
unforeseen circumstances. As such, where their promises are concerned, every man is a liar. God, on the other hand, fulfills every promise He makes. No one and nothing can thwart His accomplishing His stated intention. His
promises should, therefore, not move us to a mere hope, but to excite in us an active expectation, just as it did in Abraham.
Jn.3:33 He who is getting His
testimony sets his seal that God is true.
1Jn.5:10 …he who is not believing God has made Him a liar,…
Ps.62:9 Common sons of Adam are only a transitory breath,
Noted sons of man a lie;
If brought up on the scales, they are less than a transitory breath
altogether.
Job.42:2 I know that You can do
all things,
And no
plan of Yours can be thwarted.
Rom.4:20-22 yet the promise of God was not doubted
in unbelief,
but he was invigorated
by faith, giving glory to God,
21 being fully assured also,
that, what
He has promised, He is able to do also.
22 Wherefore, also, it is reckoned to him
for righteousness.
‘…that so Thou shouldst be justified in Thy sayings…’
When what God has promised
Israel comes to fruition in the not too distant future, it will prove to those of that timeframe
that God’s faithfulness is a fact.
Within our evangel, too,
God has made promises - of sealing and deliverance and the ensuing glory.
When these are fulfilled, however, only we and the celestial beings among
whom we will be ministering, will know the fact of God’s faithfulness. It
will be a little later, when Christ comes in glory to establish the kingdom
on earth, that we will be displayed with Him, as God’s achievement.
Eph.1:13,14 In Whom you also—
on hearing the word of truth, the evangel of
your salvation—
in Whom on believing also, you are sealed with the holy spirit of promise
14 (which is an earnest of the enjoyment of our allotment,
to the
deliverance of that which has been procured) for the laud of His
glory!
Eph.1:9-12 making known to us the secret of His will
(in accord with His delight, which He purposed
in Him)
10 to have an administration of the
complement of the eras,
to head up
all in the Christ--both that in the heavens and that on the earth--
11 in
Him in Whom our lot was cast also,
being
designated beforehand according to the purpose of the One
Who is operating all in accord with the counsel
of His will,
12 that
we should be for the laud of His glory,
who are pre-expectant in the Christ.
Phil.3:20,21 For our realm is inherent in
the heavens,
out of which we are awaiting a Saviour also, the
Lord, Jesus Christ,
21 Who will transfigure the body of our humiliation,
to conform it to the body of His glory, in accord with the operation
which enables Him even to subject all to
Himself.
1Cor.6:3 Are you not aware that we shall be judging messengers,…?
Col.3:4 Whenever Christ, our Life, should
be manifested,
then you
also shall be manifested together with Him in glory.
Eph.2:7 that, in the oncoming eons,
He should be displaying the transcendent riches
of His grace
in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
But, God has already
graciously given us, believers
who are the ecclesia, ‘every spiritual
blessing among the celestials’ which we now have, which are now in
our possession. But, these being
spiritual, we need a special enabling
by God, which we are to pray for, to be able to perceive. And, until we have this perception, we cannot realize or comprehend the magnitude
and quality of the spiritual wealth we now have, and the appreciation and
expectation these should stir in each one of us is not exercised.
Eph.1:3-6 Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who blesses us with every spiritual blessing among the celestials, in
Christ,
4 according as He chooses us in Him before
the disruption of the world,
we to be
holy and flawless in His sight,
5 in love designating us beforehand
for the
place of a son for Him through Christ Jesus;
in accord with the delight of His will,
6 for the
laud of the glory of His grace, which graces us in the Beloved:
Eph.1:17-23 that the God of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may be
giving you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the realization of
Him,
18 the
eyes of your heart having been enlightened, for you to perceive
what is the expectation of
His calling,
and what
the riches of the glory of the enjoyment of His allotment
among the saints,
19 and what
the transcendent greatness of His power
for us who are believing,
in accord with the operation of the might of His
strength,
20 which is operative in the Christ,
rousing Him from among the dead
and seating Him at His right hand among the
celestials,
21 up over every sovereignty and authority
and power and lordship,
and every name that is named,
not only in this eon, but also in that which is
impending:
22 and subjects all under His feet,
and gives
Him, as Head over all, to the ecclesia 23 which is
His body,
the complement of the One completing
the all in all.
Rom.11:33-36 O, the depth of the riches and the
wisdom and the knowledge of God!
How inscrutable are His judgments, and
untraceable His ways!
34 For, who knew the mind of the Lord? or,
who became His adviser?
35 or, who gives to Him first, and it will be
repaid him?
36 seeing that out
of Him and through Him and for Him is all:
to Him be the glory for the
eons! Amen!
For now we must of
necessity accept that fact of God’s faithfulness on faith.
Heb.11:1 Now faith is an assumption of what is being
expected,
a conviction concerning matters which are not being observed;
Rom.4:21 being fully assured also,
that, what He
has promised, He is able to do
also.
'…when Thou art being judged…'
Look through the other religions
of the world and we will never find their gods even suggesting a
willingness to be judged by their worshippers. They are despots and
tyrants, even those who put on a benign front, wielding their will on their
followers and holding their allegiance through fear of repercussions. These
rule under the auspices of the spirit now operating among those who have
not been called into the body of Christ.
Gal.4:8 But then, indeed, having no perception of God,
you were slaves of those who, by nature, are not gods.
1Cor.8:5 … there are those being termed gods,
whether in heaven or on earth, even as there are
many gods and many lords,
Eph.2:2 … once you walked, in accord with
the eon of this world,
in accord with the chief of the jurisdiction of the air,
the spirit
now operating in the sons of stubbornness
2Cor.3:4 Now, if our evangel is covered,
also,
it is covered in those who are perishing,
4 in whom the
god of this eon blinds the apprehensions of the unbelieving
so that the illumination of the evangel of the
glory of Christ,
Who is the Image of the invisible God, does not irradiate them.
On the other hand, when He
has completed all that there is for Him to attain His goals, our God will
put Himself under the scrutiny of His creation. He will be satisfied only
when, unanimously, they conclude that He is justified in all
aspects of His operations through the eons, and all will glorify Him,
without reserve, for Who and what He is. His love for His creation will be
reciprocated whole-heartedly and His purpose for creation fulfilled.
Ps.51:3,4 RSV …I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,
and done that which is evil in thy sight,
so that thou art justified in thy sentence and blameless in thy judgment.
Rom.3:26 toward the display of His
righteousness in the current era,
for Him
to be just
and a Justifier of the one who is of the faith of Jesus.
Isa.45:23 By Myself I swear. From My mouth fares forth righteousness,
and My word shall not be recalled. For to Me
shall bow every knee,
and every
tongue shall acclaim to Elohim.
And the exaltation from all
creation that He accords to Christ, through Whom He accomplishes all, will
provide the complementing radiance to His Own glory.
Phil.2:9-11 Wherefore, also, God highly
exalts Him,
and graces Him with the name that is above every
name,
10 that in the name of Jesus every knee should be bowing,
celestial and terrestrial and subterranean,
11 and every
tongue should be acclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord,
for the
glory of God, the Father.
* Verses 1 through 4 show the unique prerogative of the Jew, in
spite of which some disbelieve. But their lack of belief cannot affect
God’s faithfulness and integrity. He is
faithful, and will fulfill all He declares He will. Eventually,
all of His creatures will realize and acknowledge this fact and will respond in appreciation and
love.
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Index of Articles - Romans
September 2006
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