Romans 3: 19-20, 23-24, 27 Here we see two reasons the law is important for our salvation. By law I mean the 10 commandments that God gave Moses, plus the other Jewish laws important to the Jewish Faith. Number one, Paul says in verse 20 'without the law we would not know what sin is'. Like, without the speed limit, we would not know who is speeding. Number two, Paul says in verse 19 'shut up'. We cannot tell the police officer, but, but, but officer, I didn't know the speed limit through New Middletown was 25 mph. Guilty! Shut your mouth! See the sign... 25 mph. Oh, dah. I guarantee everyone reading this post right now is guilty. You're all speeders, everylast one of you. See, the often quoted comeback, "but I'm a good person", is futile before the Most Holy God, we're all guilty of breaking some part of the law. Verse 23 drives it home by saying, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". You say well God knows my heart, that's scary, he knows your mind too. Listen God is perfect, He requires us to obey Him perfectly or He wouldn't of kicked Adam and Eve out of the garden. We are all falling short of His glory. We owe God a big thanks. He is forgiving us for free (v. 24) through our faith in His Son Christ Jesus. There is no boasting (v. 27), don't think your better than anybody else, because you didn't save yourself.
You know, the message of God's grace didn't become real to me until I was 28, even though I grew up in the church. Is it real and understandable to you today? I hope so.
Oh, and since this is the last post of the week, let me give you something to chew. Find me a passage in the bible that says a born-again believer with the help of the Holy Spirit lives above sin. See you next week. Grace, MB
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Regarding the question of “Do we need God’s kindness or His law?” (posted for the study of Romans 2) …I believe you helped us all answer that question here in Romans 3. Here we see in the last part of Romans 3:20 that “through the law we become conscious of sin”. Thus, we need God’s law to show us our sin.
I like how you drew the similarity to us needing the law with the fact that we need the speed limit in order to help us know whether or not we’re speeding. Good job, Matt!
During a Bible study of 1John I heard some well meaning Christian say he has never sinned. When he said this, I felt myself getting angry but then decided to cast a deaf ear to anything further he had to say. 1John 8 says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” 1John 10 says, “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” We are all sinners; we’ve all sinned. Just as is mentioned in Romans 3:10…“There is no one righteous, not even one”. Here again we see in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.
I was unable to find a Bible passage that says a born-again believer, with the Holy Spirit’s help, lives above sin. In Ephesians 4:30, the born-again believer is being told to not “grieve the Holy Spirit of God”. A born-again believer grieves the Holy Spirit by sinning. In Galatians 5:16-17, the born-again believer is told to “live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.” What is our sinful nature and how do we sin then? How can we live “by the Spirit”?
What is the sinful nature and how do we sin?
The acts of the sinful nature (found in Galatians 5:19-21) are “sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” In Ephesians 4:31-32, the born-again believer is told to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
How can we live “by the Spirit”?
We can live “by the Spirit” when we model love. Why do I believe that? In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus sums the Law and the Prophets in this way, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." In 1Corinthians 13:4-7 love is defined as “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” In Galatians 5:22-23 we are reminded that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
Okay...that's all I have to say! :)
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