Why do you think that so many people have no peace, why they instead slog through life in despair?
The many reasons we could list generally fall into two categories:
1. Despair is the response to our own shortcomings.
2. Despair is the response to events we cannot control.
Have you “been there”? I have. As for the first reason people despair, it’s hard to find a balance. On the one hand, you have the folks that have an inflated view of themselves. They hardly think they even have any shortcomings! On the other hand, you have those who magnify their shortcomings to the point they are too much in the depths of depression to seek help, to find a way out of the pit they’ve sunk into. Their lapses of faith become too much for them to reconcile with how they should be walking victoriously in the Mashiach/Messiah and this sometimes leads to anxiety or even to dread. John J. Parsons, of H4C, puts it like this: “We suspect that we have failed God, failed ourselves, and failed others. We go dark, ashamed, and anxious, but we try yet again, and again, until we are distraught and in agony of heart. The beauty of this agony is that it opens our eyes to see that we are indeed powerless to help ourselves, that we can only be transformed by the miraculous power of God in our hearts and lives.
Our spiritual shortcomings ought to drive us to remember that our goal is to love the Lord our God with all our heart (bekol levavkah), with all our soul (bekhol nafshekha), and with all our might (bekhol me’odekha), which will drive us to repentance, and to taking action in making things right with our God and our fellowmen. At the same time, we must remember that we are beloved by our Savior and God. We aren’t worthy of God’s love, but it has been given to us regardless. He loved us enough to send His Son, His own unique One. When we are born from above, we receive the new nature, the Holy Spirit living within us, that “seed” of eternal life. The theological term for this is “justification”. We are made right with God at that moment, forever. A good way to remember this term is, as I’ve heard my pastor say, justification places us into a position “just as if we had never sinned.” Isn’t that an amazing thing for our God to do?! But, the ongoing transformation of the heart takes time; indeed, it is a life-long endeavor and process that is worked by that same Holy Spirit within us. This process is called “sanctification”, the journey of being increasingly set-apart unto God and His ways of holiness. I know that some of you are aware of these terms, but the Mishkan Katan audience is very varied, from brand-new believers to seasoned believers of many decades.
Then, there’s this second reason for despair - - responding negatively to events we can’t control. This can take the form of worry, OR of self-recrimination over things that happened outside your control. The second-guessing in regards to undesirable outcomes can be torturous. I went through many years of that, and only recently “came out of it” on the other side. It was a gift from God that He brought me through. I still pray earnestly over the situation that caused me so much anguish, but I know that I must trust fully in God’s sovereignty, while believing that He is always good, not only working things for my good, but also for the good of those I love. He is a good, good God.
We are going to walk through Romans 3 this morning, a chapter that contains some of the most-often quoted verses for the Bible.
It is here we find despair's antidote. Let’s begin with verse one (TAW):
“What then is the advantage of the Yehudean? Or what is the benefit of circumcision?
In chapter 2, Paul has just finished lambasting the Jews, destroying their belief in their own superiority. I can imagine that they were floundering in despair, having had their "supports" kicked right out from under them. Some translations put it like this, “What’s the advantage in being a Jew?”
"What's the advantage in being a Jew?"
In today’s sick society, I can think of a number of disadvantages, actually, can’t you? I saw something on Facebook this morning, posted by a Jewish friend. It went something like this: No one assaulted Russians in other countries because they are involved in a war with Ukraine. Same for the Burmese people because they are in a war with the Rohingya. Nobody mass-assaulted Americans because of our recent conflicts with Iraq and Afghanistan. The Gaza war that Israel is involved in is being used as an excuse for violence against Jews, because anti-Semitism is hateful and demonic. The Gaza war is not the real reason.
Regardless of the disadvantages today, in the first century CE, Jew thought very highly of themselves, particularly where their faith was concerned.
The very question Paul asked would have been unthinkable to this group of believers! They had been raised from birth to believe that their people group was not only very different, but even superior to all other people groups on earth! I want you to imagine someone coming along, coming to your congregation and telling you that some major tenet (or tenets) of your faith are worthless. That's about how these Jews felt. It is how all people, with an established "religion", feel when they are slammed in the face with the brilliance of God's true salvation. Salvation is not found in "religions" or in the keeping of a bunch of rituals.
Rituals, unless grounded in an already settled salvation only serve to distract from the truth.
This past weekend, we had a retreat at our home, with our Bible study group. As a bunch of us ladies were sitting around the firepit, discussing world religions. I made the comment that there are basically two world religions: the one, true faith that is found in Yeshua HaMashiach, and which says it is impossible to “earn” one’s way to Heaven, but that it is instead a free gift of God. All the other world religions can be lumped together into one big falsehood, because they say each person must earn his own righteousness, through the doing of righteous acts, and that if a person does enough righteous acts, he or she will “get in.” Paul is going to bust that myth for us, exposing all other world religions, those “work to earn” religions, as false, right here in Romans 3. 😊
Let’s look at verses 2 through 4, in which Paul emphasizes that there ARE advantages to having been born a Jew, in the first century. Remember, in verse 1 he asked the question, “What are the advantages to being a Jew?”
2 Much in every way, first because to them were entrusted the Words of Elohim.
3 For if some of them have not believed, have they, by their unbelieving, made void the faith of Elohim?
4 Far be it: for Elohim is truthful, and every man false, as it is written, “That you might be upright (kanota), in your declarations; and be found pure when they judge you.”
Paul goes on, then, to tell the Jewish followers of Yeshua that the number one advantage to being Jewish is that God entrusted to them the writings of the Law and the prophets, writings which served several purposes. Here are 3.
1. The Old Testament writings revealed to the Jews the nature of God, "who He is", insomuch as they could comprehend at the time.
2. The Old Testament writings revealed to the Jews the centrality of faith (although a lot of them missed this key teaching), and to expose the human impossibility of perfectly keeping the whole Law.
3. The Old Testament writings showed the Jews excellent rules for "clean" living. These kept the Jews a physically strong and healthy people, one of the key factors in their enduring as a people (although still somewhat scattered) until this day.
Those are just a few, key purposes. It's little wonder Paul listed the Scriptures as the number 1 advantage of being a Jew.
The phrase “Far be it” at the beginning of verse 4 appears in a slightly different form when we reach verse six, as “May it never be!” This is the strongest negative that exists in the Aramaic language. The English equivalent is “God forbid!” Paul is pointing out there that the Hebrew underpinings of the gospel of Yeshua are valid, not void, regardless of whether or not most Jews have believed on Yeshua as HaMashiach. To view the teachings of the OT as void earns a “God forbid!” from the apostle Paul. At the end of verse 4, Paul quotes Psalm 51:4.
Now for verses 5 through 9:
5 But if our wickedness establishes the righteousness of Elohim, what will we say?
I speak as a man, is Elohim unrighteous when He inflicts wrath?
6 May it never be! Otherwise, how will Elohim judge the world?
7 But, if the truth of Elohim has been increased by my falsehood to His Glory, why am I then condemned as a sinner?
8 Or perhaps we should say they blasphemed against us to say, that we say: “We will do evil things, that good may come?” Their condemnation of us is reserved for justice.
9 What then? Have we the superiority when we previously decided that all of them were under sin, both Yehudeans and Arameans?
At times in his writings, Paul takes a “devil’s advocate” sort of approach. He does this in these verses, as a contrivance, to make a point. In verse 5, for instance ... obviously, our wickedness does not establish the righteousness of Elohim, of God. His righteousness stands, regardless, and it will be by His righteous standard that the world is and will be judged. Similarly, in verse 8, we do not do evil so that good will result. In other words, as the founder of my bachelor’s degree university was fond of saying, “It is never right to do wrong, in order to get a chance to do right.” This is otherwise known as “rationalization”, and it is from the evil one.
However, when it comes to earning a righteous, holy standing before a holy God - - that is, taking care of our own "sin problem" - - we are all on equal footing. Busted. The Jews' involvement with God's revelation did not serve then, nor does it serve now, to make them right with God. Jew or Gentile, we are all alike under the crushing burden of our sin, all despairing in the same sinking boat, apart from the salvation of Jesus Christ. Without Him - - - (vs. 10-18)
10 As it is written, “There is no one is upright; no, not one:
11 And none that understands, nor that seeks after Elohim.”
12 All of them have turned aside together and have rejected Elohim. There is none that does good; no, not one:
13 Their throats are open tombs and their languages are treacherous; and the venom of the asp is under their lips.
14 Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness;
15 And their feet are swift to shed blood.
16 Adversity and misery are in their paths:
17 And the path of peacefulness they have not known:
18 And the Fear of Elohim is not before their eyes.
You may have heard that the apostle Paul was a tremendous student of the Scriptures, that is, the Old Testament, the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible. Here, we have a wonderful example of that. You are reading my Mishkan Katan show notes. As you can see, I have much of what I just read to you printed in a blue font, as TAW does. In these verses, Paul is weaving together from several verses a dynamic Scriptural theme. This practice is sometimes referred to as “the fourth rule of Hillel”, referring to a famous Jewish rabbi who practiced this. However, it is usually done with no more than three to four scriptures. In these verses, Paul put together the following Scriptures: Psalm 14:1-3, Psalm 53:1-3 and Eccles. 7:20, quoted in vs 11 and 12; Psalm 5:9 which is quoted in verse 13a; Psalm 140: 3, quoted in 13b; Psalm 10:7 (vs 14); Isaiah 59:7-8 (vs 15-17); Psalm 36:1 (vs 18). That’s 8 passages, which describe the sinner from head to toe!
The first passage, Psalm 14:1-3 is the famous “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” The words “there is” were actually added by translators; they are not part of the original Hebrew. So, as Warren Wiersbe points out, it would actually be better translated that the fool just says, “No, God!” And, sure enough, if you recall from Romans 1:18-32 a couple weeks ago, man’s descent into depravity begins with rejection of Elohim as the one, true God.
In Romans 3:11 and 12, Paul emphasizes that sin has permeated man’s entire being, his mind “none that understands”, his heart “none that seeks after God” and his will “none that does good”. Not.Even.One. person can make such a claim. We are all hopeless, in the condition of being spiritually dead (as Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:1-3), and the reason that God had to seek after us to initiate our salvation. Genesis 3:8-10 and Luke 19:10 further illustrate this truth.
Romans 3:13 and 14 address human speech, “the head” part of the “head to toe” analogy.
What can come out of the mouth of a spiritually dead person? Nothing but spiritually dead speech! This is one of the primary ways you can recognize whether a person is spiritually dead or alive - - “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34).
Now, for the “toe” portion of Paul’s picture. We find that in verses 15 and 16. The feet of the lost person bring destruction with every step. That’s because the sinner is on the devil’s “broad road that leads to destruction”, so described by the Lord in Matthew 7:13-14. By contrast, Paul describes the feet of the believer in Yeshua as defended “with the preparation of the Good News of peace.” (TAW)
In verse 17, Paul expounds on the point he made in verse 11, when he said there is none who understands. He does not understand because he rejects God’s truth in favor of the devil’s lie. And, as a result? He has no peace. Peace comes only through the person of Yeshua HaMashiach, who came to earth as a baby as the angels cried “Peace on earth, goodwill toward men.” He is the only way to peace. The lack of understanding in verses 11 and 17 flow from the arrogance and pride mentioned in verse 18, because the reverence (or fear) of God is the beginning of wisdom, according to Proverbs 1:7.
These compiled passages summarize the desperately wicked spiritual nature of mankind in general. No serious argument can be made about this. The whole world is guilty before God. Our condition apart from salvation through Yeshua is hopeless.
Allright, let’s next examine verses 19 through 23.
19 Now we know that whatever the Torah says, it says to them who are under the Torah; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before Elohim.
20 And so it must be that, by the deeds of Torah, no flesh is justified before Him. For, by Torah sin is understood.
21 But now, the righteousness of Elohim without Torah, is revealed; and the Torah and the prophets testify about it.
22 Even the righteousness of Elohim, which is by way of the faith in Yeshua the Mashiyach for everyone and on everyone that believes in him: for there is no distinction;
23 For they have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of Elohim.
Verse 20 gives a proper perspective on the role of Torah in our lives. This is the footnote 35 from TAW: “Torah is not sin or evil, but Torah reveals Father YAH’s judgments about the boundaries of righteous and wicked behavior. As such, Torah itself does not “justify” because that is not its role! Rather, Torah is meant to show that we all need forgiveness from our sins by the sins it lists, and Paul makes this point repeatedly in his letter by phrases like “by Torah sin is known.” I will add that the Torah is a primary tool in our sanctified walk as followers of Yeshua, because how else would we know we had transgressed, if not for Torah? It makes no sense when so-called believers advocate for divorcing our faith walk from the Torah.
However, the Torah does not do the act of justification, that initial, supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. As verse 20 also affirms, the deeds of Torah cannot justify. Verse 21 and 22 plainly states that justification, the imparting of righteousness, is beyond the Torah walk, because it is only imparted/received by faith in Yeshua, HaMashiach, who manifested that righteousness by becoming the Living Word of God, the Torah made flesh. He is worthy of all honor and glory and praise, because He kept the Torah perfectly, something only the God-man could do.
Now to verses 24 through 28.
24 And, they are freely justified by grace and by the redemption, which is through Yeshua the Mashiyach
25 Whom Elohim has ordained in advance as an atonement by faith in his blood, because of our previous sins.
26 By the opportunity which Elohim in His long suffering gave to us through the clear showing of His uprightness which is at this time, that He might be upright and would with uprightness make him righteous who is in the faith of our Mast Yeshua the Mashiyach.
27 Where then is the boasting? It is completely stopped. By what Torah? By that of works? No! But, by the Torah of faith.
28 We therefore conclude that it is by faith a man is being made righteous, and not by the works of Torah.
Some may say that this message in Romans is inconsistent with what is revealed in Torah. Not so! Let’s examine some verses from Torah that support the message of Romans 3. {These Tanach/OT verses are from the CJB translation.}
First, Exodus {Shemot in the Hebrew} 31:13 - - “Tell the people of Isra’el, ‘You are to observe my Shabbats; for this is a sign between me and you through all your generations; so that you will know that I am Adonai, who sets you apart for me.” Who is it that sanctifies? It is Father Yah Himself!
Next some verses from Leviticus (Vayikra, in the Hebrew) - -
Leviticus 20:8 “Observe my regulations, and obey them; I am Adonai, who sets you apart to be holy.” Again, it is Father Yahweh who sets us apart, which is the direct meaning of “sanctification”.
Leviticus 21:8 “Rather, you are to set him apart as holy, because he offers the bread of your God; he is to be holy for you, because I, Adonai, who makes you holy, am holy.” Who makes us holy? Adonai, Father Yahweh. In this age since the Shavuot/Pentecost of Yeshua’s last year on earth, it His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, who does this work of sanctification in our hearts. Hallelujah.
Another one: Leviticus 21:15 - - “and not disqualify his descendants among his people; because I am Adonai, who makes him holy.’”
Another one: Leviticus 21:23 - - “only he is not to go in to the curtain or approach the altar, because he has a defect — so that he will not profane my holy places, because I am Adonai, who makes them holy.’” This is referring to the holy places of the Tabernacle (and later the Temple), but the principle is the same. Elohim alone imparts holiness into the heart of man.
Next up is Leviticus 22:9 - - “The cohanim must observe this charge of mine; otherwise, if they profane it, they will bear the consequences of their sin for doing so and die in it; I am Adonai, who makes them holy.” Even the priests, arguably the most ardent keepers of Torah, who makes them holy? That’s right, Adonai, a name which in Hebrew means “my masters”. It’s a plural, like Elohim. Hmmm.....
Going on now to Lev. 22:16 - - “and thus cause them to bear guilt requiring a guilt offering, by eating their holy things; because I am Adonai, who makes them holy.’” We are beginning to see a theme here, aren’t we?
22:32 - - “You are not to profane my holy name; on the contrary, I am to be regarded as holy among the people of Isra’el; I am Adonai, who makes you holy,”
Lest you think this was all Moses’ idea, here’s a supporting verse from Ezekiel, 37:28 - - “The nations will know that I am Adonai, who sets Isra’el apart as holy, when my sanctuary is with them forever.’”
Romans is a very Jewish book, isn’t it? In the final four verses of this magnificent chapter, Paul returns again to the theme of the inclusiveness of Elohim, that He is certainly the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, certainly the God of the Jews, but that He is also the God of any Gentile person who earnestly will seek Him.
29 For, is He the Elohim of the Yehudeans only and not of the Gentiles? No, ut of the Gentiles also.
30 Because there is one Elohim who makes righteous the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision by the same faith.
31 Do we then nullify the Torah by faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Torah.
There is another footnote, #38, associated with verse 31. The Aramaic word “qum” is translated here as “establish”. The footnote says as follows: “The word qum literally means “stand,” so Paul is saying, “We do not nullify the Torah, but we stand it up and reinforce it.” Obviously, the fact that Paul viewed this as relevant to the Romans speaks to the universal utility of the Torah to the nations as well as to Israel.
Chapter 3 gives us the central message of Romans. This is the heart of "the gospel". God put His love on the line for us, by giving His Son in sacrificial death, while we were no use whatsoever to Him. Everything else in the letter to the Romans is reiteration of this passage.
The despair of Not.Even.One. is answered by the pure gift of The.One.And.Only!
