06/16/2024 – Day 014 – Romans – Chapters 3 & 4 / “God’s Righteousness Through Faith” ( a concluding subsection in chapter 4)
Last cycle’s post for this reading is dated 03/03/2022. Quite frankly, I don’t know how I would improve upon it, from the Halley Handbook excerpts . But I will make an attempt at condensing it, without giving up too much:
Chapter 3:
- Man’s dilemma, specifically the Jewish people in this case: The more opportunities to do right, the greater the condemnation if he or she is wrong. Essentially: “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” Luke 12: 48.
- Sin is not so much breaking God’s law , but breaking God’s heart.
Chapter 4:
- Sin is akin to diagnosing the malady without affecting a cure.
- It always bears repeating: Redeemed not by our effort, but His grace & power alone.
This is the last verse entry on this post, but I am putting it up on top, a quote commentary re: Matthew 3:19, from “The Evidence Bible – NKJV”:
“Every unredeemed human being, Jew or Gentile, is under the Law of God and accountable to God. The final verdict, then, is that unredeemed mankind has no defense whatsoever and is guilty of all charges. The defense must rest, as it were, before it has opportunity to say anything, because the omniscient and all-wise God has infallibly demonstrated the impossibility of any grounds of acquittal. Absolute silence is the only possible response.” John MacArthur
Now, I am going to share my Apologetics Study Bible commentary on select verses, a different route to unpeel the onion of God’s word:
First, I am going to start not chronological but the one that I had the hardest time deciphering. haha. To me , this is like the age old philosophical maxim: “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” Well, God hears it, so yes, and your premise never applies!
So, let’s look at the two verses: “If those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made empty and the promise is canceled. For the law produces wrath; but where there is no law, there is no transgression.” (Romans 4: 14-15). My confusion is the later sentence. Matthew Henry, in his full length commentary just leaves us with: “Where no law is there is no transgression” (an acknowledged maxim)
“… The essence of Abraham’s faith in this case was that he believed that God could make the impossible possible… When we realize that it is not our effort but God’s grace and power which matter, then we become optimists, because we are bound to believe that with God nothing is impossible…” Here is John Gill’s commentary for this verse on the web: https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/romans-4-15.html. Since the creation of man, we have had the law for God was intimate with man from the beginning.
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3: 10 – 18: Here is the brief commentary:
“That no one is righteous indicates human inability to secure salvation apart from God’s provision. This does not mean that people are as bad as they can be, or that they cannot do good things from a human perspective. However, as to eternal salvation, their situation is hopeless so long as they are left to themselves. God’s initiating grace must come first. Righteousness must come from God. (vv 21-22).”
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“God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.” Romans 3:25
Here is the commentary, an excellent cross referencing opportunity, “let scripture testify to scripture”.:
“What sins has God passed over? In Eden God threatened death as punishment for disobedience and sin (Genesis 2:17). In the fall Adam and Eve died spiritually, being separated from God and subject to sin and death even though they did not immediately die physically. Implementing His plan to redeem His lost creatures, God sought those who obediently trusted Him (e.g. Abel, Genesis 4:4; Enoch, Genesis 5:24; Noah, Genesis 6:9; Abram, Genesis 15:6; and their spiritual successors). Thought they were sinners, God spared them from eternal damnation, the just punishment for their sin. Paul explained God’s justice in passing over these sins: In due time, Christ would die in their place (Romans 5:6). Christ’s death covers the sins of all believers both prior and subsequent to His atoning death.
But what kind of God (Father) sends His Son to such a horrific death to satisfy His own sense of justice? First Jesus voluntarily gave His life (John 10: 14-18). So this was the eternally agreed upon plan by Father, Son and Spirit. Second, the triune God — not just the Son — is involved in this world’s suffering. The Father and Spirit were not undetected observers but were intimately involved with the Son’s suffering on the cross. Third, consider God’s holiness and sin’s offensiveness to such a perfect, unsullied, personal Being. Sin elicits His just, wrathful response — the removal of all traces of both sin and sinner. Fourth, we must grasp God’s limitless love for His human creatures made in His own image. Through He could justly write us off forever, in love God acted to save those who trust in Him. So while His holiness required the just payment of death for sinners, in love He paid the penalty Himself in the person of His only Son.”
Soli Deo Gloria indeed!