Book of Romans - Ch. 2, Vs. 13-Ch. 3, Vs. 4 (07/25/2004)

The Doers of the Law and the Limits of Mere Hearing

Thirteenth verse of the second chapter of the book of Romans, it reads as follows. For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. Now Greg, Greg is here isn't he?

Okay. It says that if you do the law, meaning if you keep the law, you'll be justified. How can we keep the law? So he didn't keep the law just for himself? All right. Now if we could just get the word out to all of the people of Africa, they would be saved.

Is that right or wrong, Dennis? Who is this? You're, well, well it's illegal to change seats. Well whoever you are, is that a, you're absolutely right. You know I hear it said that the heathen are lost because they haven't heard the word of Christ and accepted him.

Is that true? Why are they lost, Greg? They're lost because they're sinners. Pure and simple. Who is that? All right, the condition of all mankind is that they are sinners. That's why they're lost. Men are not saved by the light they have.

What are they, Joy? Well, yes, but the men, men are not saved by the light that they have. Is that true or false? Who answered true? Well, I'm going to have to disagree with you, Greg. They're not saved by the light they have.

They are lost by the light that they have. They're sinners, that's why they go to hell. No matter how much light they have, they'll be judged by that light. You see the difference? Whatever your name is over here.

For not the hearers of the law are just before God. Many folks seem to think that if they just approve the sermon on the mount, they'll be saved. Yes, that's right, and God said so, didn't he? I want to give you a question that I want you to think about for a week or two or a month.

Well, you can discuss it with everybody except David, and the question is this. Does God the Father forgive all of our confessed sins? Does God the Father forgive all of our confessed sins? You think about that for a month or so.

Gentile Conscience and God’s Judgment

All right, for not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law. Greg told us, and rightly so, that Jesus Christ kept the law, and we are in Christ, therefore we keep the law. God can and will judge the heathen by his own conscience.

Now, who come in? Okay, some folk think because the heathen do not have the revelation of God, that they will escape God's judgment. Is that true or false? False, but the fact is that they are not living up to the life that they have.

God will judge them on that basis. 14. Yes, that's right, but the doers of, that's right, and the Bible makes that very clear and plain. 14. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things commanded in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves, which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another, in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

We in, well, I'd say it's worldwide, we have a false idea today, not us here, but the world as a whole, that because we happen to be good folks, that is we think we are, that we'll be saved. God is going to judge the do-gooders, and he will judge them by Jesus Christ, who said that if a man looks upon a woman to lust after her, he is guilty of adultery.

So, it drives it back to our mind, Russell. You're sitting where you're supposed to be, is that Russell? It drives it back to us individually, and to our mind, and our conscience. This is only one example of our human heart.

I don't know that I want all the secrets of my heart exposed, but they will be. How about yours? God's gonna judge religious people, the Jews in particular, because theirs was a God-given religion. 17.

Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law. So, the religion now is no more, no longer a crutch for these people, to cause them to be proud and self-sufficient, like created and added responsibility, which brought a greater condemnation.

The Jew had ten advantages over the Gentile, which are listed in these verses. 19. And art confident that thou thyself are a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness. They thought, the Jew, that they were right on everything.

We find that thinking prevailing in this country, starting from the Pilgrim's Landing in the east, and it's coming down to the south. Today, it's almost true nationwide. An instructor of the foolish, a leader of babes, which has the form of knowledge and of truth in the law.

That feeling, that they're right, does not make them right. 21. Thou therefore which teaches another, teach thou not thyself. Thou that preachest a man should not steal. Do you steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery?

Thou that hoarest idols, dost thou commit sacrilegious? Sacrilegious? Paul mentions here three common sins. They're the immorality, sin against others, sensuality, sin against yourself, and idolatry, sin against God.

Touchest, teachest not thyself. Russell, as you go about this life and in your work, you teach others. Can a teacher teach others without teaching himself? In other words, do you practice what you preach?

I would hope that we do. Does thou commit the sacrilegious, or do you rule, do you rob temples? When the Jew was in Babylonia captivity, he took the gold cure, unquote. And as far as I can tell, he was never given to idolatry.

After that, however, he didn't mind handling merchandise that came from heathen temples, selling it in his business to they that there are certain Christians, and I could name one or two in this town, that they handle merchandise to make money that they would condemn in the church.

I hope none of you are guilty of that. Now, the three sins that Paul mentions, immorality, sensuality, and idolatry, he had dealt with in inverse order in the chapter one. Idolatry was the terrible climax for the Jew.

He could go no lower than that. I wonder if you and I make a mockery of the person of Christ. Someone has put it into a poetic language. The gospel is written a chapter a day by deeds that you do, or words that you say.

Men read that you say, whether faithless or true, say what is the gospel according to you. There are people that are watching, people you don't know. Years ago, I had a man in Ennis. I was taking business to him every once in a while, and it was very obvious that he was not a Christian or attend church.

And one day I got there, and he had just got through with an awful argument about something. I don't know what, but the man was just leaving as I drove up. And he said, Otis, that's the reason I don't go to church.

Now, he wasn't a Christian. The man that he argued with was a deacon in the Baptist Church in Ennis. But people are watching and looking. Some not just to find something wrong, but it's so obvious. So we're a Christian 24 hours a day.

We represent this church 24 hours a day. I hope we all represent it efficiently and correctly. Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonest thou God. For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written, for circumcision verily profiteth thou if thou keep the law.

But if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. What's he talking about here, Greg? The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you. You, a Jew. Well, what's he referring to?

Circumcision. That was the badge of the Mosaic system, and that's all it was. Just a badge. There was no merit in the right itself. The badge indicated that the man believed the Mosaic law. Now for them to be transgressors of the law brought circumcision into disrepute.

Let me cite you an example. I was at one time in a distant city. I used to travel quite a bit, and dealing with churches, sound systems. And we had just about finished, and I went out for dinner at a, not a ritzy place, but I had a good meal.

And sitting at a table very close to me was a deacon in the church that I had just put the sound system in. He was having a very lively conversation with a beautiful young lady, and his left hand was hanging over the edge of the table, and on it was a wedding ring.

Well, when he noticed that I noticed, he was embarrassed. A wedding ring means you're married, and when you are in adultery, the wedding ring doesn't mean you're married. It doesn't. It is a blasphemous object.

I never will forget. So if we claim to be a Christian, then we better act like it all of the time. Therefore, if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision.

To use another figure of speech, if my wife loses her wedding ring, is she not, is she unmarried? If she loses her wedding ring, is she no longer married? Still married. So marriage is more than the ring.

Same way with circumcision, or keeping the law, or not keeping the law. 27. And shall not uncircumcision, which is by nature, if it fulfill the law, judge thee who by the letter of circumcision does transgress the law.

Wedding ring to wear a wedding ring speaks of something sacred, but to be unfaithful to the wife is a disgrace. For he is a Jew, which is one outwardly. Neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh, but he is a Jew which is one inwardly.

And circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit, and not in the letter of whose praise is not of men, but of God. The Mosaic law had already stated that circumcision was of the heart. In Deuteronomy 10 16 we have circumcised therefore the foreskin of your heart, and let no more, be no more stiff necked.

The Advantages of Being a Jew and the Oracles of God

Now we go to chapter 3. Are there any questions over the first two chapters? Alright. Then what advantage is it to be a Christian today? Or what advantage then hath the Jew? Or what profit is there of circumcision?

What advantage do we as Christians have above the heathen? Joy? Alright. David, what advantage do you have over someone not saved? Alright. Alright. We have the assurance of hope. We have a guide for our faith, a rule for our conduct.

We should make use of these. How? How do we make use of those three or four things, Russell? Yes. How do we make use of the guide of our faith, Fred? Alright. How do we make use of the assurance of our hope, Greg?

Alright. Did you ever think about where you were born in this country at this time? Each and every day we should be thankful to God for being born in this country at this time, in this age, and knowing that we are His.

We must all live, speak, think, talk, study, remember, eat, sleep, walk, pray, meditate for the glory of God. Too many times we slip back and we do this for ourselves because it's so easy. I like people to praise me and I like to be patted on the back.

I think the liking that is wrong. We're to do it for God's glory, much every way. Now, what advantage then has the Jew or what prophet is there in circumcision, much every way, chiefly because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

Greg, turn to John 20 31, please, and read it to me. Now, Rick, why was the Bible written, alright? Joy, why was the Bible written? David, there were some Jews that never did believe. What about them?

So, what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make God without effect? It makes no difference what we believe. We will not change God. Thank goodness. There's all kinds of belief in the world.

God forbid, yea, let God be true, but every man a liar. As it is written, thou, that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome them, overcome when thou art judged. Come out victor when brought to trial.

The faith of God in man's unbelief, the faith is not moved by any mortal power. It remains steadfast. Everyone who disbelieves it will be damned. We cannot, we do not, we shall not change God. Most of our misapprehensions of God are copied and transgressed, transcribed from our affections.

What do I feel about it? Let me give you a statement. Salvation is not an emotional thing. Salvation is a fact. Do you get that? Salvation is a fact. Now, I don't mean you won't be emotional. Some are, some aren't, but it's not a feeling that you have.

It's not an emotion. It is a fact. I want to stop here. Romans 3 and 5. Any word from anybody? All right. Rick? Why it was written? It was written for us to read. It was written for us to study. It was written so we would know the mind of God concerning us and him.

It is totally for the sheep. They don't read it. If they do, they don't read it with an understanding. He's just a goat. He'll never be anything else. Yes. All right. Don't forget your question. I'm anxious to know what you think about that.

Rick, dismiss this please.