- Righteousness
by Faith
- Articles on Romans
- By E. J. Waggoner
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- Article 2
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Introduction
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- "Blessed is the man that walketh
not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of
sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight
is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day
and night." Ps. 1:1, 2.
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- "My son, if thou wilt receive my
words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline
thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice
for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest
for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the
fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord
giveth wisdom; out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding."
Prov. 2:1-6.
- Here we have the secret of the understanding
of the Bible: study and meditation, coupled with an earnest desire
to know the will of God in order to do it. "If any man will
do his will, he shall know of the doctrine." John 7:17.
Repetition_review_is one of the prime essentials to knowledge
of the Bible. Not that any amount of study will compensate for
lack of the Holy Spirit's guidance, but that the Holy Spirit
witnesses through the word.
- A Look Backward
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- In this study of Romans we wish to carry
along with us as much as possible of what we learn. We will therefore
take a view of the first chapter as a whole. We have found that
it is naturally divided somewhat as follows:
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- Vss. 1-7, the salutation, containing an
epitome of the whole gospel.
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- Vss. 8-15, Paul's personal interest in
the Romans, and his sense of obligation to them and to all mankind.
- Vss. 16,17, what the gospel is, and what
it contains.
- Vss. 21-23, the corruption of wisdom.
- Vss. 24-32, the result of unthankfulness
and of forgetting God.
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- A careful reading of the chapter shows
that the main thought is that God has made himself known to every
soul in his creation, and that even the most degraded heathen
know that they are guilty and are worthy of death for their wickedness.
"Who, knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit
such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have
pleasure in them that do them." Vs. 32. So "they are
without excuse." This leading thought of the first chapter
should be well in mind before beginning the second chapter, for
the second is a continuation of the first, and dependent upon
it.
- A Wider View Romans 2:1-11
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- 1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man,
whosoever thou art that judgest; for wherein thou judgest another,
thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same
things. 2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according
to truth against them which commit such things. 3 And thinkest
thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and
doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? 4
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance
and long-suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth
thee to repentance? 5 But, after thy hardness and impenitent
heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath
and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; 6 who will render
to every man according to his deeds; 7 to them who by patient
continuance in welldoing seek for glory and honor and immortality,
eternal life; 8 but unto them that are contentious, and do not
obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
9 tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth
evil; of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 10 but glory,
honor, and peace to every man that worketh good; to the Jew first,
and also to the Gentile; 11 for there is no respect of persons
with God.
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- Acknowledging their Guilt. The truth of
the apostle's statement is easy of demonstration concerning the
heathen and their deeds, that they know that they are worthy
of death. When Adam and Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit, they
were afraid to meet God, and hid themselves. Fear is a necessary
accompaniment of guilt, and a proof of it. "Fear hath torment.
He that feareth is not made perfect in love." 1 John 4:18.
"The wicked flee when no man pursueth; but the righteous
are bold as a lion." Prov. 28:1. "But the fearful .
. . shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire."
Rev. 21:8. If the heathen did not know that they were guilty,
they would not expect punishment for murdering or stealing, and
would not arm themselves for defense.
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- An Unanswerable Charge. There is wonderful
shrewdness in the way that the apostle works up the charge made
in the first verse. The first chapter is confined to the heathen.
All will agree with the apostle's statement that they are guilty
of most abominable wickedness. "They ought to know better,"
is the almost involuntary exclamation. "They do know better,"
is the apostle's reply, or, at least, they have a chance to know
better, and they do know that they are not doing right. "They
are without excuse." Whatever men may think about the responsibility
of the heathen, all agree that their practices are to be condemned.
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- Then comes the crushing rejoinder: "Therefore
thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest;
for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for
thou that judgest doest the same things." We are caught,
and can not escape. If we know enough to condemn the unrighteous
deeds of the heathen, we by that very judgment acknowledge ourselves
to be without excuse for our own misdeeds.
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- All Alike are Guilty. "Thou that
judgest doest the same things." It is clear enough that
anybody who knows enough to condemn evil in another is without
excuse for his own sins; but all will not at once see that the
one who judges another does the same things. Read, therefore
the last verses of the first chapter again, and compare the list
of sins with that found in Galatians 5:19-21, and it will be
seen that the things which the heathen do, and for which we can
readily see that they are guilty, are but the works of the flesh.
They are the sins that come "from within, out of the heart
of men." Mark 7:21-23. Whoever is included in the term "man"
is subject to just such things. "The Lord looketh from heaven;
he beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation
he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. He fashioneth
their hearts alike; he considereth all their works." Ps.
33:13-15.
- All Are Self-condemned.Therefore, since
all men are alike sharers in one common human nature, it is evident
that whosoever in the world condemns another for any misdeed
thereby condemns himself; for the truth is that all have the
same evil in them, more or less fully developed; and the fact
that they know enough to judge that a thing is wrong, is a declaration
that they themselves are worthy of the punishment which they
see that the other one deserves.
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- Sympathy, Not Condemnation.The robber
often cries out, "Stop thief!" after some other man,
in order to direct pursuit away from himself. So people condemn
sin in others, in order that it may not be suspected that they
are guilty of the same things. Often, too, people "Compound
for sins they are inclined to by damning those they have no mind
to," but of which they are actually guilty by reason of
their human nature.
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- Since all flesh of man is the same, we
ought to be filled with humiliation, instead of contempt, when
we hear of a gross sin that is committed; for it is really a
picture of what is in our own hearts. Instead of saying, "God,
I thank thee that I am not as other men," we should bear
the burden of the erring, considering ourselves lest we also
be tempted. Very often the man whose weakness we feel inclined
to condemn, has not failed so badly as we should have done if
we had been tempted in the same way, and to the same degree.
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- Outcry Against Sin. In Pilgrim's Progress
when Talkative left Faithful to decide upon the subject of their
conversation, Faithful proposed this question: "How doth
the saving grace of God discover itself when it is in the heart
of man?" And then Bunyan proceeds thus:
- "Talk. I perceive then that our talk
must be about the power of things. Well, it is a very good question,
and I shall be willing to answer you; and take my answer in brief
thus: First, where the grace of God is in the heart, it causeth
there a great outcry against sin. Secondly
- "Talk. Why, what difference is there
between crying out against and abhorring sin?
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- "Faith. O, a great deal! A man may
cry out against a sin, of policy; but he can not abhor it but
by virtue of a godly antipathy against it. I have heard many
cry out against sin in the pulpit, who can yet abide it well
enough in the heart, house, and conversation. Joseph's mistress
cried out with a loud voice, as if she had been very chaste;
but she would willingly, notwithstanding that, have committed
uncleanness with him."
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- A keen perception of right and wrong,
and a vigorous denunciation of sin, will never justify any man.
On the contrary, they only deepen his condemnation. It is a sad
fact that too many of the so-called reformers of the present
day seem to think that gospel work consists largely in the denunciation
of evil practices. A detective is not a minister of the gospel.
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- Judgment According to Truth. "But
we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against
them which commit such things." "Hold," says one,
"I am not sure of that." Well, you may very easily
assure yourself of it:
- 1.God exists. We are agreed as to that.
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- 2.He is the source whence every created
thing comes.
- 3.Every creature is absolutely dependent
upon him. "In him we live, and move, and have our being."
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- 4.Since all life depends on him, it is
evident that the continuation of man's life depends upon his
agreement and union with God.
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- 5.Therefore God's own character must be
the standard of judgment.
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- 6.But God himself is truth. "There
is no unrighteousness in him."
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7.But he has made a revelation of himself
and his righteousness to all men. "His righteousness hath
he openly showed in the sight of the heathen." Ps. 97:2.
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- 8.Therefore all men, from the least to
the greatest, are without excuse for their sin.
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- 9.Then it is plain enough that when God
judges all men, without exception, his judgment is according
to truth. And earth will be constrained to join with heaven in
saying, "Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast,
and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus." "Even
so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments."
Rev. 16: 5,7.
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- No Escape. No one need think that he can
escape the righteous judgment of God. It is usually the most
enlightened who flatter themselves that they shall escape. It
is so easy for us to think that our great knowledge of right
and wrong will be counted for righteousness, to persuade ourselves
that our condemnation of the sins of others will make the Lord
believe that we could never be guilty of such things. But that
only makes our condemnation the more clear.
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- The first chapter of Romans knocks all
the props from under every man. If the lowest are justly held
guilty, there is no escape for the "higher classes."
"God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret
thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Eccl.
12:14.
- God's Goodness Leads to Repentance. "Despisest
thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering;
not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance."
God is the perfection of purity and holiness; man is altogether
sinful. God knows every sin, yet he does not despise the sinner.
"God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world;
but that the world through him might be saved." John 3:17.
Christ said, "If any man hear my words, and believe not,
I judge him not." John 12:47.
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- In everything that he said and did, he
was simply representing the Father. God "is long-suffering
to usward;" and "the long-suffering of our God is salvation."
2 Pet. 3:9,15. Now it is impossible that one should consider
the goodness and long-suffering of God without being humbled
and moved to repentance. When we consider how tenderly God bears
with us, it is not possible that we should deal harshly with
our fellow-men. And if we do not judge, we shall not be judged.
Luke 6:37.
- Repentance Is
a Gift. "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not
of yourselves; it is the gift of God." Eph. 2:8. "The
God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on
a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince
and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness
of sins." Acts 5:30, 31. But it was not to Israel alone
that God gave repentance through Christ. "To him give all
the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth
in him shall receive remission of sins." Acts 10:43. And
so plainly did God make this appear that even the exclusive Jews
were forced to exclaim, "Then hath God also to the Gentiles
granted repentance unto life." Acts 11:18.
- Incentives to Repentance. The goodness
of God leads men to repentance. Therefore the whole earth is
full of incentives to repentance, for "the earth is full
of the goodness of the Lord." Ps. 33:5. "The earth,
O Lord, is full of thy mercy." Ps. 119:64. God may be known
through his works, and "God is love." All creation
reveals the love and mercy of God.
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- And we need not try to improve on the
Scriptures, and say that the goodness of God tends to lead men
to repentance. The Bible says that it does lead them to repentance,
and we may be sure that it is so. Every man is being led toward
repentance as surely as God is good. But not all repent. Why?
Because they despise the riches of the goodness and forbearance
and long-suffering of God, and break away from the merciful leading
of the Lord. But whoever does not resist the Lord, will surely
be brought to repentance and salvation.
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- Treasuring up Wrath. In the first chapter
we learned that "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." Therefore
all who sin are treasuring up for themselves wrath. It should
be noted that in the judgment God is clear. Men receive only
what they have worked for. God is not arbitrary. He has not fixed
arbitrary decrees, and declared that whoever violates them shall
be visited with vengeance. The punishment that will come upon
the wicked is the necessary result of their own choice. God is
the only source of life.
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- His life is peace. Now when men reject
him, the only alternative for them is wrath and death. "For
that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the
Lord; they would none of my counsel; they despised all my reproof.
Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be
filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple
shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them."
Prov. 1:29-32. Trouble and death are bound up in sin; they are
what men choose when they refuse the Lord.
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- "According to his Deeds." Unbelievers
often say that it is not just for God to condemn a man simply
because he does not believe a certain thing. But he does not
do so. Not a word can be found in the Bible about judging a man
according to his belief. Everywhere it is said that all will
be judged according to their works. "For the Son of man
shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then
he shall reward every man according to his works." Matt.
16:27. "Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me,
to give every man according as his work shall be." Rev.
22:12. He "judgeth according to every man's work."
1 Pet. 1:17.
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- The man who says that his work is all
right, sets himself up as judge in the place of God, who says
that every man is all wrong. God is Judge alone, and he judges
strictly according to a man's work, but a man's work is decided
by his faith. "This is the work of God, that ye believe
on him whom he hath sent." John 6:29. It is not for any
man to judge himself, and say that his work is all right. It
is for him simply to trust the goodness and mercy of the Lord,
that his work may be wrought in God.
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- Immortality and Eternal Life. God will
render eternal life to them who seek for glory and honor and
immortality. Christ "hath brought life and immortality to
light through the gospel." 2 Tim. 1:10. Life and immortality
are two different things. Whoever believes on the Son of God
has eternal life. "This is life eternal, that they might
know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast
sent." John 17:3.
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- We have eternal life as soon as we know
the Lord; but we can not have immortality until the Lord comes,
at the last day. "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all
be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible
must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality."
1 Cor. 15:51-53.
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- We are to seek for immortality; that of
itself is proof that no man has it now. Since Christ has brought
it to light through the gospel, it is evident that immortality
can be found in no other way than through the gospel. Therefore
those who do not accept the gospel will never have immortality.
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- Tribulation and Anguish.Those who sin
are the children of wrath. Eph. 2:3. Indignation and wrath, tribulation
and anguish, are sure to come upon evil doers. But tribulation
and anguish will have an end. The fact that none receive immortality
except the ones who are Christ's at his coming, shows that all
others will eventually cease to exist. There will be torment
in connection with the punishment of the wicked, but the torment,
however long it may continue, will come to an end in the utter
destruction of the wicked. God's indignation will come to an
end. "For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall
cease, and mine anger in their destruction." Isa. 10:25.
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- The call is: "Come, my people, enter
thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself
as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants
of the earth for their iniquity." Isa. 16:20,21. "He
will not always chide; neither will he keep his anger forever."
Ps. 103:9. His anger will cease, not because he will become reconciled
to iniquity, but because iniquity will come to an end with its
workers.
- "To Every Soul."Tribulation
and anguish will come upon "every soul of man that doeth
evil," and "glory, honor, and peace to every man that
worketh good." None will be left out. There is not a soul
so poor and ignorant that he will be passed by, nor one so wealthy
and learned that he will be allowed to escape. Wealth and position
will have no influence in that court. God has made the revelation
of himself so plain that every man has had an opportunity of
knowing him. "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold down the
truth in unrighteousness." Note well that his wrath is revealed
against sin. Only those persons will suffer who cling to sin,
and will not allow God to take it from them. In the final blotting
out of sin, they are necessarily blotted out with it.
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- To the Jew First.This statement is sufficient
to show that God is no respecter of persons. Indeed, the apostle
states as a necessary conclusion that "there is no respect
of persons with God." "First" does not always
refer to time. We speak of a man as being the first man in the
country, not because there were no men before him, but because
he is the chief man. In school a certain one is the first one
in his class because he is the best scholar. The Jew is the one
who has had the greatest revelation made to him, and therefore
it is just that he should be chief in the judgment.
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however, that God has no special favor to the Jew over other
men. If glory, honor, and peace come to the Jew first, so also
do indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish. The question
is not, "What is the man's nationality?" but, "What
has he done?" God will render to every man according to
his deeds, "for there is no respect of persons with God."
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- A few words may suffice to bring to mind
what we have already studied. The first chapter of Romans may
be briefly summed up as setting forth the condition of those
who know not God, and the way in which they lost their knowledge,
together with the fact that they are wholly without excuse. Then,
just as we are ready to hold up our hands in horror at their
wickedness, and to launch forth severe condemnation upon them,
the apostle turns to us, and shuts our mouths with the stinging
words, "Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever
thou art that judgest; for wherein thou judgest another, thou
condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things."
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- And so the second chapter proceeds to
show that all will be subjects of God's righteous judgment, "for
there is no respect of persons with God." Thus we are brought
to a confirmation of the fact that God is impartial, by a comparison
of the two classes in the Judgment.
- 12 For as many as have sinned without
law shall also perish without law; and as many as have sinned
in the law shall be judged by the law 13 (for not the hearers
of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall
be justified. 14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law,
do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not
the law, are a law unto themselves; 15 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); 16 in the day when God shall judge the secrets
of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
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- Without Law, and in the Law.Although it
is quite certain that when the Lord comes the second time there
will be no people on the earth who have not heard the preaching
of the word, it is a fact that thousands and millions have died
without ever having seen or heard of the Bible. They are the
ones to whom the apostle refers as "without law." Yet
it is plainly set forth that they are not absolutely without
law, but only without the written law. The fact that they have
some knowledge of the law is stated in the verses following,
and is proved by the fact that they are counted sinners; but
"sin is not imputed where there is no law." Rom. 5:13.
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- All Sin Punished.Whether we have had the
written law or not, all are alike counted sinners. "The
wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness
and unrighteousness of men." Rom. 1:18. The heathen are
declared to be without excuse; and if they who have not the written
law are without excuse, they who have the law in their hands
are of course far more inexcusable. God is just. "We know
that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which
commit such things." Yet all who sin, whether in the law
or without the law, are to be punished.
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- This is sufficient to show that "without
law" does not mean without any knowledge of God. The first
chapter settles that. The trouble with too many who read this
statement that all shall be punished, and who think that it does
not seem just, is that they forget, or are ignorant of, what
is contained in the first chapter. It is a great mistake to take
any single verse of the Bible and separate it from its connection.
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- They Shall Perish.That is declared to
be the fate of the wicked. The apostle Peter tells us that the
world is "reserved unto fire against the day of judgment
and perdition of ungodly men." 2 Peter 3:7. What is meant
by "perish?" It means just the opposite of living forever.
On one occasion some people told Jesus of the Galileans whose
blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices, and Jesus replied,
"Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Luke
13:1-3. Again we read, "The wicked shall perish, and the
enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs; they shall
consume; into smoke shall they consume away." Ps. 37:20.
Therefore the statement that those who sin shall perish means
that they shall die, that they shall be utterly extinct, that
"they shall be as though they had not been." Obad.
16.
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- Strict Impartiality.That means strict
justice. Sinners will be punished, whether they live in heathen
lands or in so-called Christian lands. But no one will be judged
by that of which he knew nothing. God does not punish men for
violation of a law of which they knew nothing, nor does he hold
them accountable for light that they have not had. It is very
plain that those who have the law must know many things that
are not known to those who do not have it in written form. All
men have light enough to know that they are sinners; but the
written word gives those who have it a knowledge of many particulars
of which those are ignorant who do not have it.
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- Therefore God in his justice does not
hold the latter accountable for many things for which the former
will be judged. "As many as have sinned without law shall
also perish without law; and as many as have sinned in the law
shall be judged by the law." The man who has rejected light,
whether it be little or much, is obviously guilty.
- The Root of Sin.To some it seems unjust
that those who have had but comparatively little light should
suffer death for their sins, the same as those who have sinned
against the greatest light. Their difficulty arises from the
fact that they do not consider what sin really is. God alone
is good. Luke 18:19. He is the source of goodness. Whatever goodness
ever appears in man is only the working of God in him.
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- But he is also the source of life. With
him is the fountain of life. Ps. 36:9. God's life is righteousness;
therefore there can be no righteousness apart from the life of
God. Now it is evident that if a man rejects God, he effectually
cuts himself off from life. It matters not that he has had but
comparatively little knowledge of God, if he rejects that light
he rejects God, and thus rejects life. And by rejecting the little
that he has seen of God, he shows that he would reject God in
any case. Sin is simply separation from or rejection of God;
and that means death.
- "Thou Art the Man" Romans 2:17-24
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- 17 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and
restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, 18 and knowest
his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being
instructed out of the law; 19 and art confident that thou thyself
art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast
the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. 21 Thou therefore
which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that
preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? 22 Thou that
sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery?
Thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? 23 Thou
that makest they boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonorest
thou God? 24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles
through you, as it is written.
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- A Professed Jew. Are professed Christians
to throw away this portion of the book of Romans as not applicable
to them, since it is addressed to a professed Jew? By no means.
Professed Christians are the very ones who are meant by the apostle.
Read the description: Thou "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; and
art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light
of them which are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish,
a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the
truth in the law."
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- Whom does he address? Every one who professes
to know the Lord, no matter by what name he is called; every
one who thinks himself fully qualified to instruct others in
the way of the Lord.
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- "Called a Jew." It should not
be overlooked as a trifling matter that the apostle does not
say, "Behold, thou art a Jew," but, "Behold, thou
art called a Jew." People are not always what they are called,
nor what they call themselves. Beginning with the seventeenth
verse the apostle settles the question of who are Jews. Before
we have finished the chapter it will seem that by using the word
"called" he meant to intimate that the one addressed
and described in the following verses is not really a Jew, and
is not considered so by the Lord.
- VClaiming to Be Jews. In Revelation 2:9
we read, "I know the blasphemy of them which say they are
Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan." And
again, "Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan,
which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will
make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that
I have loved thee." Rev. 3:9. From this we see that to be
a Jew indeed is so high an honor that many will falsely claim
it. Yet the people called Jews have been held in contempt by
the greater part of the world, for many hundred years.
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- At no time and in no part of the world,
since the New Testament was written, has it ever been an object
for anybody to claim that he was a Jew, in the common acceptation
of the term. The Jews as a class have never been in such honor
that it would benefit one's prospects to be called one. But it
has been and is very often an advantage for a man to be known
as a Christian, and very many have falsely made the claim, in
order to better their business prospects.
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- Jew and Christian. It is not straining
the text at all to say that when "Jew" is used in these
verses, it means what is now known as "Christian."
This will be apparent if we consider what a real Jew is. We may
quote enough to show that from the beginning a true Jew was one
who believed in Christ. Of the head of the race the Lord Jesus
said, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he
saw it, and was glad." John 8:56. He believed in the Lord,
and it was counted to him for righteousness; but righteousness
comes only through the Lord Jesus. Moses, the leader of the Jews,
esteemed "the reproach of Christ greater riches than the
treasures in Egypt." Heb. 11:26 The rebellious Jews in the
wilderness tempted and rejected Christ. 1 Cor. 10:9. When Christ
came in the flesh, it was "his own" that received him
not. John 1:11. And to crown all, Christ said that no one could
believe the writings of Moses unless he believed on him. John
5:46, 47. Therefore it is evident that no one is or ever has
been a real Jew unless he believes in Christ. He who is not a
Jew indeed is of "the synagogue of Satan."
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- "Salvation Is of the Jews."
Jesus said to the woman of Samaria at the well of Jacob, "Ye
worship ye know not what; we know what we worship; for salvation
is of the Jews." John 4:22. Christ himself was "made
of the seed of David according to the flesh," and was therefore
a Jew; and there is no other name than his "under heaven
. . . whereby we must be saved."
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- No other people on earth, besides the
Jews, have ever had so high a name. No other people have been
so highly favored of God. "For what nation is there so great,
who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all
things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so
great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this
law, which I set before you this day?" Deut. 4:7,8.
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- Resting in the Law. As stated in the verse
last quoted, the Jews had committed to them the most perfect
law in the universe, God's own. It was called "the testimony,"
because it was for a witness against them. They were not taught
that they could get righteousness out of it, although it was
perfect, but the contrary. Because it was so perfect, and they
were sinners, it could have nothing but condemnation for them.
It was designed only to drive them to Christ, in whom alone they
could find the perfect righteousness that the law requires. "The
law worketh wrath" (Rom. 4:15), and Christ alone saves from
wrath. But they "rested in the law," and therefore
rested in sin. They "trusted in themselves that they were
righteous." Luke 18:9. They found no righteousness, "because
they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the
law." Rom. 9:31, 32.
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- Boasting of God. This is something different
from making one's boast in the Lord. Ps. 34:2. Instead of rejoicing
in the Lord's salvation, the Jews boasted over their superior
knowledge of God. They did indeed have more than others, but
they had nothing that they had not received, yet they boasted
as though they had not received it. They glorified themselves,
rather than God, for the knowledge that they had; and therefore
they put themselves in the condition of the heathen who "when
they knew God, glorified him not as God, neither were thankful,
but became vain in their imaginations." Whatever reader
is inclined to censure the ancient Jews for their vain boasting,
let him remember how he himself has often felt on comparing himself
with the inhabitants of heathen countries, and with the "lowest
class" in his own land.
- God's Will His Law. The apostle says that
the Jew knows the will of God, because he is instructed out of
the law. This is sufficient to show that the law of God is his
will. Indeed, no argument should be needed on this point. The
will of any government is expressed in its law. Where there is
an absolute ruler, his will is always law. God is an absolute
ruler, although not an arbitrary one, and as his will is the
sole rule of right, it follows that his will is law. But his
law is summed up in the Ten Commandments; therefore the Ten Commandments
contain a summary statement of the will of God.
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- The Form of Knowledge and Truth. Although
the Ten Commandments contain a statement of the will of God,
which is the perfection of wisdom and truth, they are only a
statement, and not the thing itself, just the same as a picture
of a house is not a house, although it may be a perfect picture.
Mere words written in a book or graven in stone have no life;
but we know that the law of God is life everlasting. Only in
Christ can the living law be found, since he is the only manifestation
of the Godhead.
- Whoever has the life of Christ dwelling
in him, has the perfect law of God manifest in his life. But
he who has only the letter of the law, and not Christ, has only
the form of knowledge and of truth. Thus, the law is often rightly
said to be a photograph of the character of God. But a photograph
or other picture is only the shadow of the reality; it is not
the very substance. He who has Christ has both the form and the
substance, since one can not have a thing without also possessing
its form. But he who has only the statement of the truth, without
Christ who alone is the Truth has the form of godliness without
the power thereof.
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- Hard Questions. In verses 21-23 the apostle
asks some hard questions." Let each soul that has been wont
to pride himself upon the correctness of his life answer these
questions for himself. It is easy and natural for a man to pride
himself upon his "morality." Men who are not Christians
comfort themselves with the thought that they live "moral"
lives, and that therefore they are as well off as though they
were Christians. Let all such know that there is no morality
except conformity to the law of God. Everything that is in any
respect below the standard of that law is immorality. Knowing
this, let them see if they have perfectly kept that law.
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- "Dost Thou Steal?" Most people
will say, "No; I am honest in all my dealing." Very
well, but let us not decide the case offhand. Let us examine
the Scripture. It says, "The law is spiritual." Rom.
7:14. "The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper
than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder
of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner
of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Heb. 4:12. No
matter how correct we are in our outward acts, if in spirit or
thought we have transgressed, we are guilty. The Lord looks at
the heart, instead of the outward appearance. 1 Sam. 16:7.
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- Again, it is just as wrong to steal from
God as to steal from man; have you given God his due? Have you
dealt in a perfectly honest way with him? Hear what he says:
"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say,
Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are
cursed with a curse; for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation."
Mal. 3:8, 9. Does this mean you? Have you rendered to God that
which is his due in tithes and offerings? If not, what will you
answer when the word of inspiration asks, "Thou that preachest
a man should not steal, dost thou steal?"
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- "The Law Is Spiritual." In the
fifth chapter of Matthew the Saviour has set forth the spirituality
of the law. He says that unless our righteousness shall exceed
the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, we can not enter
the kingdom of heaven. What was their righteousness? He said
to them, "Ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but
within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity." Matt. 23:28.
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- Therefore, unless we are righteous inwardly,
we are nothing. God desires "truth in the inward parts."
Ps. 51:6. Following on in the fifth chapter of Matthew, the Saviour
shows that one may break the sixth commandment, which says, "Thou
shalt not kill," by the utterance of a single word. He also
shows that we may break the seventh commandment which says, "Thou
shalt not commit adultery," by a look and a thought. The
same principle of course obtains with all the commandments. This
being the case, it becomes one to be very careful about saying
that he has perfectly kept the law.
- Some have said that the Ten Commandments
are a very low standard, and that a man might keep them all and
still not be worthy of admission into respectable society. Such
know nothing about the law. As a matter of fact, a man may break
all the commandments, and still figure as a shining light in
the "best society."
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- The Name of God Blasphemed. "The
name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as
it is written." Who has done this? The one who teaches the
law, and who says that one who teaches the law and who says that
one should not take the name of the Lord in vain. When David
sinned in the case of Uriah's wife, God said to him, "By
this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the
Lord to blaspheme." 2 Sam. 12:14. That is, he was a professed
follower of the Lord, and by his violation of the law of the
Lord he had given unbelievers a chance to say, "There, that
is a specimen of Christianity."
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- Who is there that can say that as a professed
follower of the Lord he has always correctly represented the
truth? Who is there that must not admit to himself and God that
either by his words or actions he has very often misrepresented
the truth which he professed? Who is there that has not by his
failures, either in teaching or acting, given people a miserably
inadequate idea of what true godliness is?
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- In short, who is there that must not say
yes to the apostle's question, "Through breaking the law,
dishonorest thou God?" And since thus the name of God
- is blasphemed through professed Christians,
who is there that can declare himself guiltless before God's
law?
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- In these verses we have had some sharp
questions to those who are "called Jews," that is,
who profess to be followers of the Lord. Mere form and profession
do not constitute one a proper teacher of the truth of God. He
who does not exhibit in his life the power of that which he professes,
is only a detriment to the cause. In the verses now before us
we have a brief but explicit statement concerning
- Circumcision and Uncircumcision Romans
2:25-29.
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- 25 For circumcision verily profiteth,
if thou keep the law; but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy
circumcision is made uncircumcision. 26 Therefore, if the uncircumcision
keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision
be counted for circumcision? 27 And shall not uncircumcision
which is by nature, if it fulfill the law, judge thee, who by
the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? 28 For he
is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision,
which is outward in the flesh: 29 but he is a Jew, which is one
inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit,
and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
- Definition of Terms.The two terms "circumcision"
and "uncircumcision" are here used not only to indicate
the rite and the absence of it, but also to designate two classes
of people. "The uncircumcision" evidently refers to
those who were called Gentiles,those who worshiped other gods.
This use of the terms is very plain in the following passage:
"When they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was
committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto
Peter (for he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship
of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles);
and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived
the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas
the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen,
and they unto the circumcision." Gal. 2:7-9. Here we find
that the terms "uncircumcision," "Gentiles,"
and "heathen," all refer to the same people.
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