✝️🙏 Prayer: Father God, thank you for this time that we can spend reading and studying your word, in particular today the book of Romans chapter 3. Thank you for your Holy Spirit in us that helps us to understand your word. In Jesus's name we pray, Amen.
The Purpose of the Law
The purpose of the law is for us to have the knowledge of sin. It shows us our sin nature. Romans 3: 19-20 in the KJB says,
19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
If an unbeliever hears the law and is completely honest with himself, he will realize that he is a sinner. Israel was given the law in Exodus and they tried off and on for around 1500 years (before the death of Christ) to keep the law and they failed to keep it. Of course, there were those in Israel's program that had some understanding of their sin nature because of reading God's word and thus turned to and believed God for their salvation. After the giving of the law, they were saved by grace through faith plus works of faith. They needed to have faith first. Most of Israel attempted to keep the law (that is, when they even acknowledged it) without any real faith!
In Nehemiah, after the Jewish nation had abandoned the law entirely for many years, they are read the law and their reaction was really an acknowledging of their sins both personally and as a nation because it says,
Nehemiah 8:1-3
1 And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel.
2 And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.
3 And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.
Nehemiah 8:5-6
5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:
6 And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
Nehemiah 8:8-9
8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
9 And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.
Nehemiah 9:1-3
9 Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.
2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the Lord their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the Lord their God.
However it wouldn't be too long before they turn from God in unbelief and turn from the law again and again! This is why in the new covenant for Israel in the ages to come, (believers today in the dispensation of grace are not under any covenants, not even the new covenant, rather we have "the riches of God's grace"), the Jewish believers in the kingdom will actually be CAUSED to walk in God's statutes. These will be saved, believing Jews in the Kingdom, after the 7 year tribulation on Earth.
Ezekiel 36:
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers [obviously speaking about Israel]; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
Today the nation of Israel is blinded in part until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in (Romans 11:25). God has temporarily set aside their earthly prophetic program, and began the dispensation of grace in Acts 9 to form the Church the Body of Christ to inherit the heavenly places.
Paul reminds us that the law alone doesn't have the power to save anyone. The failure of Israel to follow the law was how God revealed his hidden purpose and wisdom that the law had no power to save sinful humanity. What it did was show us our sinful nature and our desperate need for a savior. The law itself is not wicked or evil, but we are wicked and sinful.
Romans 7:12 says,
"Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good."
Because we cannot and do not keep the law, we are deserving of God's judgment and wrath.
Thankfully, God sent the Lord Jesus Christ to be a propitiation for our sins (Romans 3:25). Today, people are saved by believing in Christ's death, burial and resurrection as atonement for our sins, not by trying to keep the law.
As believers, we then also learn godliness from God's grace, not by trying to keep the law. The law is not for the godly, but for the ungodly.
1 Timothy 1
9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
If, as a believer, you are trying to keep the law in the energy of your flesh (this is called legalism; also referred to as religion), you are actually associating yourself with these kinds of people! You are not understanding your new identity in Christ.
We are saved by grace through faith alone and we are to live by grace through faith as well.
Titus 2:11-12
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Godliness is thinking the way that God wants us to think, doing the things that God wants us to do, and labouring with God in what He is doing today (the gospel of the grace of God). How do we live godly?
1) First, believing the gospel of the grace of God and thus being saved unto eternal life. God then lives in us, in our spirit and we are "hid with Christ in God". Our salvation also includes us having Christ's righteousness imputed to us, having a new identity in Christ, among other spiritual blessings which you will continue to learn about in Romans.
2) Having Christ and His word rightly divided living in and through us as believers. As believers, we have God's Spirit in our spirit which also enables us to be able to understand God's word. As we read, study (rightly divided), meditate upon (to properly digest the word), believe and then yeild ourselves to obey the word of God rightly divided, this is how Christ lives in and through us. This enables us to serve God (sharing the Gospel etc) in righteousness by faith! That's how we can live godly and righteously!
“Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." Romans 6:18
Homework: Read Romans chapter 3. Notice any key or repeating words and then define them.
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