It is God who justifies Romans 8:33. To whom does Paul address these verses (17a)? What did they boast about, and on what basis were they right (17b-20)? How did they abuse their privileges (21-23)? What was the result (23-24)?Lord, God of heaven I humble myself before your presence, and I ask that you cloth me with your righteousness for we all are as an unclean thing and all our.It is not a righteousness of man or from man, but the righteousness of God. Gods justice allows Him to reward those who have been faithful to Him.1. Because God is righteous He must judge evil. Summary Gods righteousness, or justice, is an attribute that leads Him to do only those things that are right. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne love and faithfulness go before you (Psalm 89:14).Why are Jews not better off than Gentiles (9)? What do quotations from the Old Testament show about the nature, pervasiveness and universality of sin (10-18)? How does this help us understand ourselves?5. What advantage is there in being a Jew, or in being circumcised (3:1-2 9:4-5)? Why can’t human unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness (3-4)? How do unfaithful people try to justify themselves and what do they deserve (5-8)?4. What did circumcision mean to the Jews (Gen 17:11)? How is circumcision related to the law, and what is the real issue (25-27 Gal 5:3)? What is true circumcision (28-29 Dt 30:6)? How can we avoid religious hypocrisy and please God?3.Paul was eager to preach the gospel so that they may be saved. Yet people are perishing without the gospel. This is not easy because of our pride. Yet to accept it, we must acknowledge that we are sinners. This righteousness can be obtained only through faith in Jesus, not by works.Self-righteous people seem to be the last ones to accept the gospel. Now he turns to the Jews who had strong self-righteousness based on their knowledge of the law. He indicted the fallen Gentile world and the moralists.
We must accept this truth in order to accept the gospel.Someone may ask, “Since Paul is addressing unbelieving Jews, how can this apply to me, a Christian who believes the gospel?” A gospel truth is that we are all sinners, before and after believing in Jesus. This is the universal truth about mankind. No one is righteous, not even one. Then Paul concluded that all people, Jews and Gentiles alike, are under the power of sin, and the whole world accountable to God. Out of love, he exposed their hypocrisy. Sheetcam demoOur righteousness does not come from ourselves it comes from Christ. This means we are still sinners, but Jesus’ righteousness is imputed to us through faith in him. Martin Luther taught that we are, at the same time, both righteous and sinners. In 2:1-16, Paul addressed mankind in general with the words, “O man” (2:1 ESV), but now, Paul addresses “the Jew” specifically (2:17). Let’s learn what it means that no one is righteous, including “me,” so that we may grow in gospel faith.First, the law and circumcision did not make the Jews righteous (2:17-29). The cross of Jesus gets bigger and bigger in our hearts and we can deepen in gospel faith. As we are more aware of God’s righteousness, we are more aware of our sinfulness. We need to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus (2Pe 3:18). Who Is Righteous Before God Code Of TheirIt can be compared to the U.S. The Torah is the written code of their covenant with God. Here “law” means the “Torah,” the first five books of the Old Testament. The Jews felt special they were the only people chosen by God who received the law as God’s revelation to them. Paul knew how a self-righteous Jew thought, for he had been one himself.Paul first dealt with the Jews’ self-righteousness based on the law (17-24). To the Jews, the law and circumcision were everything, and the basis of their self-righteousness. Feeling feminine growing olderIt was great that the Jews had confidence to teach the truth about God. They needed to know the true God. As a result, they were convinced that they were a guide for the spiritually blind Gentiles, a light for them in their darkness, instructors of them in their foolishness, and teachers for them in their spiritual infancy (19-20a).In fact, the Gentiles were groping in the darkness, worshiping idols, slaves of superstition, and suffering from demons. They bragged about their unique relationship to God and felt distinguished above the Gentiles. Because they were instructed by the law, they knew God’s will and approved of what is superior (18). They relied on the law, and put their confidence in the fact that God gave it to them. We should have such confidence to teach the Bible. It is also the truth about mankind, the world, and especially the way of salvation. This is God’s special revelation about himself, that is, the true knowledge of God. As a result, God’s name was blasphemed among the Gentiles because of them (24). What they taught and how they acted were so different, which is a most detestable sin. They deceived themselves and others and lied to God. A prominent Rabbi, Jochanan ben Zakkai, who lived from 30-90 A.D., bewailed, “The glory of God left Israel because of the increase of murder, adultery, sexual vice, commercial and judicial corruption, bitter sectarian strife, and other evils.” Although the Jews boasted of the law and taught others, they lived according to their sinful desires. He indicted the self-confident Jews for their hypocrisy by using five rhetorical questions: “.you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?” (21-23) This hypocrisy was historical reality. Before teaching others, we should examine ourselves, repent our sins and obey God’s word practically. When we do not teach ourselves, we cannot grow spiritually and end up as hypocrites. This sin is easily committed by those who teach others. We are ambassadors of Christ in every area of life-home, workplace, campus, and community.What was the fundamental reason for their hypocritical lives? Verse 21a says, “You, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself?” They didn’t teach themselves. We Christians must take seriously our influence. When they discover hypocrisy, they expose it with relish, discrediting believers and dishonoring God. Lord, help me to do so.While the Torah was the revelation from God, circumcision was the sign of being God’s covenant people. The solution is not to stop teaching others, but to teach myself more diligently. Though I have taught many young servants of God to be shepherds for God’s flock, I fall short in loving God’s children sacrificially many times. Though I have taught many parents to dedicate their children to God, I have not been diligent enough to instruct my own children. Though I have taught many young couples about marriage, I fall short of God’s standard in loving my wife. When we do so, we can grow as influential people of God and be a blessing. Rabbinic epigrams expressed it: “Circumcised men do not descend into Gehenna” (hell), and “Circumcision will deliver Israel from Gehenna.” What a serious error. The problem is that they assumed physical circumcision guaranteed their salvation and was the ticket to God’s kingdom. So they circumcised infants on the eighth day, even if it was a Sabbath (Jn 7:22). The ceremony of baptism has value only if we have faith in Christ that leads to obedience.In verses 28-29 Paul explained who is a true Jew in contrast to cultural Jews. They assume they can live as they please after baptism. Some people believe that the act of baptism itself guarantees salvation. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” For Christians, circumcision can be compared to baptism. In Galatians 5:6 Paul said, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. It is more important to keep the law than to be circumcised. Human beings are comfortable with what is outward, visible and material. 4) It wins the approval of God rather than people. 3) It is done by the Spirit, not the law. 2) True circumcision is in the heart, not in the flesh-which can be mere ritual.
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