SIN LESS
Part 4
September 14, 2014
MF Blume
Romans 4:6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
Right now, whether you do more bad things than good or not, if you can make yourself realize that
THE GOODNESS OF WHAT JESUS DID ON THE CROSS is what makes God pleased
with YOU, as far as being righteous is concerned, it does not matter
about all the bad things you do.
• YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS ONLY BECAUSE OF WHAT JESUS DID ON THE CROSS!
• That will take off all the pressure to have to
DO GOOD, and get your focus off that to where it should be.
• TRUSTING TO JESUS.
• …Because the same trust in Jesus that
you look at in order to know YOU PLEASE GOD is the same trust that will
eventually BREAK OUT in your behavior and allow God to CHANGE YOUR
BEHAVIOUR that you are so incorrectly concerned about now, anyway!
The Old Testament actually encouraged folks to seek righteousness through THEIR OWN obedience.
Deuteronomy 6:25 And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do
all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.
God simply put us inside of Christ, so to speak, so that we might be
considered righteous without having done one good deed to deserve it!
• Obedience to Commandments did not do it.
He was made righteous so that the moment God puts us into Christ is the moment we can say that we are righteous.
The Old Testament way to righteousness was by works of obedience when
all the while the same Old Covenant showed us that the only successful
route to this status was by faith. Law stated, “The just
shall live by faith” (Hab. 2:4).
Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
This prophet did not say it was God’s personal righteousness, though.
• So THAT DETAIL was not yet revealed back then.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who
knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
The EXODUS PASSOVER illustrates this well.
Exodus 12:7-13 KJV And they shall take of the blood, and strike
it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses,
wherein they shall eat it. (8) And they shall eat the flesh
in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter
herbs they shall eat it. (9) Eat not of it raw, nor sodden
at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and
with the purtenance thereof. (10) And ye shall let nothing
of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until
the morning ye shall burn with fire. (11) And thus shall ye
eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff
in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD'S
passover. (12) For I will pass through the land of Egypt
this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both
man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute
judgment: I am the LORD. (13) And the blood shall be to you
for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I
will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy
you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
Exodus 12:23 KJV For the LORD will pass through to smite the
Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two
side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the
destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.
God looked for ONE THING to protect people.
• THE BLOOD ON THE DOORWAY.
• He did not look for their good works.
• He did not look to see how much money they gave to the work of God.
• He looked for THE SIGN OF THE DEATH OF THE LAMB.
• And people had to be INSIDE that door where the blood was.
So many think He looks for our GOOD DEEDS to protect and save us from destruction.
Romans 6:3 KJV Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Baptism is ENTERING THE DOORWAY WITH BLOOD.
John 10:7 KJV Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
He is the door that was stained with blood when He died.
• Without that blood the door was useless.
• Without Jesus’ death He is of no value to our salvation.
• And we ENTER HIS DEATH and God must SEE THAT ENTRANCE.
• A door emphasizes ENTRANCE.
• Romans 6 teaches that ENTRANCE into His death is what God looks for.
It’s like NOAH ENTERING THE ARK.
1 Peter 3:20-21 KJV Which sometime were disobedient, when once
the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was
a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by
water. (21) The like figure whereunto even baptism doth
also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but
the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of
Jesus Christ:
THE ARK WAS PREPARED.
Hebrews 10:5 KJV Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he
saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou
prepared me:
Jesus’ BODY was also prepared for us TO ENTER.
• You get into the ARK OF JESUS at the point of Jesus’ DEATH.
• We do not come into union with him at the point of his teaching before the cross.
And the blood stained doorways behind which Israel sat took them
through the dark night of death, and they came out when the sun arose.
• They left Egypt.
The ARK took Noah to Mount Ararat.
• “Ararat” means THE CURSE IS REVERSED.
THE GREAT LESSON THAT LAW OF GOD CAME FOR
In Romans 1, Paul spoke of Gentiles and their sin.
Romans 1:18-32 KJV For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth
in unrighteousness; (19) Because that which may be known of
God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
(20) For the invisible things of him from the creation of the
world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,
even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without
excuse:
This must be talking about pagan and heathen nations of Gentiles, and
not Jews, because Israel did not need creation to show them the
godhead. GOD’S LAW SHOWED THEM.
• But creation was all that the gentiles had since they were outside of God’s work with Israel.
• Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
That is how creation showed them God’s existence.
Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not
as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations,
and their foolish heart was darkened. (22) Professing
themselves to be wise, they became fools, (23) And changed
the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to
corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping
things. (24) Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness
through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies
between themselves: (25) Who changed the truth of God into
a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator,
who is blessed for ever. Amen. (26) For this cause God gave
them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the
natural use into that which is against nature: (27) And
likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in
their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is
unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error
which was meet. (28) And even as they did not like to
retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind,
to do those things which are not convenient; (29) Being
filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness,
maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity;
whisperers, (30) Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful,
proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to
parents, (31) Without understanding, covenantbreakers,
without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: (32) 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.
When we read Romans 2:1, we see that after speaking of GENTILES IN THEIR SINS outside of serving
God, Paul turns to the JEWS.
Romans 2:1 KJV 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.
Jews had far greater light than the Gentile world, but even so, the JEWS DID THE SAME THINGS THE GENTILES DID!
• But Jews excused themselves just because they had the TRUTH and KNEW IT.
• But God said that is not what God wanted.
• INEXCUSABLE.
The GENTILES were inexcusable, too.
Romans 1:20 KJV For the invisible things of him from the creation
of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are
made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without
excuse:
How much more are the JEWS INEXCUSABLE if they HAD CLEAR TRUTH, more
than Gentiles who could only conclude truth of God from looking at
creation?
Look at how Paul pushes this thought:
Romans 2:17-21 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; 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. Thou therefore which teachest another,
teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal,
dost thou steal?
Paul’s whole point was that the LAW THAT DEMANDED FLESHLY EFFORT
TO BE RIGHTEOUS accomplished no more for the Jews than what the
Gentiles had without any LAW OF FLESHLY EFFORT.
Although Deuteronomy said they would be righteous if they DO all the commandments, …
Deuteronomy 6:25 And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do
all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.
Look at a powerful revelation about law and righteousness:
Galatians 2:21b …for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Galatians 3:21b …if there had been a law given which could
have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
You could not get any more proof of how flesh cannot make us righteous
by good deeds than by having God, Himself, provide a law to detail what
and what not to do in fleshly efforts in order to be righteous, and yet
Israel could not keep it.
Romans 3:10-19 As it is written,
• “There is none righteous, no, not one:
There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after
God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become
unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (PSALM 14:1-3)
• Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; (PSALM 5:9)
• the poison of asps is under their lips: (Psalm 140:3)
• Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: (PSALM 10:7)
• Their feet are swift to shed blood:
• Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known:
(ISAIAH 59:7-8)
• There is no fear of God before their eyes. (PSALM 36:1).
“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.”
Paul wrote to Jews in the church of Rome.
• He used the Old Testament passages to prove what he was saying.
• He was saying that although Jews had the LAW
that told them everything they needed to know to be righteous, NONE OF
THEM LIVED RIGHTEOUSLY.
• The LAW itself testified that those who had it could not keep it.
And Paul said GOD ARRANGED IT THIS WAY FOR A PURPOSE:
• “that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”
• God gave them the law knowing full well they could not keep it.
• Why?
• “that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”
And so Paul makes a conclusion:
Romans 3:20 KJV 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.
All that Law did for Israel was let them know what sin was.
• Light concerning what sin is.
• LAW DID NOT GIVE ABILITY TO PEOPLE TO BECOME RIGHTEOUS.
• If Law could not solve the sin problem, but only provided the awareness of sin, then IT
CAME TO EMPHASIZE WHAT SIN REALLY DID TO MAN.
• Why?
• IT PROVED that man cannot make himself good by good deeds!
• ISRAEL HAD TO KNOW THAT BEFORE JESUS WOULD COME!
• It TAUGHT THEM A LESSON so that they would
receive JESUS with THE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS when He would come.
Romans 3:21-22 KJV But now the righteousness of God without the
law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
(22) Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus
Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no
difference:
So this is the purpose of LAW.
• People had to know beyond the shadow of a
doubt that even if God Himself gave them directions to obey to be
righteous, when they realized they could not do it, they would never in
a million years try to use FLESH to be saved.
Romans 3:23-30 KJV For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God; (24) Being justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: (25) Whom
God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to
declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past,
through the forbearance of God; (26) To declare, I say, at
this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier
of him which believeth in Jesus. (27) Where is boasting
then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of
faith. (28) Therefore we conclude that a man is justified
by faith without the deeds of the law. (29) Is he the God
of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles
also: (30) Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the
circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
Romans 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
Romans 7:7-13 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay,
I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except
the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. (8) But sin, taking
occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence.
For without the law sin was dead. (9) For I was alive
without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I
died. (10) And the commandment, which was ordained to life,
I found to be unto death. (11) For sin, taking occasion by
the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. (12)
Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and
good. (13) Was then that which is good made death unto me?
God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by
that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding
sinful.
Romans 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
We started by reading how Jesus was SON OF DAVID ACCORDING TO THE FLESH, but SON OF GOD WITH POWER according TO THE SPIRIT.
That distinction between FLESH and SPIRIT began this epistle.
• Paul later explained that LAW demands FLESHLY EFFORT to be righteous.
• New Testament Grace demands NO FLESHLY EFFORT,
but FAITH for the POWER OF GOD (not of flesh) to work in our lives.
By having a Law that demanded fleshly power and works, that man could never keep, Law taught a lesson:
• Flesh cannot ever make us righteous.
• We need GOD TO DO THE WORK.
• We were BUILT to have God energize and strengthen us supernaturally to serve Him.
• Law proved that!
ROMANS 4
Romans 4:1-3 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as
pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were
justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it (BELIEVING)
was counted unto him for righteousness.
After starting with Jesus after the flesh and after the Spirit, Paul shows the same thing with ABRAHAM.
• That’s what Romans 3 said.
Romans 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
The question arises as to whether or not Abraham’s method of
becoming righteous by faith was only for Jews already circumcised and
obedient to Law, or to Gentiles who had no such obedience.
• So Paul asks us when was Abraham considered righteous?
• Before circumcision or after?
Romans 4:9-12 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision
only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was
reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. (10) How was it then
reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in
circumcision, but in uncircumcision. (11) And he received
the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith
which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of
all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that
righteousness might be imputed unto them also: (12) And the
father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only,
but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham,
which he had being yet uncircumcised.
Exodus 12:43-44 And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the
ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:
(44) But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou
hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.
Circumcision was not an option for involvement in rituals.
Romans 4:14-15 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made
void, and the promise made of none effect: (15) Because the
law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
If you have to EARN righteousness by good works then it is NOT A PROMISE.
• It makes void the fact that God PROMISED righteousness.