Romans 3:1-4

Passage

Therefore, what is the special advantage of the Jew?  What is the special advantage of circumcision?  There is much advantage according to every way.  First, they were being entrusted with the sayings of God.  For what reason?  If someone refused to believe, does their lack of faith cause the faithfulness of God to not work?  Let it not be so!  But let God be true, and all mankind are liars, just as it has been written: so that you should be justified in your words and you will be victorious in the judging.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul is finally getting to the end of his first point.  He opened the letter by talking about the sinfulness of the Gentile world.  In the last chapter he then focused on the sinfulness of the Jewish population.  He made the point that all sin must be punished regardless of the genealogy of the person.  So then he asks the inevitable question.  If all sin is punished by God and everyone is a sinner, then what advantage is there to being a Jew?  The answer is simple, yet profound.  With respect to salvation, there isn’t really any special advantage.  We have all sinned and need to atone on the day that we will be held accountable.  But the Jews had God’s Word.  They at least knew about their sinfulness!  They knew about their need for atonement!  They had reason to look for the Messiah and appreciate Him when He came.  Having God’s Word is a huge advantage!

Do you think it is easier to believe in God when you are part of a culture or family that also believes in God?  From where does the atonement of your sins come?  Do you think atonement is easier to understand for a person who has a family and a church to teach them?  Do you think there is an advantage that people who are born into God-fearing homes have over those born into non-believing homes with respect to understanding the importance of having a relationship with God?

Second Thought:

Paul is also making a case here of responsibility.  The Jewish people believed that they were in a special privilege.  For the record, many Christians have that same understanding of privilege today.  It is so easy to fall into the “God must save me because ____” mode.  The truth is that God does not have to save anyone.  God chose to save us through His Son to demonstrate His grace.  Thus, we are not special with respect to privilege.  We are special with respect to responsibility.  Because we have been saved by grace, we have the responsibility to share God’s Good News of great joy with the rest of the world.  We are in a special place in this world – a special place of responsibility.

Do you know people who are living “in the church” but not living out the responsibility of their faith?  Have you ever been one of those people?  Why is it so easy to take advantage of God’s grace?  Why is it easier to believe that we have special privilege with God rather than special responsibility to God?

Third Thought:

The third point in these verses for today is the question of how the unfaithfulness of someone in relationship with God translates to God.  When someone is unfaithful to God, does God’s faithfulness cease to work?  When I am unfaithful, that does not mean God ceases to work through me!  Trust me, I have had many times in my life – far more than I can even count – where I was in a bad place yet God still continued to work through me in incredible ways.  But for me, I see two scenarios that play out through this question: How do I respond to God’s faithfulness when I am presented with my unfaithfulness?  The first option is the preferred one.  When I repent, there is forgiveness and God is now free to work with me, not in spite of me.  But I also have an option I do not recommend: to not repent.  In that case, God continues to work in spite of me.  Either way, God continues to remain faithful and true.  God is even powerful enough to work in spite of me should I remain unrepentant!  God and His faithfulness are not the ones affected by my unfaithfulness, I am.

Is there any special relief that comes from hearing that your unfaithfulness cannot affect God’s faithfulness?  How can this idea free you up to try – even if in trying you fail?  How does this help you understand that repentance, while it is difficult, is actually a blessing for us and our attempts to follow God?

Passage for Tomorrow: Romans 3:5-8