The Gospel of Grace for the Jews
Book of Romans Chapter 2
If we as Christians have noticed anything since our salvation, we have noticed that it is easier to judge than it is to forgive, but God did not call us to "Judge".
We must examine ourselves and see that we are just as desperately in need of God's "Grace" as anyone else.
In fact, if there is a difference between a Christian and those who are lost it is only the fact of God's "Grace"!
We must be keenly aware that we cannot hold anyone to standards we refuse to keep ourselves!
We become hypocrites and the Lord has said that there will be no hypocrites in Heaven!
We as Christians have no authority over those who are lost!
We are bound to tell them the story of the Lord Jesus Christ and what He has done for us, He can do for them!
There is nothing worse than to see, so-called Christians acting like the world!
Isa 52:5 Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.
It is only by the "Gospel" of Jesus Christ that we can be saved, and this salvation is made available to every man, woman, and child, until they reject it individually.
It is the "Gospel Message" that can change our hearts, but only by receiving the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, which is being "Born Again"!
Everyone that will make to Heaven must go through this process!
Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
It is the Jews who were given the Laws of God yet, they themselves could not keep those laws.
So how do we describe religionists?
*****Rom 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
Rom 2:17 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,
Rom 2:18 And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;
Rom 2:19 And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
Rom 2:20 An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.
In the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we continuously see the Pharisee, the Sadducees, the Scribes, and a few others and without a doubt the majority of these men were religionists!
These are those who profess religion enough to believe in the eternal security of that religion.
Whether he be Jew, Moslem, or Buddhist, he believes it will lead him to eternal salvation.
Yes, there are also the Christian religionists!
Verse seventeen describes to us the religionists.
They have the Word of their God with them.
They sometimes read it.
They carry it to their places of worship.
They honor it as the confirmed Word of God to all people.
Every so-called religion does this!
It is these things that lead them to believe they are at peace with God, but God requires something they do not possess.
They profess with their mouths, but they are not obedient to the Word of God.
They are not ashamed of their beliefs nor their religious affiliation.
They boast and brag about their god, but God does not accept them just because they boast of the Word of God!
The mistake they make is, that God is not interested in just these things.
Jas 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
Jas 1:20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
Jas 1:21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
Jas 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Jas 1:23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
Jas 1:24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
We must never forget what our Lord Jesus has said!
Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
As far as the Jews are concerned, they will never get to Heaven if all they believe is being obedient to those old Laws of Moses, that is called the Law in the New Testament!
The only profession that our Holy God wants to hear is that profession of "Faith" in the work that the Lord Jesus Christ has done to provide that eternal salvation!
Without this "faith" our profession is meaningless to God!
Remember, it is the Holy Ghost who provided this knowledge to the Apostle Paul and all the other Apostles, which became known as the Apostles Doctrine, which is the doctrine of the true Church, the
"Good news" of the Lord Jesus Christ.
You see, just knowing God's will is not enough, we must be in God's will.
God's will began with our salvation and if we cannot take this first step of "faith" in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, then we will never get close to our Heavenly Father!
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
God said we just become blind guides leading the world to further blindness and instructors of the foolish!
God had already warned the Jews!
Eze 33:31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
Eze 33:32 And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.
Eze 33:33 And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.
The Jews killed most all the prophets including God's only Begotten Son and still reject Him today as does all religionists!
There is only one truth!
Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
Religion does not answer all the questions of the truth, only "faith" has those answers!
It takes more than a profession, it requires true "faith"!
It takes more than "Baptism". Baptism is meaningless unless it is done in resemblance of the work of Jesus Christ.
It takes more than being a Church member. You can be a Church member without being in the family of God which requires the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit!
*****Rom 2:21 Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
Rom 2:22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
Rom 2:23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
We can read and study the Word of God every day of our lives, but if we refuse to apply it to our own lives, what good has it done?
In a sense, we are all teachers because no matter who you are there is someone looking at you!
We all claim to know how to live in a righteous way and we are proud parents who teach our own children how we feel, but when we refuse to listen to the truth of God and teach the truth of God, we have led them down a path of destruction.
What right do we have to tell others how to live, if we reject the truth of God on how we are all to live?
Its best we tell them nothing at all, if we are insuring their death without the truth.
God remembers all these things and we will be "Judged" for what we have done, but also for what we have not done!
Jas 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
This kind of changes our perspective when we think about!
Do we steal?
Did we steal as a toddler?
Did we steal in school?
Did we steal on our job?
Did we steal while shopping even by accident?
Most all of us would have to say yes to most of these things.
So we cannot teach how we feel, we must teach the Word of God and then become doers of the Word of God! It is called obedience.
Eph 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
What does the Lord say about adultery?
Mat 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
You see if we have not been "Born Again", regenerated by the Holy Ghost, then how should we ever believe we could teach anyone, even our own children?
Tit 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
Last week we saw that word "reprobate" and here it is again.
Reprobates then reject the truth of God for themselves but still willing to "judge" others.
We dishonor God when we do these things while still insisting, we are in a good relationship with Him. We fool our own selves!
*****Rom 2:24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
Sacrilege is when we violate our commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ!
This is the same as robbing from God!
This means we are treating many things as more important than our relationship with the Lord!
Every time we say some truth about the Word of God and then not do that truth ourselves, we are blaspheming Jehovah God!
We are dishonoring God before men!
When we claim to be Christian, yet violate the Word of God openly or in secret, we cause the Lord's name to be blasphemed!
Many people doom themselves because they mock God and make light of the Lord!
All these things we are reading about were taking place by these religionists during the time of our Savior.
They are still taking place today and even taking place in the House of God, the Church.
All these things are written in the Old Testament as our examples to learn from and not to ignore!
*****Rom 2:25 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
Rom 2:26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
Rom 2:27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
Moses established circumcision as a national ordinance for the Children of Israel.
Circumcision was another of those physical signs that have a Spiritual meaning!
Rom 15:8 Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:
Rom 15:9 And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.
The complete truth is, that there is no ritual that can get us one step closer to salvation.
Rituals cannot bring God's praise!
Rituals cannot bring God's approval!
You can take that word circumcision and substitute any ritual that is said to bring salvation and we can see the falsehood of all rituals!
Circumcision cannot save you!
Baptism cannot save you!
Church membership cannot save you!
Communion cannot save you!
Living in a so-called Christian nation cannot save you!
Speaking in tongues is not a sign of salvation!
You cannot be saved by any ritual nor is any ritual to be included in any way toward our salvation!
We are acceptable to God by being obedient to His Word as it deals with the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ!
1Jn 3:23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
1Jn 3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
When you make yourself all about keeping those old laws or even new laws that are added in many of today's Church, we have become "a Judge" who determines another person's salvation when the Lord has taught us that all we need is our "faith" in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, the true Lamb of God!
Not one ritual or group of rituals can save any man, any woman, or any child!
The key to a close relationship with our Heavenly Father is obedience!
Rom 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
The disobedience of Adam made us all sinners!
The obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ will make every believer righteous!
The keeping of rituals cannot save us.
The lack of keeping of those rituals cannot cause us to be lost.
It is obedience or disobedience to the Word of God that is the answer to these things!
In the New Testament we see the title Jew given to those who are not Gentiles.
The title Hebrews is used to distinguish them in regard to language and education versus the Hellenists who were Jews who spoke the Greek language.
The title Israelite is used as respects to their sacred privileges as the chosen people of God.
It is these people who preserved the Word of God that we have today!
What did Jesus say to the Samaritan woman?
Joh 4:21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Joh 4:22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Here in this passage the Apostle Paul uses the title Jew meaning the chosen people of God while speaking to these Christian Jews.
This is the way the Apostle is using the title Jew here.
Not as the Jews of Judah, but the Jew as the chosen people of God!
Now who are the true Chosen People of God?
Listen to Paul.
A true Christian is righteous inwardly because of the Holy Spirit who abides with the believer!
We have no righteousness within ourselves!
Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Rom 3:20 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.
Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Rom 3:22 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:
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
With all that this great people have done by preserving the Word of God, they have chosen to abide by rituals and laws which are meaningless when it comes to salvation and eternal life with our Heavenly Father.
*****Rom 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29 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.
There has been no one except the Lord Jesus Christ who has been able to keep all 613 of those Jewish Laws.
So, as of today the Jews who stick to the laws and rituals of Moses, are not acceptable to a Holy God!
Being acceptable to Jehovah comes from the heart of those who are "Born Again" into the family of God.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a works doctrine, it is a "Grace" Doctrine!
You see, salvation is not what man can do, but salvation is what God has done through His Son and it is God who is to be praised and not man!
The true people of God are all those who are obedient to all the Word of God as it deals with the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ!
It is the Holy Spirit who converts each sinner!
Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
By our own works we can never reach the throne room of God!
What does God see today?
Jer 6:10 To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.
Some things just do not ever change!
We already know that all those who reject the Word of God, God has allowed to remain in that position, giving them over to a reprobate mind!
God's true people are those who have been circumcised in the heart.
God's true people are all those who have had that flesh disease cut out of their heart.
God's true people are all those who have been converted by the Holy Spirit!
These who call themselves Jews must take that ultimate step:
Lev 26:41 And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:
Lev 26:42 Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.
Amen
