Bible, Confession, Righteousness, Scripture, Testimony, Unrighteousness

OUR UNRIGHTEOUSNESS

ROMANS 3:5

“But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I am speaking from a human viewpoint.)”

We will never fully understand the righteousness of God this side of eternity. How can a God, a righteous God put up with our unrighteousness? Well, He can’t. The question posed by Paul in today’s verse is really meant to show us the folly of this kind of thinking. Paul even admits he is talking from a human viewpoint.

The thought that Paul is throwing out here is this. If our sins give God the opportunity to show His righteousness, how can He punish our sin? That is obviously what Paul was hearing from some. Yea, I sin, but God still loves me and it gives Him the chance to forgive me. How stupid! God can never condone sin, nor can He overlook it. Sin requires confession and repentance. God can only be righteous.

APPLICATION

This is a difficult verse. We know as followers of Christ that our sin has to be confessed. We know that God demands repentance in order to bestow forgiveness. But this verse, taken by itself, might seem to imply that our sins give God more opportunities to show His righteousness. The second question in this verse is one we all would agree to. “The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is he?” Of course, that answer is NO.

 I am thinking of 1 John 1:9-10. “9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.” You see His righteous acts toward us follow our confession. Don’t ever be confused by that. Unrighteousness + confession = righteousness.

Our goal should be to not sin. We should not be sinning and excusing our behaviors. We will see Romans 6:1 later, but it fits so well with today’s verse. “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?” Paul goes on in 6:2 to say, “May it never be!” That should be our attitude towards sin. May it never be!

Lord, sometimes difficult verses have simple meanings. Thank You for forgiving our confessed sins.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Lies, Scripture, True, Truth

GOD IS TRUE

ROMANS 3:4

“Far from it! Rather, God must prove to be true, though every person be found a liar, as it is written: ‘SO THAT YOU ARE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS, AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED.’”

Telling fibs as a child gets you in trouble. We may think it’s cute, but if we don’t correct this behavior, we will be growing up adults who lie. Telling the truth is so much easier, isn’t it? We don’t have to keep up with what we said to who. Just tell the truth. Today’s verse tells us that God is true, that He is a truth teller. Shouldn’t we follow His example.

The Greek actually reads here, “However, let God be true.” Of course, He is. Paul is saying that no matter what anyone else says, God will always be true. The verb “to be” is ginomai. Vincent says, “Gínomai means to come into being or manifestation implying motion, movement, or growth (at 2 Pet 1:4). Thus, it is used for God’s actions as emerging from eternity and becoming (showing themselves) in time (physical space).”

APPLICATION

So, what is this truth. In John 7:18 John writes, “The one who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” Because God is God, He can only speak truth. The thought of saying anything other than the truth has never and will never enter the mind of God. If He is speaking to us, you can bet He is telling us the truth.

Therein lies the problem. We don’t want the truth. The truth exposes our lies. The truth will expose our sins. Far too many people of influence have been exposed lately regarding living another life. They have hidden the truth. Can you imagine living that way, fearful any day that the truth will come out? Whether it comes out now or later, it will be known.

We can rest in the fact that God is true. Everything about Him is true. When He says He loves you, He really does. When He said He is preparing a place for His followers, He is. When He said He will come again, you can believe it’s true. Just rest in His truth, knowing He will never ever lie to you. That should comfort your heart today.

Lord, thank You for always being true. Expose my lies so I can confess those and make things right with you.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Belief, Bible, Existence, God's Will, Power, Scripture

DO YOU BELIEVE?

ROMANS 3:3

“What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?”

One great response to someone who says, “I don’t believe in God” is “Well, He believes in you.” You see, our belief in the Creator of the universe does not change the fact of His existence. God is God – period. He wants us to believe in Him, but He doesn’t need us to believe in Him to accomplish what He wants to do here on earth. If our unbelief could thwart God’s Will, He would not be a very powerful God, would He?

Paul points out in today’s verse the fact that some do not believe in God, but that their unbelief doesn’t “nullify” God’s faithfulness to us. That word “nullify” is the Greek word katargeó. It means to render entirely idle or useless. Paul is saying that what we believe or don’t believe about God does not make Him any less powerful.

APPLICATION

The Topical Lexicon says, “The verb carries the sense of causing something to lose its operative power: to render idle, inoperative, useless, or to bring to nothing.” What kind of God would He be if our belief or unbelief determined His power? I am reminded of God’s discourse with Job at the end of that book. In Job 38 God begins to question Job. You can read chapters 38-41 to get the full discourse. Look at 38:2-4 and see just a little. “2 ‘Who is this who darkens the divine plan by words without knowledge? 3 Now tighten the belt on your waist like a man, and I shall ask you, and you inform Me! 4 Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding,’”

We have no right to question God’s existence. We may not understand a lot about God, but all we have to do to fix that is ask Him. Do you think God is playing with us? Do you think He wants to keep us in the dark about Who He is? Of course, not. He wants us to know Him fully. Our doubts and unbelief limit our knowledge of Him.

Ask the Lord today to show you more of Himself, if you’re ready for that. God desires to reveal more and more of Himself to you. All you have to do is come to Him and seek Him. Matthew 7:7 tells us, “‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.’” Jesus meant that when He said it, and it still holds true today. Believe and see!

Lord, show me more of You so that I show others.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Commands, Guard, Law, Scripture, Witnessing, Words

ENTRUSTED

ROMANS 3:2

“Great in every respect. First, that they were entrusted with the actual words of God.”

Have you ever been given something for safekeeping? Perhaps a friend asked you to hold on to something for them for a while and protect it. We see this idea a lot in movies when one character is given a treasure which others are trying to snatch from them. They fight to protect what has been entrusted to them. That’s a close analogy to today’s verse.

Paul answers his own questions asked in the previous verse. Remember those? What advantage or benefit did the Jew have over the Gentiles? And Paul answers literally, “Much in every way!” Why can he say that? He answers in the next sentence. Because God had entrusted them with His words. No other people had been given God’s words like the Jewish nation. God had cut covenant with Abraham and then gave Moses the ten commandments and the rules that followed. God had spoken directly to the Jews for generations through their prophets and judges.

APPLICATION

The key word in today’s verse is “entrusted.” It is the very commonly used word pisteuó, which is the word we translate as “believe” or “have faith.” The word here is in the Aorist Indicative Passive. What does that mean? One source said, “When you see an aorist indicative passive verb, you can understand it as conveying a past, completed action that was done to the subject.” The Jews were given God’s words in the past. That’s a fact. There’s no doubt about it.

The question arises then how they kept it, how they protected it. Psalm 119 is a great chapter to learn more about God’s word. Almost every verse of the 176 verses mentions God’s commands or precepts. Here are just three verses from Psalm 119, to show you what I mean. “4 You have ordained Your precepts, that we are to keep them diligently. 5 Oh that my ways may be established to keep Your statutes! 6 Then I will not be ashamed when I look at all Your commandments.”

Are you keeping God’s words safe by obeying and sharing? Nothing keeps God’s words safer than by sharing them with others. That may not make logical sense, but it’s the way God has passed on His words to generations, person by person. There are still billions of people out there who have not experienced the saving power of God’s words. Will you be the one who takes it?

Lord God, use me to keep and share Your Word!

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Adv, Advantage, Benefit, Bible, Covenant, Faithfulness, Promises, Scripture

HAVING THE UPPERHAND

ROMANS 3:1

“Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision?” 

Membership has its privileges. I fly most often with one airline. As part of my membership program with them, I can access their lounges around the world when I have a long layover. Some of those lounges are awesome, complete with massaging chairs and free food and drinks. That can really help the time pass more comfortably. I almost (I said almost) feel sorry for those who can’t get in there, lol.

Paul has just finished a long discussion with the Jews in chapter two and he starts out chapter three (I realize there were no chapters in the original) asking two questions about the Jews’ advantage and benefit over the Gentiles. He is really pointing towards the covenant that God had made with the Jews to be with them and love them. They most definitely had seen God’s faithfulness to them over the centuries. But now?

APPLICATION

There are two words in today’s verse that bear a look. The first one is translated “advantage” and is the Greek word perissos. It can have a lot of meanings including exceeding abundantly above, beyond measure and superfluous. It’s actually the word used in John 10:10 where Jesus says, “‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.’” So, is Paul asking what abundance the Jew has over the Gentile?

The second word to look at is ópheleia which is translated “benefit.” It’s only used here and in Jude 1:16 where it says, “These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.” The word has the idea of profit or usefulness. Is Paul asking here if it profits the Jew to be Jewish compared to being a Gentile?

Let me answer these two questions by pointing you to Paul’s words in Galatians 3:28. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” There’s your answer! We “are all one in Christ Jesus.” Our upper hand is Jesus. He is all that matters. Won’t you open that “lounge door” for others today and show them Who can give them an eternal membership?

I am so thankful, Lord, that You have welcomed me into Your eternal lounge.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Flattery, Obedience, Praise, Scripture, Servant, Service

PRAISE FROM GOD

ROMANS 2:29

“But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from people, but from God.”

Oh, to receive praise from the Lord! Doesn’t the last part of that verse just thrill you? Sadly, many of us prefer the applause of man. We had rather have our names up in lights and be the keynote speaker at a conference than quietly receive praise from God. Let me tell you, the praise of men is fleeting. One minute you’re the cat’s meow and the next you’re yesterday’s headline. You have to set your priorities.

Paul wraps up a discourse that he has had since verse 17 dealing with the Jews. I really love how he ends this with mentioning the praise from God. Most of the Jews preferred men’s praise. They wanted to be recognized and honored. Paul, being a former Pharisee, could relate to that. I am sure many a Jew showed him earthly honor as a Pharisee. But oh, how empty it was.

APPLICATION

1 Samuel 16:7 tells us, “But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God does not see as man sees, since man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’” As Samuel looked for the next king of Israel, he naturally assumed it would be Eliab, Jesse’s oldest. But the Lord quickly said these words to him. Don’t assume because something looks like the right thing that it is the right thing. We have to seek the Lord’s mind on these things.

I have had the honor of leading some great organizations in my ministry years. As part of my role, I have been recognized for my leadership and dedication. I even received plaques and certificates saying so. Guess where those plaques are now – in the garbage. I moved them from place to place and hung them for years on my office walls. But a few years back the Lord told me to discard them. They meant nothing eternally.

There is nothing wrong with praising others. In fact, we should do that when we see them doing something that honors our Lord. We should praise our children for doing good. But the ultimate praiseworthy statements come from God. We want Him to look at us and be pleased. As His child, He loves us no matter what, but we all desire to hear Him say, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.”

O Lord, I want to honor You by serving You. I long to hear You whisper praise over me.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Appearance, Bible, Disguise, Heart, Motive, Scripture

OUTWARD APPEARANCE

ROMANS 2:28

“For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.” 

I heard about a preacher who disguised himself one Sunday morning as a homeless person and sat by the front doors of the church. He purposely dressed in filthy clothes and put on a fake beard. No one recognized him as their pastor. Almost everyone just looked at him and walked away. The few who did speak asked him to move away from the door. One or two people did offer him coffee or water. Finally, someone invited him in. When he reached the sanctuary, he started taking off his disguise as he walked down the aisle to the podium. People were shocked and embarrassed. What was on the inside could not be seen because of the outward appearance.

Paul says in today’s verse that the Jews’ outward appearance did not make them Jewish. Their circumcision nor the way the wore their clothes meant they were in covenant with God and were keeping His commands. Some Jews went to extreme lengths to follow the law, while at the same time living like a pagan. How does this apply to us a followers of Christ?

APPLICATION

The Topical Lexicon says this verse “contrasts outward visibility with inward reality: ‘A man is not a Jew because he is one outwardly.’ External badges may be manifest yet spiritually empty; inward authenticity will eventually be revealed.” I think about those who show up on Easter Sunday all dressed in their finest Easter outfit. They haven’t been seen since last Easter, but they look good. The outward appearance can mask the inward attitude.

Don’t get me wrong – I like to dress up on Sundays. I know it’s not required, but I feel it shows reverence for our Lord. However, my outward appearance does not imply a more spiritual attitude than the teen who shows up in shorts and a t-shirt. It’s the heart that matters. I have said this over and over in the last several blogs as Paul addresses the Gentiles and Jews in this passage.

Today, examine your inner being. Ask the Lord to reveal your motives for your spiritual journey. We should only have one true motive – to give glory to Him. Everything we do should point towards Jesus. Less of me and more of Him. Then it won’t matter what is on our bodies. Live holy and let others see your heart.

Father, let my inner motives be revealed to others as I serve you humbly and obediently.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Fruit, Judging, Law, Scripture, Unfruitful

FRUIT INSPECTORS

ROMANS 2:27

“And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a violator of the Law?” 

When I grew up in SW Georgia, I worked a few years for Walter Pollock & Sons. They owned a gas station, pecan groves, tobacco fields, a grainery and several other businesses. Mr. Pollock was quite the entrepreneur. During pecan season I was often working in the warehouse where we received pecans. I had to know how to recognize the different varieties and grade (or judge) them to offer the seller a price. I can still recognize some of those varities.

Paul calls out the Jews pretty forcibly in today’s verse by telling them that even an uncircumcised Law keeper would be able to judge them for not following the Law. Ouch! You have to remember that the Jews tended to look down on non-Jews (Gentiles). To be told they would be judged by a Gentile would have been highly insulting to them. Nevertheless, that was the truth, and Paul did not hesitate to tell them.

APPLICATION

Today we followers of Christ are not concerned about the issue of circumcision or keeping the Law. But we should be concerned about producing the fruit He has for us to produce. We are told not to judge others because we do not know their spiritual position just by looking. But we can judge their fruit production. Are they spending time daily with the Lord? Are they sharing their testimony with lost people in order to win them to Christ? Are they exhibiting the joy of the Lord as they encounter the trials of life?

Let me hasten to say that we have been given clear instructions about judging others. Look at Matthew 7:1-5. “1 “‘Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. 2 For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, the log is in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye!’”

If you’re going to judge someone else’s fruit, make sure yours isn’t rotten. Make sure your fruit production is totally dependent on Jesus and not yourself. And encourage other believers to exercise the gifts God has given them so that they too will produce the fruit of the Spirit.

Father, accept any fruit I produce as an offering to honor You.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Eternal Life, Forgiveness, Righteousness, Salvation, Scripture

RECKONED

ROMANS 2:26

“So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will his uncircumcision not be regarded as circumcision?” 

Here in the South, the term “reckon” has a whole different meaning than we see biblically. Here we say, “Well, I reckon I can do that,” meaning I think I can do it. It’s often used in the shortened form of “reck’n” when asked if you think something is true or false. But this word is definitely not a slang word in Scripture. Let’s take a look.

The Greek word Paul uses here is logizomai. It has a lot of defining words attributed to it like impute, number, reason, suppose, credited, consider and as in today’s verse, regarded. It is used 41 times in the New Testament with 19 of those occurring in the book of Romans. Paul’s point in today’s verse is that these uncircumcised would be counted among the righteous if they kept the law just as any Jew would if he did.

APPLICATION

In Romans 4, logizomai is used in Paul’s discourse about Abraham. Look at what 4:3 says, “For what does the Scripture say? ‘ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.’” Remember, Abraham was considered or reckoned by God to be righteous BEFORE he was circumcised. He was considered righteous BEFORE the law was given. So, being reckoned as righteous has nothing to do with law keeping or circumcision. It’s about the heart.

What do you reck’n? Are you reckoned as righteous in God’s eyes? If you have given your life to Him, you are. Nothing can change that. God looked you over and, knowing your heart, has reckoned you as righteous. Unlike Abraham, we have the Holy Spirit that seals that in us. No lie from the enemy can disrupt your righteousness in God’s eyes.

While you are reck’ning, think on these verses in 2 Corinthians 5:17-19. “17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their wrongdoings against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

God, I give You praise for reckoning me as righteous and for “not counting” my sins against me now.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Bible, Circumcision, Covenant, Holy Spirit, Indwelling, Law, Obedience, Scripture

IT’S NOT THE OUTSIDE THAT MATTERS

ROMANS 2:25

“For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a violator of the Law, your circumcision has turned into uncircumcision.” 

So many Christians work and work and work to try to achieve some measure of grace from God. If they do this or that; or if they don’t do this or that then they have accomplished something. Wrong! I knew a guy in seminary who refused to go out to eat on Sundays because it forced someone to work to prepare his food and serve him. I don’t criticize his devotion to resting on Sunday, but nothing he did or didn’t do would change the fact that those people were still going to work. Maybe they even had to in order to keep their jobs.

Paul dives into a subject that was well…tender to the Jews. They took pride in the fact that their physical circumcision set them apart from the pagans. This was a law that began with Abraham and was to be a distinguishing mark of their covenant with God to obey His commandments. So, just being circumcised didn’t do a thing for the Jews. Paul says if they violated the Law, it meant nothing.

APPLICATION

Albert Barnes gives these remarks about this verse. “No external advantages, no name, or rite, or ceremony will save you. God requires the obedience of the heart and of the life. Where there is a disposition to render that, there is an advantage in possessing the external means of grace. Where that is missing, no rite or profession can save.” No external advantage. You can’t cut your hair short enough. You can’t wear your dress long enough.

What are you doing to try to gain God’s love? Most of us think if we do certain things, we will be more spiritual. What makes us spiritual? It’s the Spirit of God in us. When we come to Christ and receive His gift of grace, He sends the Holy Spirit to dwell within you. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Paul tells us, “19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

Did you catch that? Your body is holy not because of something you do or don’t do. You are holy because God’s very Spirit dwells within you. Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! As the old preacher said, “That’s shouting ground stuff!” Are you resting in the Spirit instead of trying to achieve something for God? He loves you, no matter what you do or don’t do. Yes, we should all try to obey His commands. But God loves you – period!

Father, I am so thankful that I can rest in knowing my salvation does not depend on one single thing I do or don’t do. It rests in Jesus.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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