Epistles of Paul 70

Well, good evening, brethren. God is working on a plan of salvation, and that is basically the key theme of the Book of Romans. But today, His work is, we could call it, in secret. In other words, He's working through the first fruits of the Holy Spirit, and the world in general doesn't even understand what is going on. In the meantime, for us, as the first few that have received the Holy Spirit, our goal is to prepare ourselves to rule with Christ, and obviously to become sons and daughters of God in His kingdom. But so will everybody, will be in the world tomorrow, will have that opportunity, and in the second resurrection. But for us now, we are being prepared for a very important responsibility. And so, it is important for us to fully understand and comprehend this vision, because it gives us hope so that we can hold on in these difficult times. But this plan of God for us to be in His family is not because of my righteousness, or your righteousness, or any one of our righteousness, but it is all due to God's great love, grace, and His righteousness towards us. And He's working this great plan, using His Spirit, and He's going to be using us in the future, in this great endeavor that He has for us. We are very grateful for it. In Romans chapter 1, in Romans chapter 1, verse 16, Romans 1 verse 16, we read that Paul is not ashamed of the good news of the Gospel, the good news through Christ, of Christ, for it is very power of God to ultimately save us, give us eternal life, not just for us, but for everyone who will ultimately believe in Him and in what God is doing, whether we are Jews or Gentiles. Yes, to the Jew first, but to the Gentile as well. So God is working a great plan. It's nothing for us to be ashamed, and part of God's plan is that in His loving kindness, He is providing a way to lead us to repent, to change. We see that in chapter 2 verse 4, where we read that the goodness of God leads us to repentance. That's what God wants from us, a change so that we can become more and more like He is. And through Christ, God is now accessible to all people. We read that in verse 11, for there is no partiality with God, Jew and Gentile. We all have access to this great plan that God has. Now in verse 12, we read, "...for as many as absent without law will also perish without law." And as many as absent in the law will be judged by the law. This is the section where we stopped in the law study. And the point here is Gentiles did not have the intimate knowledge of the law, like the Jews had. We're trained, educated by their birthright. They had all the education about the law, but the Gentiles would still sin. And if they sinned, they would also die. So whether they knew the law or not, the point here is that ignorance of the law is no excuse.

The penalty, the penalty is still there. So both in the end, the Jews are judged by the law, so are the Gentiles, both by the penalty of sin. So that's where we stopped last time. Now verse 13 is one that we're going to spend quite a bit of time digging a little deeper into, because it's a very, very important verse in Romans. And let's read, "...for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified." The doers will be justified.

So in other words, we can sit and hear the law, but if we don't do it, we will not be justified, ultimately. But here's the question that confuses a lot of people. Is there for the doing it?

You know, was keeping the law that justifies us? No, because no amount of keeping God's law will forgive our post sins and make us right with God. But God will not forgive us unless we are repentant and striving to keep his law.

You see, why would God forgive you or me or a person for breaking the Sabbath if we're still breaking the Sabbath? Or put it in another example. If a person is a murderer, a robber, an adulterer, or whatever it is, and then one day the person realizes, oh, I can ask for forgiveness, and says to God, forgive me. But the next day, the person goes out there and murders someone, and murders someone, or robs a bank, or commits adultery. Is God going to forgive that person?

Why should he? Because that person has not repented.

Now, this is very well understood by us in the church, but it is a point that people in this Christian world of ours get confused. So, what is repentance? Repentance is a complete change.

It's a going away from our old way of life. It is the stopping of doing what we did. Granted, we're not perfect, but we start, we stop practicing what is wrong.

You see that people don't understand, and yeah, it's the problem where people get confused with justification, because people don't understand that justification is in two different ways.

And this is part of what is very important to understand in both the Book of Romans and the Book of Galatians. You see, there's two different ways of justification.

There is an initial justification, and that is God's graciousness, God's forgiveness. That's what Christ has done for us. He's paid with his life for our sins. That is an initial justification.

That's the first way, or the first stage, let's call it that. The second way is an ongoing behavioral approach or way of life after the initial justification.

It's a situation in which we've got to live, trusting God in faith, and continue in that state of justification. It was continued to strive to obey God.

And so, yeah, in verse 13, Paul, he always says, for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified. Paul is addressing this second behavior or a practicing approach of being justified. In other words, continue to to change, to strive to change, and as we year, we actually do. It's not just yearning, but it's doing. Now the word used for justification is the Greek word 1344, and there are other words similar, like 1342 and others, but the 1344 word, the Ka-Yong-Wong, appears 40 times in the New Testament.

And of those 40 times, there's 16 times it appears in the book of Romans, 16, and another times, another eight times in the book of Galatians. So what do we have is 24 times out of those 40 times in the book of Romans and Galatians. Yeah, the other books mention one year, another book mentions another time, but basically the bulk of the words about justification are in the book of Romans. And in fact, from chapter 2 verse 13, which is this verse we're covering now, up to chapter 5 verse 9 of Romans appears 16 times in these few chapters. And so it is key for us to understand above what is the book of Romans all about, as well as the book of relations, it's key for us to understand how are we justified. And what does justified mean? Justified means that we are brought into a right relationship with God. So how are we brought into a right relationship with God? Well, in first place, Isaiah 59, Isaiah 59 verse 1 and 2 says that our sins separate us from God. Isaiah 59 verse 1 and 2, Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, nor is he heavy, that it cannot hear, but your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have eaten his face from you, so that he will not hear.

So our sins, our breaking of the law, have separated us from God. And as we read in Romans 6 verse 23, the wages of sin is death. And so we have sinned, and the penalty, the end result, is death. We also read in Phoresis in Deuteronomy 19 verse 21.

In Deuteronomy 19, 21, when it talks about life for life, and you've heard of it, tooth for the tooth, eye for an eye, life for life, it's a requirement of the law that you and I have sinned for that life, our life, to be brought back. It requires another life to buy it back. And therefore, Jesus Christ had to pay with his life for our lives. Now, some may ask, well, life for life, so it's one life for one life. But because Christ is the being that, the eternal being of the God family that created us under the command and the destruction of the Father, because Christ is the actual one that, through the power of God's Spirit, created us, then Christ's life is far more valuable than all our lives. And therefore, his life pays for all our lives, as we read in 1 Corinthians 15. So, Christ had to die for us to redeem us or to buy us back from death. So, Christ had to buy us back.

Now, therefore, his blood is life, because the life is in the blood. His blood is what brought us back, and therefore, what makes us right with God. And we read that in Romans 5. Romans 5, we'll start reading in verse 8, but God demonstrates his unloved towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Yeah, we're still sinners, and we condemned to death at the end of our physical life. We will die. So, verse 9, much more than, having now been justified by his blood, we are justified. We are made right with God by what Christ did. He brought us back. That is what I was referring to as the initial justification. We're justified by his blood. That is the initial justification. In other words, we are reconciled with the Father through the death of Jesus Christ. So, we move from being, having an enmity with God, to have a relationship with God. Let's continue reading. In verse 9, we will read in verse 9, being justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. So, this whole process is actually more than one stage, because we're justified by his blood, but we shall be saved, as future tells, from wrath through him, through Christ. For if, when we were enemies, verse 10, we were reconciled to God through the death of his son. In other words, his life paid for our life. You see, much more having been reconciled. In other words, the relationship is reestablished with the Father. We shall be saved by his life, and that is future.

So, the initial justification is by the boring of Christ's blood, and that is an act of pure grace from God towards us. Look at Romans chapter 3 verse 20. Romans chapter 3 verse 20 says, therefore, by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified. You and I, we're not made right with the Father by obeying the law.

You see, we disobey the law. Therefore, the wages of sin is death. We, by obeying the law, we can't bring our life back, life for life. So, look at an example in the physical world.

Obeying, for instance, a traffic law does not pay the penalty of a previous traffic transgression. For instance, you went through a red light, or you went over the speed limit, and you got a fine. You're not going to tell the courts, or the judge, or whoever you you got to pay the fine. You're going to tell them, well, but I'm now always going through the green light, therefore I don't need to pay the fine. No, obeying the law does not pay the penalty of previous transgressions. So, likewise, if we have sinned, and we have, we all have, not sinning does not make us right with God, because not sinning anymore, if we were able to not sin anymore, would not justify or make us right with God, because that does not pay for the penalty. Obeying does not pay the penalty. What pays the penalty is life for life, and therefore is Christ's life for us. But, back to the point, why would God forgive you for breaking the Sabbath if you still break the Sabbath? You see, there is a condition. There is a con... it's a conditional statement. Yes, Christ has died for us while we're at sinners. He's giving us the option to be forgiven on the condition that you and I repent, on the condition that there is an act of repentance. Let's look at Acts chapter 3 verse 19. Acts chapter 3 verse 19.

In Acts chapter 3 verse 19 says, Repent, therefore, and be converted, be changed, that your sins may be blotted out. Of course, I am not going to blot my sins out by obeying and repenting, but that is the condition for Christ's sacrifice to be applied so that we are forgiven. Therefore, repentance requires, not just saying, okay, I'll do it, requires an act of absolute commitment. Commitment.

And we're going to sign that commitment before God. How do we sign that commitment before God? Through baptism. In Acts 2 verse 38, Acts 2 verse 38 says, and Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized.

Repent, that every one of you be baptized, and let every one of you be baptized. So, repent and make that commitment a vow before God for eternity that I am changing the way of life, and I'm going to stay repentant for the rest of my life in a repentant attitude. So, the initial justification, the application of Christ's blood to blot ourselves is conditional on your and my repentance, and as a vow committing that by signing that in an act symbolic of baptism of the old man dying and coming out and living as a new man through the symbolic act of baptism. And so then, as it says, yeah, then we shall receive the Holy Spirit. And again, it says, Baptize in the name of Jesus Christ. That's by Christ's authority. So, it's going to be done with Christ's authority. You know, some people say, oh well, just be baptized, and they be baptized, and there's no real commitment. There's no real change. They just say, oh, I just believe in the Lord, and but it requires a commitment of repentance, and it's a promise with God and with Christ. And then, he says, that's for the remission of sins, that we can be forgiven, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Now, once we receive God's Holy Spirit, through God's Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ is in us. Look at John chapter 14, John chapter 14 verse 17.

John chapter 14 verse 17. The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, why? Because they haven't repented. They have not made that commitment, because it not sees him nor knows him. So, it doesn't even see God, they don't even understand God, they don't understand what they need to do, and one day they will.

Okay? But you know him, and you know that we want to follow Christ, we want to obey God, and then God's Holy Spirit is with us, because God's Holy Spirit works with our minds to understand the truth without the things of God, by the Spirit of God, just like we know the things of man, by the thing, by the Spirit of man. So, God's Holy Spirit works with us before baptism, and after baptism will also be in you. We receive God's Holy Spirit and Christ therefore is in us.

Look at verse 23, same chapter, John 14 verse 23. And Jesus answered and said to him, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word. That was will keep God's commandments.

And my father will love him, and we, that's God the Father, and Jesus Christ, will come to him and make our home with him. That means we become, our body becomes, the temple of God, because Christ is in us, so is the Father, not physically speaking, but in spirit. His mind, his mindset, his thinking is in us. Now, when Christ is working in us and helping us through his spirit, what does God's Holy Spirit do for us? Well, let's look at 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, and we'll read verse 13. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 13. But we are bound to give thanks, brethren, to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. Sanctification is being made a saint, or in other words, being set apart. We are set apart from the world, from the things of the world. How? By the Spirit, because God's mind, God's thinking, God's power is in us, and our thinking, our way of speaking, our way of saying things, our way of coming across with other people is changing, because God's Holy Spirit is working in our minds. And not only that, because we believe the truth, and because we believe the truth, we ought to do it. So we stand in a Bible, which is the truth, our word is truth. We stand in a Bible, we see what we got to do, what we got to practice, and then we work with the help of God's Holy Spirit with His power to change ourselves. Look at also at first Peter chapter 1, first Peter chapter 1 verse 2.

In verse 1 is just basically an introduction of Peter, and then in chapter in verse 2 he says according to the foreknowledge of God the Father in sanctification of the Spirit.

We are going through this process of sanctification, of being set apart, of changing of the Spirit. And what is this changing doing for us? He's helping us to obey. That he says, sanctification of the Spirit for obedience. So as we have been baptized, we are now, and we have God's Holy Spirit, Christ's blood has washed us at baptism, but now we're living an ongoing life, which is, as I mentioned, that second stage of justification, which is a way of life, which is justification through behavior, which is after the initial justification. So it's like the second stage, and God's Holy Spirit is helping us to do that. Now, the reality is that you and I are not perfect. And so, occasionally, hopefully less and less occasionally, but occasionally we do soon. We maybe say something in the wrong way. Maybe we think something wrong, and we say, well, I should have said that. And so what do we do? We go down here in a new and living way, as we read in Hebrews chapter 10, and we ask God for forgiveness. We have access to the throne of God through the veil, which is through Christ's body. We get through that veil through Christ, and we have access to the Father, and we ask for forgiveness. And he grants us that forgiveness, because how does he do that? Because he sprinkles Christ's blood on us. And that is, that's why it says, the sanctification of the Spirit for obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. And so that is that process, ongoing process, that you and I are going through now, changing, changing our behavior over a period of time. It's our way of life after the initial justification, and this is the ongoing stage of justification. Now, in between brackets, I just want to highlight something to you in this verse. So it's a little bit out of context, but I just want to highlight an interesting point here. It says in this verse, it refers to God the Father. So we know that God the Father plays a key role in our process of salvation, because for one, he calls us. He sent Christ to die for us. It's the love of the Father that he gave us his only begotten Son. So the Father has a role to play, an important role in our salvation.

Secondly, we can see at the end of this verse that Christ has an important role. Of course we know Christ has opened up the way, he gave his life, he is also our high priest, he is also our defense attorney, he is intervening for us, he is working with us, he's helping us.

It's through him, but also then in the same verse, he talks about God's Holy Spirit, the sanctification of the Spirit. And the role of the Holy Spirit in our salvation process is also equally critical, because it's what's God's Holy Spirit that affects our mind, pricks our mind and our conscience, and it works with our conscience, and then we are striving to becoming better people. And so we can see the three are mentioned together, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We're not talking about a Trinity, but there's nothing wrong about the three being mentioned together, because the three, the Father, the Son, and God's power play an important and key role in our salvation process. Okay, close brackets. Anyway, so we see that we are in this process of salvation. Therefore, going back to Romans, and we read Romans chapter 5 verse 10, and I just want to draw your attention again to the last sentence of Romans chapter 5 verse 10. And in this last sentence says, we shall be saved by Christ's life. You see, because Christ's life is our advocate, and He's sending us His Spirit, and through His power, He's working with us through God's power, we are changing. And ultimately, at the end of our life, we then will be saved, ultimately saved, because of what He's doing in us through God's Holy Spirit.

And so it is important to remember that baptism is only the first step, baby step, and we have to keep, keep on keeping on through ongoing baby steps, till we grow to the maturity and the stature of Jesus Christ, so that we get to know really who He is and grow in grace and His knowledge. Therefore, going back to Romans 2 verse 13, and as I said, I would spend a lot of time on this verse, going back to Romans 2 verse 13. It explains that not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified. And this justification, therefore, is in two stages. The first stage is what Christ has done for us, which is applied to us on repentance and baptism, and the second stage is the ongoing, the ongoing working behavior way of life and remaining in that way of life until the end. Then, at the end, we will be finally, finally justified before God.

All right, let's move on now to verse 14. For where the Gentiles, who do not have the law by nature, do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves.

Now, you notice the way I read it, because the way I read it, I moved the comma to after by nature. So I moved the comma, instead of being the comma before by nature, I moved the comma to after by nature. You see, for when the Gentiles, who do not have the law by nature, now what do you mean, do not have the law by nature? You see, the Jews had by nature, by their birth lineage, they heard Sabbath after Sabbath, and they heard the law, it was read in the synagogues, by their nature, by their nationality, and the society they lived in, they had the law continuously ingrained into them. But the Gentiles, by their birth natural ways, because they were not Jews, they did not have that teaching of the law continuously taught to them during their early years of life, during their life. And so, for when the Gentiles, who do not have the law by nature, in other words, they do not have God's law by their own upbringing, but they still do the things of the law. You see, they still do the things of the law. Gentiles, for instance, in most societies have some standards of ethics.

For instance, some things as basic as mother's getting for children, fathers providing for their families, standards against murder, against robbery, against adultery. Those things are basic ethics, put another way, part of the law, that even the Gentiles have.

Right? And so, these Gentiles who do not have the law by nature, they do the things of the law. These, although not having the law by their own nature, are a law to themselves. And so, we can see, yeah, that the law is actually ingrained, in a sense, to one way or another, into society, because societies have a standard of ethics. When it comes to serving God, man cannot discern that on its own. God must reveal, for instance, understanding about the Sabbath, understanding about clean and clean foods, and various others, points of spiritual knowledge, God must reveal it is through revelation from God. Continue now in verse 15. Who shall the work of the law written in their hearts? Yeah, the Gentiles have certain principles of the law written in their hearts.

Their conscience also bearing witness between themselves, their thoughts, their thoughts accusing or excusing them. You see, cautious is very important. And, and conscience is, in a sense, it's our self-awareness, is our self-knowledge, but it's our conscience is what pronounces to us what actions are right and wrong that you and I need to follow. So, it is very important, very important, for us to make sure we do not go against our conscience. Because, conscience is how God works with us and how we respond to God.

It is very important for us not to go against our conscience. And yeah, it says even the conscience of the Gentiles is bearing witness. And, and therefore, their conscience gives them guilt or excuses them. And, and and this will be applicable in the day when God will judge every man, every person, every person will be judged, ultimately. And people can't say, oh well, I don't know, because there are a number of ethics and things like that, that are in their conscience.

And if they have gone against their conscience, they will be judged according to that. It's very important, brethren, that we are very careful with our conscience. But then another point he has, it says, will be judged when God will judge and God will judge by Jesus Christ. In other words, God delegated all judgment to Jesus Christ.

Read in John chapter 5 verse 22, John chapter 5 verse 22, but to get the context, let's start in verse 21. And it says, For the Father loves the Son, and shows him all things that he himself does. And he will show him greater words than he is, that you may marvel.

For as the Father raised the dead and gives life to them, he will, even so the Son gives life to whom he will. So God the Father raised the dead, specifically Christ, and now he's delegated that he will that power of the resurrection to Christ. And in fact, we know Christ, for instance, resurrected, for instance, look at the story of Lazarus as one example.

I'll be your partner. So as the Father raised the dead and used life to them, he even so the Son gives life to whom he will. For verse 22, the Father judges no one. You see, the judgment finally has been delegated by the Father to Christ. And he says, the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son. The Father has delegated all judgment to Christ, that we all should honor the Son. Now, there's nothing wrong with honoring Christ.

I know some people sometimes get a little bit, oh no, if you honor Christ, we kind of turning you back on the Father. Now, if somebody honors my children, I feel honored, because they're honoring my children. The same thing if we honor Christ, which is the Son of God, the Father is going to be honored with that. And that's what he says. Yeah, we all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son, does not honor the Father who sent him.

So yeah, it's a very important point. But the point here is that God will judge everyone by Christ. So Paul has been explaining, saying about justification, that we justified in two stages. But ultimate justification is we gotta be obeying till the end. And even the Gentiles have a conscience about many principles of the law, and in resurrection they will learn a lot more. So God will judge accordingly, and will do that judgment through Christ.

And now in perverts Yah, and in verse 17. And Yah is says, indeed, you who are called a Jew. So up to Yah, up to verse 16, Paul has been basically talking about the Gentiles. But now he perverts and he starts talking about the Jews.

And he said, you are called a Jew, and you rest on the law, and make your boast in God. There is a problem. They boasting about, I am superior than you, Gentile, because I have God's law. I have God with us, and things like that. You boast in God. And there is the problem. You see, we read, let's just look at Ecclesiastes chapter 5. Ecclesiastes chapter 5.

Verse 1 and 2. Ecclesiastes chapter 5, verse 1 and 2. Walk prudently when you go to the house of God, and draw near to year, rather than to give the sacrifice of fools. What is the sacrifice of fools?

It's blah, blah, blah, talking too much, and boasting, and doing things like that. But we come to God in the attitude of humility, in a humble approach.

Approach must be in humility. And that's what it says, for they do not know that they do evil. They don't even understand it. Through all their speaking, they're saying things that are wrong. Therefore, in verse 2, it says, do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven and you on earth, therefore, let your words be few. Let your words be few. We need to be ready to year and slow to speak. As it says, quick to year and slow to speak. Our approach must be one that needs to be in humility. You know the situation about Luke chapter 18. Luke chapter 18, verse 9 through 14, we got the story about the Pharisee and the tax collector. And you know the story that one says, oh, I'm so good, and this and that, and the other one, oh, God, I'm nothing. And it says, who, you know, who will be more righteous before God? And he says, God, be merciful to me as a sinner, said the tax collector. And then Christ said in verse 14, I tell you that this man went down to his house justified, justified, made right rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he will, humbles himself, will be exalted. And so back to the point of justification. The problem here, as we go back to Romans chapter 2, is the Jews were boasting, and the eye is laying it thick. Look at it in verse 18, 19, and 20. And you know God's will and approve the things that are excellent being instructed out of the law. Oh yeah, you, you know the law, and you are confident that you yourselves are a guide to the blind. Man, he's laying it thick and in the way. You're so amazing, you a guide to the blind, and the light to those who are in darkness. And you are an instructor to the foolish, of the foolish. You are a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law. Yeah, you have it all.

So he has built them up. Now in verse 21, he bursts the bubble, and he says, you know it. Why don't you do it? Why don't you do it? You therefore will teach another. Why don't you teach yourself? You will preach that a man should not steal. Do you steal? You will say, do not commit adultery. Do you commit adultery? You are bore idols. Do you rob temples? Oh, because idolatry was really seen very badly in the Jewish community, and he says, hey, you are idolatrous. You are robbing temples. So yeah, Paul is very, very strong, and he's bursting the bubble, the Jewish bubble. Verse 23, you will make your boast in the law. Yeah, you claim you've got the law. You've got all the boasting. Do you dishonor God through breaking the law?

And this is very much true for us as Christians in the church.

We've got to analyze ourselves and say, whoops, how are we doing? How are we doing?

Verse 24, for the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.

You see, you are a bad example. You are a bad example. You are not treating people right.

People are speaking bad of you because of yourself, right? You're boasting.

And that again applies to us in the church. Are we being a good example of the church, of God's church?

Verse 25, and therefore he says, you know, because therefore your circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law. Oh yeah, if you keep the law, great! But you are not keeping it. But if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become un-circumcision.

You're alleged, for instance, in our terms today, you're alleged being a true Christian in the church of God. If you're not doing the right things, if you're not keeping the law correctly, then your spiritual circumcision is in fact useless. Therefore, if an un-circumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, you see, the righteous requirements of the law, will not his un-circumcision be counted as circumcision? Because he's un-circumcised, but he does, he does keep the law. Because circumcision was basically synonymous with keeping the law, right? First Corinthians 7-19, we can see that.

But under the new covenant, physical circumcision is nothing. Being in the special covenant with God that you and I make it baptism, this covenant, this agreement, this promise, this vow, that we make it baptism under Jesus Christ's authority, we now, that is far more valuable than physical circumcision, because that is the circumcision of the heart. Verse 26, again, he says, will not his circumcision be counted as or, big part, will not his un-circumcision be counted as circumcision? And verse 27, will not be the physical un-circumcised if he fulfills the law, judge you, who even with your written code and circumcision, because you have the law and you have the circumcision, you are a transgracer of the law. You see, so now that the new covenant is in place, Paul is basically saying that you Jews, now in the new covenant, there is nothing that makes you superior to the Gentiles. If a Gentile is converted and is keeping God's spiritual law, the roles are reversed. You Jews, if you rely on physical things, you are now, because the roles are reversed, you are now on the outside looking in. And so for the converted person, if the heart is right, and if he's coming to God through Christ and using God's Holy Spirit, he hears the true circumcision. And this, this is a revolutionary or was a revolutionary, quote unquote, concept to the Jews. Therefore, in other words, this was completely new to Jews, and that's why the Jews hated Paul. They could not accept this. They could not accept this. And look at it in verse 28 and 29. For he is not the Jew who is one outwardly.

The true Jew is not just outwardly, nor a circumcision which is outward in the flesh.

But he is a Jew. In other words, he is truly praised by God. Remember the word Jew means praise. So he who is praised by God is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, because he's converted in the spirit, not in the letter. Whose praise, and this again is a play on words, whose praise. Praise means Jew, whose praise is not from man, but from God.

And Paul was pretty well trained to be the one telling the Pharisees this, because Paul was well trained in the Jewish pharacycle, religion, and basically in Judaism.

And so in chapter 3 verse 1 says, what advantage then as a Jew?

Well, that is the subject for our next study.