THE WORLD ON TRIAL...........THE CONCLUSION Romans 3v20.
"Therefore by the deeds of law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by law is the knowledge of sin."
The "sword of Damocles" is hanging over the world. The Divine verdict has been delivered. He is a gracious God, but He is also a warrior God, and He will eradicate sin from His universe. Jesus said, in unmistakable terms "God sent not HIS SON into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved" but He added this stark warning "He that believeth in Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is CONDEMNED ALREADY!" John3v17-18.
This word from the Son of God is clear, there is one way of salvation, one way only, all other ways leave you under condemnation. Paul repeats this message in Romans, there is only one way of salvation for everyone, all other ways are not acceptable to God
Paul makes this conclusion "therefore by the deeds of the law;" he is now focusing on what is the natural thinking of all men, that if we are not good enough, we need to DO something about it. Says Paul there is no point in this approach whatsoever because the fact is "NO FLESH SHALL BE JUSTIFIED IN HIS SIGHT" by this means. In other words all world religions devised by man will fail to achieve this objective, all good works attempted individually by man will fail, though I were to sell all my goods and give to the poor, though I were to give every minute of the rest of my life to good works, all would be in vain. God describes our good works as "filthy rags in His sight " Isaiah 64 v 6. We are, without doubt in a perilous situation. The natural thing, when we are in a hole is to try and dig ourselves out. Paul anticipates this when he says that no one will be justified this way. "By the deeds of law," we remind ourselves Paul is referring to the moral code implanted in each one of us known as conscience, or the printed law in the form of commandments, and by attempting to reach God's standard by this means, or any other means for that matter, will be futile. As far back as Genesis 4 the brothers Cain & Abel wished to approach God; one came God's way, the other came his own way, in the words of the popular song "I did it my way." God refused Cain's way, and refuses all similar ways today because the whole point is that only God can deal with the human problem. The New Testament warns "woe unto them, for they have gone in the way of Cain" Jude v 11.
We must grasp this message, there is nothing we can do about this situation; no human effort, no human works will suffice "what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh" Romans 8 v 3. There is nothing wrong with the law as we shall see, it is just that we are weak. Paul is saying that we are not only in a dangerous situation, but we are in a helpless situation Romans 5 v 6 "When we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly." We do not have the ability or the energy to change our "ungodly" situation.
Paul now reveals the truth of this when he say "by the law is the knowledge of sin." The law whether we think of it as implanted conscience, or imprinted commands, was not given to us as a moral code to save us, it was in fact given so that we would understand sin, the knowledge between good and evil. Most Jews thought that the mere possession of the law made them right with God; this is the same as people who today who rely on their family connections, public status, or church attendance, or whatever else they see as a means of being righteous. This could never be so, as revealed by Jesus on the sermon on the mount when He pointed out that the standard of law included thoughts as well as deeds, attitudes as well as actions, and no one can live to this standard, and no one has. The law was introduced not to save us but to expose our sin. "The law entered that sin might be enhanced" Romans 5v20. The purpose of the law was to make sin worse, it was to become a mirror which revealed our flaws to ourselves, it was given to magnify our sins, and indeed had the effect of energising our sins. This was indeed the design of God, not that he in any way condones sin, but He has to make us feel the horror of it. The principal of law can only make us aware of sin, to bring us to our knees before God, to help us understand our sinful condition . The whole function of the law is to DEFINE sin, it was given to make us see our need of God's salvation.
So the unmistakeable conclusion of all of this is this
"BY THE DEEDS OF THE LAW SHALL NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED IN GOD'S SIGHT"
If your minister, or priest, or counsellor, or family member, or any other important (and perhaps well-meaning) person in your life tells you otherwise, they are deceiving you and you should not believe them. This matter is so important, it overrides every other consideration in your life. At the risk of repetition, no amount of church attendance, church ritual, community service, sacrificial living, though many of them commendable in their own way, will make you right with God.
That way is self-righteousness, the only way is God's righteousness.
Tomorrow d.v. the two most beautiful words in all of time "BUT NOW"
"Therefore by the deeds of law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by law is the knowledge of sin."
The "sword of Damocles" is hanging over the world. The Divine verdict has been delivered. He is a gracious God, but He is also a warrior God, and He will eradicate sin from His universe. Jesus said, in unmistakable terms "God sent not HIS SON into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved" but He added this stark warning "He that believeth in Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is CONDEMNED ALREADY!" John3v17-18.
This word from the Son of God is clear, there is one way of salvation, one way only, all other ways leave you under condemnation. Paul repeats this message in Romans, there is only one way of salvation for everyone, all other ways are not acceptable to God
Paul makes this conclusion "therefore by the deeds of the law;" he is now focusing on what is the natural thinking of all men, that if we are not good enough, we need to DO something about it. Says Paul there is no point in this approach whatsoever because the fact is "NO FLESH SHALL BE JUSTIFIED IN HIS SIGHT" by this means. In other words all world religions devised by man will fail to achieve this objective, all good works attempted individually by man will fail, though I were to sell all my goods and give to the poor, though I were to give every minute of the rest of my life to good works, all would be in vain. God describes our good works as "filthy rags in His sight " Isaiah 64 v 6. We are, without doubt in a perilous situation. The natural thing, when we are in a hole is to try and dig ourselves out. Paul anticipates this when he says that no one will be justified this way. "By the deeds of law," we remind ourselves Paul is referring to the moral code implanted in each one of us known as conscience, or the printed law in the form of commandments, and by attempting to reach God's standard by this means, or any other means for that matter, will be futile. As far back as Genesis 4 the brothers Cain & Abel wished to approach God; one came God's way, the other came his own way, in the words of the popular song "I did it my way." God refused Cain's way, and refuses all similar ways today because the whole point is that only God can deal with the human problem. The New Testament warns "woe unto them, for they have gone in the way of Cain" Jude v 11.
We must grasp this message, there is nothing we can do about this situation; no human effort, no human works will suffice "what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh" Romans 8 v 3. There is nothing wrong with the law as we shall see, it is just that we are weak. Paul is saying that we are not only in a dangerous situation, but we are in a helpless situation Romans 5 v 6 "When we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly." We do not have the ability or the energy to change our "ungodly" situation.
Paul now reveals the truth of this when he say "by the law is the knowledge of sin." The law whether we think of it as implanted conscience, or imprinted commands, was not given to us as a moral code to save us, it was in fact given so that we would understand sin, the knowledge between good and evil. Most Jews thought that the mere possession of the law made them right with God; this is the same as people who today who rely on their family connections, public status, or church attendance, or whatever else they see as a means of being righteous. This could never be so, as revealed by Jesus on the sermon on the mount when He pointed out that the standard of law included thoughts as well as deeds, attitudes as well as actions, and no one can live to this standard, and no one has. The law was introduced not to save us but to expose our sin. "The law entered that sin might be enhanced" Romans 5v20. The purpose of the law was to make sin worse, it was to become a mirror which revealed our flaws to ourselves, it was given to magnify our sins, and indeed had the effect of energising our sins. This was indeed the design of God, not that he in any way condones sin, but He has to make us feel the horror of it. The principal of law can only make us aware of sin, to bring us to our knees before God, to help us understand our sinful condition . The whole function of the law is to DEFINE sin, it was given to make us see our need of God's salvation.
So the unmistakeable conclusion of all of this is this
"BY THE DEEDS OF THE LAW SHALL NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED IN GOD'S SIGHT"
If your minister, or priest, or counsellor, or family member, or any other important (and perhaps well-meaning) person in your life tells you otherwise, they are deceiving you and you should not believe them. This matter is so important, it overrides every other consideration in your life. At the risk of repetition, no amount of church attendance, church ritual, community service, sacrificial living, though many of them commendable in their own way, will make you right with God.
That way is self-righteousness, the only way is God's righteousness.
Tomorrow d.v. the two most beautiful words in all of time "BUT NOW"
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