Chapter 3 (translation by Francois du Toit)
3:1 Having said all that, you might ask whether there is still any advantage in being Jewish? Is there any significance in circumcision?
3:2 Everything only finds its relevance and value in the original intention of God realised by faith.
3:3 The question is, how does someone’s failure to believe God affect the integrity of God? Would their unbelief reduce God’s faith to zero?Â
3:4 God’s Word is not under threat! In fact if all of humanity fails, truth remains intact. Truth is rooted in God; it is neither challenged nor vindicated by man’s experience. (Truth doesn’t become true only if someone believes it.) Contradiction does not intimidate or diminish the faith of God. (What God believes about man, does not change through man’s unfaithfulness. God remains convinced about us.)
Scripture records that God stands justified in His own Word; it confirms that God’s promise and purpose are not compromised through man’s failure; neither is God’s reputation threatened by man’s behaviour.
3:5 We could argue then that God doesn’t have a right to judge us, if our unrighteousness only emphasises His?
3:6 That would make God an unfair judge of the world.
3:7 This almost sounds like I am saying that it is not really wrong to sin, if our cheating only serves to further contrast the truth of God.
3:8 Because of my emphasis on God’s grace, some people slanderously make the assumption and accuse me that my teaching would give people a licence to sin. “Let us do evil that good may come!â€
I strongly condemn such foolish talk!
3:9 It has been proved again and again that sin holds the sway over both Jew and Greek alike.
3:10 Scripture records that within the context of the law, no-one succeeds to live a blameless life.
3:11 Because there seems to be no sincere craving and desire to know God there is no spiritual insight. (While man remains casual and indifferent about God, his heart remains calloused)
3:12 Their distraction has bankrupted their lives; that goes for the mass of mankind, without any exception.
3:13 “When they open their mouth to speak they bury one another with destructive words. They snake each other with lies and corruption.
3:14 With sharp tongues they cut one another to pieces, cursing and cheating; their every word is inspired by the wearisome effort to survive in a dog-eat-dog world.
3:15 Murder has become a regular ritual; without any regard for another’s life.
3:16 Their path is littered with broken lives.
3:17 They have lost the art of friendship.
3:18 They have completely lost sight of God.â€
3:19 The fact that all these quotations are from Jewish writings, confirms that their law of moral conduct did not free them from the very same sins the rest of the world was trapped in. Universal mankind stands condemned before God.
3:20 The law therefore reveals how sinful man is, but has no power to present man blameless before God.
3:21 (This brings me back to the theme of my ministry, chapter 1:1, 2, 5,16,17.) Right now the righteousness of God (the fact that God succeeded to vindicate sinful mankind in Christ) is boldly declared in vivid contrast to the ability of man to do it himself (to be righteous by keeping the law.) This restored standing of man is what both the law and all the prophetic writings confirm and anticipate. (God’s dealing with man is based on the fact that man’s conscience continues to bear witness to his original design.)
3:22 Jesus is the embodiment of God’s faith in man. The righteousness of God is now on display in such a way that all may believe, regardlessÂ
of who they are, there is no distinction!
3:23 The same mass of mankind that was once reduced to an inferior identity through their sin,
3:24 is now gifted with acquittal on the basis of the ransom paid by Jesus Christ for their liberation.
3:25 Jesus is the public exhibition of God’s mercy. His blood persuades mankind that God has dealt with the historic record of their sin.
He has done it in such a way that His own justice is satisfied. All along God refused to let go of man.
3:26 At this very moment His act of righteousness is pointing mankind to the evidence of their innocence, with Jesus as the source of their
faith.
3:27 The law of faith cancels the law of works; which means there is suddenly nothing left for man to boast in! No one is superior to another!
(Bragging only makes sense if there is someone to compete with or impress.)
3:28 This leaves us with only one logical conclusion, mankind is justified by faith and not by their ability to keep the law.
3:29 Which means that God is not the private property of the Jews but belongs equally to all the nations. (While the law excludes the non-
Jewish nations, faith includes us all on level terms.)
3:30 There is only one God, He deals with everyone, circumcised or uncircumcised exclusively on the basis of faith.
3:31 No, faith does not re-write the rules; instead it confirms that the original life-quality meant for mankind as documented in the law, is again
realised.
Notes
3:3 God does not stand indifferent to our failure, His love is larger than the sum total of human failure. He remains faithful to us! His faith knows our perfection because of His perfect act, amidst the greatest contradiction. Eph.3:18,19, Eph.2:10, Deut.32:4, James1:17,18.
3:4 See 2Cor.13:5 and 8, “…we can do nothing against the truth!â€
David’s sin did not cancel God’s promise Psa_51:4 : “I acknowledge my sin, and condemn myself. I pray that the truth of thy promise (2Sa_7:15, 2Sa_7:16) to establish my house and throne for ever, may be vindicated when thou shalt execute that dreadful threatening, (2Sa_12:10), that the sword shall never depart from my house, which I own I have brought upon myself by my own iniquity.Â
Ps 51:4 that thou might be justified in thy sayings, and might overcome when thou art judged
2Sa 7:15Â But my mercy I will not take from him,
2Sa 7:16 and his house shall be made sure, and his kingdom for ever before me, and his throne shall be set up for ever.â€
3:5-8 Philips translation But if our wickedness advertises the goodness of God, do we feel that God is being unfair to punish us in return? (I’m using a human tit-for-tat argument.) Not a bit of it! What sort of a person would God be then to judge the world? It is like saying that if my lying throws into sharp relief the truth of God and, so to speak, enhances his reputation, then why should he repay me by judging me a sinner? Similarly, why not do evil that good may be, by contrast all the the more conspicuous and valuable? (As a matter of fact, I am reported as urging this very thing, by some slanderously and others quite seriously! But, of course, such an argument is quite properly condemned.)Â
3:9 Like any disease would show exactly the same symptom regardless of the person’s nationality
3:10 Psalm 14: 1To the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.†They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none that does good.
2The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any that act wisely, that seek after God.
3They have all gone astray, they are all alike corrupt; there is none that does good, no, not one.
This argument is building up to the triumphant conclusion of the fact that there is indeed no distinction, the same people who all fell short of the glory of God are now justified through God’s work of grace in Christ. :21-24.
3:11 suniemi, a joint-seeing, spiritual insight.
3:13 v13-18 are quotations from Ps 10 and Ps 14.
3:14 Taken direct from the Hebrew text in Ps.10:7 Heb. tok tok from tavek, to cut to pieces. Heb. amal and aven to exert oneself in wearisome effort.
3:25,26 In both these verses Paul uses the word, endeixis, where we get the word indicate from. It is also part of the root for the word translated as righteousness, dikaiosune. To point out to show to convince with proof.
3:27 See 2Pet.1:1 “Through the righteousness of God we have received a faith of equal standing.â€
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“If we don’t think like Him… Then we ought to change our way of thinking.” I like that… We always say, “God works in mysterious ways.” When we don’t understand something, but trying to convey that God still has things in control even if we don’t know how. I still think some things are a mystery, and meant to be that way. But I think God wants us to meet Him on a higher plane of thinking. I used to picture God trying to talk to us and I had to tune in the distant station and tweak it until I could understand it through all the interference and static… only to discover that God is blasting away on all channels on the radio spectrum and all I have to do is LISTEN. Thank you Andre, like your book, “Adventures in Christ,” I have to read your post three or four times withoug stopping. God has blessed you with great insight.