"If Our Unrighteousness Brings Out God's Righteousness More Clearly, What Shall We Say?"

God's Faithfulness

   What advantage, then,  is there in being a Jew,  or what value is there in circumcision?  Much in every way!  First of all,  they have been entrusted with  the very words of God.

  What if some  did not have faith?  Will their lack of faith  nullify  God's faithfulness?  Not at all!  Let God be true,  and every man a liar.  As it is written:

  

   "So that you may be proved right  when you speak  and prevail  when you judge."

   But if our unrighteousness  brings out God's righteousness  more clearly,  what shall we say?  That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us?  (I am using a human argument.)  Certainly not!  If that were so,  how could God judge the world?  Someone might argue, "If my falsehood enhances  God's truthfulness  and so  increases  his glory,  why am I still condemned as a sinner?"  Why not say - as we are being slanderously reported as saying  and as some claim that we say - "Let us do evil that good may result?"  Their condemnation is deserved.

No One Is Righteous

   What shall we conclude then?  Are we any better?  Not at all!  We have already made the charge  that Jews and Gentiles alike  are all under sin.  As it is written:  

   "There is no one  righteous,  not even one;

there is no one  who understands,

no one  who seeks God.

   All  have turned away,

they have  together become worthless;

there is no one  who does good,

not even  one."

   "Their throats  are open graves;

their tongues  practice deceit."

"The poison of vipers  is on their lips."

   "Their mouths  are full of cursing  and bitterness."

"Their feet are swift to shed blood;

ruin and misery  mark their ways,

and the way of peace  they do not know."

   "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

   Now we know  that whatever the law says,  it says to those  who are under the law,  so  that every mouth  may be silenced  and the whole world held accountable to God.  Therefore  no one will be declared  righteous in his eyes  by observing the law;  rather,  through the law  we become  conscious  of sin.

Righteousness Is Through Faith

   But now  a righteousness from God,  apart from the law,  has been made known,  to which  the Law  and the Prophets  testify.  This righteousness from God  comes through faith  in Jesus Christ  to all who believe.  There is no difference,  for all have sinned  and fall short of the  glory of God,  and are justified  freely  by his grace  through the redemption  that came  by Christ Jesus.  God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,  through faith  in his blood.  He did this  to demonstrate  his justice,  because in his forbearance  he had left the sins committed  beforehand  unpunished - he did it to demonstrate  his justice  at the present time,  so  as to be just  and  the one  who  justifies those  who have faith  in Jesus.

   Where then  is boasting?  It is excluded.  On what principle?  On that of observing the law?  No,  but on that of faith.  For we maintain  that a man is justified  by faith  apart from observing the law.  Is God  the God of Jews only?  Is he not the God  of Gentiles too?  Yes,  of Gentiles too,  since there is only  one God,  who will justify the circumcised  by faith  and the uncircumcised  through that same faith.  Do we,  then,  nullify the law  by this faith?  Not at all!  Rather,  we uphold  the law.    The Book of Romans  -  chapter  3.   -  NIV -    

   Peace, Joy,  and many blessings  to you and yours.

                           David McIntire

                           "A Soldier Of The Light"

  

   

      

"See, You Are Well Again. Stop Sinning Or Something Worse May Happen To You."

"LIFE THROUGH THE SON"

   The man who was healed  had no idea who it was,  for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.

   Later Jesus found him at the temple  and said to him,   "See,  you are well again.  Stop sinning  or something worse may happen to you."   The man went away  and told the Jews  that it was Jesus  who had made him well.

   So,  because Jesus  was doing these things on the Sabbath,  the Jews  persecuted him.  Jesus said  to them,  "My Father  is always at his work  to this very day,  and I, too,  am working."   For this reason  the Jews tried all the harder to kill him,  not only was he breaking the Sabbath,  but he was calling God  his own Father,  making himself equal with God.

   Jesus gave them this answer:  "I tell you the truth,  the Son can do nothing by himself;  he can do only  what he sees his Father doing,  because  whatever the Father does  the Son also does.  For the Father loves the Son   and shows him all he does.  Yes,  to your amazement  he will show him  even greater things than these.  For just as the Father raises the dead  and gives them life,  even so  the Son gives life  to whom he is pleased to give it.  Moreover,  the Father judges no one,  but has entrusted all judgement to the Son,  that all may honor the Son  just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son  does not honor the Father who sent him.

   I tell you the truth,  whoever hears my word  and believes him who sent me  has eternal life  and will not be condemned;  he has crossed over  from death to life.  I tell you the truth,  a time is coming  and has now come  when the dead will hear the voice  of the Son of God  and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life  in himself,  so  he has granted the Son  to have life in himself.  And he has given him authority to judge  because he is the Son of Man.

   Do not be amazed at this,  for a time is coming  when all who are in their graves  will hear his voice  and come out - those who have done good will rise to live,  and those who have done evil  will rise to be condemned.  By myself  I can do nothing;  I judge only as I hear,  and my judgement is just,  for I seek not to please myself   but him who sent me.

   If I testify  about myself,  my testimony is not valid.  There is another who testifies  in my favor,  and I know that his testimony about me is valid.

   You have sent to John  and he has testified  to the truth.  Not that I accept human testimony;  but I mention it  that you may be saved.  John was a lamp  that burned  and gave light,  and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.

   I have  testimony  weightier than that of John.  For the very work  that the Father has given me to finish,  and which I am doing,  testifies  that the Father  has sent me.  And the Father  who sent me  has himself testified  concerning me.  You have never heard his voice   nor seen his form,  nor does his word  dwell in you,  for you do not believe the one he sent.  You diligently study the Scriptures  because you think that  by them  you possess  eternal life.  These are the Scriptures  that testify about me,  yet you refuse to come to me  to have life.

   I do not accept praise from men,  but I know you.  I know that you do not have the love of God   in your hearts.  I have come in my Father's name,  and you do not accept me;  but if someone else comes  in his own name,  you will accept him.  How can you believe  if you accept praise from one another,  yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from  the only God?

   But do not think  I will accuse you before the Father.  Your accuser is Moses,  on whom your hopes are set.  If you believed Moses,  you would believe me,  for he wrote about me.  But since you do not believe  what he wrote,  how are you going to believe what I say?"      
                             The Gospel Of John  -  chapter  5  verses  13 - 47

   "I Tell You The Truth,  Whoever Hears My Word  And Believes Him Who Sent Me  Has Eternal Life  And  Will Not Be Condemned;  He Has Crossed Over  From Death To Life."      John  -  5:24

   Peace, Joy, and many Blessings to you and yours.

David  McIntire

"A Soldier Of Then Light"

  

"Saul, Saul, Why Do you Persecute Me?.... "I Am Jesus Whom You Are Persecuting."

  Paul Before King Agrippa

   The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entering the audience room with the high ranking officers and the leading men of the city.  At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in.  Festus said:  "King Agrippa, and all who are present with us,  you see this man!  the whole Jewish community has petitioned  me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea,  shouting that he ought not to live any longer.

   I found he had done nothing deserving of death,  but because he made his appeal to the Emperor  I decided to send him to Rome.  But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him.  Therefore I have brought him before all of you,  and especially before you,  King Agrippa,  so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write.  For I think it is unreasonable to send on a prisoner without specifying the charges against him.

   Then Agrippa said to Paul.  "You have permission to speak for yourself."

   So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense:

"King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today  as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews,  and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies.  Therefore,  I beg you to listen to me patiently.

   The Jews all know the way I have lived  ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country,  and also in Jerusalem.  They have known me for a long time and can testify,  if they are willing,  that according to the strictest sect of our religion,  I lived as a Pharisee.  And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers  that I am on trial today.  This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God  day and night.  O king it is because of this hope  that the Jews are accusing me.  Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises from the dead.

   I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.  And that is just what I did in Jerusalem.  On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison,  and when they were put to death,  I cast my vote against them.  Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished,  and I tried to force them to blaspheme.  In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.

   On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of our chief priest.  About noon, O king as I was on the road,  I saw a light from heaven,  brighter than the sun,  blazing around me and my companions.  We all fell to the ground,  and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic,  "Saul, Saul. why do you persecute me?  It is hard for you to kick against the goads."

   Then I ask,  "Who are you,  Lord."

   "I am Jesus,  whom you are persecuting,"  the Lord replied.  "Now get up and stand on your feet.  I have appeared to you to appoint you  as a servant  and as a witness  of what you have seen of me  and what I will show you.  I will rescue you  from your own people  and from the Gentiles.   I am sending you to them  to open their eyes  and turn them from darkness to light,  and from the power of Satan to God,  so that they may receive forgiveness of sins  and a place among those  who are sanctified  by faith in me."

   "So then,  King Agrippa,  I was not disobedient  to the vision from heaven.  First to those in Damascus,  then to those in Jerusalem  and in all Judea,  and to the Gentiles also,  I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance  by their deeds.  That is why the Jews seized me  in the temple courts and tried to kill me.  But I have had God's help  to this very day, and so I stand here and testify  to small and great alike.  I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said  would happen-that the Christ would suffer and,  as the first to rise from the dead,  would proclaim light to his own people  and to the Gentiles."

   At this point  Festus interrupted Paul's defense.  "You are out of your mind,  Paul!"  he shouted.  "Your great learning is driving you insane."

   "I am not insane,  most excellent Festus,"  Paul replied.  "What I am saying is true and reasonable.  The king is familiar with these things,  and I can speak freely to him.  I am convinced that none of this has escaped his noticed,  because it was not done in a corner.  King Agrippa,  do you believe the prophets?  I know you do."

   Then Agrippa said to Paul,  "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?"

   Paul replied,  "Short time or long--I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today  may become what I am,  except for these chains."

   The king arose, and with him the governor and Bernice  and those sitting with them.  They left the room,  and while talking with one another, they said,  "This man is not doing anything that deserves death  or imprisonment."

   Agrippa said to Festus,  "This man could have been set free  if he had not appealed to Caesar."

                                      The Book of Acts - chapters  25, 26.  - NIV -

   Peace, Joy, and many Blessings to you and yours,

                                          David McIntire

                                          "A Soldier Of The Light"