admin – Page 4 – Ministry of Grace Church

Author: admin

Romans 3:16 – Pathway Choices

Posted on November 11, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:16

Destruction and misery are in their ways;

Truth to Learn

The path we take is up to us. The end result is up to God.

Behind the Words

The word translated “destruction” comes from the Greek word suntrimma, which is made up of sun, meaning “together” and a form of tribo, which means “to strike or to rub.” Hence, this word literally means “to strike together” as two large rocks might be brought together against something to crush it completely.

The word translated “misery” is the Greek word talaipōria, which means “affliction, distress, or misery.”

“Ways” is translated from hodos, which refers to “a road” or “a pathway.” As we have mentioned before, in the Bible we are depicted as travelers walking down a road or pathway. This verse is an excellent example of that.

Meaning Explained

The Apostle Paul’s current condemnation of all mankind started back in verse 10 with, “there is none righteous, no, not one,” which is taken from the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament.) Since that verse, he has quoted a number of other verses from the Septuagint as he is demonstrating to all those in Rome who were familiar with this Greek version of the Old Testament that the Scripture clearly declares neither Jew nor Gentile is righteous before God.

He now identifies some of the results of their having “turned out of the way,” that is, they have left the path of righteousness, and having used their words to eviscerate others, they have demonstrated their wickedness through their words. And those results include that fact that destruction and misery are in their pathways. Notice that when we leave the pathway that God wants us to travel and go our own way, our new path will have things that God’s way wouldn’t have had. In this case it is destruction and misery.

Also notice that “ways” is plural. Those who follow the urgings of their human nature (our sin nature) will encounter destruction and misery no matter what road they take. At this point it is easy for us to look at crooked political leaders or selfish businessmen who have amassed great power and wealth. It doesn’t appear to us that they are encountering destruction and misery. However, they never have rest from worrying about who might attack them or wondering when their house of cards might crumble beneath them. Ultimately we know some day they will have to stand before the Judge and the result will be destruction and misery.

Here are two quotes from the book of Proverbs that summarize what we have been talking about:

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. (Proverbs 14:12)

Better is a little with the fear of the LORD, than great treasure with trouble. (Proverbs 15:16)

Application

God’s way is not always the easy way, but it will always end in peace for us and praise to God. Lord, give us the discernment to see your path and the courage to take it rather than our own!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, you can call the church phone (618) 614-3070 and leave a message telling us your name and e-mail address or you can send an e-mail to:

Romans 3:15 – Eager Violence

Posted on November 10, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:15

“Their feet are swift to shed blood;

Truth to Learn

Bloodshed and violence are part of human nature.

Behind the Words

“Swift” is translated from the Greek word oxus. The basic meaning of this word is “to have a sharp, piercing point or a very sharp edge.” But this word also implies eagerness toward violence.

The word translated “shed” is ekcheō, which is a compound word made up of ek, meaning “out” or “out of” and cheō, which means “to pour.” Therefore, we can see that this word literally means “to pour out.”

Meaning Explained

In today’s verse the Apostle Paul quotes from Isaiah 59:7 which says,

Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and ruin are in their paths.

This passage in Isaiah occurs in the midst of a description of the character of the nation of Israel in the time of Isaiah. The expression, “their feet are swift,” implies the eagerness of the Jewish people to commit crime, particularly deeds of bodily injury and cruelty. They pursued the innocent ones and were not afraid to shed others’ blood to gratify their wicked desires, or to satisfy their vengeance on those who opposed them.

Notice also, in the Isaiah passage, that it is not just their actions that indicate the wickedness of their hearts. Isaiah says that their thoughts were thoughts of iniquity. Even when they were not performing deeds of wickedness and injury to others, they were thinking about doing evil.

In quoting this passage, however, Paul is showing us that this is the nature of all of mankind, not just Jews. It is clear from Paul’s description of the depravity of mankind in this passage that without the grace of a merciful God, none of us would ever be able to stand before the Judge of the universe without fear of condemnation.

If we hearken back to the metaphor of life being depicted as walking along a pathway, we begin to see the magnitude of this sinful characteristic of man. Instead of a leisurely stroll down the path of life, or even hastening one’s step to pursue closeness to our Travel Guide, this verse portrays man dashing off the path of righteousness in order to attack others. It is indicative of the overwhelming influence of our sin nature when it is not being held in check by the Holy Spirit of God.

Application

It’s easy to see this type of attitude and action being played out all around us. It might be some person going on a killing rampage because they’re angry, or it might be crooked government officials causing pain and suffering for innocent people because of their own selfish greed. It’s part of human nature. We Christians need to do two things. First, we need to ensure that we are humbled before God and filled with His Spirit so we don’t think or do any such things. Then, we need to pray for those who do these things. Be a witness of Christ’s love and pray for the salvation of others. Remember that it is only by the grace of God that we will appear before the Judge some day with the righteousness of Christ. Thank you, Lord for saving my soul!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 3:14 – Words of Bitterness

Posted on November 9, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:14

“Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”

Truth to Learn

Other people’s words can be hurtful, but ours shouldn’t be so.

Behind the Words

The word translated “cursing” is ara, which originally meant “a prayer,” but it has come to mean an imprecatory prayer or “a curse.” This word implies a plea made to a deity requesting vengeance or evil upon someone else.

The word “bitterness” is from the Greek word pikria. This word was originally used to indicate the fruits of the wild vine or bitter gourd which are so excessively bitter and acrid as to be a kind of poison. Words can be like that!

Meaning Explained

In this verse (quoting Psalms 10:7) and the previous verse, the Apostle Paul is quoting from Old Testament scriptures (the Greek translation, called the Septuagint). These verses identify some of the characteristics of people’s words when left to themselves without the influence of a Holy God.

Do you notice the commonality between this verse and the previous one? Both of these verses talk about parts of the body associated with harmful speech. In the previous verse Paul talked about their throat as being an open grave. According to Albert Barnes in his Notes on the Bible,

… as the grave is ever open to receive all into it, that is, into destruction, so the mouth or the throat of the slanderer is ever open to swallow up the peace and happiness of all.”

The second quotation (from yesterday’s verse) says that the poison of asps is under their lips. The particular snake referred to could also be the adder, which is one of the most deadly snakes known to man. This snake is small and commonly lies concealed in the sand or loose dirt beside a road, striking the traveler before he sees it. This, again, is a metaphorical reference to the words of man and how quickly they can cause harm when used in a deceitful and intentionally harmful way.

In today’s verse we see that Paul is still talking about intentionally harmful words. These words are full of bitterness, used to express evil toward others. Here’s what James says:

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. (James 3:6-10)

And Paul is not yet finished with his description of mankind apart from the Spirit of God. There are still four more verses describing us all.

Application

It is easy to recall when others have used words to harm us. It is not so easy to remember when we have used words to harm others. As God’s children we should never intentionally attack others with vicious words. Let us all humble ourselves before God right now, asking for His Spirit to change our words of cursing and bitterness into words of encouragement and love.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 3:13 – Painful Words

Posted on November 8, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:13

“Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “the poison of asps is under their lips”;

Truth to Learn

Our words can be powerful weapons of pain if not controlled.

Behind the Words

The word translated “throat” is the Greek word larugx, from which we get the medical term larynx. This is the part of the throat that produces the sound necessary for speech.

“They have practiced deceit” is translated from the word dolioō, meaning “to lure as with bait” or “to use carefully crafted words to deceive.” As pointed out below, this verse is a quotation of the Old Testament. The Hebrew equivalent of this word means “smooth.” In Psalms 5:9, therefore, it literally says “they have smooth tongues.”

Meaning Explained

This verse is made up of two direct quotations from the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament.):

Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit (Psalms 5:9b)

the poison of asps is under their lips (Psalms 140:3b)

Paul’s use of the Septuagint to quote from rather than the Masoretic Text (the predominant Hebrew version of the Old Testament at that time) is interesting. In fact in all of his writings Paul, like all the other writers of the New Testament, quotes predominantly from the Septuagint rather than the Masoretic Text. For the other writers of the New Testament this may not seem too strange since they were predominantly not from the “learned” class of Jews. Paul, on the other hand, was brought up under Gamaliel, one of the leading Jewish teachers of the time. Paul’s use of the Septuagint probably reflects the fact that most Christians of the first and second centuries used and were familiar with the Septuagint. Thus, he was quoting from a version that they would recognize readily.

Regarding his message, Paul is continuing to demonstrate what the Scriptures have to say about the condition of all people (Jew or Gentile), that we are unrighteous sinners, not deserving of God’s blessing. In this passage Scripture says our throat is an open tomb. As pointed out in Behind the Words, the word throat refers to the larynx which is the source of speech. Paul tells us that it is like an open grave which, according to Proverbs 30:15, 16 is never satisfied. In other words, natural man continually utters harmful speech.

This passage then tells us that natural man practices deceit with his tongue. Without God’s regeneration, man uses smooth words to deceive others into satisfying his own desire. That sounds like good ol’ everyday advertizing to me. Back in the 1940s they would have called it propaganda! Finally, this passage tells us that the words of unregenerate man can bite like a deadly snake.

Application

We have all felt the pain of deceitful, dishonest words used against us to intentionally harm us. And, we have just learned that it’s a part of our fallen human nature to do that to others. As Christians we can overcome our natural tendency to use our words in such a hurtful way. We can only do so, however, by submitting ourselves to our God and asking the Holy Spirit to control our speech so that it glorifies Him.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 3:12 – Wayward and Useless

Posted on October 29, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:12

They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.”

Truth to Learn

Doing religious things our own way is useless.

Behind the Words

The word translated, “turned aside” is ekklinō, which is made up of ek, meaning “out of” and klinō, meaning “to bend, or to turn aside.” Hence, ekklinō means “to turn aside out of the way.” The image is of someone who is walking down a path and turns off the path. So, when we take our own path instead of the one that God desires for us, we have “turned aside.”

“Have become unprofitable” is the Greek word achreioō, which literally means, “to become useless.” It is a word that is used of food which has spoiled and is no longer useful as food.

Meaning Explained

In today’s verse the Apostle Paul continues his quotation from Psalms 53. He says we have all turned out of the way and have become useless. As a result, none of us does anything truly good; no, not even one of us!

Paul, like other writers of Holy Scripture, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, depicts life as a journey, walking down the pathways of life. We have God as our guide on the path as long as we are willing to listen to Him. He knows the pathway for us to take which will glorify Him. But we often ignore His leading and travel the pathways that we want to take. Inevitably, however, the path we choose leads us into trouble and we have to call out to our Guide for help. The wonderful part of this is that whenever we call out to Him and admit our selfish sinfulness, He is right there to rescue us and to lead us back to the right path.

In today’s verse Paul tells us that when we sin, we have turned out of the way God intended for us, going our own way. Not only will this likely result in us getting into trouble, Paul tells us that we are no longer useful to God in accomplishing His desire for us. His desire is to use us for His glory, but our sins prevent that from happening. As a result, we become useless to Him like spoiled food.

It doesn’t matter whether we are Jews or Gentiles. It doesn’t matter whether we attend church every Sunday. It doesn’t matter if we read our Bibles every day. It doesn’t matter if we pray without ceasing. It doesn’t matter if we serve on the worship team, as an usher, as a Sunday school teacher, work in the nursery, serve on a committee, or give of our time to work on the church building. It doesn’t matter if we witness faithfully or do any other good deed. When we fail to listen to the still, small voice of God, we fail to follow His leading and we turn aside to do these things for ourselves, instead of doing them for His glory. And Paul tells us that we become useless to God and the things we do are not good things.

Application

God expects us to give of our time, talents, and treasure for the furtherance of His kingdom. If we serve Him with the wrong attitude, if we serve Him for the wrong reason, if we serve Him simply because we want to do it or because we feel pressured into doing it, we’re walking down the wrong path and we don’t glorify God. But if we do anything because the Holy Spirit has lead us to do it, this is good and it pleases God.

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 3:11 – I Don’t Understand

Posted on October 28, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:11

There is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God.

Truth to Learn

We do not seek out God; He draws us to Him.

Behind the Words

The word translated “understands” is the Greek word suniēmi, which is made up of sun, meaning “together” and hiēmi, meaning “to send” or “to put.” So literally this means “to send together” or “to put together.” It refers to someone “putting it all together” or “understanding.”

“Seeks” is from the verb exzēteō. This is made up of ek, meaning “out” and zēteō, which means “to seek” or “to pursue.” Hence, exzēteō means “to seek out” or “to search diligently.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse Paul declared the first of his great doctrinal statements of the book of Romans. This is the first statement of what some have come to call “The Romans Road.” The first step in the Romans Road is, “There is none righteous, no not one.” You will recall that this is a quote from the book of Psalms.

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; there is none who does good. God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Every one of them has turned aside; they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one. (Psalms 53:1-3)

What Paul declared in the previous verse is that there is no one who is righteous in and of himself, or herself. There is no one in the human race (save for Christ Himself) who can stand in the presence of God Almighty and claim that he or she is righteous enough to deserve heaven.

In today’s verse Paul continues with his quotation, selecting a portion of Psalms 53:2. Not only is no one righteous, none of us understands what God wants from us. And today’s verse also tells us that none of us, left to ourselves, seeks after God. In fact, were it not for the drawing together influence of the Spirit of God, none of us would be able to come to God. We don’t seek Him; He draws us to Himself.

The bottom line is that none of us deserves heaven or salvation. No, not one! In order for us to be saved we must first realize that we are not worthy of salvation. We don’t deserve it, and there is no reason why God should grant it to us apart from His grace and His grace alone!

If you have never recognized your unworthiness for God’s free gift of salvation, now is the time to humble yourself before the mighty hand of God, confess your utter sinfulness, beg for His mercy, and accept His blessed gift of salvation through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Application

If you have already accepted the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the payment for your sins, then you are righteous in His eyes. But you need to realize that without the illumination of the Holy Spirit you wouldn’t even understand what God wants from you. And, you need to recognize that you were drawn to Him; you didn’t come by your own effort.

Thank you Lord, for drawing me to Yourself, for allowing me to understand Your message, and for saving my soul!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 3:10 – No Not One!

Posted on October 27, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:10

As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;

Truth to Learn

None of us meets God’s standard of righteousness.

Behind the Words

The words “it is written” are translated from a single Greek verb, graphō. This word literally means “to engrave,” that is, “to write.” It is expressed here in the perfect tense. This tense in Greek indicates past completed action with an ongoing effect, but the emphasis is on the effect. Hence, we could express this as “It has been written and, therefore, is now in writing.”

“Righteous” is from the Greek word dikaios. It is based on the word dikē, which originally referred to a tendency. Gradually, this word came to mean “an established standard or custom.” So, dikaios refers to someone who has met an expected standard. The standard referred to here is God’s standard of behavior, always doing what is right.

Meaning Explained

Don’t you just hate it when someone starts quoting Scripture at you, especially when you know they’re right? Well, that’s just what Paul is doing here. He is talking to Jewish Christians in Rome who very likely know the Law and the Prophets (what we call The Old Testament). He has been skillfully showing them that whether they are Jews or not they are no better in God’s eyes than anyone else. He now drops the other shoe!

He is quoting from both Psalms 14 and Psalms 53, which are nearly identical. His quotation, which comprises verse ten through eighteen, is really a chain of quotations and paraphrases. Here’s what Psalms 53 says:

Up to this point in Paul’s discourse it still would have been possible, though improbable, that some of his Jewish Christian readers might have thought themselves better than others and acceptable to God because of their lineage and their possession of the Scriptures. Now they have no leg to stand on, so to speak. Their own Scriptures clearly condemn everyone as having turned from God and having become wicked. Paul will use this and other scripture verses from the Old Testament to show these Jewish Christians that the Scriptures which had been entrusted to them by God declare even Jews to be without righteousness.

Application

Let us now stop here and consider that before accepting Christ as Savior, none of us could have stood before God innocent in any way because we haven’t measured up to His standard. When we believed His gospel message and accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we were credited with the righteousness of Christ. Without this righteousness credited to our account we are all destined for hell!

In other words, without the blood of Christ, none of us deserves heaven, no not one!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 3:9 – Sinners All

Posted on October 25, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:9

What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.

Truth to Learn

None of us is better than any other sinner.

Behind the Words

“Are we better” is translated from a single Greek word, proechomai. This is a compound word made up of pro, meaning “before, or in front of”’ and a form of echo, meaning “to have, or to be.” Figuratively, this word means “to have preference or preeminence,” that is, “to be superior.” The difficulty with this word is that the way Paul wrote it, it could be interpreted as either in the passive voice or in the middle voice. So it could mean “are we excelled (by the Gentiles)” or “are we excelling ourselves (above the Gentiles).” Based on what Paul has said in the previous verses and what he will say in the following verses, the middle voice makes more sense. Hence, we could paraphrase this as “Do we (Jews) think that we are better than everyone else?”

The words “Not at all” are translated from ou pantōs. Ou means “no” or “not” and pantōs means “all the parts” or “entirely.” So we could translate this as “Entirely not.”

Meaning Explained

Paul now poses the final rhetorical question in this line of reasoning. You will recall that he is talking about the advantage of being a Jew, yet he is trying to point out to the Jewish Christians in Rome that not only is it not necessary to be a Jew to become a Christian, but being a direct descendent of Abraham has no bearing at all in whether a person is a Christian or not. Nonetheless, Paul demonstrated that the Jews were special because God entrusted them with the writings of the Old Testament.

Having argued that God will judge sin and will glorify Himself in doing so, and having shown that Christian doctrine does not teach that we should all sin greatly so that God will be greatly glorified when He either judges or pardons such sin, Paul now addresses the final objection: “Are Jews better than everyone else then?”

This is the root question that Paul has been trying to get to for this entire section of his argument. However, he could not have done so without guiding his readers along step by step. He then immediately answers this question, “Not at all.”

Now he says, “we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.” In fact, almost the entire first chapter of this epistle was dedicated to proving we’re all sinners and we have no excuse before God.

All of this groundwork has been laid so that Paul can make one of the most profound and revealing declarations in the entire Bible. He will do so by quoting the very “writings” that the Jews have been entrusted with, beginning in the next verse.

Application

Today, some Christians have the same attitude that the Jews of the first century had. Since Christians are saved, and we have the Holy Bible as our guide, we feel like we are just a little bit better than everyone else. However, we need to keep in mind that we are just sinners saved by the grace of God. And, without God’s grace we would be destined for the same lake of fire as every other sinner. That should not make us proud, it should make us humble!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 3:8 – Misrepresented Truth

Posted on October 25, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:8

And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just.

Truth to Learn

All sin will be judged, no matter what our excuse may be.

Behind the Words

The phrase “Let us do” is translated from the verb poieō, meaning “to make” or “to do.” If you have followed our teaching on the use of the word “let,” you might assume that this verb is written in the imperative mood (a command), but it isn’t. It is expressed in the subjunctive mood, which indicates possibility or probability. So the quote might be translated as “We should do evil that good may come.”

“Slanderously reported” is from the Greek verb blasphēmeō, meaning “to speak evil of” or “to intentionally damage someone else’s reputation.” When used against God, this verb is often translated “blaspheme.”

The word translated “affirm” is the Greek verb phēmi. It is based on the obsolete verb phaō, meaning “to shine.” Phēmi means “to bring to light by speech” or “to make known one’s thoughts.”

Meaning Explained

In the previous verses Paul has taught that God is not glorified when someone commits sin; God is glorified when He judges sin. It is His act of judgment, in keeping with who He is, that brings Him glory. But the Jesuits of the first century, among others, had perverted Paul’s teaching on this subject claiming that Paul and the other Apostles were teaching that we all ought to sin greatly so that God would be greatly glorified. After all, as Paul surely had stated before and will later proclaim in this epistle:

But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. (Romans 5:20)

Paul taught that God, in the salvation of people, would be glorified in proportion to the depth and pollution of the guilt which was forgiven. This is true, but how easy it is to misrepresent this as teaching that people ought to sin in order to promote God’s glory! You see, instead of stating it as an inference, which they drew from the doctrine, those who attacked Paul’s teaching declared that Paul taught we ought to sin to bring glory to God. He counters that argument right here by openly exposing the falsehood of what others say about his doctrine. At the same time, he openly declares that those who attack him will receive condemnation. He is also convinced that the condemnation that these false accusers will receive is appropriate because they perverted the truth of God for their own purposes.

Application

We are all sinners, so when our lives are compared to the perfect life that Christ lived we will all be found guilty as sinners and it will be shown that our righteousness is like filthy rags. For the past few verses Paul’s teaching has been “God will judge every sin of every man.” Those sins will either be judged at the cross and declared as fully paid for (everyone who believes and accepts this sacrificial gift) or the sins will be judged and the sinners declared guilty at the Great White Throne, where the payment for sins will be eternity in the lake of fire.

Where will your sins be judged?

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Romans 3:7 – The Truth Judge

Posted on October 22, 2009 by admin

Romans 3:7

For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?

Truth to Learn

We are sinners and God will judge sinners.

Behind the Words

“Increased” is from the Greek word perisseuō, which is based on the preposition peri, meaning “around, through, or over.” Perisseuō, means “to be in excess,” “to be overly abundant,” or “to have more than enough.”

The word “lie” is translated from the Greek word pseusma, which is based on the verb pseudomai, meaning “to speak an untruth” or “to attempt to deceive by falsehood.” Therefore, pseusma refers to “a lie” or “a falsehood.”

Meaning Explained

Paul now states another rhetorical question that could be asked by those who argue against his line of reasoning. The argument could be stated like this: “Hey, Paul, if God is shown to be true by judging my sin and He receives glory for it, then my sin really isn’t bad, is it? If it glorifies God, it must be OK!”

The fallacy of that argument is that the act of sin does not glorify God any more than someone committing murder glorifies the court system. It is the fact that God judges the act of sin just as He said He would (God is shown to be true to His word) that glorifies Him. In the same manner, punishing a murderer glorifies the court system because the court has fulfilled its stated purpose and responsibility.

Some might claim that in the current verse Paul is confessing to be a liar, but that is not the case. You will recall back in verse five he said:

God is true but every man a liar.

That is to say, there is no one who tells the truth all the time, except God. Therefore, every man is a liar. And, if every man is a liar, then that includes Paul.

In effect, what Paul was saying back in verse 4 is, “God is true! And every man is a liar. Therefore man cannot nullify the faithfulness of God.” It is the fact that God is true, i.e. He always does just what He said He would do that brings glory to Him, not our sinfulness.

Also, God’s truth is what separates Christians from the rest of mankind. In John’s gospel he related the prayer that Jesus prayed for his disciples after the Last Supper. In that prayer Jesus said:

Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
(John 17:17)

We have been set apart … from sin to God (that’s what “sanctify” means). Believing the gospel message is what sets up apart because that message is truth.

Application

Once again, we are brought face to face with how holy our God is and how sinful we are. And, it is absolutely amazing that a Holy God who judges sin manages to find a way for sinners like us to avoid His judgment. He sent His Son to sacrifice His perfect life so that my sins and yours could be forgiven. How great is His love and how marvelous is His grace!

I am as grateful as I am unworthy! And that’s the truth!

In God’s service, for His glory,

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –