MAX KLEIN BIBLE MINISTRIES
The Seven Baptisms
Written by: Max Klein
Baptism means identification or association:
Introduction:
1. This meaning began in Homer's time. Homer wrote of the one-eyed giant, Cyclops who had trapped Ulysses and his men in a cave and was eating them one at a time. The ingenious Ulysses devised a plan. He had his men sharpen a large log and together they rammed this log into the eye of the one-eyed Cyclops rendering him blind. They identified (baptized) the sharpened log with Cyclops’ eye which changed Cyclops from a seeing giant to a blind giant. Having blinded the Cyclops, they were able to maneuver their way out of the cave. Another example by Homer: Homer's Odyssey, book 9, used baptism for hot metal identified (baptized) with water when a smith dipped a piece of hot iron into water. This is how a blacksmith would temper swords in the ancient world. After this identification, the sword was made stronger and so less likely to bend.
2. Xenophon said that the Spartan military recruits after finishing infantry training would identify (baptize) their spears with pig’s blood. They would run by a barrel of pig’s blood and thrust their spears into this blood. This ritual, identified their spears with killing and the soldier’s readiness for combat with the enemy.
3. Euripides used the word for a ship identified with the bottom of the sea when it sank. Before sinking, the ship was valuable; after sinking it had no value at all.
4. So "baptize" in the classical Greek meant to identify one thing with another so that the characteristics of the original thing were altered. Therefore, the interpretation of the word "baptism" is identification with something that brings about a change.
5. There are a number of cognates related to this Greek word such as bapto, baptizo, baptisma, baptismos, baptistes, and embapto. A few examples follow:
6. John 13:26, “Jesus then answered, ‘That is the one for whom, I shall dip [the future of the Greek word bapto] the morsel and give it to him. So, when he had dipped [the aorist participle of bapto; the sop now takes on a new meaning that of honor] the sop [the morsel], He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.”
To give someone a sop [a special bit of food usually a piece of bread or meat with a tasty sauce] was the highest honor of a banquet. At a banquet a special piece of bread or meat was prepared along with a special sauce for the guest of honor who would then honor someone by giving it to that person. Jesus as the guest of honor took this sop and dipped it into a special sauce and gave it to Judas. In this way, the Lord Jesus Christ honored Judas as a member of the family of God, and for his ministry as an apostle to the Lost Sheep of Israel. This honor should have given Judas second thoughts regarding his plan to betray Jesus to the Sanhedrin.
7. Matthew 3:7, “but when he [John the Baptizer] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism [identification: the Greek word baptisma], he said to them, “You brood of vipers [poisonous snakes], who warned you to flee from the wrath to come [Baptism of Fire: identification with the fire of Torments and then the Lake of Fire]?”
8. Hebrews 6:1-2, “Therefore, leaving behind the elementary teaching about Christ, let us advance to maturity, not laying again the foundation [of the basics such as]: a change of thinking about dead works [just as an unbeliever must have a change of mind about Christ to obtain salvation, so the believer must have a change of mind about legalism (dead works) in order to obtain the spiritual life], and of faith toward God [Faith-Rest Drill], (2) doctrine of baptisms [the Greek word baptismos; a reference to the seven types of baptism as found in Scripture] as well as the laying on of hands [ritual rebound in the age of Israel], and of resurrection from the dead, and of eternal judgment [the Great White Throne Judgment].
9. Matthew 3:1, “In those days John the Baptizer [the Greek word baptistes; when John baptized someone into the Jordan River, the converts were identified with the plan of God and his kingdom.] came proclaiming [as a herald] in the desert of Judea.”
There are two categories of identification in Scripture namely an actual identification or a real baptism and a representative identification or a ritual baptism which uses water.
The four real or actual identifications with something that has significance.
1. The Baptism of Moses: 1 Corinthians 10:1-2 presents the baptism of Moses, "For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; (2) and all were baptized [the Greek word baptizo] into Moses in the cloud [the Lord] and in the sea." This was a real identification in which Moses was identified with the Lord and the open path through the Red Sea and the Jews were identified with Moses. By the way, none of the Jews got wet, only Egyptian unbelievers who were immersed in the water as a means of death.
2. The Baptism of the Cross is found in Matthew 20:22, “But Jesus answered [Salome by addressing her sons] and said, “You [plural: a reference to James and John] do not know what you [James and John] ask. Are you [James and John] able to drink of the cup [bear the punishment of all the sins of the world] that I am about to drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism [the sins of the world identified with Christ followed by the Father judging them] that I am baptized with [identified with]?” They [James and John] said to Him, “We are able. [the dumbest statement that James and John ever made]” [I selected the longer text as did Jerome.]
3. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Retroactive Positional Truth and Current Positional Truth) occurs at salvation for Church Age believers only.
Colossians 2:12. Having been buried [aorist participle] with Him [Jesus Christ] by means of the baptism [God the Holy Spirit identified us with the burial of Jesus Christ as part of our salvation] by means of which [Baptism] you have been raised up [main verb] with Him [in union with Jesus Christ seated at the right hand of the Father] through faith [at the point of salvation] in the operational power from the source of God who has raised Him [the humanity of Christ was given a resurrection body] out from the dead [physical death].
Romans 6:3-9:
Romans 6:3: Or do you not know that all of us who [a correlative] have been baptized into [identified with] Christ Jesus [Current Positional Sanctification: we are in union with Christ in his life in heaven], have been baptized into His death [Retroactive Positional Truth and so identified with his substitutionary spiritual death on the cross]?
Positionally, (in union with Christ) we share His righteousness, heirship, priesthood, destiny, election, eternal life, royalty, sonship etc. All these making us a new spiritual species in Christ Jesus. The plural correlative hosoi (ὅσοι) means that if we were identified with Christ in heaven and we were, then also we have been identified with Christ in his substitutionary spiritual death in which he removed the power of sin nature. Thus, the sin nature should not have power over our lives.
A few more points will be noted:
1. Note that the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation enters the believer into union with Christ at the right hand of God the Father which union is called current positional truth.
2. This verse also mentions identification with Christ in His spiritual death on the cross which identification theologians call retroactive positional truth. Retroactive positional truth also includes identification with Christ in His physical death and burial as well.
3. Identification with Christ in His death, then, has a two-fold connotation namely all personal sins were judged at the cross and since that is the case, God the Father is free to provide in grace, the Recovery Procedure. The second connotation is that good and evil were rejected by Jesus on the cross since good and evil are a part of Satan’s policy and plan. On the cross, Jesus relied on the proto-type spiritual life which operated under the two power options namely God’s power system.
4. So, the old sin nature’s ruling power over the Christian has been broken since all sins were judged on the cross and the Recovery Procedure has been provided. So, Retroactive Positional Truth has destroyed the sovereignty of the old sin nature over the life of the Christian.
5. Also, since Jesus rejected the good and evil policy of Satan so should the believer reject Satan’s policy of good and evil as the believer applies Retroactive Positional Truth.
Romans 6:4: Therefore, we have been buried together with Him through the identification [Baptism of the Spirit] into His death [physical], in order that just as Christ has been raised up from the dead [on Resurrection Sunday], through the glory of the Father [through the Father’s power], [So also we, the dead in Christ, will be raised from the dead by the power of the Father, and those alive at the Rapture, by the power of the Holy Spirit.] in this manner we also might walk in newness of life [Experiential sanctification should reflect our future ultimate sanctification.].
Christ had to die physically “and Jesus having shouted clearly with a loud voice said, Father, into your hands I deposit my [human] spirit, and having said this, he exhaled” (Luke 23:46). This last exhale caused His soul and spirit to depart from his mortal body resulting in physical death. Just as Christ had to die physically in order to obtain his resurrection body, so we must depart from our body of corruption, or mortality in order to receive our eternal body called our resurrection body.
The Newness of Life:
1. The newness of life provided through the baptism of the Spirit includes positional freedom from producing good and evil. Not only are we free from the tyranny of good and evil but we are also free from having to produce good and evil.
2. The believer has no obligation to improve the devil’s world through social action, socialism, welfare state, communism, environmentalism, or any social gospel, social action, getting involved, etc.
3. The human race is protected from Satan’s policy of good and evil through the laws of divine establishment which promote freedom instead of improvement at the cost of freedom.
4. In addition to the Laws of Divine Establishment the believer is insulated from good and evil positionally through the baptism of the Spirit.
5. Divorced from the Old Sin Nature positionally and its useless activity of human good and the function of evil, the life of the believer can be devoted to glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ through maximum knowledge and application of Bible doctrine.
Romans 6:5: For if we have become united with Him [Christ, the new husband] in the likeness of His death [the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross], and we have, and not only this, but also, we shall be [united in the likeness] of His resurrection [Current Positional Truth: in union with the resurrected Christ].
Romans 6:6: Be knowing this [through Retroactive Positional Truth], that our old man [our former husband, the sin nature dates back to the Garden] has been crucified together [with Him], in order that the [human] body, with reference to its sin nature, [the sin nature located in the body] might be rendered powerless [when we use Recovery Procedure and the two power options], that we should no longer be slaves to the sin nature.
“Our old man has been crucified with Him” meaning that the power of the sin nature has been broken on the cross. Since the power of the sin nature was broken by the work of the cross, we as believers have no excuse for not executing the spiritual life. We will not be able to say to Christ at our evaluation that our sin nature was too powerful for us to execute the spiritual life.
A few points for further clarification:
1. Retroactive positional truth is that phase of the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation which identifies the believer with Christ in His spiritual death, physical death and his burial.
2. In the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross all the personal sins in human history were imputed to Christ, but at the same time the other two trends of the old sin nature were not imputed for judgment.
3. Good and evil is the policy of Satan as the ruler of this world and the function of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life. In fact, the sin nature functions as the agent of Satan.
4. Good and evil were not imputed for judgment on the cross. Hence, in the spiritual death of Christ on the cross they were rejected to remain an issue in the angelic conflict, rejected to be perpetuated in human history as an issue every believer must face, and either overcome through the intake of doctrine or be entrapped by ignorance of doctrine and therefore lose out in glorifying God in time.
5. We are identified with Christ in His spiritual death, which means that we must understand that our sins have been judged and that good and evil has been rejected.
6. It all adds up to the fact that the sovereignty of the old sin nature over human life has been made powerless through retroactive positional truth.
7. The imputation of all personal sins of the human race to Christ on the cross means that the believer through the rebound technique is instantly forgiven sins, cleansed from all wrong doing which includes Satanic good and evil, restored to fellowship and filled with the Spirit.
Romans 6:7: For we who have died [the Christian is identified with the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ: theologically called Retroactive Positional Truth] have been acquitted [positional deliverance] from [the power of] the sin nature.
A few points for further clarification:
1. A dead person is discharged from the obligations of his former sphere of life. This is why the word “death” is used in this context. It is not a literal, physical death we are discussing but identification with Christ in His death.
2. As unbelievers we were under the authority of Satan as the ruler of this world, and under the authority of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life.
3. Both the power of Satan and the old sin nature have been abrogated through the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation.
4. This passage, then, emphasizes the annulling of the power and the authority of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life.
5. Positionally, the power of the sin nature has been broken. Experientially, the old sin nature controls to the extent that we fail to understand and utilize the provision and support of logistical grace.
Romans 6:8: Now if we have died with Christ, and we have [retroactive positional truth], we also believe that we shall live in association with Him [the instrumental of association; a reference to Current Positional Truth].
In this verse, the 1st Class conditional sentence shows the relationship between Retroactive Positional Truth with Current Positional Truth. The protasis, the ‘if’ clause states the reality of Retroactive Positional Truth and the apodosis, the concluding clause states the doctrinal inference and the reality of Current Positional Truth. While Retroactive Positional Truth presents positional rejection and separation from good and evil as the policy of Satan and the function of the old sin nature, Current Positional Truth relates the believer to the function of the royal family of God. In other words, they have separate functions.
Romans 6:9: Knowing that because Christ has been raised from the dead [He received a resurrection body], no longer can He die; [physical] death is no longer a master over Him.
Analysis:
1. Retroactive positional truth destroys the sovereign authority of the old sin nature over human life. Current positional truth, on the other hand, destroys the limited authority of physical death in human life.
2. Instead of being ruled by the old sin nature located in the cells of the human body and influencing our souls toward sin, good and evil, we now have a new sovereign, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are identified with Him in His deaths, in His burial, resurrection, ascension and session.
3. Before salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit our lives were under the absolute rule of Satan who is the ruler of this world and under the rule of the old sin nature which is the ruler of life, and under the limited rule of physical death. All of that, of course, has been changed since salvation.
4. Now both retroactive and current positional truth have abrogated the authority and power of these former rulers. The power of Satan over our lives has been broken through identification with the rejection of good and evil namely Satan’s policy and plan and through our position in union with Christ. The power of the old sin nature is broken through retroactive positional truth and the power of physical death is broken through current positional truth.
5. Therefore, having studied these things by principle and by implication we are now ready for application, verses 12 & 13 specifically.
6. Having been positionally liberated from the sovereignty of the old sin nature as an absolute ruler, and the authority of physical death, we must recognise and apply doctrine for the experiential victory commanded in verses 11-13.
Galatians 3:25-28, “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under the authority of [have need of] a school bus. (26) For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (27) For all of you who were baptized into Christ [identified with Christ through union with Him] have clothed yourselves with Christ. (28) There is neither Jew nor Greek [no racial distinction], there is neither slave nor free man [no social or economic distinction], there is neither male nor female [no gender distinction]; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [All Christians have the same privileges and opportunities to execute the spiritual life.]”
Current Positional Truth, Elaborated:
In the Church Age, Current Positional Truth establishes our relationship with Christ as opposed to religion. It refers to the Church Age believer in union with Christ and is the key to understanding the Church Age and how the royal family came into being. Therefore, it is the basis for distinguishing between Christianity and religion. Christianity is a relationship with God without merit whereas religion is a system of works to gain the approbation of God. Never shall the twain meet!
The mechanics of Current Positional Truth is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, whereby the Spirit enters us into union with Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:13, “For also by agency of the one Spirit we are all baptized [identification resulting in becoming a new spiritual species] into one body [in union with Christ], whether Jews or Greeks [racial distinctions are removed], whether slave or free [class and economic distinctions are removed], even all were made to drink [the aorist passive, the voice of grace] the one Spirit [The Holy Spirit did not ask us whether we wanted to be put into union with Christ or not.].” Ephesians 4:5, “One Lord [becomes our Lord positionally at Salvation]), one faith [faith alone in Christ alone; Acts 16:31], one baptism [Baptism of the Holy Spirit takes place at salvation].”
Current Positional truth guarantees that there will be no judgment for believers in eternity, Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Thus, the condemnation which occurred at the first birth was removed at the 2nd birth. As a result of being born with the sin nature and the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin, we were condemned to the Lake of Fire for all eternity, but now that has been removed. Romans 5:12, “For this reason just as through one man [Adam] the sin [nature] entered into the world [procreation], and so spiritual death through the sin [the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin to the sin nature], and so spiritual death spread to all mankind, because all sinned when Adam sinned [since we were all genetically in Adam when he sinned, we will receive Adam’s Original Sin].” However, at our spiritual birth, the 2nd birth, our pre-salvation sins were all forgiven including Adam’s Original Sin. After which, the Spirit entered us into union with Christ where there is now no condemnation (Romans 8:1).
Current Positional truth qualifies the believer to live with God forever. To live with God forever, the believer must have eternal life and God’s perfect righteousness, 1 John 5:11-12, “And this is the deposition [testimony] that the God [the Father] has given to us, eternal life, and this life is in his son [Since we are in union with Christ, we share this life.]. (12) and he who has the son [a relationship with the Son] has the life [eternal life] and the one who does not have the son of God [relationship with the Son] does not have the life [eternal life].” 2 Corinthians 5:21, “And He [the Father] made Him who knew no sin [perfection] to be a sin offering [imputation of sins on the cross] as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him [current positional truth].” To live with God forever means you must have His life, and you must be as righteous as He is.
Positional truth guarantees the believer’s eternal security, Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded that neither death [nothing in death] nor life [nothing in life] nor angels nor principalities [ruling angels] nor powers [human organizations] nor things present nor things to come (39) nor height [nothing in heaven] nor depth [nothing in Hades] nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eternal life in Christ is for all eternity!
Positional truth belongs to all categories of believers whether they be apostate, mature, immature, spiritually adult, or carnal. Since Current Positional Truth occurs at the point of salvation before experience in the Christian life begins, it doesn’t depend on that experience. 1 Corinthians 1:2, “to the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus [at salvation], called saints together with all who call upon the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, their [Lord] and ours.” So, even though you may be carnal or in reversionism, you still have positional truth. Being in union with Christ has nothing to do with what you do [experiential righteousness], or don’t do [failure to execute God’s plan]. Current Positional sanctification is completely the work of God the Holy Spirit and so is not based upon our volition, but on the sovereign decision of God. We make the decision to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, but we don’t make the decision to enter into union with Christ “all were made to drink the one Spirit” as per 1 Corinthians 12:13. God the Holy Spirit graciously did that for us and so it cannot be undone.
Current Positional truth creates a new spiritual species in Christ as per 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ and he is, he is a new spiritual species. The old things have lost their power; behold, new things have come to pass.” You become a new spiritual species at salvation by being put into union with Christ. It is what God does for you, and therefore it is grace. It is not what you do after salvation, such as the self-righteous works of legalism. The “old things” have to do with spiritual death and those things related to that death; the “new things” refer to things you receive at salvation such as the 40 assets and the unique spiritual life.
Positional truth should motivate the production of divine good and a pattern of life compatible with royalty as per Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his creation, having been created in Christ Jesus [a new spiritual species with many assets] for the purpose of divine good production [via experiential sanctification] which the God [the Father] has prepared in advance [in eternity past, God the Father provided election and predestination as part of our Portfolio of Invisible Assets], that we in the sphere of them [election and predestination] may pattern our lives.”
Even though a Christian may die the Sin on to Death, he will not lose his position in union with Christ (1 John 5:18-20), and so cannot lose his salvation. In order for a believer to lose his position in Christ, he would have to sin in that status, but since the believer cannot sin in union with Christ, he cannot lose his position in Christ and so cannot lose his salvation. Thus, it is comforting and reassuring to a believer to know that even though a loved one may have died the ‘sin on to death’, he has not lost his salvation.
Because we are in union with Christ, we share His:
1. Eternal life, 1 John 5:11, “And this is the deposition [testimony] that the God [the Father] has given to us, eternal life [At salvation, God the Father imputes this life to the human spirit], and this life is in his son [The Christian also shares the life of Christ through union with Him]. (12) and he who has the son [a relationship with the Son] has the life [eternal life] and the one who does not have the son of God [relationship with the Son] does not have the life [eternal life].”
John 14:6, “Jesus said to him [Thomas], ‘I am the way, the truth and the life [eternal life]; no person [in human history] comes face to face with the Father [having an eternal relationship with the Father] except through Me.’”
2. Perfect righteousness, 2 Corinthians 5:21, “And he (God the Father) made him [Jesus] who knew no sin (perfection) to be a sin offering as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him [positional truth]. Sharing the righteousness of Christ, we become the objects of God the Father’s love as per Romans 8:39.
3. Election, Ephesians 1:4, “just as He [the Father] has elected us for Himself in Him [Jesus Christ] before the creation of the world [in eternity past], that we may be set apart [experiential sanctification] and blameless [ultimate sanctification] in the presence of Him [Father].”
4. Destiny, Ephesians 1:5, “By means of love, He has predestined us for the purpose of adoption as adult sons to Himself through Christ Jesus our Lord according to the grace purpose of His will.”
5. Sonship, Galatians 3:26, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”
6. Heirship, Romans 8:16-17, “The Spirit Himself testifies together [bears witness] with our [human] spirit, that we are the children of God. (17) Now, if we are children and we are, also heirs, on the one hand heirs of God [the Father], and joint heirs with Christ. If indeed [if it is true that], we suffer with Him [pass all three stages of undeserved suffering], that also we might be glorified with Christ.”
7. Sanctification, 1 Corinthians 1:2, “to the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints together with all who call upon the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, their [Lord] and ours.”
8. Priesthood, Hebrews 7:12-19, “For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change in the Law also. (13) For the One [the Lord Jesus Christ] concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe [the tribe of Judah] from which no one has officiated at the altar. (14) For it is evident that our Lord has descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests, (15) and this is clearer still, if another priest arises similar to Melchizedek, and there has, (16) who has become a priest not on the basis of physical requirement [a reference to the Levitical Priesthood] but on the basis of indestructible life [the Lord’s priesthood is forever]. (17) For this reason, it is witnessed, ‘You are a priest forever similar to the order of Melchizedek.’” [We are in union with Christ. Therefore, we are royalty and priests forever. We represent ourselves before God as royal priests.] (18) For, on the one hand, there is a rescinding of the former commandment [the Mosaic Law that authorized the Levitical priesthood] because of its weakness and uselessness (19) (for the Law brought nothing to completion), but on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope [the second door of hope for the Church Age believer—a personal sense of destiny—by which we enter the adult spiritual life] through which we draw near to God.”
Hebrews 7:26-28, “For it is fitting that we should have such a high priest, impeccable integrity, the One who cannot do evil, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; (27) Who does not need daily, like those Levitical priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for their own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He [Jesus] offered up Himself. (28) For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of His [God the Father’s] oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, who has become perfect forever [Jesus Christ is a perfect high priest].”
9. Royalty, 1 Peter 2:9, “ But you and only you are an elect [elect by God the Father] race [as a new spiritual species], a royal priesthood [since Jesus is a king-priest], a holy nation [God’s entity: a nation of priests: every Christian is a priest], a people for God’s own possession [a protected people], so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him [Christ] who has called [in eternity past] you out of darkness [spiritual death and the Cosmic Systems] into His amazing light [his plan];”
10. New Spiritual Species, 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ and he is, he is a new spiritual species. The old things have lost their power [Old Covenant]; behold, new things have come to pass [This would include the New Covenant to the Church.].”
Current Positional Truth changes our relationship with Angels.
1. Through current positional truth the believer is higher than angels positionally.
2. Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, and so superior to all angels. By virtue of being in union with Christ, every believer is now positionally superior to angels.
3. Positional truth has fulfilled the believer’s triumph with Christ in the angelic conflict. We are victorious with Him already.
4. Furthermore, positional truth demands compatibility with experiential righteousness. Therefore, the believer’s walk on this earth must be compatible with positional truth since we have perfect security in Christ, we have the freedom to choose for Jesus Christ, to love Jesus Christ, to respond to His love, and to fulfill our purpose on this earth.
What positional truth is not?
1. It is not an experience, emotions or ecstasies.
2. It is not progressive; it cannot be improved in time or eternity.
3. It is not related to human merit or ability.
4. It cannot be changed by God, man or angels. It is eternal in nature.
5. It is not obtained gradually as you grow in grace, but in toto at salvation.
6. It is not known apart from the metabolization of doctrine.
7. From understanding the doctrine of positional truth, we progress in our spiritual life, but we cannot improve it since it is perfect at salvation.
8. We are not in Christ because of what we do (execution of the spiritual life) or fail to do (fail to execute the spiritual life), but because of what God has done.
A few points of explanation:
1. The conclusion from positional truth, whether retroactive or current, is that the Christian must apply these doctrines to his spiritual life.
2. In Romans 7:1-4 where we have an illustration of a woman whose first husband has died freeing her to marry another. This is what actually happens to us as believers at salvation. The old sin nature is the husband up to the point of salvation, but at the moment we believe in Jesus Christ positionally the sin nature is dead, as it were, the first husband has died and we have a new husband through union with Christ. Retroactive Positional Truth removes our first husband, the sin nature whereas Current Positional Truth enters us into union with Christ, our new husband.
3. The old sin nature-husband is still around, still seeking to regain his control over his former wife, the believer. But union with the second husband, the Lord Jesus Christ, has broken the first husband’s authority over the former wife.
4. The Baptism of Fire:
Matthew 3:11, “On the one hand I [John the Baptizer] baptize you [believers] by means of water because of a change of thinking [about Christ], but the one coming after me is mightier than I whose sandals I am not worthy to lace [loosen, remove]. He himself will baptize by means of the Holy Spirit [a reference to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Church Age] and by means of fire [a reference to the Baptism of Fire at the 2nd Advent].”
Baptism of Fire: The baptism of fire (identification with fire) is defined as the judgment of unbelievers both Jew and gentile at the Second Advent. They will be removed from the earth and placed in fire for 1000 years until the Last Judgment, Luke 3:16-17; Mathew 25:31, 33. The analogy to the Baptism of Fire is found in Matthew 24:36-41. The one left in the field is the mature believer; the one taken is the unbeliever.
Parables of the Baptism of Fire:
1. The wheat and the tares (the unbelievers), Matthew 13:24-30, 36-40.
2. The good and bad fish (unbelievers), Matthew 13:47-50.
3. The ten virgins: five wise, five foolish (the unbelievers), Matthew 25:1-13.
4. The sheep and the goats (the unbelievers), Mathew 25:31-46.
5. The talent test, Matthew 25:14-30. The one talent man represents the unbeliever.
If Jesus Christ had not been rejected by the Jewish people, then the age of Israel would have continued until its completion (the Tribulation completes the age of Israel). (However, they did reject Jesus Christ as Savior and Messiah and so the client nation was destroyed, and the Church age was intercalated that is inserted before the age of Israel was complete.) After the completion of the age of Israel at the end of the Tribulation, comes the wrath of God namely the Baptism of Fire when the Lord removes both Jewish and gentile unbelievers from the earth and identifies them with fire forever. After which, the Millennial reign begins.
The Three Ritual Baptisms. None are extant at the present time. They are representative identifications in which water is used as a training aid to represent some principle of doctrine.
1. The Baptism of John is found in Matthew 3:2-6, “Saying, ‘Change your thinking [regarding Christ] for the kingdom of heaven is near.’ [The future king was already on the earth] (3) For this is what was communicated through Isaiah, the prophet saying, ‘The voice of one [John the Baptizer] proclaiming loudly in the desert [of Judea]. Prepare [the aorist tense is a one time-decision] the way of the Lord [an idiomatic expression for salvation]. Keep on making upright [the use of the Recovery Procedure followed by the development of experiential righteousness] His paths!’ (Isaiah 40:3) (4) Now, John himself kept on having a garment of camel’s hair [very uncomfortable] and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. (5) Then [after John went where God wanted him to be] Jerusalem kept on going out to him [face to face] and all Judea and all the districts around the Jordan. (6) and they were being baptized [identified with the kingdom] by him [under John’s authority] in the Jordan River [where Israel crossed when they entered the land], and they kept on confessing their sins [post-salvation confession of sins].”
MAX KLEIN BIBLE MINISTRIES
Romans Chapter Three
A verse-by-verse commentary by Max Klein
1 Corinthians 3:1, “And I brethren was not able to communicate to you as spiritual ones [ones functioning under the two power options] but as fleshly ones [controlled by your sin natures] as childish ones [emotions were their criterion] in Christ.”
2 Corinthians 6:11, 12, “Our mouths [Paul, Apollos and Timothy] have been open face to face with you, O Corinthians. Our stream of consciousnesses have been enlarged [they all understood the spiritual life well]. (12) You have not been hindered [in your spiritual lives] by us, but you have been hindered by your emotions.”
Philippians 3:18, 19, “For many [the majority] keep walking concerning whom many times, I have told [warned] you for your benefit, and now even weeping [in private] I tell you that they are the enemies of the Cross of Christ (19) whose end [of their lives] is destruction [they will die under the Sin unto Death] whose god is their emotion [their lifestyle is lived under emotional revolt of the soul], and whose glory [pseudo glory and self-promotion] associated with shame [revealed at the Evaluation throne of Christ], who keep thinking about earthly things [no eternal values, no divine viewpoint in time].”
Romans Chapter 3
Outline: verses
1 – 8. The stability of the Integrity of God.
9 – 20. The Integrity of God rejects sinful mankind.
21 – 26. The Righteousness of God.
27 – 31. Results of the Integrity of God.
Romans 3:1
What, therefore, is the advantage to the Jew? Or what is the benefit from circumcision?
Τί οὖν τὸ περισσὸν τοῦ Ἰουδαίου, ἢ τίς ἡ ὠφέλεια τῆς περιτοµῆς;
1. The exclusion of man’s self-righteousness through the function of divine integrity has caused some Jews to be deflated and maybe a bit discouraged. (There were Jews who had now read the first two chapters of Romans what were the benefits of being a Jew.)
2. Because Paul has done such a great job in the second chapter of Romans, they can see no advantage in possessing the Mosaic Law. Why have it?
3. The maladjusted Jews in reversionism were blinded to the spiritual role of the racial Jew and the nation Israel in history. Their maladjustment blinded them, and it does today.
4. Paul has demonstrated that the Jews are just as spiritually dead as the Gentiles. The justice of God has condemned the Jew with the Law just as He has condemned the Gentile without the Law.
Israel’s Pre-eminence or advantages:
The pre-eminence of the Jew is related to certain principles that are developed in the Word of God. The first has to do with the racial uniqueness of the Jew. There were initially three post-diluvian races in history namely the Semitic, the Japhetic and Hamitic. The Semitic race was eventually split when Abraham became the father of the Jewish race. So, there became four races namely the Arab Semites (all Semites apart from the Jews), the Japhetic, Hamitic and the Jewish race. The Jewish race is the only race that began with three generations of believers. To be a racial Jew, one had to be the descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. So, the advantage of the Jew is first a racial pre-eminence.
Secondly, there is the unique nation of Israel. The unique origin and purpose of national Israel gives pre-eminence to the Jew. The Jews came out of slavery, a landless people who had to conquer the Canaanite in order to form a nation. A people cannot become a nation without land, and in order to gain land and to keep it, there must have a strong military. They were made a client nation, a special nation under the authority of the Lord for the teaching of the Laws of Establishment, the spiritual life and to send out missionaries. They were also given custodianship of written revelation from God. They were the first client (priest) nation in history, a unique status.
Thirdly, the integrity of God has made promises to the Jews that have never been made to anyone else—the unconditional covenants. Never in all of history, apart from those unconditional promises did God ever promise to a race, and then to a nation, a piece of real estate on this earth to be ruled by the Lord Jesus Christ in the Millennium, and for all eternity. That means they are pre-eminently unique.
The fourth point of pre-eminence is the unique discipline and restoration of Israel. The pre-eminence of Israel is related to the fact that even though severely punished several times under the 5th cycle of discipline they will be regathered and restored at the Second Advent. No nation has ever had the 5th cycle of discipline and still come back to be a nation again—only Israel. That is unique. Three times they have been a nation—the United Kingdom, the Divided Kingdom [Ephraim in the north and Judah in the south], then Judea. At the 2nd Advent, the Lord will regather the Jews to form the final client nation in history.
The fifth point of pre-eminence is the survival of the Jew under constant conditions of anti-Semitism. They have survived, and will survive, under the most concentrated of all Satanic attacks.
The sixth point of uniqueness is the Millennial Israel. The pre-eminence of Israel is related to the glorified status in the Millennium. Israel will be unique among nations—Zechariah 14:16-21.
With all these racial and national advantages, if the individual Jew does not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as his savior, then all these advantages are for nought.
The Advantages of being a Jew:
1. The salvation advantage of the Jew: There is no advantage in being an outward Jew as per Romans 2:28 unless one is an inward Jew of Romans 2:29. The advantage comes in adjusting to the integrity of God at salvation. There is no advantage in being a Jew by race or a Jew nationally. However, the spiritual heritage of Israel gave them an advantage. For example, their animal sacrifices clearly taught salvation.
2. The doctrinal advantage: The Jews have been recipients of both written and oral revelation from God. The Jews as a Client Nation were the custodians of the canon of scripture. All doctrine resided in Israel.
3. The dispensational advantage: In the dispensation of Israel the Jew had the whole realm of doctrine except the mystery doctrines of the Church Age. He had the unconditional covenants and the establishment principles delineated by the Mosaic Law. In the dispensation of the Church the Jew becomes royal family of God through faith in Christ just as the Gentile does. In the dispensation of the Millennium the Jew has maximum benefit from the fulfilment of the unconditional covenants; Israel will be the Client Nation throughout the Millennium and forever. They will have the advantage of the greatest government administration in all of history, Jesus Christ will rule from Jerusalem as king for one thousand years and then forever.
4. The establishment advantage: Every nation has the advantage when it has establishment. The Mosaic Law not only defined freedom, but it set up a constitution for national government which included principles of establishment. The Jews always benefited from their observation of establishment doctrines under the Mosaic Law.
5. The Client Nation advantage: As long as they were faithful to the Lord, they came under the protection of the Lord.
Regarding circumcision, the only advantage of circumcision besides a health advantage, was a constant reminder of how to adjust to God’s integrity first at salvation and then at spiritual maturity. Every time Jewish men looked at their circumcision, they were reminded that Abraham believed in the Lord, and righteousness was accredited to him. Then, by studying Abraham’s life and how he grew in his faith, established a pattern for all Jews to follow.
Romans 3:2
Much in every way for since, in the first place, they were entrusted with the instructions from God [Old Testament Canon].
πολὺ κατὰ πάντα τρόπον. πρῶτον µὲν [γὰρ] ὅτι ἐπιστεύθησαν τὰ λόγια τοῦ θεοῦ.
Being the writers and custodians of the Old Testament Scriptures gave Israel tremendous opportunity along with having the greatest men of doctrine in all the world.
Romans 3:3
Well then, if certain ones [Jews] refused to believe [in Jesus Christ], and they did refuse, their lack of faith will not cancel-out the faithfulness of God, will it? No, of course not. [the question introduced by the Greek negative particle me expects a negative answer]
τί γὰρ εἰ ἠπίστησάν τινες; µὴ ἡ ἀπιστία αὐτῶν τὴν πίστιν τοῦ θεοῦ καταργήσει;
Man’s unfaithfulness versus God’s faithfulness. The failure of certain ones in the human race to respond to the gospel and to believe in Jesus Christ never abrogates or cancels the faithfulness of God. In faithfulness, God provided everything needed for mankind to be saved. So, man’s rejection of this work, does not cancel the faithfulness of God. Not only is immutability a guarantee of His faithfulness, but also is His perfect integrity. Put the two together and one has the perfect guarantee.
Romans 3:4
Definitely not, rather let God be proved truthful [reliable], though every man a liar; as it stands written [Psalm 51:4b], "In order that You [God] might be demonstrated having integrity by means of Your pronouncements [words, doctrines] and that You might prevail when You are being slandered."
µὴ γένοιτο· γινέσθω δὲ ὁ θεὸς ἀληθής, πᾶς δὲ ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης, καθὼς γέγραπται, Ὅπως ἂν δικαιωθῇς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου καὶ νικήσεις ἐν τῷ κρίνεσθαί σε.
Psalm 51:4b, “So that You are justified when you speak and blameless when you judge.” (In the Hebrew: Psalm 51:6b)
Rejection of the gospel is declaring God to be a liar. When an unbeliever understands the gospel and exhales faith in Christ, he recognizes the integrity of God, but if he rejects the gospel message, in effect he is calling God, a liar.
Lack of integrity in mankind does not cancel the integrity of God. When man superimposes his lack of integrity on God, the character of God rejects it. The integrity of God is inviolable. Even though every rejection of Christ declares God to be a liar, the integrity of God continues, regardless of this blasphemy.
Since God is infinite, eternal, invisible, and incomprehensible it is necessary for God to reveal Himself to mankind through Bible doctrine which vindicates the integrity of God. This integrity of God is demonstrated through the perception of Bible doctrine. Hence, the importance of the daily perception of God’s Word.
Romans 3:5
But if our [Paul identifies with the Jewish unbeliever] wrong-doing [in the Greek adikia: sin, human good and evil] demonstrates [promotes, commends: to express an opinion or attitude; to recommend as worthy to] the [no article in the Greek: emphasizing the high quality in comparison to the ignorance of these people] integrity of God [and we assume it does; accepting for the moment the thinking of the self-righteous unbeliever or by application a believer who is attacking divine integrity, a debater's technique]. To what conclusion are we forced [Paul is using logic] is the God who inflicts wrathful punishment, [on the unbeliever at the Last Judgment] unrighteous [the blasphemous assertion of the self-righteous unbeliever]? Of course not. I'm presenting the human viewpoint [as the strawman in a debater’s technique].
εἰ δὲ ἡ ἀδικία ἡµῶν θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην συνίστησιν, τί ἐροῦµεν; µὴ ἄδικος ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἐπιφέρων τὴν ὀργήν; κατὰ ἄνθρωπον λέγω.
The self-righteous unbeliever superimposes some system of morality, or a wholesome lifestyle, taboos etc. on God’s plan. He rationalizes that God must accept his system of works for salvation. Paul then accepts this position; sets up a strawman and then destroys it, the self-righteous rationalism. Like one very moral Jewish unbeliever told me that he was confident in his acceptance by God, but when I pressed him a bit on that issue, he said, “Well, if I am rejected it will be God’s loss, not mine.”
1. Divine integrity has always existed in eternity past, long before there was any wrong-doing (adikia) in the human race. God’s integrity is eternal and immutable.
2. Neither man’s self-righteousness nor unrighteousness can add anything to the integrity of God. In fact, God’s righteousness totally rejects man’s self-righteousness as well as man’s sinfulness.
3. The self-righteous Jew uses debater’s technique by implying that God would be wrong and unjust to judge or punish anyone who was promoting His glory or integrity. The self-righteous Jewish unbeliever like the Rich young Ruler wrongly believes and asserts that he is promoting God’s integrity through his good accomplishments. This then is wrong-doing (adikia). In effect he compares his moral accomplishments with the immoral degeneracy of others. So, God would be wrong and unjust to punish such a person as himself.
4. Therefore the self-righteous Jew concludes that God could not condemn him for his lifestyle of wrong-doing even though it functions outside of God’s plan. God does not accommodate himself to our plans; we must accommodate ourselves to God’s plan.
5. The wrong-doing of the unbeliever includes sin, good and evil. His sin he rationalizes away; his human good and sometime even his evil is used to recommend himself to God.
6. Since righteousness demands an equivalent righteousness and justice demands justice, God must condemn all members of the human race who reject the cross.
7. God demands integrity namely imputed righteousness at salvation and experiential righteousness after salvation. Anything short of these demands will be condemned and punished.
8. God in grace provides all that His integrity demands from the human race. He provides imputed righteousness at salvation. Then He provides doctrine after salvation for the development of experiential righteousness. We need God; He doesn’t need us.
Romans 3:6
Definitely not [a full denial of the false assertion], otherwise [if it were true that is the false thinking of the arrogant unbeliever] how shall [a liquid future] God [the Lord Jesus Christ as per John 5:22, 27] judge [indicative mood: a future reality] the world?
µὴ γένοιτο· ἐπεὶ πῶς κρινεῖ ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσµον;
If man’s wrong-doing with emphasis on his self-righteousness promoted the integrity of God, then God could not judge unbelieving mankind at the Last Judgment. Self-righteousness only impresses the one possessing it and stupid people, but never God. So, at the Last Judgment the Lord will judge these unbelievers from perfect integrity as per Revelation 20:11-15.
Romans 3:7
But if the truth of the God through my untruthfulness [lies and deceitfulness] has abounded for the purpose of His glory and let’s assume it does [but it doesn’t], why therefore am I still being judged as sinful? [because untruthfulness is a sin]
εἰ γὰρ ἡ ἀλήθεια τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν τῷ ἐµῷ ψεύσµατι ἐπερίσσευσεν εἰς τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, τί ἔτι κἀγὼ ὡς ἁµαρτωλὸς κρίνοµαι;
1. Paul is setting himself up as a strawman in this debater’s question. In other words, this is not Paul’s argument, but the thinking of the self-righteous irrational Jewish unbeliever.
2. Lies and falsehood are sins. Sinfulness does not and cannot advance the glory of God. Nothing can advance or improve the glory of God since God’s glory consists of His attributes which are perfect and immutable.
3. God’s veracity is a part of God’s glory. God’s righteousness in harmony with His veracity condemns all untruthfulness, and then His justice punishes that which is condemned.
4. What are some of the lies, the untruthfulness of a self-righteous moral unbeliever?
a. One is saved by attempting to keep the Mosaic Law.
b. One is saved by keeping the Mosaic Law and circumcision.
c. One is saved automatically by being born a racial Jew.
d. One is saved by performing good deeds and by being moral.
e. One is saved by a combination of faith in Christ and water baptism.
f. One is saved by a combination of faith in Christ and the public confession of that faith.
g. One is saved through asking or pleading for salvation especially if tears are added.
h. One is saved through self-flagellation etc.
i. One is saved through relative righteousness.
5. Only God’s truth glorifies God. Truth in the form of the gospel or in the form of the spiritual life.
6. When the unbeliever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ as his savior, then God is glorified since salvation is the work of God. When the believer subsequently advances to spiritual maturity, God is glorified by distributing His Escrow Blessings to that believer.
The aorist tense is a constative aorist, it gathers up into one entirety every time Paul who set himself up as the strawman of the self-righteous unbeliever, sought to advance the glory of God by means of a lie.
Romans 3:8
In fact, not true as we have been slandered and certain ones [self-righteous legalist] keep alleging that we [Paul and his team] say, ‘Let us do evil things that good things may come.’ Their punishment is deserved.
καὶ µὴ καθὼς βλασφηµούµεθα καὶ καθώς φασίν τινες ἡµᾶς λέγειν ὅτι Ποιήσωµεν τὰ κακὰ ἵνα ἔλθῃ τὰ ἀγαθά; ὧν τὸ κρίµα ἔνδικόν ἐστιν.
Paul’s critics, especially the Judaizers who are ultra-self-righteous in their attempts to keep the Mosaic Law. Principle: Arrogant self-righteousness is always critical of grace-oriented doctrinal teaching. But all the slander and maligning in the world cannot destroy the ministry of anyone who communicates Bible doctrine.
They contend that every day Paul teaches and without exception every day he says, “Let us do evil.” The active voice: Paul is alleged to produce this evil. Furthermore, they put it in the hortatory subjunctive which implies that Paul exhorts others to join him in this same course of action.
1. This phrase, “let us do evil things that good things may come,” is slander. Paul does not contend that the means justifies the end, nor the end justifies the means. If the means is evil the end is evil—always. The means determines the quality of the end, or the result.
2. The end can never be any better than that by which the end was achieved. Consequently, God never uses evil to accomplish good. This is incompatible with the integrity or holiness of God.
3. Under the integrity of God, grace is the means, and grace is the result. The integrity of God is the means, and the glory of God is the result.
4. Consequently, only the integrity of God can glorify the essence of God.
5. There is no place under grace for the intrusion of man’s self-righteousness or Satan’s policy of evil. The only reason it ever intrudes at all is because people are ignorant of doctrine.
6. Paul’s ministry and communication of doctrine was totally compatible with the integrity of God and the principle of grace.
7. Those who slander grace slander the integrity of God.
8. Those who malign the communicator of doctrine malign the Word of God. The Word of God comes from the integrity of God.
9. The Word of God is the verbalization of the integrity of God.
10. Therefore, these slanderers and maligners of Paul’s ministry are answerable to divine justice.
11. Since they are maladjusted to the integrity of God, God can only condemn them.
12. The slanderers are liable to punitive action from the integrity of God.
Paul knows that the Lord will punish such slanderous attacks against his ministry. Paul says, “whose punishment is just.” He just steps out of the way and lets the lightning bolt go right to its target. Whenever doctrinal teaching is maligned, it is taken for granted that the integrity of God will deal with the culprit. The indicative mood is declarative for the reality of such condemnation and punishment.
Romans 3:9
Therefore, how are we [Paul again identifies himself with the extremely self-righteous Jewish unbeliever] to understand the situation [as a Greek idiom, the translation must be expanded a bit]? Do we possess anything which might shield us from the justice of God? No, not at all, for we have already indicted both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin [the condemnation of sin].
Τί οὖν; προεχόµεθα; οὐ πάντως, προῃτιασάµεθα γὰρ Ἰουδαίους τε καὶ Ἕλληνας πάντας ὑφ’ ἁµαρτίαν εἶναι,
A postulate is defined as a proposition which is taken for granted, an essential prerequisite. The axiom or postulate which is taken for granted at this point is the universality of man’s sin and his state of total depravity. Total depravity elicits both condemnation and spiritual death for the entire human race.
The extremely self-righteous unbeliever is very difficult to deal with since
he in his mind doesn’t need to hear about a grace solution, a solution for what? I don’t have a problem!
1. As long as any person in the world thinks that there is any system of human righteousness, talent, ability, planning or system of works which can satisfy the integrity of God and clings to his system of self-righteousness, whatever it maybe, he has no chance of ever having a relationship with God.
2. No human factor, including Jewish self-righteousness, can therefore provide or add anything to salvation adjustment to the integrity of God. The first issue we face in the human race is salvation and there is nothing that we can add to what the grace of God has already provided.
3. No Jewish rationalism of being better than the Gentiles will provide salvation or spirituality, or maturity. All the way through this chapter, the Jews are in view and are used as the illustration.
Jews and Gentiles are under the condemnation of sin. At birth, each member of mankind is born with a sin nature which was passed down to him in copulation. At the instance of birth, God imputes Adam’s Original Sin to that person and condemns him to the Lake of Fire. Romans 5:12, “ For this reason just as through one man [Adam] the sin [the Sin Nature] entered into the world, and so spiritual death through the sin [Adam’s Original Sin was imputed to the Sin Nature], and so spiritual death spread to all mankind, because all sinned when Adam sinned [Since we were seminally in Adam when he sinned, we receive the sin nature through his seed and consequently receive the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin].”
Psalm 51:5, “Behold, I [David] was born in iniquity [Adam’s original sin imputed] and in sin I was conceived [sin nature passed down in conception].”
Romans 5:19, “For as through one man’s disobedience [Adam] the many [human race] were made sinners [the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin at birth], even so through the obedience of one [the humanity of Christ], many [those who believe] will be made righteous [imputed righteousness at salvation].”
Romans 3:10
As it stands written [quoted from Psalm 14:1-3], "There is not a righteous one, not even one. [not one righteous reversionistic unbeliever; in context the Judaizers]"
καθὼς γέγραπται ὅτι Οὐκ ἔστιν δίκαιος οὐδὲ εἷς,
Psalm 14:1-3, “For the director of music, a Psalm of David. 1 Nabal [the meaning of his name is fool, the husband of Abigale and a descendent of Caleb] has said in his stream of consciousness, ‘There is no God’ [rejection at God-consciousness and at gospel hearing] They [the wealthy unbeliever-reversionists] have become perverted [in their souls], they have done a detestable deed [the singular noun is a reference to Nabal’s refusal to pay the debt owed David; the plural verb indicates that the wealthy reversionists do this all the time and enjoy it as per James 5:1-5]; there is not one [wealthy reversionists] who does good. 2 The Lord out from the heavens looked down [for someone to bless] upon the human race [the sons of man] to see [the Lord does a reconnaissance] if there were anyone who had been caused to be wise [from doctrine], anyone who has kept on seeking after God [like Abigale and David]. 3 All [reversionistic unbelievers] have deviated [have become apostate], all [reversionistic unbelievers] have become morally corrupt; there is not one [reversionistic unbeliever] who produces good [because there is no truth in their souls], not even one.” [the story of Nabal is found in 1 Samuel 25]
Related points:
1. No one has the integrity of God at birth, and no one acquires the integrity of God by any system of works-righteousness, self-righteousness, any system of emotional activity, asceticism or tabooism.
2. No righteousness in man is comparable to God’s perfect righteousness.
3. Therefore, man cannot approach God on the basis of his own merits or his own integrity. Isaiah 64:6, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags [used menstrual cloth]; we all shrivel up like a leaf [from living in the cosmic system], and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
4. Consequently, adjusting to the integrity of God is a matter of grace. God provides the means for such adjustment by the imputation of His righteousness at the point of salvation. From then on, we adjust to the integrity of God through advancing in Experiential Righteousness.
Romans 3:11
There is not one [unbeliever] who comprehends [the gospel without Common Grace], there is not one [unbeliever] who searches for the God.
οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ συνίων, οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἐκζητῶν τὸν θεόν.
The Greek word suniemi connotes cognizance of technical knowledge. It means to comprehend or to know the underlying laws and the meaning of an object. This means therefore to gain insight into something. “There is not one who comprehends”, referring to Bible doctrine and specifically to the fact that in spiritual death the unbeliever cannot comprehend spiritual phenomena. The unbeliever cannot understand the gospel, that is why it is necessary for the ministry of God the Holy Spirit under the theological category of common grace to make the information clear.
It must be understood that this phrase, seeking after God, has nothing to do with positive volition at God-consciousness. This is talking about something else. In between God-consciousness and gospel hearing there is no way that you can understand anything about God. In other words, because we are dead spiritually, we can’t seek. Dead people do not seek. This condition perpetually exists for mankind after God-consciousness. He may have been positive at God-consciousness, but he never learns anything more on his own. Mankind can reach God-consciousness through the function of his own intellect, but he does not have the ability to go beyond God-consciousness on his own.
Romans 3:12
All [reversionistic unbelievers who have rejected God] have turned aside into reversionism, all at the same time have become depraved; there is not one who attains the integrity of God, there is not even one.
πάντες ἐξέκλιναν, ἅµα ἠχρειώθησαν· οὐκ ἔστιν ποιῶν χρηστότητα, οὐκ ἔστιν ἕως ἑνός.
1. The unbeliever maladjusted to the integrity of God namely the one who refuses to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as savior will enter into the eight stages of reversionism just as does the believer who rejects the spiritual life.
2. The latter stages of reversionism result in depravity and degeneracy.
3. Without the integrity of God man is nothing, accomplishes nothing, improves nothing, reforms nothing, attains nothing.
4. Personally, collectively, historically, nothing is more important than the integrity of God and our relationship to it.
5. Either we adjust to the integrity of God, or the integrity of God will adjust to us.
6. No individual can attain salvation apart from the integrity of God, and no believer can have blessing with the integrity of God.
7. National, social, economic, and political reform is meaningless apart from the integrity of God. By meaningless, we mean that it not only fails to accomplish its objective, but it creates more problems.
8. No nation can enjoy freedom and possess prosperity apart from the integrity of God. This has been demonstrated by the ridiculous concept of ‘Nation Building’.
9. Socialism, liberalism and the resultant welfare state is the illusion and fantasy which comes from maladjustment to the integrity of God.
10. Obviously, you cannot have salvation, eternal life, temporal prosperity with capacity, happiness, or eternal blessing without the integrity of God.
11. Freedom and prosperity in the nation can only be meaningful and permanent when related to divine integrity.
Romans 3:13
Their [reversionistic unbelievers] throat [where the vocal cords are located] is a grave which has been opened [the horrible stench of decomposition; the stench of the sins of the tongue]; with their tongues they keep deceiving; the venom of Egyptian cobras is under their lips [reversionists spew out poison].
τάφος ἀνεῳγµένος ὁ λάρυγξ αὐτῶν, ταῖς γλώσσαις αὐτῶν ἐδολιοῦσαν, ἰὸς ἀσπίδων ὑπὸ τὰ χείλη αὐτῶν,
This is taken in part from Psalm 5:9, “There is nothing reliable in what they say; their inward part is destruction itself; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue.” The psalmist was under attack from gossip, maligning, judging, and he states to God that there is nothing reliable in what they say. They are irresponsible, they are arrogant, they are inadequate, guilty of inordinate ambition, jealous, vindictive, and they express their implacability through the sins of the tongue.
The lips are the secret to annunciation and used here to slander, malign judge etc. There are two categories of victims namely the ones being maligned and the ones listening and believing the maligning. However, though both groups are struck by the cobra, the venom only goes into those who listen and believe the gossip, etc.
Romans 3:14
Whose [the reversionistic unbelievers] mouth is full of cursing [an oath or vow of revenge] and bitterness.
ὧν τὸ στόµα ἀρᾶς καὶ πικρίας γέµει·
This verse is taken in part from Psalm 10:7, “His mouth is full of curses and deceit and oppression; under his tongue is evil and wickedness.”
1. The maladjusted person enters reversionism. Such reversionism brings the maladjusted under the influence of evil.
2. Revenge and bitterness saturate his soul, and he seeks to build his happiness on someone else’s unhappiness through operation revenge.
3. Mental and verbal sins link up to form the revenge pattern.
4. The revenge pattern always involves two basic principles namely that one cannot build his happiness on someone else’s unhappiness and secondly that two wrongs make a right.
5. Words are the first and primary weapon of the human race in operation revenge.
6. Words are like the venom of the cobra to destroy others.
Romans 3:15-16
Their feet swift to shed blood [commit murder]. (16) Historical disaster and personal suffering are in their highways. [their way of life] Isa 59:7
ὀξεῖς οἱ πόδες αὐτῶν ἐκχέαι αἷµα, (16) σύντριµµα καὶ ταλαιπωρία ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν,
Quoted in part from Isaiah 59:7, “Their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; devastation and destruction are in their highways.”
Evil sponsors murder and violence as a means of problem-solving. Evil therefore contends that the end result justifies the means by which the result is attained. But the end never justifies the means.
The Greek noun suntrimma is derived from the verb suntribo meaning to shatter, to smash, to crush, to destroy. Both the verb and the cognate refer to breaking bones, smashing skulls, crushing bodies. It was originally used in the Greek for killing in battle, but it eventually came to mean ‘historical disaster’ in the sense of great violence. Mankind creates the evil by which he destroys himself or destroys others in historical disaster.
The second Greek noun, talaiporia means wretchedness, distress, misery, and mental illness. This noun connotes personal suffering rather than historical disaster.
Reversionistic peoples can only bring about personal and historical suffering and disaster.
Romans 3:17
In fact, they have not comprehended the way of prosperity [relationship with the integrity of God].
καὶ ὁδὸν εἰρήνης οὐκ ἔγνωσαν.
This verse is taken from Isaiah 59:8, “They do not know the way of prosperity, and there is no justice in their tracks; they have made their paths crooked; whoever treads on them does not know prosperity.”
The way of prosperity:
1. This noun is obviously not referring to world peace, freedom from war. The way of prosperity is to have a relationship with the integrity of God.
2. The relationship is established through adjustment to the integrity of God under three categories: a) Salvation adjustment to the integrity of God; b) Rebound adjustment to the integrity of God; c) Maturity adjustment to the integrity of God namely executing the spiritual life and cracking the maturity barrier.
3. All of this adds up to prosperity, true blessing, and true security. This is the meaning of the Greek word eirene in this context.
4. There can only be one true security in life namely relationship with the integrity of God. Neither the individual nor the nation has any real security apart from the integrity of God.
Romans 3:18
There is no fear [respect] for God before their eyes.
οὐκ ἔστιν φόβος θεοῦ ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλµῶν αὐτῶν.
Taken from Psalm 36:1, “Transgression [violation of the Laws of Divine Establishment] speaks to the ungodly [the unbelievers] within his heart [his soul], there is no respect of God before his eyes [in his perception].”
This has two applications, one to the individual and one to the nation:
The individual:
1. Any member of mankind who ignores his need for imputed righteousness and at the same time brings his own human righteousness to God for salvation, has neither respect for God nor awe for His integrity.
2. Continued lack of relationship with the integrity of God results in arrogance building up the case for self-righteousness.
3. Excluding the integrity of God from one’s life results in no respect for God and no blessing from God.
National application:
1. No nation can possess freedom, prosperity and blessing apart from the integrity of God.
2. Respect for the integrity of God originates by adjustment to the integrity of God.
3. Only the integrity of God can bless mankind, and only under grace conditions.
4. Social, economic, and political reform apart from the integrity of God are useless, meaningless, and create great problems for example tyranny in a nation.
5. Social, economic, and political reform apart from the integrity of God causes chaos, revolution, national degeneration, and eventual destruction under the 5th cycle of discipline.
6. Political and theological liberalism seeks social, economic, and political reform apart from the integrity of God.
7. Therefore human good, the plans and schemes of socialism, the function of the welfare state, are doomed to disaster. No welfare state has ever survived historically.
Romans 3:19
Now we [Paul and other knowledgeable believers] understand that whatever things the Law says it speaks to those under the jurisdiction of the Law [namely Israel as per Leviticus 26:46], that every mouth may be closed [everyone is guilty with no defense against the condemnation of the Law], and the whole world may become accountable to the God.
Οἴδαµεν δὲ ὅτι ὅσα ὁ νόµος λέγει τοῖς ἐν τῷ νόµῳ λαλεῖ, ἵνα πᾶν στόµα φραγῇ καὶ ὑπόδικος γένηται πᾶς ὁ κόσµος τῷ θεῷ
The dative of advantage in the Greek article tois (τοῖς) indicates that the Jews were benefited by having the Law, spiritually, nationally, and personally since it was the means of relating both the person and the nation to the integrity of God. The person was related to the integrity of God by discovering that sin was a sign of his spiritual death and that he had to go outside of himself for salvation, and therefore the wonderful principles of Codex #2 in which Jesus Christ was portrayed in all His glory namely the various articles of furniture in the tabernacle, the modus operandi of the Levitical priesthood, the animal sacrifices, the holy days, etc. All these things were designed for blessing. Codex #3 also was the basis for national blessing since the Laws of Divine Establishment are clearly delineated in that portion of the Mosaic Law.
The Mosaic Law had been abused by Jews in Paul’s day and distorted into a system of producing self-righteousness rather than its original and divine purpose namely condemnation. Since the Law has been written, people have studied it, people have examined it, people have heard it taught, and they have come to one of two conclusions: either that they are condemned by the Law and therefore need to turn to the grace of God for help, or they use the Law as a system of self-righteousness and seek to gain the approbation of God in this manner. This is the difference between religion and Christianity.
If the Law was addressed specifically to Israel, how does it bring the entire world under indictment? Israel under the Law stands as a representative for mankind, and the fact that Israel failed under the Law demonstrates the universal condemnation and guilt of mankind before the integrity of God. Every mouth is closed is a Jewish idiom of guilt and so there is no defense against the integrity of God. Hence, the Law demonstrates to the entire world, both Jew and Gentile, that they are guilty as far as the integrity of God is concerned.
Codex #1 of the Mosaic Law logically comes first, all those commandments that demonstrate sinfulness and personal sin demonstrates spiritual death. The possession of the old sin nature and the subsequent imputation of Adam’s Original Sin is the basis of spiritual death. We commit personal sins because we are spiritually dead. These sins are a manifestation of what we are, not the means of becoming spiritually dead.
Romans 3:20
Because by the works of the Law no human being [flesh] shall be justified [declared perfectly righteous and qualified to live with God] in His presence; for through the Law comes the knowledge [awareness] of sin.
διότι ἐξ ἔργων νόµου οὐ δικαιωθήσεται πᾶσα σὰρξ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, διὰ γὰρ νόµου ἐπίγνωσις ἁµαρτίας.
Some people wonder how believers in the Old Testament could be saved since Jesus Christ had not yet gone to the cross. Well, the answer in found in this verse. Since God knew that the cross would exist and that all sins would be judged, he provided salvation for all Old Testament believers at the time of their belief. A delay in the judgment of Old Testament sins was not a problem for God. So, they anticipated the cross; we look back at the cross. Old Testament salvation and New Testament salvation is the same as per John 14:6, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”
1. The Law is incapable of making man righteous before the integrity of God.
2. God’s integrity demands a capability, a perfection, an absolute beyond man’s abilities.
3. The Law cannot produce a righteousness in man which is equivalent to God’s righteousness.
4. The Law can only condemn man’s righteousness, along with man’s sinfulness, as being totally inadequate.
5. The Law is an instrument of condemnation, only the judgment of Christ on the cross is an instrument of salvation.
Summary:
1. The Mosaic Law is not an instrument of justification or vindication before the integrity of God—Romans 3:20, 28; Galatians 2:16.
2. The Mosaic Law is an instrument of condemnation to both Jew and Gentile namely the entire human race. Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:21-28; 1 Timothy 1:9, 10.
3. The purpose of the Law is to curse mankind with a hopeless curse. Galatians 3:10, 13.
4. The Mosaic Law when distorted by arrogance, produces a self-righteousness which is in conflict with the righteousness of God. This self-righteousness cannot be compared with God’s perfect righteousness which is imputed to us at the moment we believe in Jesus Christ.
5. Many Jews lost the advantage of being under the Law by using it as an instrument of salvation as per Romans 9:30-33.
6. This failure is illustrated by the rich young ruler—Matthew 19:16-28.
Romans 3:21
But now apart from the Law, the righteousness of God [imputed righteousness] has been manifested, being witnessed by the `Law and the Prophets' [a phrase for the Old Testament Scriptures emphasizing human authorship].
Νυνὶ δὲ χωρὶς νόµου δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ πεφανέρωται, µαρτυρουµένη ὑπὸ τοῦ νόµου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν,
Since the keeping of the Mosaic Law as per Codex 1 where the decalogue is taught, and Codex 3 where the Laws of Establishment etc. are found could neither provide eternal life nor be the basis for imputed righteousness, it cannot provide salvation. However, the Old Testament reveals that imputed righteousness came to the Old Testament believers the same way it comes to us in the Church Age. Genesis 15:6, “And he [Abraham] believed [the perfect tense of the Hebrew word, aman in the midst of vav-conversive takes us back to the 3rd Dynasty of Ur] in the Lord [a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ] and He [God the Father] reckoned it [his faith in Christ] to him [Abraham] as righteousness.”
Romans 4:3-5, "For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God [the Son], and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ (4) Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. (5) However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked [unbelievers], his faith is credited as righteousness.’”
The Greek noun, dikaiosune is an Attic Greek Word. In the time of Homer (9th century B.C.) there were two words, a noun and an adjective namely dike and dikaios, simple words characteristic of the time of Homer. Multi-syllable words did not come into the Greek language until the time of Attic Greek. In the 5th century B.C. when thought became much deeper it required some special technical words. So, the Greeks invented an abstract suffix sune to be added to the stem of dikai giving us dikaiosune with the general meaning of righteousness. It meant virtue, justice, integrity, justice as the thinking and integrity of a judge. The word connotes not just righteousness but righteousness as a principle leading to thought and action, thinking something that is correct. In the Bible, it used for adjusting to the integrity of God.
Every human author in the Old Testament was in court, giving testimony while presenting facts about the integrity of God. So, the Old Testament canon is regarded as a great courtroom where the facts regarding God’s integrity were revealed.
Romans 3:22
Even the imputed righteousness of God [the Father] through faith in Jesus Christ [objective genitive] for all those who believe [in all human history], (for there is no distinction,
δικαιοσύνη δὲ θεοῦ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἰς πάντας τοὺς πιστεύοντας· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν διαστολή·
Romans 3:23
For all have sinned [true at the point of receiving Adam’s Original Sin at birth] and fallen short of the glory of God [with emphasis on God’s righteousness]).
πάντες γὰρ ἥµαρτον καὶ ὑστεροῦνται τῆς δόξης τοῦ θεοῦ,
Romans 3:24
[the antecedent is in verse 22] being justified freely [as a gift] by His grace through the redemption [the payment for the penalty of every sin] which is by agency of Christ Jesus
δικαιούµενοι δωρεὰν τῇ αὐτοῦ χάριτι διὰ τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ·
Romans 3:25
Whom God [the Father] publicly displayed as a mercy seat [propitiation] by his blood [propitiation, reconciliation, and redemption] through faith in Christ to demonstrate His [Father's] righteousness, because of the passing over of previously committed sins,
ὃν προέθετο ὁ θεὸς ἱλαστήριον διὰ πίστεως ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵµατι εἰς ἔνδειξιν τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ διὰ τὴν πάρεσιν τῶν προγεγονότων ἁµαρτηµάτων
Some people wonder how believers in the Old Testament could be saved since Jesus Christ had not yet gone to the cross. Well, the answer in found in this verse. Since God knew that the cross would exist and that all sins would be judged, he provided salvation for all Old Testament believers. A delay in the judgment of Old Testament sins was not a problem for God. So, they anticipated the cross; we look back at the cross. Old Testament salvation and New Testament salvation is the same (John 14:6).
The pouring of blood over the Mercy Seat was a ritual which taught salvation; the reality was faith in Christ Jesus.
Divine justice can only bless divine righteousness:
1. The integrity of God must be consistent. This consistency demands function and interrelationship between divine righteousness and divine justice.
2. There must be no compromise or inconsistency in the function of divine integrity. To avoid compromise and inconsistency a principle evolves that becomes axiomatic: divine justice can only bless divine righteousness.
3. Since all divine blessing originates from the justice of God, and since the justice of God cannot bless sinful mankind, it is necessary for God in grace to provide His righteousness as the recipient of all blessing.
4. Reason: righteousness demands righteousness and justice demands justice in the function of the integrity of God toward mankind.
5. God cannot accept anything less than perfect righteousness, and God cannot bless anything less than perfect righteousness.
6. This dramatizes the importance of the imputation of divine righteousness to the believer at the moment of salvation.
7. Faith in Christ is instant adjustment to the integrity of God at salvation.
8. Continuous and persistent learning of doctrine under one’s right pastor is the means of maturity adjustment to the integrity of God.
9. Divine integrity includes two divine attributes: righteousness, the principle of divine integrity, and justice, the function of divine integrity.
10. The justice of God administers what the righteousness of God demands.
11. Therefore, the justice of God cannot bless unless the recipient of fallen mankind has a righteousness equivalent to God’s righteousness. This righteousness is the monopoly of God.
12. The basis for divine blessing to mankind is the imputation of divine righteousness to the believer at the instance of salvation.
13. When a person at salvation receives the imputed righteousness of God the justice of God performs a judicial function known as justification or simply recognizing His own righteousness in the new believer.
14. The possession of divine righteousness through grace imputation at salvation is the prerequisite for all other divine blessing.
15. With the imputation of divine righteousness and resultant justification all other divine blessings both temporal and eternal are potential.
16. This potential of blessing or advantages from the integrity of God is fulfilled through the daily exposure to accurate Bible teaching and resultant maximum doctrine resident in the soul.
17. This is known as maturity adjustment to the justice of God and/or total relationship with the integrity of God.
18. Not only does this status result in blessings or advantages from the justice of God but also capacity to enjoy those blessings and advantages.
Romans 3:26
By the delay in judgment from God [All sins of the Old Testament were not judged by the Father until Christ went to the cross] for the demonstration of his integrity at the present time [Church Age] in order that he might be just and even when he justifies [declares righteous and qualified to have eternal fellowship with God] anyone who has faith in Jesus.
ἐν τῇ ἀνοχῇ τοῦ θεοῦ, πρὸς τὴν ἔνδειξιν τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ, εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν δίκαιον καὶ δικαιοῦντα τὸν ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ.
1. In this dispensation after the cross God maintains His perfect integrity just as He did in the dispensation before the cross—the Age of Israel.
2. God’s integrity is the number one priority in His relationship with mankind.
3. Therefore, divine integrity cannot be compromised in establishing a relationship with mankind.
4. On the cross, God the Father judged the sins of mankind, past, present, and future.
5. While judging those sins on the cross, the integrity of God is protected from compromise in providing justification for anyone who believes in Christ.
Romans 3:27
Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of principle [does a person obtain perfect righteousness]? That of works? Definitely not but by the principle of faith [faith alone in Christ alone obtains imputed righteousness].
Ποῦ οὖν ἡ καύχησις; ἐξεκλείσθη. διὰ ποίου νόµου; τῶν ἔργων; οὐχί, ἀλλὰ διὰ νόµου πίστεως.
God’s grace plan excludes any boasting. Boasting is an expression of arrogance either from a system of self-righteousness or from a system of human works which is the production of self-righteousness. God’s righteousness and man’s self-righteousness are mutually exclusive. There is no place in any of the adjustments to the integrity of God for man’s self-righteousness, man’s pleasing personality, man’s self-effacement.
“Where then is that boasting?”
1. Since boasting is an expression of arrogance, self-righteousness, human good, it is a sign of maladjustment to the integrity of God and/or ignorance of the integrity of God.
2. Self-righteousness, then, is an arrogant fantasy, a rationalization of comparing one’s abilities or strengths with someone else’s weaknesses.
3. Self-righteousness directed toward God is the blasphemous assumption that God’s righteousness is not enough.
4. It is blasphemous to assume that either human self-righteousness or unrighteousness can promote the integrity of God.
5. Divine integrity has always existed in perfection and does not need help from mankind, the latest of creatures in history.
6. God demands integrity for blessing. This integrity includes imputed divine righteousness at salvation, and subsequent development of maximum doctrine in the soul for the greater blessings.
The exclusion of boasting by the integrity of God:
1. The integrity of God has always existed in a state of absolute and total perfection.
2. Therefore, there is nothing that man can add or detract from the integrity of God.
3. There is nothing man can do or fail to do to cancel the integrity of God.
4. There is nothing man can say or think to compromise the integrity of God.
5. Man’s self-righteousness does not glorify God. To the contrary, God’s integrity condemns man’s self-righteousness.
6. There is no point in either angelic or human history where the integrity of God is compromised or gains anything from a creature’s personality or self-righteousness or system of works.
7. No one can establish or promote God’s righteousness. No one can add anything to the integrity of God. So, boasting is excluded from the plan of God.
“but by the principle of faith”
1. The Law or principle of faith is the way by which mankind enters into a relationship with the integrity of God.
2. All the believing in the world apart from faith in Christ secures nothing but condemnation from the integrity of God. However, the tiniest bit of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ secures eternal salvation.
3. There is no merit in having faith; the merit lies in the object of faith. It is believing in Jesus Christ that provides eternal life.
4. Therefore, faith is not something we do [principle of works] but the channel by which we appropriate what God has done for us.
Postulate: God found a way to bless us from His integrity without compromising His perfect essence:
1. Under the Law or principle of works man strives for a status which he thinks will be attractive or pleasing to God and even cause God to love him.
2. This striving of self-righteousness eliminates the need for faith in Christ; eliminates the need to rely on the integrity of God.
3. God found a way to bless man from His integrity without compromising any of His attributes.
4. Justification by faith is an action of divine integrity whereby God is free to provide eternal salvation from the source of His integrity.
5. The grace principle of justification by faith eliminates any boasting or self-righteousness, the entire system of human works operative from the garden when Adam and Ishah put on clothes to impress each other and God as well.
6. God loves His plan, not man’s plan. God loves His works, not the works of man. Response to the plan of God and entrance into a relationship with God is based in His integrity at the point of faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:28
We conclude then that a person is justified [declared righteous at salvation] by faith apart from the works of the Law [All systems of human works are excluded].
λογιζόµεθα γὰρ δικαιοῦσθαι πίστει ἄνθρωπον χωρὶς ἔργων νόµου.
This is amplified in Galatians 2:16, “know that a person is not justified by the works of the Law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So, we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law, because by the works of the Law no one will be justified [declared righteous and qualified to go to heaven].”
The Greek verb logizomai means to reckon, calculate, credit, consider, evaluate, reflect upon, maintain etc. In commerce and business, it was used in the sense of crediting something to one’s account. Also from the Attic Greek, men such as Plato used the word to consider or evaluate by weighing the facts and squeezing out all the emotion in the process. Demosthenes in his speeches used this verb to express the concept of facts as they are. Here in this verse, it means to conclude logically.
There are seven categories of salvation by works which are practiced at the present time:
1. Verbal works which adds to faith in Christ: repent regarding one’s sins, beg God to save you, plead the blood, invite Christ into your heart, acknowledge Christ publicly.
2. Ritual works: circumcision, water baptism, and rarely but occasionally the Lord’s table.
3. Psychological works: raise your hands, walk the isle, etc.
4. Corporate works: joining the church for salvation, tithing, or some other system a church may require for salvation.
5. Religious works: keep the Law, perform penance, practice the Lordship of Christ, associate your decision for Jesus by throwing a faggot on the fire, a candle-light service during which one prays in his salvation, taking vows, functions of asceticism for salvation.
6. Behaviouristic works: giving up something obnoxious, following a set of taboos, change your personality.
7. Emotional works: any system of ecstatics, speaking in tongues, weeping tears at the altar, etc.
Verses 29-30, adjustment to the integrity of God removes all racial issues.
A brief synopsis:
1. Arrogance motivates people to make an issue out of their racial origin.
2. However there is no such thing as a pure race presently.
3. As illustrated by the sons of Jacob who married gentile women for there were no Jewish women for them to marry. Even, Joseph married an Egyptian woman. So, both Ephraim and Manasseh were only half Jewish.
4. Not only does the Bible removes the racial issue but, also the Constitution of the United States makes no issue out of race.
5. The integrity of God and relationship to the integrity of God is the true issue, not race.
6. In this dispensation whether one is a Jew or Gentile, privileged or underprivileged, is never the issue. The only issue is adjustment to the integrity of God under three categories: salvation, rebound, spiritual maturity.
Romans 3:29
Or is the God the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, He is also the God of the Gentiles.
ἢ Ἰουδαίων ὁ θεὸς µόνον; οὐχὶ καὶ ἐθνῶν; ναὶ καὶ ἐθνῶν,
1. Race is never the issue, only the integrity of God. God is not God if He provides blessing for one race only, or for one race to the exclusion of other races.
2. The very foundation of the Jewish race was based on total relationship with the integrity of God. Abraham had maximum adjustment to the integrity of God before he became the father of the Jewish race. Moses the founder of the nation, had maximum adjustment to the integrity of God. So, the race and the nation are related to two of the greatest believers in the Old Testament.
3. Everything God has promised and everything God has done for the Jews is also available to the Gentiles, for every blessing from God to man is from the source of His integrity.
4. Jesus Christ who is the God of Israel is also the prince-ruler of the Church which contains Gentiles as well as Jews.
5. Gentiles such as Uriah the Hittite and Job who adjusted to the integrity of God were blessed from the integrity of God in the Old Testament.
6. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the God of the Church, the royal family of God in this dispensation.
7. The source of blessing for all members of mankind is directly related to the integrity of God; and no race is exempted, any race can reach maturity adjustment to the integrity of God.
8. Therefore no race has any advantage over any other race, except as that race exploits the grace of God through adjustment to the integrity of God.
9. The justice of God judged the sins of all races. Therefore, both Jew and Gentile adjust to the integrity of God at salvation in exactly the same way namely faith in Christ.
10. Since God saves the Jew and the Gentile in the same way neither the Law nor any other advantage of race can save.
11. Since the Law cannot be the source of salvation adjustment to the integrity of God neither can any work or plan or talent or function of man have anything to do with salvation.
Romans 3:30
Since God is one [in essence] who will justify [declare righteous] the circumcision [the Jew] because of their faith and the uncircumcision [gentiles] through their faith.?
εἴπερ εἷς ὁ θεός, ὃς δικαιώσει περιτοµὴν ἐκ πίστεως καὶ ἀκροβυστίαν διὰ τῆς πίστεως.
The Greek word ‘ek’ followed by the ablative of cause. This gives the reason for the action of justification. Because the Jews believed in Jehovah Elohim, they were saved. God the Father imputed righteousness and then justifies [declares righteous] because of faith in Christ (Romans 5:1).
Since the gentiles did not have the canon of Scripture we have ‘through faith.’ Their approach to the gospel had to come from someone else. So here we have the ablative of impersonal means.
Salvation in the Old Testament was uniform for both the Jew and the gentile were saved using faith. The gentile wasn’t saved because of Codex 2 of the Mosaic Law since he didn’t have it. The gentiles responded to the gospel through hearing it. The Jews responded to all the different ways the gospel was presented in codex 2 of the Mosaic Law namely animal sacrifices, sacred furniture, holy days and through the modus operandi of the Levitical Priests.
Romans 3:31
Do we cancel the Law through that same faith? Definitely not on the contrary, we [Christians] establish the true purpose of the Law [which is condemnation].
νόµον οὖν καταργοῦµεν διὰ τῆς πίστεως; µὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλὰ νόµον ἱστάνοµεν.
Anticipating Romans chapter four:
1. Imputed righteousness from the justice of God is the foundation on which the superstructure of blessings or advantages is provided.
2. In other words, divine justice cannot bless mankind apart from imputed righteousness.
3. Imputed righteousness from the justice of God must precede direct blessing from the justice of God.
4. At the point of faith in Christ the believer receives his righteousness from God, not only for his justification but for all future potential blessing.
5. God can only bless perfection which is compatible with His integrity.
6. The imputation of the righteousness of God through faith in Christ gives us that compatibility with divine essence so necessary as the foundation for all blessing.
