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Preaching the Living WORD through the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4:2 - |
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THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD AND PROMISES (Rom 3:1-4) 3/18/07 Pastor I.
GOD’S FAITHFULNESS ENTRUSTED HIS WORD (Rom 3:1-2) A. Context 1. In Chapter 1, Paul has
proved that Gentiles are sinful and under the judgment of God. In Chapter 2,
Paul has proved that the Jews are sinful and under the judgment of God. 2. In Chapter 3, Paul will
prove that all have sinned, fall short of the glory of God and therefore are
under the judgment of God. 3. But before he argues this,
he will answer four expected objections concerning the faithfulness of God in
His promises as well as His judgment (Rom 3:1-8). B. Question: What Advantage
does the Jew have? (1) 1. Paul anticipates objections
by the Jews and others in Rom 3:1-8. He apparently has dealt with these types
of objections before (Acts 18:13; Acts 21:28). Now he answers them in a
letter to the Romans with his familiar rhetorical style (ańthypóphora) of raising questions or objections and
immediately answering them (“What then?” tí
gár etc. cp. 3:3, 5, 9; 4:1; 6:1; 7:7; 8:31; 9:14, 30; 11:7). 2. The first question is “What
advantage (perissós - exceed
or surplus) is there to Judaism?” Jews cannot have confidence in their
heritage (Rom 2:17-24) or circumcision for salvation (Rom 2:25-29). So what
advantage do they have? C. Answer: The Oracles of God
(2) 1. Paul answers that question
with, “great in every respect.” He explains that first and foremost (prṓtos - lit. “first”) the
greatest advantage to the Jews is that they were entrusted with the oracles
of God (other advantages are mentioned in Rom 9:4-5). 2. The oracles (lógion - sayings especially that
which was received by divine utterances and revelation) of God would refer to
the OT Scriptures which were given to 3. Therefore, it was a great
privilege for the word of God to be entrusted to the Jewish nation (Deu
4:6-8; 34-36). II. GOD’S FAITHFULNESS INSURES
HIS PROMISES (3-4) A. Question: Does Unbelief
Nullify the Faithfulness of God? (3) 1. Another question is raised
with a second-class condition (“if” - eí
and indicative negated by mè)
which is contrary to fact (i.e. if this is true [but it is not], then…).
Paul’s grammar informs the reader that he is using a fallacious notion. 2. The argument is that if
some Jews do not believe the promises given to them in the oracles of God,
will this nullify the faithfulness of God? 3. To nullify (katargéō) means to render
inoperative, abolish or remove (Rom 6:6; 2Co 3:14). The thought was that if
God’s covenantal people did not trust in God’s promises that the promises
would be removed. 4. To be sure, in Romans
chapter eleven, Scripture describes B. Answer: God is Faithful in
His Promises (4) 1. Paul’s response to the
notion that God’s faithfulness could be nullified by unbelief was with the
Greek expression, mề
génoito. Mề génoito was the strongest negative that
Paul could express. Literally it means, “not even in the least possibility,”
or “it cannot be,” or “let it not be” (Rom 3:6, 31; 6:2, 15; 7:7, 13; 9:14;
11:1, 11). 2. Faithfulness is one of the
attributes of God’s nature. The faithfulness of God guarantees that His
promises will not be nullified. a) God’s faithfulness could be
defined as his unchangeable fidelity in his covenants and promises to his
people. (1) God is faithful in keeping
his promises (Deu 7:9), in all his ways (Deu 32:4), in spite of
unfaithfulness (Hos 2:20). (2) God’s faithfulness is
limitless (Ps 36:5) and continuous (Ps 119:90). (3) Furthermore, God cannot lie
or break his promises (Num 23:19 cp 1Sa 15:29; Isa 40:8) b) The faithfulness of God was
demonstrated by His unconditional covenants. (1) An unconditional covenant is
one in which the covenant solely depends upon God. It is opposite of a
conditional covenant, such as the Mosaic Covenant whereby the covenant also
depended upon (2) God has made several
unconditional covenants with (a) Abrahamic - Gen 12:1-3 cp.
Gen 15:10-17 (b) Davidic - 2Sa 7:8-16 (c) New Covenant - Jer
31:31-34 c) The faithfulness of God is
demonstrated in the future fulfillment of God’s plan for 3. Paul calls those who would
claim that God’s faithfulness could be nullified, “liars,” who do not speak
the truth (perhaps a reference to Ps 116:11). a) He declares that God’s
words are true and quotes Ps 51:4, which is David’s great confessional psalm,
b) In Ps 51:4, David finally
owns up to his sin concerning Bathsheba and Uriah. In doing so, he declares
that God is faithful in His words and is justified even when men attempt to
contradict Him. 4. Therefore, the faithfulness
of God guarantees that His unconditional covenants will not be nullified in
spite of unbelief. III. CONCLUSION A. By understanding that the
faithfulness of God cannot be nullified toward his covenant people, the
believer is able to trust fully in the faithfulness of God, which guarantees
salvation, individual sanctification, the furtherance of the Kingdom through
the local church, and the fulfillment of future promises. 1. The faithfulness of God
guarantees salvation to those who trust in the death of Christ (1Jo 5:11-12;
Joh 3:16). 2. The faithfulness of God
guarantees individual sanctification to those who are saved (Phil 1:6; 2Ti
2:13). 3. The faithfulness of God
guarantees the furtherance of the Kingdom through the local church (Rom
11:25; Mat 16:18). 4. The faithfulness of God
guarantees the fulfillment of future promises to the church (Tit 2:13; 1Pe
1:3). |
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