Here, in Romans CHAPTER 3 Apostle Paul is speaking to those in Rome who believed on Jesus, that Jesus suffered and died on the cross so that they could receive forgiveness of sins, so as to be saved from eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire.
But many of the Jews who believed on Jesus, who had received SALVATION by GRACE, also believed they must continue to keep the COMMANDMENTS of the law of Moses to “STAY” SAVED.
Also, many of those Jews believed that God gave this SALVATION only to the Jews, not to GENTILES (Gentiles are all of us who are not Jewish).
But God spoke through Isaiah the prophet:
Isaiah 49:6
[6] …I will also give thee (Israel) for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
This scripture and plenty of other scriptural evidence that shows us that SALVATION was also to be given to the Gentiles. It is absolutely baffling how the Jews could think otherwise.
Paul continually worked to correct that wrong belief. We see this in the book of Acts, and in his writings in the New Testament.
Now, we are going to learn about the GRACE THAT PAUL PREACHED throughout the known world! Peter preached the same GRACE! But our main focus is on Paul at this time.
Is “STAYING” SAVED by WORKS or BY GRACE!!!
CHAPTER ONE: THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS
To truly understand this, it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that you CLEARLY understand that after the sin of Adam ALL “FLESH” fell into a “COMPLETELY” UNRIGHTEOUS condition!!!
Romans 5:12
[12]Wherefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Apostle Paul is telling us that not only did Adam sin. But that all the generations of people after Adam sinned.
Romans 3:23
[23]For all have sinned, and come short of the GLORY OF GOD.
The “GLORY” OF GOD is God’s HOLY-NESS. God’s HOLY-NESS is His pure-ness, His perfection and His sinlessness. In other words, His complete and total righteousness!
At the first time we SIN, we are no longer SINLESS. We become “SHORT” of the pure-ness, the perfection and the sinlessness of God.
To be able to enter GOD’S HOLY KINGDOM we would have to live a holy (pure), perfect and sinless life from birth to death.
We were never RIGHTEOUS to begin with when we were born. To become RIGHTEOUS we must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. But God gives GRACE to the young children until they know right from wrong.
You may say, couldn’t we have just asked God for forgiveness of our sins?
Yes, mankind could receive forgiveness of their sins in the sense that they could have God’s favor again. But they could not receive “COMPLETE” CLEANSING of their sins to receive eternal life again!!!
If Adam and Eve and the generations after them could have received “COMPLETE” FORGIVENESS of their sin by asking God for forgiveness, then Jesus would have never had to suffer and die to bring the “COMPLETE” FORGIVENESS that we needed!!!
So yes, we (mankind; all flesh) fell into a COMPLETELY UNRIGHTEOUS condition, and there was no “COMPLETE” FORGIVENESS of our sins until Jesus was sacrificed on the cross for our sins.
John 1:29
[29]The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Here, in Romans 3, Paul is talking to those Jews who believed that they (the Jews) were the ones who God chose to receive SALVATION …not Gentiles!
Romans 3:9-10,12,19-20
[9] …for we have before proved (through the scriptures) both Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews), that they are ALL UNDER SIN;
Paul says that not just the Gentiles are UNDER SIN, but so are the CHOSEN ONES, the Jews!
Then Paul says:
[10]As it is written, There is “NONE” RIGHTEOUS, no, not one.
Both Jews and Gentiles being “UNDER” SIN, means NO FLESH is RIGHTEOUS!!! ALL FLESH fell UNDER SIN. All FLESH into an UNRIGHTEOUS and UNFORGIVABLE condition after the sin of Adam!!!
Look at verse 12:
[12] They are all GONE OUT OF THE WAY (gone astray) , they are together BECOME UNPROFITABLE; there is “NONE” that DOETH GOOD no, not one.
Paul rendered the scriptures in Romans 3:10-12 from Psalms 14:2-3.
Psalms 14:2-3
[2]The LORD looked down from heaven upon the CHILDREN OF MEN, to see if there were “ANY” that did understand, and seek God.
[3]They are ALL GONE ASIDE, they are ALL TOGETHER become filthy: there is “NONE” that DOETH GOOD (righteous works), no, not one.
You may say, “that’s not true. I do my best to do GOOD and RIGHT.
Okay. What about the times when your thinking and behavior isn’t so good or right.
The prophets said those things in the sense that we are not not righteous “ENOUGH”! we do not do good “ENOUGH”!!!
We ALL do good and right. Some more or less than others. The question is, can we do good and right “ENOUGH”???
And in God’s eyes, NOT being GOOD “ENOUGH” or RIGHT “ENOUGH” is NOT ENOUGH to be called RIGHTEOUS …AT ALL!!!
Even Jesus said “THERE IS NONE” THAT DOES GOOD!!!
Matthew 19:16-29
[16]And, behold, one came and said unto him, GOOD Master…
[17] And he (Jesus) said unto him, Why callest thou me GOOD? THERE IS “NONE” GOOD but ONE, that is, GOD.
Jesus says “NO ONE” is GOOD but ONE …GOD!!!
In order to be “truly” RIGHTEOUS, we would have to be just as GOOD and RIGHT as GOD is in all our ways, and …ALL THE TIME … like GOD!!!
John 3:18
[18]He that believeth on him IS NOT CONDEMNED: but he that BELIEVETH NOT IS CONDEMNED “ALREADY”, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Jesus says, we are CONDEMNED (unrighteous) “ALREADY” because we have to believe on the name of of the only begotten Son of God to become RIGHTEOUS!!!
So THERE IS “NONE” RIGHTEOUS …past, present or future!!!
In Romans 3:10-18, Paul quotes scripture from *THE LAW* such as Isaiah and other PROPHETS informing us how UNRIGHTEOUS mankind is.
Romans 3:19
[19]Now we know that what things soever *THE LAW* saith, it saith to them who are UNDER THE LAW: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become GUILTY before God.
Paul was explaining to these Jews how that these words of the prophets from the *OLD TESTAMENT LAW* were “ALSO” to those who were “UNDER THE LAW” (the Jews)!!! How that the “whole world” are GUILTY OF SIN. Not just the Gentiles!!!
How that “ALL FLESH” went into a COMPLETELY UNRIGHTEOUS condition!!! And could not be made righteous No matter HOW HARD they tried through their own efforts at being righteous by doing righteous works/deeds.
That’s why Apostle Paul says:
[20] “THEREFORE” by the deeds (works; Commandments) of the law there shall “NO FLESH” be justified in his sight…
Apostle Paul says NO FLESH will be justified by the LAW!!! You know why??? Because no flesh “CAN BE” justified by the LAW (righteous works)!!!
That’s why we had to be JUSTIFIED (made righteous) FREELY…
Romans 3:24
[24]Being JUSTIFIED FREELY by his GRACE through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Ephesians 2:8-9
[8]For by GRACE are ye saved (made righteous) through faith; and that NOT OF YOURSELVES: it is the “GIFT” of God: NOT of works
Apostle Paul says Salvation is NOT OF OURSELVES …AT ALL!!! You know why …because it “CAN’T” BE of OURSELVES! We (flesh) cannot be saved from our sins by our OWN EFFORTS at trying to be SINLESS “ENOUGH” to be accepted into the KINGDOM of GOD!
Because we (flesh) CANNOT BE SINLESS “ENOUGH”!!! If we could, Jesus would never had to come!!!
[9] NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast.
Apostle says SALVATION is NOT by trying to do the WORKS (deeds; the commandments of the law of Moses) good ENOUGH!!! Because we CAN’T!!! We (flesh) are UNRIGHTEOUS BEINGS!!!
Romans 3:20
[20]Therefore by the DEEDS OF THE LAW there shall NO “FLESH” be JUSTIFIED (made righteous) in his sight:
The law is righteous …but we are not!!! We can’t be sinless ENOUGH trying to do the WORKS of the LAW good to be accepted into God’s kingdom.
If we (the flesh) could have become righteous “ENOUGH” through our “OWN EFFORTS” at doing “good works/deeds or even by doing the the righteous commandments of Law of Moses …or if we could have gotten “complete” forgiveness when we sinned …then JESUS would have never had to come to suffer and die to bring us the COMPLETE RIGHTEOUSNESS and the COMPLETE FORGIVENESS that we we really needed!!!
Romans 3:23
[23]For all have sinned, and come short of the glory (the perfection and sinlessness of God;
Yes, we do good and we do right. But we also do bad and we do wrong at times. But all it takes is one sin to “come short” of the “perfection” and “sinlessness” of God.
That’s why Apostle Paul tells us that NO FLESH can be justified (made righteous) by doing the RIGHTEOUS DEEDS of the righteous law of Moses!!!
The COMMANDMENTS (deeds; works) in the law of Moses are perfect and righteous, but we are “SHORT” of the perfection and sinlessness of God because we have sinned or will sin.
That is why doing the righteous COMMANDMENTS of the law cannot make us perfect and righteous enough.
If we could be perfect, righteous and forgiven enough by doing the righteous deeds of the law then we would have not have needed Jesus to come to suffer and die so that we could be “completely” forgiven and given eternal life!
Obviously “we” (flesh) could not be “completely” forgiven our sins until Jesus suffered and died to bring the “complete” forgiveness of sin that we needed
Yes, when we (flesh) came to God for forgiveness before Jesus came, God would bring us back into His “good graces”, but God still would not forgive us to the extent that God would grant us complete forgiveness to the extent that he would give us eternal life.
Because if God would have brought us “complete” forgiveness and eternal life before Jesus came, then Jesus would not have needed to come to suffer and die so that God “would” grant us “complete” forgiveness to the extent that he gives us eternal life in His holy kingdom!!!
But God still loves us enough that he sent us a SAVIOR to rescue us from “not being” righteous enough or good enough!
John 3:16
[16]For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
2 Timothy 1:10
[10]But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour (rescuer) Jesus Christ, who hath abolished (taken away) death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
If you read through Chapter 14 you see that Paul and Barnabas had been going throughout the regions of the Gentiles (non-Jews) preaching the gospel of Christ to the Gentiles. And a “great number” of Gentiles believed on the Lord Jesus.
After they had finished their course, they went back to ANTIOCH where they had been staying before the Holy Spirit sent them on their journey.
Now in ANTIOCH there were also a “great number” of Gentiles who had already believed on Jesus.
But certain men came down from Judaea and began teaching the “brethren”, (the “disciples” in Antioch) something different.
Acts 15:1
[1]And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the “brethren” (disciples of Christ), and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
Well Antioch was a city of the Gentiles (non-Jews) and a “great number” of Gentiles had ALREADY believed on the Lord Jesus but men from Judaea came down to Antioch and began teaching the Gentile “brethren” a “different version” of SALVATION than what they had “INITIALLY” been taught by Barnabas and Paul (also called Saul) …Acts 19-26.
They were teaching the Gentile “brethren” (who had “already” been saved) that they “must be” CIRCUMCISED, OBVIOUSLY to “STAY” saved!
Now if you read through Acts chapter 15 you will see that Paul and Barnabas got into a very heated debate with the men from Judaea. So Paul, Barnabas and the men from Judaea decided to go to Jerusalem to hear what the Apostles and elders would say about the matter.
Then, when they arrived into Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas began to rehearse all the things that happened through their preaching and how a “great number” of Gentiles had believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. Then this happened:
[5]But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees “WHICH BELIEVED” (who believed on Jesus), saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
Now, these Pharisees in Jerusalem were Jews and were teachers of the law of Moses, and they BELIEVED on the Lord Jesus Christ. But they also believed that they should “CONTINUE” to keep the law of Moses to STAY SAVED!!!
These Pharisees claimed that the Gentiles who had “ALREADY” been saved, must not only be CIRCUMCISED, but must ALSO keep the “ENTIRE” law of Moses to “STAY” saved!
[7]And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles (non-Jews) by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
[8]And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost (the Holy Spirit), even as he did unto us;
[9]And put no difference between us and them, “PURIFYING” their “HEARTS” by faith (they received “INITIAL” salvation).
Then Peter said:
[10]Now therefore why “TEMPT” ye God (make God angry) to put a “YOKE” (a heavy load) upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear (to carry)?
I don’t know about you, but this looks to me like Peter ABSOLUTELY “DID NOT” WANT these Jews to be teaching the Gentile “disciples” (who had already BEEN SAVED) …that they must NOW do “WORKS” (the commandments of the law of Moses) …to “STAY” SAVED!!!
Peter just made it CLEAR to the “men from Judaea” and the “Pharisees” who believed, that he in “NO WAY” agreed with them that the Gentiles
(who had BEEN INITIALLY SAVED by GRACE) should do the “WORKS”
(deeds; Commandments) of the Law to “STAY” SAVED!
This agrees with what Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians:
Ephesians 2:8-9
[8]For by GRACE are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
[9]Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Then Peter said this:
[11]But we believe that through the “GRACE” (the FREE GIFT) of the Lord Jesus Christ “we” SHALL BE SAVED, even as “they” !
To Peter, there was no “SAVED BY GRACE” …then “DO WORKS” to “STAY” SAVED!!!
To Peter, WE ARE “SAVED by GRACE”!!! …PERIOD!!!
IN FACT… Apostle Paul says if we do “WORKS” “AFTER” we have received INITIAL SALVATION to “STAY” SAVED, we actually “FALL” from GRACE (the “FREE GIFT” of salvation)!!! READ CHAPTER 3!!!
Apostle Paul used the same terminology as Peter when Peter said, “why tempt ye God by putting a “YOKE” (heavy load of the law; works) on the neck of the “disciples” (those who have “ALREADY” been saved)!
Galatians 5:1
[1]Stand fast therefore in the Liberty (freedom) wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the YOKE OF BONDAGE.
When Paul and Peter are talking about a “YOKE”, Paul and Peter are talking about is having to do the “heavy load” of the “WORKS” (the commandments) of the law of Moses to STAY SAVED.
A “YOKE” is a heavy brace that is put on the necks of oxen to pull an even heavier load such as a wagon or a plow.
***There are those who have told me that even though we have been made “Free From The Law OF Moses”, we now are married to Christ and now must obey the COMMANDMENTS of Jesus to “STAY” SAVED.
Well… Let’s hear what Apostle Paul says about that:
Ephesians 2:8-9
[8]For by GRACE are ye saved through faith; and that NOT OF YOURSELVES: it is the GIFT OF GOD:
[9] NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast.
The “REASON” that us doing “WORKS” of the Law of Moses cannot save us is because salvation is NOT “OF OURSELVES”, PERIOD!!!
There is absolutely nothing that we can do of our OWN EFFORTS to be “righteous enough” to be saved!!! Savalvation comes by what Christ did FOR us!!! Not by how righteous we we try to be through the law of Moses, or otherwise!
In fact, Paul says the law was “NEVER” given for the purpose of attaining eternal life, anyway!
Galatians 3:21-22
[21 …for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the (law of Moses)
[22]But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise (eternal life) by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
So doing the “WORKS” of the law of Moses was never given for the purpose of giving us eternal life …PERIOD!!! That means AT “INITIAL” SALVATION and AFTER!!!
Trying to be righteous enough to be saved by doing the righteous deeds of the law is us trying to be “righteous enough by our own efforts” to be saved.
Then it’s only common sense that trying to stay saved by our own efforts to be righteous enough saved by doing the RIGHTEOUS COMMANDMENTS of Jesus
–CHAPTER TWO–
APOSTLE PAUL’S DEFINITION OF GRACE
–CHAPTER 3–
SHORT OF GOD’S GLORY
According to a common belief that when we believe on Jesus that he suffered and sacrificed his life on the the cross for our forgiveness from sin, God puts us on a clean slate. Giving us a clean start.
We were unclean, full of sin, but we have been forgiven and are now made complete clean from sin and saved from an eternity in Hell.
We have been saved FREELY by GRACE, but to STAY SAVED we must do works from the law of Moses to
But in order to STAY SAVED we
—THE NEW BIRTH—
Galatians 5:4
[4]Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Here Paul is Paul is telling us that if we do WORKS of the law to “STAY” SAVED “AFTER” we receive INITIAL SALVATION by GRACE, we actually FALL from GRACE!!!
Instead of being able to receive FORGIVENESS from God when we FALL SHORT in our OWN EFFORTS to be “righteous enough” TO BE SAVED, by doing WORKS of the law of Moses, Paul says we actually FALL from GRACE!!! We actually FALL from the “FREE GIFT” of SALVATION!!
In other words, we FALL from the FREE GIVING of GOD!
In this case, these Galatians FELL from the “FREE GIVING” of SALVATION. Because they began believing that by doing a WORK from the law they could become “righteous enough” to “STAY” SAVED.
Paul told them that they had been “RUNNING WELL” in the FREE GIFT of SALVATION “AFTER” they were INITIALLY SAVED!!!
They should have KEPT RUNNING WELL in the
We FALL from the GRACE that we INITIALLY RECEIVED we
First of all, Apostle Paul tells us that NO FLESH can be justified by the law. Obviously even after INITIAL SALVATION!!!
This is because our flesh man is permanently unclean and CANNOT BE JUSTIFIED (made righteous) PERIOD!!!
Explain why:
Because the “flesh” cannot be justified the law (or by any part of the law).
“Our flesh man” cannot be justified by their own efforts to be “righteous enough” to be saved.
Their is no written laws nor spoken laws that flesh can
obey that will make ” our flesh” “righteous enough” to be saved.
It’s because “our flesh man” is “UNDER” SIN and cannot be forgiven or made righteous.
It is the “holy spirit” that is righteous and eternal! That is why we have to be re-created righteous and holy (re-born) ” the “spirit man” legally no longer the “flesh man”. (spiritual legallity).
Because legally, when Jesus died, I (my flesh man; the old man; the obsulete man) died.
Then when God raised Jesus from the dead and sat Jesus at His right hand, because of the sacrifice of Jesus made for us, God poured out His SPIRIT (spiritual seed) upon all flesh to receive.
But we have to receive God’s seed through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus, to be “born again” of God’s spiritual seed!
Galatians 3:21-22
[21]Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
[22]But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Romans 3:23
[23]For all have sinned, and come short of the glory (the perfection; the sinlessness) of God;
In order for the “flesh” to be “righteous enough” to be saved, “flesh” would have to live a perfect and sinlessness life from birth to death.
IN FACT… Apostle Paul says if we try to be “righteous enough” by our own efforts” of doing “WORKS” to “STAY” SAVED “AFTER” we have received INITIAL SALVATION ( after we have received the spirit) we actually “FALL” FROM GRACE!!!
—THE NEW BIRTH—
Galatians 5:4
[4]Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Here Paul is Paul is telling us that if we do “WORKS” after we received INITIAL SALVATION by GRACE, we actually FALL from GRACE!!!
Why does that happen?
For years and years many Pastors have taught us that
We receive INITIAL SALVATION by GRACE. But then we must do works to “STAY” SAVED.
–Explain that we are a three part being: BODY (the flesh man), SOUL and SPIRIT (if were born again of spirit)
—Explain how that the flesh man is permanently unclean
Galatians 3:11
[11]But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Galatians 3:21
[21]Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
[22]But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Apostle Paul told the Galatians believers that they “did run well” in GRACE! In the spirit! They were running well following the commandment of Jesus to love one another! To love our neighbors as ourselves! Knowing that it wasn’t the works of love that keeps them saved them, but it was the work of Jesus suffering and dying on the cross that saved them when they believed on him and made a commitment in their heart to make him Lord of their lives.
They understood that
salvation cannot come by any works that they do to be “righteous enough” to be saved. Because the flesh man is dead in sins cannot be saved, even after receiving the free gift of the holy spirit.
The Galatians knew they were already saved.
“Walking” in Grace is “not trying to be saved by works; not by our own efforts!
Knowing that
So we see clearly that the Christian walk is a GRACE walk!
is a “walk in the spirit walk”!
This means that the walk in the spirit walk is NOT to be “a works of the law” walk to stay saved!
We see that the walk in the is NOT an “of ourselves” walk.
CHAPTER TWO
Paul wrote to the Gentiles in Galatia (who had already been saved) and told them these things:
Apostle Paul used the same phrasing as Peter used in Acts 15. Paul is referring to the Law of Moses as the “YOKE” OF BONDAGE!!!
Galatians 5:1
[1]Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the “YOKE” of bondage.
A “YOKE” is a heavy wooden brace that was place on the necks of Oxen so that the Oxen could pull heavy loads!
Peter was clearly referring to the WORKS of the Law of Moses as being a heavy load!!! And that is what Paul was also referring to here!
Galatians 5:4
[4]Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Let’s take a look at what Paul’s definition of GRACE is:
Romans 4:4
[4]Now to him that worketh is the reward (in this case is “salvation”) not reckoned of GRACE, but of debt.
Galatians 3:11
[11]But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Galatians 3:21
[21]Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
[22]But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
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