Bible

In the Bible room today, we continue reading the book of Romans with Session 2, the summaries of chapters 3, 4 and 5.

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Romans

Session 2

Chapter 3. Faith

Why then is it special to be a Jew, and to value circumcision?

• It is very special in every way!
• First, the words of God were given to the Jews,
• And the fact that some of them did not believe does not
• Change the faithfulness of God; He is still true, it’s man
• Who lies; The scripture says we will be judged, then we say,
• By what? If our wicked ways are simply the proof of God’s
• Goodness, does that mean God is unjust in His anger?
• Definitely not! Otherwise, how could God judge the world?
• If God’s truth is magnified through my lies, that does not
• Change the fact I am still a sinner; And should we do evil just
• To prove the good? No, we are still condemned, and rightly so;
• All have sinned; Are the Jews better than the Gentiles? No.
• As we have said, everyone, Jews and Gentiles, have sinned;
• The scriptures say not one person is righteous, no one is
• Living for God; Everyone has gone his own way, never doing
• Anything of value, not even one; Their mouths are full of lies,
• And cursing and bitterness; They are quick to kill people, to
• Destroy lives and spread misery; They cannot live in peace,
• And they have no respect for God;
• But we know that the law says everyone will be accountable
• To God, and no one will be justified before Him, as everyone
• Who knows the law, knows their behavior is sinful;
• But now, God has shown us His righteousness, which we can
• Know through faith in Jesus Christ, separate from the law;
• This was expressed to us by the Prophets and the scriptures;
• And it is available to everyone, without exception, who
• Believes, for everyone has sinned, and been away from the
• Glory of God, but now can be justified, without cost, by His
• Grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom
• God sent to us to be our own personal mercy seat, with His
• Own blood, to show us His righteousness, and His forgiveness,
• By forgetting the sins of our past, and justifying all who have
• Faith in Jesus; We are justified by this faith, the law of faith;
• Is He the God of the Jews only, or is He also the God of the
• Gentiles? He is the God of everyone, both Jews and Gentiles;
• The circumcised and the uncircumcised, both are justified
• Through faith; This does not destroy the law, it establishes the
• Law, it is the law of faith.

Chapter 4. Believe

What is there to say about the good works of Abraham, our forefather?

• His good works were not the reason God approved him,
• Though he could take personal pride in what he did, but
• Scripture says he believed God, and God called him righteous;
• A worker may earn a wage, but he cannot earn Grace;
• The ungodly are justified through faith in Him who justifies,
• They are not justified by their good works;
• David has written about the man who is blessed because God
• Imputes righteousness to him, unrelated to his good works;
• Blessed are those whose sinful deeds are forgiven;
• Blessed are those to whom the Lord does not impute sin;
• Is it only the circumcised who are blessed? Or are the
• Uncircumcised also blessed? It was Abraham’s faith that caused
• Him to be accounted as righteous; Was this before or after his
• Circumcision? Before. While he was yet uncircumcised, he
• Would become the father of all who would believe, whether or
• Not they are circumcised; And this was granted to him because
• Of his faith, not through the law; Those who persist in living
• Under the law, cannot be heirs, for then faith becomes void,
• And there is no longer the promise of Abraham; It’s only
• Possible through faith that brings grace to extend the promise
• To everyone–those of the law, and those of the faith of
• Abraham, the father of us all, to whom it was spoken:
• ‘I have made you the father of many nations,’ by the authority
• Of God who can raise the dead, and call those things which do
• Not exist as though they did; He believed in hope, and became
• The father of many nations, as it was spoken, ‘So shall your
• Descendants be;’ His faith was not weak, and his body was still
• Strong at a hundred years old, though Sarah’s womb was dead;
• He never hesitated in his belief and faith, giving glory to God;
• He was certain that what God had promised He would do;
• And because of this faith, He was accounted as righteous;
• And this righteousness is not just for Abraham alone—
• It is for all of us who believe in Him who raised Jesus, our Lord
• From the dead, who was crucified for our sins, and rose from
• Death for our justification.

Chapter 5. Grace

Therefore, we are justified by faith, giving us peace with God

• Through our Lord Jesus Christ, and, through faith, we also
• Have access to His grace which gives us hope for our future;
• In addition to that we can deal with various troubles, knowing
• They will build our endurance, which develops character,
• Which yields hope; And this hope brings fulfillment as the
• Love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit
• Whom we have received; When we were still helpless, and
• Ungodly, at the right time, Christ died for us; It may be possible
• That someone might die for a good man; But God proved His
• Love for us that while we were sinners Christ died for us;
• Now that we have been accepted through His blood, we will be
• Saved from God’s anger; He accepted us, through the death of
• His Son, even when we were His enemies, but now, even more,
• Much more, we will be saved by His life, and we can be joyful
• That we now receive acceptance through our Lord Jesus Christ;
• Just as sin and death entered the world through one man, and
• Then spread to all men, for all have sinned, although before
• The law was given, man was not accountable since there
• Was no law, but death came to everyone from Adam to Moses,
• Even to those who did not sin as Adam did, he was a figure of
• Him who would come; The free gift was not the same as the sin
• That came into the world by one man, Adam, causing many to
• Die, much more, the gift of the grace of God, and the grace of
• One Man, Jesus Christ, would be accepted by many; The sin of
• Adam brought judgement, and condemnation, whereas the free
• Gift brought saving grace; One man’s sin brought death, but the
• Grace of One, Jesus Christ, would much more bring life;
• One sin brought judgement, one righteous act brought purified
• Life; One man’s disobedience created many sinners, one Man’s
• Obedience turned many toward right living; The law defined
• Sin, but where there was sin, there was much more grace;
• As sin brought death, grace brought right living and eternal life
• Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

End of Session 2 of the book of Romans.

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