God’s Judgment Defended
1 What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? 2 Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. 3 For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? 4 Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written:
“That You may be justified in Your words,
And may overcome when You are judged.” (Psalm 51:4)5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) 6 Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world?
7 For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”, as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just.
So, now that we’ve covered that no one, regardless of their birth or families, are more just before God – that leads to the inevitable question – “What advantage has the Jew?” They are raised in strict communities where they have much religious instruction and memorization throughout their lives, and many festivals and feasts, etc. If all that counts for nothing in the long run, what’s the point of it all? Actually, a lot. They have the “oracles of God” revealed to them in His written word, their history, their promises from God, etc. No other religious group can claim that kind of a relationship with God up until this point. God has been faithful to this ethnic group for all of written history. More than that, God’s faithfulness to them (to those who believe) is not subject to the actions of the people. God’s covenant with them is in place regardless of their actions toward God. More than that, when they act in rebellion toward God, it only glorifies God more like a the sun blazing against a perfectly black plane of space behind it. The darkness shows much deeper against the brightness of the sun and the sun is more glorified when shown againt the darkness. Should we then sin more against God so that He is glorified more? Certainly not! In that day, much as we have today with works righteousness based salvation methods (Mormonism, Islam, Catholicism, etc) based their opposition to Jesus’ teaching of salvation by grace of God alone by saying that it’s a license to sin. That, now that we’ve been saved by God, and that all our sins, past, present, and future are paid for, now we can sin all we want against God because our debt has been paid. What Paul is stating here is that it’s not a license to sin and that those who claim to be Christians and act in this way are going to bring condemnation to themselves. Their actions against God show their unbelief as a truly repentant sinner would be unable to sin against God as they’d know that each sin they commit against God from the moment of their salvation forward is another drop of wrath that Jesus took on our behalf. When we continue to sin, we’re making our punishment that Jesus took for us just THAT MUCH more unbearable. For those who act in that manner and who claim to be Christians, they are making the gospel of Jesus look bad and, honestly, the condemnation of others against Christians who act in that way is justified. No Christian should act in that manner, regardless of their intention. Do Christians sin? Yes, but we’re growing daily in holiness and we’re growing daily in our devotion to God and each time we sin against God, willfully or not, we should repent to God for our actions, and ask Him to forgive us. God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-10)