Romans: A Faithful & Relentless Lord (3)
Chapter 3:21-5:21 In light of the truth that the whole world had rebelled against God
the question might well arise (several forms of the question may well
arise) why God left apostasy unpunished (stated positively, why he
"passed over sin" during that long night). An answer comes in Romans
3:21-26 where God's (righteousness) faithfulness to his creation is
shown in Jesus Christ. The human race wasn't obliterated (their sins
were passed over) because the holy Father is lovingly committed to it,
as Jesus Christ demonstrates. Since it is only by God's faithfulness,
even in the face of sustained and aggressive rebellion, that creation
continues in hope, no one can boast that they have any claim on God and
since the Shema is true, it bears witness to God's faithfulness to the
entire human race (3:27-31). This is true whatever else is true.
The faithfulness of God was always independent of the Mosaic Torah or
any other expression of God's goodness and the work of Jesus
demonstrated that it was independent of all that. He didn't purchase
faithfulness from God by his death-his death was the revelation of the
always existing (though often puzzling) faithfulness of God (3:21-26).
The character of God is seen in the gracious Torah but God's
faithfulness is bigger than the Torah and the gracious gift of the
Torah. To limit it to that is to put in jeopardy the truth of his
faithfulness to the entire creation. Paul argues from the Shema that the
faithfulness of God (shown in Jesus Christ) must be a creation-wide
faithfulness-3:27-31. And since it is faithfulness to an apostate human
race it must be "good news" to all. For a generous and wise heart a
promise to a drunken man is still a promise that needs to be kept. God
sees his promise as a promise he will keep even if it's made to a world
that has become a drunk.
Since there is one God there is one human family
Since there is one God the entire human family is loved by him
God's faithfulness is revealed but not created by his redeeming work
The faithfulness of God to the whole human race is seen in his
choice of Abraham (and consequently of physical Israel)-4:1-25. It has
nothing to do with prior human claims of any kind and it is independent
of the possession of special revelation, peculiar birth situations,
ordinances or liturgies of one kind or another. The good news that Paul
has to proclaim is that God is righteous (faithful) and that that
faithfulness has shown itself in Jesus Christ to the entire creation
(humanity included). He will work out what that means for the entire
creation in 8:18-39, and see 4:13.
Such faithfulness to humanity involves the oneness of humanity. It is
one in its sin and it is one in being the object of the holy Father's
loving commitment. The one father (Abraham) and one Father of us all are
prior to the Torah that divided the human race into two families. The
holy Father purposed to reconcile the whole world in Jesus Christ which
means (in keeping with the Abrahamic covenant) that there would be one
family. Abraham would be the father of that family through Jesus Christ
(as noted in Galatians 3:26-29) to those who have the faith of their
father Abraham (4:16).
The feeble Abraham wholly dependent on God
The universal outreach of the Abrahamic covenant
Abraham's faith in God and ours in the God seen in Jesus Christ
But making the human family one in sin (in Adam) and one in the
Jewish Messiah generates questions about physical Israel, "the seed of
Abraham" and the Torah. What advantage did the Jew have by being God's
elect (3:1)? Has God been faithful to his people since so many are now
unblessed by their own Messiah (chapters 9-11), and, in light of 5:20,
how is the Torah to be viewed? Is it evil, an enemy of the promises and
anti-life? (The response is seen in 7:1-8:4.)
If the Torah was given (5:20) in order to (a hina clause expressing
purpose rather than simple result-see 11:32) augment the trespass (the
Adamic-5:15-19) that seems to speak ill of the Torah. If sin reigns
through death and the Torah was given to augment the offence then the
Torah must be anti-life and pro-death. It must be a "Torah of sin and
death". And if it's that, then it looks like God didn't mean to fulfill
his promises. His faithfulness comes into question.
Of course Paul goes on to say that where sin was increased God's
faithful grace was more than a match for it. This might be true, but if
augmented sin results in augmented grace and therefore more glory comes
to God, it would appear the logical and right thing to do (since we live
to bring God glory) would be to abide in sin that grace and God's glory
might be increased. It sounds like Paul's gospel undermined and even
denigrated the Torah by making abiding in sin a service for God (see
3:8,31).
As far as Paul was concerned Jews and Gentiles were all
under sin. You could write across their history, "like Adam". And this
was true even though the Jew had been given a revealed covenantal Torah.
The Torah the Jewish nation gloried in stood in judgment over them and
branded them "like Adam". Because of their sinfulness the covenant Torah
became part of the failed human process.
©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.
Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.