Hello friends,
Today, while I was commuting, I had some THOUGHTS I wanted to share.
So I decided I’d just make a new type of post labelled “some thoughts” where I shared some of my thoughts on theology and the Bible.
It’s just sort of me ranting but I’ll try to include some Biblical references to support my perspective !
Plz do not burn me too hard for some of my thoughts. I’m open to correction but I’m also pretty stubborn so PLEASE have this in mind when you send me an angry message telling me I’m a heretic:
Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
2 Timothy 2:23-25
Disclaimer: I do not claim to have all the answers, most of this just comes from one person who is learning to another! These are just some current thoughts I have the moment and they are subject to change!
(I guess I should post this at the beginning of all these posts, ha)
Agenda for today (in order of when these thoughts came up)
- Romans 3:23-24
- Hebrews 10:28-31
- Abstractness of faith
- Predestination
- Romans 9
Okay, this one came up while I was listening to a podcast so I will have to give some credit to them. But one thing that was interesting that they mentioned is how we’ll often use Romans 3:23 as a “proof text” that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
Is this true? Yes. Indefinitely.
Paul makes it clear in Romans 3:9-18:
What then? Are we Jew any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written
“None is righteous, no, not one;
Romans 3:9-18
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
He makes it clear that nobody can be justified by the works of the law:
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
Romans 3:20
yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
Galatians 2:17
And apart from faith, there is only the law, and thus no one is justified. As it is written: “all who rely on works of the law are under a curse” (Galatians 3:10). And so going back and reading Romans 3:23 that “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” it is a correct statement. All are sinners.
But that is not how the author intended it to be used.
If we continue to read into verse 24…
“…and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).
If we read it together…
“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24).
Now, there’s no all after the ‘and’ but it’s sort of implied. So it’d sort of go something like this:
“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24 w/ emphasis).
Now we are stuck at one of two conclusions, either:
- All are sinners and all are justified by his grace
- This verse is not talking about all people and should not be used as a proof text claiming that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Well, which is it? Let’s take a look at the previous verses: “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction” (Romans 3:21-22)
Now, reading it as a whole…
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus
Romans 3:21-24
This second one actually came up while I was in church the other day! I wasn’t the one who brought it up but I still found it astonishing!
Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 10:28-31
While the person was bringing it up, they were focused more on how the punishment is much more severe (via v. 27) but I thought it was astonishing why it’s so much more severe.
Hebrews 1-10 talks a lot about how Jesus has enacted a new and better covenant:
But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.
Hebrews 8:6
With that in mind, let’s take a look at Hebrews 10:28-31.
If someone has set aside the law of Moses, they die on the evidence of 2 or 3 witnesses.
How much more severe the punishment then if someone sets aside the law of Christ (which is superior to the law of Moses) on the grounds of the witnesses being the Father, son, and holy spirit (which are far superior to some arbitrary 2 or 3 witnesses)?
I’d imagine it’d be pretty severe.
This one is not really about the Bible but just sort of a side rant (lol). It just seems like a lot of the time, the way we describe faith is really abstract and seems almost incomprehensible.
We say things like “good works are not required for salvation but saving faith will produce good works and are evidence of salvation.”
Okay, hold on a minute, what does that even mean?
Hebrews describes faith as “assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things unseen” (Hebrews 11:1).
Is not faith just the trust that we have in the Lord? That we can have confidence in the things he says and who he is?
Could we say that faith is simply our ability to “trust in the promises of God?”
Does that not make sense as well when we “complete” it with “good works?”
“When we trust in the promises of God (faith), it changes the way we live (good works).”
When we trust that His way is better and that it’s worth selling everything for, then it changes the way we live.
This one is also sort of a rant and I wasn’t even going to write about it until this morning. While I was listening to the podcast, the speaker mentioned how people really like to get caught up predestination things and I was thinking to myself, “who cares?”
I think theology is great and I love getting caught up in the little things (proof: this blog) but ultimately, how much does it really matter?
Because it gets to a point where you have one believer telling another that they’re going to hell because of what they think about predestination.
Do you really think that when you appear before God in his throne room, his main concern will be whether or not you were right or not on predestination?
In fact, whether or not there’s predestination, should it change the way we live out our faith? And if it does, isn’t that a sign that we’re missing something?
What does the Lord require of us? “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8)
The last thing on my mind is Romans 9. It’s really interesting the perspective we often we read this section of Romans with.
(Shoutout to the podcast again).
We read this section with the connotation that Paul uses it to exclude people.
When we read “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,” (Romans 9:15)
We seem to read it as “I will have mercy on these people and not these people.”
But what if it’s meant to be read as “I will have mercy not only on these people but these people as well.”
Interestingly, as pointed out (to me), Romans was written the for the exact opposite purpose. It was written to include.
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:12-13
When the Jews exclude the Gentiles, what does Paul have to say?
Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also
Romans 3:29
Or when the Gentiles try to exclude the Jews, what does Paul have to say?
But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.
Romans 11:17-21
What if the focus on the vessels of wrath is not their destruction but God’s patience and mercy. God’s inclusion rather than exclusion. As the NASB says:
What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory
Romans 9:22-23 NASB w/ emphasis
I think that is all for today!
Thanks for reading,
and stay cool,
Jason
Jason Reads the Bible 