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What is the Point? In His Word
A while back there was a fad that Christians got caught up into where they tried to behave just like Jewish people. They traditionally wore prayer shawls, they pulled out shofars and blew them and in a since they followed the old testament actions of how to worship God.
I am not saying that is bad, or wrong, but I think we have become
closer to God than that.
We do not need to cover our heads to pray, we do not have to
blow a horn to cry out to God or let people know we are going into battle. But
you can do it if you want, if it helps you focus on the fact that God’s
presence is here today right with us.
Romans 3 points out some things that may help with the
understanding of our relationship with God via Christ and the Holy Spirit
connection.
Then what’s the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value
in the ceremony of circumcision? Yes,
there are great benefits! First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole
revelation of God. True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they
were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful? Of course not! Even if everyone else is a
liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him, “You will be proved right
in what you say, and you will win your case in court.”
“But,” some might
say, “our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how
righteous God is. Isn’t it unfair, then, for him to punish us?” (This is merely
a human point of view.) Of course not!
If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge the world?
“But,” someone might
still argue, “how can God condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights
his truthfulness and brings him more glory? Romans 3:1-8
I understand now that God has called the Hebrews His people.
The children of Israel are God’s Chosen ones. I understand that they are an
amazing group of His people, but so are we. Though we were once considered
sinners, and are now saved by Grace, not by bloodline.
Paul puts it like this.
Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than
others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews
or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. As the Scriptures say,
“No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”
(everyone) "Their talk is foul, like the stench of an open grave, Their tongues are filled with lies, their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."
“They rush to commit murder. Destruction and misery always follow them. They don’t know where to find peace.” “They have no fear of God at all.” Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. Romans 3:9-20
So once we see how sinful we are, and they do too, what can
we do? We can know that God has put Himself in our place through Christ dying
on the cross. He made us right with Him without having to jump through the
hoops and fail time and time again as the History of Israel shows us they did,
back and forth about every generation or so, approximately 40 years by 40 years
they would rise and fall according to living right before God.
We and they can now rejoice knowing that Christ delivered us
from failure!
But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him
without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of
Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our
faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter
who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious
standard.
(But God!) Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith.
So, we are made right with
God through faith and not by obeying the law.
After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also
the God of the Gentiles? Of course He is.
There is only one God, and he makes people right with
himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. Well then, if we
emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course
not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law. Romans
3:19-29
But God! Yes God made a way that the Jewish people and the
Gentiles, (that’s us non Jewish decedents) can make our way back to Him. Well, thank God, He
made the way to us, so that we could have the clear passage to the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit in our lives, to help us
achieve what they could not do before Jesus came for us all!
So, what was the point of learning the laws of God and
having to sacrifice animals for their sins? To teach them to obey God, to teach
us to obey God’s Word and to desire to come to Jesus to gain salvation from our
sins. The Holy Spirit connection returned to us when Christ died. I say
returned because that’s what Adam and Eve had before their sins closed them off
from God’s presence. Now we have this! We have the Lord God walking with us,
talking with us and if we are listening to that still small voice or the
sounding gong we can hear Him direct our paths each day. Someday we will hear
Him say ‘well done’. When we put our trust, our hopes, and our faith in Christ
Jesus and follow His direction in His Word then we will be found righteous in
His sight, because when He looks at me He sees not what I used to be but He
sees Jesus! Just like the old song says!
In Jesus name,
Teresa Wilson