Works — at long last
And so, I said all that to say this (and because sorting through Romans is great fun) —
(Rom 3:20 NET) 20 For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
What is Paul’s point — in context? Well, as we discussed above, he’s just about to declare that the children of Israel were saved — rather than left to die and cease to exist like the Gentiles — by the power of Jesus through his crucifixion. The Mercy Seat is where the High Priest went once a year on the Day of Atonement to make a sacrifice for the sins of all Israel. And this is where God himself dwelled through his Shekinah (or Glory). And from Moses to John the Baptist, forgiveness was available to faithful Israel only because of the work of Jesus on the cross.
(Note: the scriptures say nothing of sins being “rolled forward.” In fact, they plainly declare the sins of Israel forgiven when sacrifices are made. God forgave in heaven outside of time. From our perspective, this was a relating-back kind of thing, but God doesn’t have to worry about time and years and future and past, if it suits him.)
Hence, plainly, Paul is saying in 3:20 that obedience to the Law of Moses does not bring about God’s justification of his children (declaration that someone is “faithful” or “righteous” despite their sin). Rather, the Law only brought about greater awareness of God’s will — producing more chargeable sin.
Paul expands on this theme in chapter 5, pointing out that we are only accountable for what God has revealed to us. Adam was innocent and charged with no sin until he ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Israel lost any hope of innocence when Moses read the Law to them — but God solved the problem through his chesed. His merciful generosity (what I’m calling grace) provided forgiveness despite their awareness of God’s will.
And therefore, “works” means “works of the Law” means “obedience to the Law of Moses.” And in fact, the point is — very especially — that the Jews came to understand elemental morality from the Law — not just circumcision and feast days and food laws.
Contrary to much Church of Christ tract writing and even much of the New Perspective writings of Wright, Dunn, and others, here the subject is the Law — with an emphasis on right and wrong. How do I know? Well, I read the preceding passages.
(Rom 2:21b-23 NET) You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who tell others not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by transgressing the law!
Paul is accusing the Jews of violating the Law by violating the Ten Commandments. And in chapter 1, he is accusing Gentiles (and perhaps the Jews as well ) of all sorts of sins, including sexual immorality and disobedience to parents (Rom 1:30). These aren’t violations of the “ceremonial law.” These are moral violations — from chapter 1 through 3:19.
Therefore Rom 3:20 is addressing obedience to the moral commands of the Law at least. And we know Paul is referring to the things like circumcision because he just wrote,
(Rom 2:25-29 NET) 25 For circumcision has its value if you practice the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 Therefore if the uncircumcised man obeys the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 And will not the physically uncircumcised man who keeps the law judge you who, despite the written code and circumcision, transgress the law? 28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision something that is outward in the flesh, 29 but someone is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart by the Spirit and not by the written code. This person’s praise is not from people but from God.
So when he gets to —
(Rom 3:20 NET) 20 For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
“Works of the law” means “works of the Law” means “obedience to the entirety of the Law of Moses.” At least.
But he also declares the Gentiles condemned because they also violate “the law.”
(Rom 2:1-3 NET) Therefore you are without excuse, whoever you are, when you judge someone else. For on whatever grounds you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth against those who practice such things. 3 And do you think, whoever you are, when you judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape God’s judgment?
(Rom 2:12 NET) 12 For all who have sinned apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.
And so, “works of the law” means “obedience to God’s laws known either through the Law of Moses or general revelation (the creation, man’s moral nature, the judgments we impose on others). We may refine it further as we go, but this is clearly the guts of the concept in Rom 3 — which is a preview of Rom 4 – 11. So we can fairly think of it as a definition section. Paul is telling us how to read him by giving us this information before he gets to the details.
And I know this has been long, and I know that it’s also likely been not long enough. But I thought that this would shed some light on the discussion.
Excellent!
Of course we know that Jesus broadened the law explaining that intent or desire makes one guilty before God as well. In Matthew 5 Jesus’ words, “You have heard it said…”, “But I say unto you…” put the law where the rubber meets the road. Before a holy God a guy can sit in his living room and become guilty of adultery, and murder. Intent matters.
Then along comes modern day Pharisees who further expand God’s law to include a new set of laws they insist are found in the New Testament. They include things like no musical instruments in worship, required attendance on Sunday night and Wednesday night, a coat and tie for men on Sunday morning, no kitchen in the church building,and that if certain phrases are not said when someone is being baptized the baptism is invalid, to name a few. This they call “The Law of Christ”.Their “law of Christ” is not the same as the one in Galatians 6:2 (the only time the phrase appears in the Bible). Their’s is one they have concocted out of thin air and broadly applied so that anyone and everyone who is not exactly like them is damned.
There are coc “brothers” whose full time job is apparently to harass and threaten every coc preacher who preaches grace. I’m sure you hear from them Jay and I know Al Maxey and Edward Fudge do on a regular basis. I will not name them out of respect for Jay’s wishes. I will say that in my opinion, for what that’s worth, I have seen nothing that would lead me to believe they know Christ at all and they are not brothers. They have spurned God’s grace in Christ and have chosen to be law keepers expecting to be justified by keeping the law they have fashioned.
In our fellowship all you must do to become a target of the legalists is preach Christ alone as savoir and Lord.
Evidence of the legalist approach is the unwillingness to accept the fundamental facts, such as: Jesus saves us. Many want to add conditions: Jesus save us, if condition 1, if condition 2, if condition 3.
The “only thing that counts is faith expressing itself thru love”, but you also have to do A and B and C.
The simple act of adding these conditions creates a “works based salvation.”
It’s a way of seeking self justification.
““Works of the law” means “works of the Law” means “obedience to the entirety of the Law of Moses.” At least.”
Precisely!
Which is exactly how he continues to use the term in chapter 4.
“Now to the one who works (obeys the entirety of the law without sin), his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work (does not obey the entirety of the law without sinnining), but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
To Paul, in this section of Romans, “works” = “sinlessly perfect obedience”. That is why it can be said that “to the one who works”, his wages are ” his due”. He has truly earned them.
The whole debate about whether or not baptism is “a work” misses the entire meaning of the term as used by Paul here. The point is that the man who is forgiven can never be saved by “works”. For, “works” means “not needing forgiveness”.
Am I reading you right, Jay? BTW, this is how Robertson Whiteside understood this section as well. Very few, it seems, get it.
Without taking the discussion too far off its course, sometimes the word “Pharisee” is thrown around and used in modern ways that may not reflect what those guys were all about during the days of Jesus. True, heavy opposition and rebukes came from Jesus toward the Pharisee, and a culmination of his opposition and rebuke to their ways and to their thinking is found in Matthew 23. However, it is pretty clear from historical readings the Pharisees were putting everything through the filter of holiness. Through their captivities recorded in the Old Testament, much of which was directly related to Israel’s constant idolatry, the Pharisees became headstrong about micro-managing the direction of Israel’s worship and maintaining the laws of purity and holiness before GOD. Even more radical were the Essenes who thought the Pharisees were too “liberal.” They decided to go off and live in the dessert and exclude themselves from everyone else. There is no doubt the Pharisees went overboard, and they lost their way, no argument there, but there were some of the Pharisee sect that were honest, searching and seeking (Nicodemus in John 3:1-21; 7:50 in his effort to defend Jesus, and of course Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea who stepped up to ask for the body of Jesus which would have defiled them from partaking in Jewish rituals for a period of time. The issue is really not about law-keeping, but rather thinking that law-keeping brings justification for one before GOD, and that is just not possible. But, even Paul himself continued to keep and practice the law in his own life even to the point of making a sacrificial offering (Acts 21:26) -no this is not an offering for atonement, rather an offering consistent with the law pertaining to the Nazarite vow found in Numbers 6:1-21. And, it is pretty clear in Romans 8:1-4 that a part of the Spirit’s indwelling purpose in the believer’s life is to meet the “righteous requirements of the law.” Paul has stated in Romans 7:7,12,13,16,22 that the law is “holy, righteous and good.” It is highly frustrating to battle those who tend to overlook Romans 3:20, “Therefore, no one will be declared righteous before GOD by observing the law,” and Galatians 2:16 “So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by the faith in Christ and NOT by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified,” and Galatians 5:4-6 “You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace…the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love.” So Paul, in agreement with Jesus (John 13:34-35) instructs believers to follow and continue in the law of love (Gal. 5:13-14). It is still interesting further that future rewards are connected to faithfulness (Matt. 12:36-37;16:27; 25:21,23; Rom. 14:12; 2 Cor. 5:10; Eph. 6:8) Which all these references are rooted in O.T. teachings (Psalm 62:12; Jeremiah 17:10; and of course Ezekiel 18 refers to a life of responsible living that reflects the laws teaching on holiness and love for one’s neighbor.
The reason very few in the church of Christ get it is that the works salvation has been drummed in our heads all our lives.
The church is changing rapidly due to those like Jay and Al who is bringing back the basics and a much simpler salvation that the average man can understand and obey. One side not lost on my generation is we see a love for God that has been lost and a fear of God wrath being secondary.
We’re coming back to believing what we sing and not the all going to hell we have preached.
God never meant for this to be complicated and for only a very few to be able understand and obey.
In the end, God will win, not the devil and that point alone has been lost in our teaching.
David, you wrote:
“Evidence of the legalist approach is the unwillingness to accept the fundamental facts, such as: Jesus saves us. Many want to add conditions: Jesus save us, if condition 1, if condition 2, if condition 3.”
Are you suggesting that Jesus save us “unconditionally”? (without/apart from any ” conditions”)??
Do you really believe there are no conditional? That to add any conditions constitutes “the leaglist approach”, as you put it? Or do you believe that condition may and should be added, but merely the ones you agree with?
But, surely you can see the problem with saying their are no conditions, that to add conditions is legalistic, and then proceed to add your own conditions.
Can’t have it both ways..
there are necessary implications of saying Jesus saves. Such as, if Jesus saves, He is Lord. And if he is Lord, then we should be in submission to him.
What we get caught up with, often, rejecting the statement unless someone specifies all of such implications.
We teach these things, as if our salvation depends upon other people agreeing with us. Because, if enough of us agree on the conditions of salvation, God certainly won’t reject us!
But the fact is, as far as I can tell, the only “condition” to salvation is our willful decision to submit to God’s will for our lives. Because it is only because of his graciousness towards us that we are saved. We are incapable of doing anything that results in us being entitled to salvation.
Each person is responsible for exploring and pursuing the implications of such submission. Do you follow God or find your own way?
Many in the C of C have been taught they have to find their own way. And that is both incorrect and misleading. We should learn to rely only upon God.
Baptism isn’t just a work, it is a privalege and an honor and respect and significant to us and God.
Some in the coC may believe that you have to find your own way, but that is not eh general teaching. The general teaching is of going God’s way, but going. There is the thought of “work our your own salvation” which is true, but sometimes we have a tendency to overload the work and look less to faith, just as some overload faith and look less to work. Even the Israelites when given the promise had to leave Egypt and travel across the wilderness and most di dnot make it even with God leading them and helping them. This thought should keep us sober and inspired as well, because God is there, even when we don’t see him.
Even the act of believing on Jesus is a condition. Did Abraham have to leave UR to have faith? Would it have been credited to him as righteousness later on if he never left UR? Would he have still been credited as faithful if he never went to offer Isaac? God said, “Now I know.” Did God not know Abe’s heart as so many on here like to say? Of course he did, but why did God say it? What did it mean to God, or was it strictly for Abe’s benefit?
It’s true that many focus more on “work out your own salvation” without noticing what follows: “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do his good pleasure” (Phil 2:12-13).
Romans 2:4 states that it is God’s goodness that leads us to repentance. Of course there are many who refuse to allow Him to lead them.
Titus 3:8 tells us how to inspire our people to be eager to do good works. It is by stressing the wonderful grace of Jesus, as you can easily see if you look at “these things” in that context. It is not performance of works that makes us deserving of God’s grace (which is really a contradiction in terms! How can you be deserving of undeserved favor?). It is God’s grace that both inspires and empowers us to do good works.
Before the Law was given to Moses, God held people accountable for sins. The Commandments were already in force long before they were given to Moses at Mount Sinai.
Adam and Eve coveted after the forbidden fruit that wasn’t theirs to have, and they served the devil and their own lust. Genesisn 3:6 “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” God punished them for their sins. The first, the eighth and tenth commandments.
Cain sinned by lying bearing false witness and murdering Abel and Cain was punished. Genesis 4:6-12 “So the LORD said to Cain, Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it. Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, Where is Abel your brother? He said, I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper? And He said, What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.” The sixth and ninth commandments.
Noah’s son Ham sinned to honor one’s parents when he looked on his father’s nakedness and was punished. Genesis 9:22 “And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.”, Genesis 9:25 “Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brethren.” The fifth commandment.
Jacob knew the importance of not having idols and only worshipping the true God. Genesis 35:1-4 “Then God said to Jacob, ‘Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.’ And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, ‘Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.’ So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem” The first and second commandments.
When Joseph was tempted by the advances of Potiphar’s wife, Genesis 39:8-9 “But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” Joseph was well aware that adultery was sin. The seventh commandment.
The people had to be reminded about the Sabbath Rest, Genesis 2:3: “Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” this was when God gave them manna to eat before they came to Mount Sinai. Exodus 16:25 “Moses said, Eat it today. For today is a Day of Rest to the Lord. Today you will not find it in the field.” The fourth commandment.
There was a standard before the law given to Moses on Mt. Sinai, and God held people accountable to their sins and punished them.
James 2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
No one has ever kept the law perfectly, except Jesus.
We have faith in what Jesus did on the cross as the only sufficient perfect sacrifice to save us from our sins. Our faith is in Christ alone, the Messiah.
Romans 4:2-3 Because if Abraham was made righteous because of his actions, he would have had a reason to brag, but not in front of God. What does the scripture say? Abraham had faith in God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
Romans 4:5 But you cannot make God accept you because of something you do. God accepts sinners only because they have faith in him.
Romans 5:1 By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, because of our Lord Jesus Christ, we live at peace with God.
David Himes suggests, “Evidence of the legalist approach is the unwillingness to accept the fundamental facts, such as: Jesus saves us. Many want to add conditions: Jesus save us, if condition 1, if condition 2, if condition 3.” It seems that some want to remove conditions stated by Jesus. He never implied that all it takes to please Him is to decide that we like Jesus and what He offers. He clearly stated to Nicodemus that a NEW BIRTH of water and spirit was essential for entrance into His Kingdom. Jesus calls for more than faith alone.
Apostles call for more than faith alone. Peter explained the new birth, the entrance into the kingdom, by calling for seeking believers to repent (change of spirit) and be baptized (change of state). And some now are saying Jesus had no right to add conditions, that He must save us if we believe in Him. Salvation by faith alone is contrary to Jesus and His apostles. They never once teach salvation by faith alone, as some here are eager to do.
Ray, your comment suggests you have a very narrow definition of faith, which is an example of my point. In the Text, faith is a very comprehensive term that includes much more than something like simple belief. Paul wrote, “the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself thru love.”
It’s interesting to me that Paul uses Abraham in Chapter 4 (pre-Law) to disclose God’s interest in faith and not actions… I find no reason to assume that God has any special consideration for “faithfulness” to any covenant over the motivating and trusting faith/belief… at least He didn’t in the beginning.. Perhaps He changed His mind ?
Price,
First, we need to be clear that God is all for actions — just not as the path to justification.
Second, Abraham’s “faith” in Genesis was initially about trusting God to keep his promises — that God would indeed provide him with a son by Sarah.
(Gen 15:4-6 ESV) 4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
Abrahamic faith is more than intellectual acceptance. And what does “trust” me? Well, it’s more than believing a promise to be true. It really means so believing that you’re willing to live based on that promise.
(Gen 18:17-19 ESV) 17 The LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”
Hence, it seems easy to find in the several covenanting passages in the account of Abraham all three elements that I think faith contains. The passage from c. 18 is all about faithfulness — as is the entire story of Abraham from leaving Ur to being willing to sacrifice Isaac. He’s a flawed man, but a faithful man — in part because God chose him and walked with him. That should change anyone.
I think saying that faith or belief isn’t mental ascent misses the point… Of course it’s mental ascent… faith is a production of the mind. We don’t produce faith in our muscles… It is a thought that rises to the level of belief… in our minds…
It is said that one’s attitude is determined by what one believes to be true and that attitude produces a type of action, which is turn produces a certain result and many results produce a lifestyle… Same for Abraham and all people who are sons of Abraham through faith (Gal 3)..
It seems that faith/trust/belief is much more than just a simple acknowledgement !! True faith will produce faithfulness… not perfect faithfulness… but it will produce an action… But it all starts at a point that only God can see… and it is at mental ascent that God applauds !! Otherwise, we would have to assume that Abraham was justified by his willingness to have sex with Sarah at an old age… that would be the demonstration of his faithfulness…
Perhaps there is a better word that would describe the knowledge that evil has, that would cause fear and trembling….and no faithfulness….
In Heb 11:1 I don’t see any action step except trust and expectation of a result from a belief…
What does this verse in the song we sing “Victory in Jesus” mean to you? “He plunged me to Victory beneath the cleansing blood”.
As I have said often to my brothers in Christ, why do we sing so beautifully together a much better life and untimate outcome than the one we preach?
AJ… wonderful lyrics… the symbolism of baptism is remarkable in that it helps us identify with who we are and what He did for us… That being said, the “victory” was at the cross.. not the baptistery.. IMHO.
Price, Amen and who died on the cross from that blood that cleansed was the devil and sins of the past and forward to us and beyond.
I like the thought of the song ‘When He was on the cross, I was on His mind”. Good to think about that often.
The context of the works that Paul and Peter discuss is not religious ritual or sacrament. It is the behavior that is evident in one’s life that faith is truly working through the spirit. To be more specific the works of “faith” are “caring for the widows and orphans”, “visiting the imprisoned”, feeding, clothing, housing “the least of these”, and “giving beyond what they were able”, overcoming addictions and other sinful patterns like “greed”. Any person can claim to have Christian faith attend an assembly and carry out all the religious rituals and still have no faith and be spiritually dead or empty. There is a behavior and group of works that eventually can only come from the faith of a transformed heart. So this brings up an important question again to the rhetorical question of “Is baptism a work? Here is my take. If during the immersion into the water the person surrenders their body mind and soul to the Lord however simple it may be and repents (meaning they change their attitude toward their sin, not stop all sinning immediately then yes baptism would be a work of faith. But if the person being immersed is not truly converting even in the simplest form then the baptism is only a religious ritual. Peter says “removal of dirt from the body”. Period! We confuse the issue when we speak of baptism as the conversion process instead of part of the conversion process. Example when was the last time we really had some good sermons and books on what it means to repent and keep repenting, or what it means to pledge your conscience toward God? Not too much. But Paul prefaces baptism with becoming a disciple and “repenting”. Repentance is probably the worst understood term here. Many people believe that it means you stop all sinning immediately. In fact recently a homosexual man was baptized and several people asked him if he understood that meant he would have to change his lifestyle immediately. He agreed then asked the others what sins that were stopping immediate since they weren’t perfect either. Crickets were chirping!
Joe, Your works of the faith in quotes comprise the social gospel. Those are not often mentioned in sermons or in church for fear of being thought of as leftists. Confession which leads to repentance might also mean that the confessor would like reassurance of pardon or to think there is atonement. Many of us here never heard that there was forgiveness except in the song “Though your sins be as scarlet…” We never got to hear the words of Isaiah 1 around verse 18.
Mark I agree with you. If you look at the Catholics they probably confess their sins more than any other group. But the confession eventually leads to absolution rather than transformation. Even though the Apostles clearly state that confession is to lead to healing and transformation. If we don’t mention what is in the bible for fear of political persecution or labeling then we are not seekers of truth but are more concerned with the emotional security of being right. Paul said if you don’t work you don’t eat. He also said if you don’t help you brother in need the Spirit is not at work in you.
I propose that the essential question is wrong of whether or not baptism is a work. Another question that is more contextual would be this. How is baptism a part of the conversion process? If we ask that question then all the modernist demands for formulas, steps, proofs and so on become a moot point. Because regardless of any explaining attempted baptism was clearly a part of the conversion process in the NT period. It just wasn’t all of it. I am so tired of this discussion.
What we should really be asking ourselves is how we come to real faith. How does one trust God through the Spirit to be transformed? Baptism and any other of many things may be a part of it.
I am reminded that JRR Tolkein converted C.S. Lewis. But what people don’t know is that is took almost two years! What if he took our modernist approach to try to get a bible study then drag him to the baptistery ASAP and then try to get him involved in “church”? I don’t think we would have had arguably one of the greatest Christian minds of the 20th century.
My point is that coming to real faith is journey some go through it quicker than others but baptism is not a cure all for the other parts of the conversion process.
Just think if we spent more time developing real faith in our children that grow up in the church allowing them to wrestle with their honest doubt (instead of dragging them to the baptistery) maybe we might have fewer leaving faith altogether once they reach adulthood.
Baptism should be after the confession of Christ but not the end of the church’s work or the end of the Christian’s learning. Too many grew up on “hear, believe, repent, confess, be baptized.” There endeth the work of the church.
Confession in a service or in secret should lead to a clear conscience. Reassurance of forgiveness by some means should make life easier since everyone is going to make a mistake at some time. You get forgiveness and you go on. If there is no pardon, then fear of making any mistake likely prevents a lot of good work from being done.