Hello, class.
As you study this week, I want you all to carefully look at 2:9-13 in comparison with 3:10-18 with the view of reconciling both these passages together. In order to fully understand Paul's point in chapter 2, what does he mean when he says "glory and honor and peace to every man who does good" in 2:10 and later in 3:12 he says "there is none who does good." It may help you to remember that Paul speaks from the point of view of the Jew in chapter 2. Also, as you read and study chapter 2, read again chapter 1 with chapter 2 to help you get the sense of his words. May God bless you with wisdom in your study.
Love, Mark
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
im really surprised there weren't any questions on the sheet about the verses after 2:13(14-16) im really intrigued with the mention of the gentiles who don't have the law, yet "do by nature" the things the law requires, being a law for themselves because the law is written in their hearts. and how they will be judged on the day when god judges men's secrets through jesus christ.'
ReplyDeleteit still seems to me that without gods law man will veer far into the other direction. maybe im just impressed to read some people are born with good hearts or souls, i feel like it was something i had to learn the hard way.
oh woops thats what question 2 is all about... so is it saying that they are judged in the end by what is in their hearts or by the law?
ReplyDeleteOkay. I was really confused about the "faith to faith" from chapter 1. Sorry, Mark, even with your explanation I was like what??? So, here's what I finally took it to mean. The first "faith" is the doctrine/gospel being offered and the second "faith" is my accepting it as my own faith. Is that right?
ReplyDeleteAnd who is "yougotta"?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteyougottabekidding ... is wes, it automatically signs me in through this account
ReplyDeleteHey guys, Mike here, not sure how to start a new "blog note" on this blog thing, but I am responding to Carey's note above on the “faith to faith” question from last week. I too am still a little confused on the meaning of ……”the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith”. After some additional thought and study, I believe it may mean that each person’s faith (whether a Jew, Greek, you, me, etc) is unique in terms of how we get there. The journey (through life’s experiences, etc.) that each of us travels to acquire faith is different (although we all end up at the same place). Just a thought.
ReplyDeletewes, i think you will see later on in 7:9 that men are born with good hearts; otherwise, how can they be "alive apart from the law?" the goodness of man, however, is tainted by the unending barrage of sinful temptation and passion that wears down his desire to always do good and he finally, if living long enough, gives into temptation and passion. remember that the gentiles, even though they were for a time being without a written law like the law of moses, were not without law. there is mention of at least two gentiles in the O.T. that were priests and sacrificing to the one God of heaven, Melchizadek and Jethro, moses' father-in-law, a midianite. when paul states that "they were without law" he does not mean they were left without any law, they were without the kind of law the jews were given. if they were without any law, they could not be held accountable for any action. i do believe the gentiles could know and many did know the difference between right and wrong and their consciences caused them to feel guilty when they chose wrong. then, they could approach god through a sacrificial system and prayer and possibly god even spoke to them as he did other patriarchs in the past (like Enoch -- he "walked with god") abraham is a perfect example of a gentile who knew god and worshipped him BEFORE he became a jew. if abraham could do it, why not other gentiles? i just don't think we have a record of all of them, because that is not important for us to have that record.
ReplyDeletecarey and mike: i still maintain that the phrase "from faith to faith" means from the body of faith that was "once delivered to all the saints" (jude 3) to the individual belief/faith that i choose to have in what that body of faith has revealed to me. remember, "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the law of christ." this is how the righteousness of god is revealed -- only through the word of faith, the gospel of jesus christ. i know of no other way god's righteousness can be revealed.
after mikes first post i did go back and read about abraham, and it seems like even from the beginning, god spoke directly to him and others. tom had mentioned last sunday to me how there was a time when god spoke directly to the head of each household.
ReplyDeletei think more about those who just dont know god or gods law at all. (no divine intervention-no gospel) how they could still just have enough goodness in their hearts to be pleasing to god and not give in to those desires. i agree that either way its not important to my salvation directly, more of something i just wonder about ... places in the world where gods law just isnt known. thats what i think of as "alive apart from the law"
i often think of those "who just don't know God or God's law at all." and when i think of them, i am so glad that God is loving, merciful, and full of patience. i am also glad that he is just and is the judge.
ReplyDeleteOkay, Mark. What is the "body of faith"? That is what I don't understand.
ReplyDeletei believe the "body of faith" is the entire gospel message of faith. it's what is referenced in jude 3, which is the word of faith delivered to the apostles by the holy spirit, then delivered to all the saints, the truth we must fight for. :)
ReplyDelete