The Dirty Rug – Surrendering to Faith in Christ Jesus

Hello friends and welcome back to The Book of Romans Series. Today we are exploring chapter three. Yesterday we talked about how it’s not what’s on the outside that makes us a believer, whether it be acting the part or physical circumcision, but it is internal. What is in our heart. We got this conclusion through Paul’s parable of circumcision which is where we will pick up from today.

What advantage, then is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God. What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written:

“So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.”

But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” Why not say – as some slanderously claim that we say – “Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is just! (Verse 1-9)

Paul is asking if there is more advantage to be a Jew then to be a Gentile and he answers it soon. As for the underlined above, I think I’ve come up with an analogy that, at the very least, helps me to understand just what Paul is saying:

Even if we are unfaithful, it will not invalidate God’s faithfulness because we are sinners and God is true and just. Our unrighteousness might bring out God’s righteousness more clearly, because if you put a dirty rug next to a clean rug, the clean one looks even more pristine, but that doesn’t mean that we should make the rug dirtier in order to present how clean or good God is. Because good can never come from evil.

I can gather something else from this analogy of the clean and dirty rug. When you put the two together, not only does the clean one look more pristine but the dirty one looks dirtier. So, if we sin more to show just how good God is, it’s really only hurting ourselves and is not advancing the kingdom of Heaven. (I really hope I grasped what Paul was saying.)

What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written: No one is righteous, not even one. (Verses 9 & 10)

Now that we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. (Verses 19 & 20)

No matter where you have come from, no one has any advantage, and no one is above anyone else. Just as we said yesterday; there are no tiers, we are all sinners. We are all held accountable. No one is held righteous by the law, but because of the law we become conscious of our sin. (It shines a light in-between all the fibers of our rug.) So, we are condemned? No! We are saved by grace through faith because of what the Lord Jesus Christ did for us.

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for we all have sinned and all short of the glory of God. (Verses 21-23)

We can only gain righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. It’s for ALL who believe.

God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood - to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished. (Verse 25)

Where, then is boasting? It is excluded, because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised that that same faith. Do we, then nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. (Verses 27-31)

God is the creator of everyone and everything, thus He is the God of everyone. And just because faith beats out the law doesn’t mean that the law isn’t valid anymore. We should still uphold the law and learn from it because the law makes us conscious of our sin. Without it we would just continue to add dirt on our rug and call it “making God’s righteousness look more pristine”. It just doesn’t work that way. The Law and faith work hand in hand.

My friends, I am not perfect, nor will I ever claim to be. I try my best to understand the Bible and sometimes are harder than other times. I hope that I really grasped what Paul was saying in this chapter. One thing that we can be sure of is that Jesus died for our sins. He saved us from condemnation - He cleaned our rug - and that is something to smile about today. So, I will surrender to faith in Jesus Christ because only with Him do I have any value or righteousness.

P.S. Something that I figured I would share: I am a blog ahead in this series and this day that I am writing this is the day that I woke up from that dream I had. The one I shared on Facebook of the blood of Christ washing away my sins. What timing God has!