Romans 1-3 - Come Follow Me — Talking to Mormons

We will now begin to study the epistles in the New Testament. The manual introduces them by saying, “The Bible epistles are letters written by Church leaders to Saints in various parts of the world. The Apostle Paul wrote most of the epistles in the New Testament – starting with Romans and ending with Hebrews. His epistles are organized by length. Although Romans is the first epistle in the New Testament, it was actually written near the end of Pau’s missionary journeys.” Paul boldly declares his testimony by saying in Romans 1:16-17 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Paul teaches us that everyone has received a knowledge of God. Romans 1:19-20 “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” One simply needs to look at creation to know that God exists. Creation delivers a clear message about God. As it says in Psalms 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shew his handywork.” So, no one is without excuse. But man will come up with their own ideas and philosophies about God. Romans 1:22-23 “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man.” In LDS theology it is taught that - God was once a man and has a body of flesh and bones. This is changing the “glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man.” When God himself said in Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither son of man, that he should repent.” LDS theology also teaches that men may become Gods. Paul addresses that in Romans 1:25 “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator.” The focus of Mormonism is to have people believe they can reach Godhood. Paul teaches us in Romans 2:11 “For there is no respect of persons with God.” Which means that God does not show partiality towards people. Regardless of race, gender, or socio-economic background. Read More Paul warns us that when we die, we will be judged not only by our actions and words – He will judge the secrets of men and women. Romans 2:16 “In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.” He’s talking about the hidden desires, secret lusts, unspoken passions, thoughts, and motives of all people. The thoughts of the hearts. And, only God through Jesus Christ can determine the human heart. Then Paul declares the status of all men, women and children. Romans 3:10-12 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Wow! How does that make you feel? He is simply saying that man is universally evil. Unprofitable – corrupt. No one naturally seeks after God. Our tendency is to seek our own interest. We are born selfish. The message is clear here – There has not been, nor will there ever be, anyone who is justified before God due to their good lives or their obedience to religious laws. From Mother Teresa, to Ghandi, or the Dali Lama. None! Human corruption is universal. Compared to the incomprehensible holiness of God who is eternal and unchangeable – how could any created human being ever be considered righteous for anything – especially when we consider the elements that hide within the human heart? We are “unprofitable – there is none that doeth good – not one.” This speaks of the failure of Man to DO good. This is the state of every person who lives and dies by laws, ordinances, and covenants. We are totally screwed by our attempt to please God by any external approach – especially through religion. And this is why Jesus was born, which allows Paul to describe the only solution to such a hopeless state. Romans 3:23-24 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:” Paul tells us in Romans 3:19-20 “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. There by the deeds (works) of the law there shall be no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Paul is describing here the state of all men and women when they each stand before God and attempt to justify their lives by virtue of having done good. There is no justification before Holy God through our works of righteousness and obedience to laws and ordinances. That is why my friends, we need to completely understand that you can not have salvation by anything other than through grace. Salvation comes only by and through God’s goodness, His righteousness, and His shed blood, and nothing from us. We can’t go to the foot of the Cross and tell Jesus “Thank you for what you’ve done for me by paying for my sins – but it wasn’t enough. I need to add my good works to the atonement.” Try justifying yourselves before God on judgment day. I repeat what he said in verse 20 “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall be no flesh be justified in his sight.” God’s Law is good, is righteous, is perfect. We cannot get angry at God’s Law – for it comes from Him. But the Law was a way for us to examine our hearts and to understand that we can’t keep the law perfectly. The last part of verse 20 “for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” It should be reasonably understood by believers that we are not saved by obedience to Law. Gravitating towards the law, limits our freedom in Christ and puts us back into bondage under the law. Paul continues in Romans 3:21 “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;” It’s important to know that when Paul writes the sentence, “the righteousness of God” he is not speaking of an attribute of God – but instead how God makes Man righteous. In other words we could read it this way, “But now, the way God makes man righteous without the law is made known.” It was going to take a plan from God without including the law to save mankind. That plan mentioned in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosover believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” How does that happen? Jesus came and both fulfilled the law through perfect adherence to it and then magnified it in the lives of those who trusted and believed on Him. Romans 3:22 “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference.” But faith is a matter of choice on our part. Nobody can be saved by works; and all are dependent on the mercy of God found through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Why in this way only? Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Now Paul goes into greater detail saying, Romans 3:24-26 “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” That is the good news of the gospel – that we are “justified freely by his grace.” It is an absolute, totally free, unconditional and underserved gift. Free to us through believing. But the cost and price, was the highest of anything to ever be purchased in eternity. Christ redeemed us – He paid the ransom for us. Paul then adds, Romans 3:27 “Where is boasting then? Is it excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.” Where is the boasting? Jews? Mormons? Christians? If it was by any works, at all, boasting would be in order. But Paul adds “but by the law of faith” in the Son of God. Then he concludes with this amazing statement in verse 28 “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” There is no other way. To trifle with this doctrine is to truly present another Gospel – contrary to the biblical Gospel Paul is talking about. A false gospel teaches that “people ought to do good works then saving faith will come.” Doing good works in order to bring about salvation or saving faith is a tool centered in the flesh, not in faith. Then Paul ends chapter three by bringing us all the way back around full circle by saying, Romans 3:31 “Do we make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” By what means does the justification of someone by faith establish the Law? Here’s a great saying “Grace teaches us to say no to sin.” Where the law reveals and exposes each of us to sin – grace teaches us to say no to it. The moral law is embraced by those who are justified. The Law is established in those who have been saved by grace through faith. Romans 13:8 “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” When Jesus was on earth he was approached by a lawyer, as recorded in Matthew 22:36-40 “Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” To love – God and others – is the result of those who have come to faith. It is by and through this action – love – that the Law is established in the lives of those who’ve experienced God’s mercy. There are Latter-day Saints who go to James chapter 2 to say, “faith without works is dead.” But If we go to James chapter 2 beginning in verse 14, we can put it all into context. I think we’ll find that James is talking about this very point that Paul makes here in Romans 3:31. James 2:14 “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?” He is saying, “What good is it if a man SAYS he has faith, but has not the works of LOVE?” Then James goes on and gives us some illustrations in Verses 15 and 16. Love is a verb. God so LOVED the world He gave us His Son. Jesus so LOVED the world He gave us His very life. Then in verse 17 “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” James is saying the same thing as Paul is saying. James continues in chapter 2:18-20 “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” Just as love without action or application is dead – so is faith without works. There is no difference.

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