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Romans 3:1-9 - Corps - February 20,1979

3rdburglar by Wordburglar
Topic: Rom 3:1-9,logospedia,lp
Format: mp3
Publication Date: February 20, 1979

On Ephesians 4:25 where I want to begin tonight, or where we will begin tonight , the first part of what the Research Team gave me is the work that Walter Cummins published in our wonderful Way Magazine on "The Spoken Word." Also, as we cover Ephesians 4:28 tonight, I had all the information in front of me from another article that Walter Cummins has in the... has had in the Magazine. The first article on Ephesians 4:25 is entitled "The Spoken Word." The one on Ephesians 4:28 is "Workers for God." Both of these pieces of work by Walter are absolutely superb. And I believe that they should appear and will appear in our research journal GMIR whenever we begin publishing that. {GMIR Aramaic word meaning ' to perfect, accomplish , mature, complete, arithmetically to be divisible without any remainder.}

And I noticed again that some of the things that were stated are just so beautifully and logically presented, I'm truly thankful for, not only Walter, but the whole Research Department. I think our Biblical Research Department is just second to none. And it' s even going to be better by God' s mercy and grace next year and in years to come than it is at this time. And right now I do not believe that our Biblical Research Department needs to take a back seat for any academic institution or work in the world.

And I thought today, I have never... I've never thought of Walter Cummins in any other capacity than to be my assistant. I know Vince Finnegan, you know, on the books is my assistant. And that' s great. But I've never thought of Walter Cummins in any other capacity for so many years as always being my assistant. And I think he' s just the most wonderful person that any president could have as his assistant. And also to be chairmen of the Department of Greek, and then the coordinator of the Biblical research of The Way International. For any one man to have that position and that responsibility is an awesome reality and I'm real proud of Walter and real thankful for him. But I am also thankful for the rest of our wonderful men and women in the Research Department.

I would like for the Corps all over the country to go to the Magazine and find "The Spoken_Word," that's the title of it, dealing with Ephesians 4:25 and other scriptures, and before the next Corps meeting next week, you endeavor to master that great piece of work by Walter Cummins. It's just, you know, the spoken Word. Over fifty Greek words are used in the New Testament in connection with the faculties of utterance. Over fifty. And then he takes the most important ones and he lists them and it' s just. .. it' s just a piece of research work that you should really as a Corps master in your heart and in your life.

Ephesians 4:25 in the King James reads, Wherefore put away lyin g, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.

The ' putting away' was interesting to me again because of the Greek word aniko, a-n-i-k-o.

And this word is ' the putting away,' this word ' put away,' aniko, is the same root word as in 4:22, where we use the word ' rest,' meaning ' to rest.' Is that right? Yep, that is right. I taught you that,

didn't I? Did I or didn't I? Doesn't look right to me. It is the same root. What chapter am I missing? Am I missing anything? I don't know. Right now I'm screwed up, ha ha. First time today. You check the word again and I'll do that, too and see what I'm missing here.

But a-n-i-k-o is the word for ' putting away from you. ' To put away. And it' s the same root as the word ' rest.' I don't know where the word appears, but it's got to be in there.

Now, that word ' speak,' every man speak. That word ' speak ' is from the Greek word

laleo, l-a-l-e-long-o. And that' s where Walter' s article on "The Spoken Word"_c omes in because that is.. .he uses that word laleo in here, which I teach in Corinthians when I teach the Foundational Class. And he says the word is employed 24 times in I Corinthians chapter 14. I had forgotten that.

This word is truly significant. I couldn' t quite understand it Research Department, what  you said on page 26B 16, where you defined it ' to make vocal utterance,' ' to babble,' 'to talk,'  'to  exercise the faculty of speech without reference to the words spoken.' I just wondered if there might not be another word that could be substituted or utilized at this point. I know that Zachariah 8:16 is the quotation that is used here, or spoken of. And that Zachariah 8:16 adds force to what is said by using a quote, a quotation. That' s why my question to the Research Department is, How can it be without reference to what is spoken if it is truth plus the quotation of the Word of God that's given. It doesn't quite fit for me.

'With his neighbor' has to be a believing neighbor. This 'speak truth with his neighbor' is a figure of speech gnome, g-n-o-m-e, which simply is a citation. And that' s a citation from Zachariah 8:16.

There are a series of figures of speech, Corps, in chapter four which just put the 00mph, the highlight, to the particular things that are set whereby you put off the old man. This phrase here 'speak every man truth with his neighbor'  is one of them. The other one appears in verse 26, 'be  angry and sin not.' ' Steal no more' is another one. 'Corrupt communication' is the fourth one.  'Grieve not the  holy spirit' is the fifth one. ' All bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking' is  the sixth. And  then  ' be kind' and so forth, is the seventh.

You see, the last phrase in that verse, in King James, For we' re members one of what? [Another] And it' s relative to the neighbor. Now you just look at that. Wherefore put away  lying, speak  every  man truth with his what? [Neighbor] For we are members  one of  another.  That  doesn't  mean just  a neighbor who lives next door, but it has to be a believing neighbor because  we are members  one of what? [Another]. You could not be a member ' one of another' ifhe  was an  unbeliever.  That's how I know this is going to  work. This tells me that the neighbor  is  a  believer.  And  this  ' we' re members one of another' continues the imagery of the Body of Christ.

The literal  according  to  usage of this verse is as follows:   Wherefore  put away the  lie... and I believe in my heart, before I go on with the literal that until man is born again, it's all a lie anyways. And that' s why I believe that this translation will fit in the light of that knowledge. Because when  a man is not born again, his whole  life is just a  lie. Now you're  born again,  and that ' s  why  I think the text states it ' wherefore put away the lie,' the life you' ve been living , the screwed up life you have lived outside of God. It' s been just a life of a lie. It' s not truth. It' s just the opposite of truth and that's my reason for translating it this way... Wherefore put away the lie.

You've got to go with that translation. You have no other text to go by both from Aramaic and Greek it's 'lie.' Not 'lying.' If the Research Department has anything to share in the light of that, I'd be blessed to hear, but you' ve heard my reasons for translating it, Research Department, this way.

Now since they're born again, their whole life is changed, so the life of lying, and living a lie, and being a lie, and being false, is to be put away.

And every man... this is the translation ... and everyone, everyone. The word ' man' you could use because it's an inclusive noun, but I prefer to use the word ' one.'

Wherefore put away the lie and everyone speak the truth with his neighbor for we are members one of another. That is literal according to usage.

Now for the expanded according to understanding. It's not bad. Because of this... What we coughing for? Everybody sick?...Because of this... and the reason I went in the expanded along this line is because verse 24 last week told us that we are created by God in righteousness and in true purity, through holiness. Twenty four.

That's why 25, Wherefore ... 'wherefore' can be translated 'because of this.' Because of this what? Being created in righteousness and truly pure. See it's an inside job.

Because of this being created in righteousness and truly pure by the grace and the love of

God.. .Because of this being created in righteousness and truly pure, you put away, completely lay to rest the lie that you have been and were living and each one of you speak the truth using a quotation from the Word with his believing neighbor for we are members one of another in the Body of the Church.

Robinson {Edward} said, he translated, 'speak every man truth with his neighbor' and he said it's from Zachariah 8:16 which adds force to what is said by using a quote. That's why I translated that. I think that' s great. It adds force to what is said. If you're speaking to someone, it adds force to what you say by using a quote, a quotation from God's Word. In other words, ' you share the Word with them.' That' s why I went with that translation. I want to give it to you again in this sense.

Speak the truth using a quotation from the Word, which means 'share the Word.' Quote the Word to them. Tell them what the Word says, with his believing neighbor. Why? For we are members one of another in the Body of the Church. This verse is just mind blowing.

Here, you have a born-again believer neighbor who needs to grow up a little more. So what do you do? Each one speak the truth to that neighbor, that believer, using the Word, quoting the Word because we' re members one of another in the Body of the Church. It's a real positive thing to do.

Verse 26 in King James reads, Be angry.. .ha ha... we like that one, don't we. Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.

Here is a verse of Scripture that' s very, very difficult for most people. And it' s not too easy for us either. But I think we are able to share the truth of the greatness of this and it's been burning in my heart for a long time to do this with our people.

Everybody has problems with ' how can you be angry and not sin?' You know, how can raise hell with something and not be sinful in doing it? Teed off and not be sinful. And how can you go... and what does it mean 'don't let the sun go down upon your wrath?' See.

In the context, here, verses 26 and 27 deal with your believing neighbor, specifically. Then the Greek word for ' anger' which is from the root orge, o-r-g-long-e means 'anger together with the desire of revenge .' That' s bad. That' s a heavy. The Hebrew word means ' to kill, and all the tumults of passion that terminate in killing.' So it's a real heavy word when it said ' be angry.'

And the way I believe it's used in God' s Word, ' be ye angry' means ' it's a long time anger with your believing neighbor until a change has ensued.' The desire to... of revenge is a change. And I, knowing the Word in the light of the new birth, it's where a change finally comes about. Until that time, you just, long-term, you just stay put witnessing the Word, sharing the Word. You do not dislike the believing neighbor; you simply dislike that he is not fully accepting the Word and walking on it. So it' s a long-term anger until a change has ensued. You just stay faithful.

I don't know what else to do with those words. It is a righteous anger. Yet it is a righteous anger without sin.

Among the scholars, there is a disagreement on these words. Well, I don't know about my being a scholar; that I don' t anything about being about. But it's simple to me because righteous anger is commanded by God's Word when it says ' be ye angry.' Well, the scholars can fight about it. I don' t care. It' s a command. Not just permitted to get teed once in a while when somebody' s off of God' s Word, a believer is off of God's Word. You' re always teed off righteously at any believer, born-again believer, who is off of God' s Word. And for those of us in the Way Ministry, it' s been a lifetime.

Get into it with them on... Oh what subject do you want to talk about? Baptism? Food? One God? See. All that stuff.

The Aramaic is accurate in the words ' and sin not.' It literally translates ' and you will not sin.' Again, this ' be angry and sin not' is that figure gnome. Quotation. A citation from the Old Testament. It' s from Psalm 4:4. But in King James, Psalm 4:4, it's translated 'stand in awe.' The real sense of the Hebrew is ' one of admonition;' sin not. Where we' re admonished to not sin. Sin not.

' Let not the sun go down on your wrath. ' Ha ha. That again is beautiful. People went to bed when the sun went down, when it got dark. That's when they went to bed. So what that simply is saying, ha ha, ' don't go to bed teed off.' Don' t let the sun go down on your wrath. In other words, go to bed; don' t go to bed mad. ' When you go to bed' is what it means. Let not the sun go down when you go to bed. And they went to bed when the sun went down. When it got dark, they went to bed, see.

' Upon your wrath.' And the word ' wrath' here is basically ' irritation.' Ha ha. Previously when I taught Ephesians, I made mention of this fact, ' don' t let righteous anger shake you, wondering if it was right on. When you go to bed, go to sleep.'

Now, this is what we have done with it in the literal, ha ha, according to usage. I got more papers up here than Carter has liver pills, or something. Then, I can' t find my... whatever it is I take off of it.

Okay, verse 26. You be righteously angry.. .this is literal according to usage.. .and you will not be sinning. Don't go to bed even with a momentary irritation, ha ha.

I don't think you get nearly as much fun out of this as I do. It's neat. It's absolutely scrumptious, see. At the opening, is that heavy word, remember? Anger. So it's a real heavy time. So what he is saying, in the heavy time, when your standing on God' s Word  and sharing that with the  believing  neighbor, you' re righteously angry... you're not sinning. And  you don't  even go to  bed with a momentary irritation. In other Words, when you go to bed, thank God the day is over. Say your last prayer and start snoring.

Boy, that would save a lot of sleeping pills, wouldn' t it? Practicing that principle. Boy, oh boy, what a tremendous Word. And hardly anybody understands verse 26. They argue about it, but they don' t get the understanding.

Now this is the expanded one according to understanding, I hope. And again, I would like to just lay some things before the Corps, and especially before the Research Department. I translated the first part of verse 26, You always stay angry with an all-out desire to have them to change which anger will not be sin on your part.

Then I have another translation of that first part of it: You be righteously angry, 'teed off' with sin... 'Teed off' I put in quotes. But don't  you sin  by acting  ' holier than thou'  vaunting  yourself  by acting so righteously like you never sin.

I do not know which one of those two the Research Department feels would be the better. The last part of the phrase that I translated which would go with both of these that I have given you here on the expanded one for understanding. This, the last part, goes with that first one and with the second ... also.. .even if it is only a momentary irritation.  When you go to  bed, go to sleep. That's what I did with it.

Now, verse 27. King James says, Neither (or neither) give place to the Devil. The word 'place' is simply a portion, a part. No believer will give full place to the Devil, but he may be giving a part, a portion. He' ll mark off a spot, ' this is Devil' s permission over here, over here, no permission, you know. And you really give the Devil a portion or a spot if you stew about it after you go to bed and you toss and you tum and can' t sleep.

This word 'the Devil,' ' the Devil' in the Aramaic is a very interesting and exciting Word to me and it blesses my heart. It' s a compound word where the first part means ' to eat' or ' to devour.' The latter

' to slander' or ' to accuse. '  So when I got to translating  this, literally according  to usage, verse 27 reads: Do not give any portion or space or an opportunity to the Devil. So I used those three words synonymously: portion, space, opportunity. Do not give any portion or space or an opportunity to the Devil.

The expanded according to understanding: And you will not give a toehold, an opportunity or an occasion for the Devil to eat you. Ha ha. I get more fun than you ever will out of working this stuff, huh.

You see, and to me, that communicates to my understanding. John 10:10. The thief cometh not but for to what? [Steal, kill, and destroy] Right. To eat you out. To beat you. And that's why that Aramaic word, on the word ' Devil' really thrilled me.

And that ' s why I put it into the expanded translation: And you will not give a ' toehold.' Now, at L.E.A.D., you know how important it is to get a what? [Toehold] Ha ha. And when you' re really climbing in, you' re blessed for a toehold. How thankful you are when you get a foothold. Now the adversary can never get a foothold in a believer' s life until he first has a toehold. That's why I translated it that way.

Do not give... and you will not give a toehold ... shave all the rocks off... an opportunity or an occasion for the Devil to eat you. And that' s exactly what he likes to do to believers.

Now we go to verse 28. King James says, Let him that stole steal not more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. And here again, is another great work that I believe should be in our research journal GMIR, Walter' s work on " Workers for God."

It' s just tremendous where he... you know... he just goes into God' s men are called many things in the Word. They' re called: fellow workers, ministers, or servants, slaves, fellow slaves, partners, messengers, soldiers, fellow soldiers, athletes, fellow athletes, stewards, ambassadors, witnesses, all of those. And he covers them so beautifully. And I love very much how he covered the word ' slave,' because it' s a much stronger word than to be a minister, or to be a servant. It is to be one who is branded, marked out, sold out. And baby, from that day on, there are no ifs, and' s, or but' s. You never budge on it. You are branded. Most believers are never branded. They may be servants, they may be ministers, but they are not branded. When you' re branded, you stay faithful. You do not budge. You do not change. You stay put. If all hell breaks loose, you still live the believing Word.

I think the prophet once said, If I was in the midst of hell, God I know you' d be there. (Psalm 139:8) He' d be there. That' s the doulos. That, of course, is just a tremendous piece of work.

And the other great part that I think... and this is a second piece that I want the Corps to master before next Wednesday night, " Workers for God," the work on ' witness.' You see, it's the same word basically that's translated ' martyr,' see. And we got a lot of those canonized. That's not at all what a witness is. A witness is a living example, not a dead one. The word 'martyr' simply means that you lay down your life in witnessing. And boy, when you put the doulos together with ' witness,' then you' ve got power for abundant living. It's just a fantastic work by Walter and I' m real grateful that it was published. Because once it' s in print, people can take a look at it if they want to.

I'd like a cup of coffee, please.

Now, we are in verse 28. The Aramaic translation is ' and he who was stealing.' I understand it from the English, ' let him that stole,' past tense. The Aramaic is real simple, real strong. ' And he, the one who is born again, who was, past tense, stealing.'

Thank you.

His whole life was one of those before he was born again.

Whenever you bring a cup of coffee to a right-hand man, you put the handle to the right. When you serve a cup of coffee to a left-hand man, you put it on the left-hand side and put the handle to the left. Corps principle number seven or something, ha ha. Mrs. Wierwille would say, Well, be thankful you even get a cup of coffee. [Laughter] Ah, you're wonderful.

See, ' let him who stole, steal no more.' 'Stole and steal,' that' s a figure of speech and is polyptoton p-o-l-y-p-t-o-t-o-n. It' s a repetition of the same root word in different parts of speech or reflections. But, that's not earth shaking right now in my heart.

You see, in some Eastern culture, it was not considered a sin or a shame to steal because that's the way they lived, the only way they lived. Somebody told me... or not only told me, one of our people, but it was in a national magazine, that the basic culture of Russia today is to steal. And in some respects I can understand this. If you don't have anything and you're starving to death and there' s a loaf of bread you can get a hold of... steal the dam thing. I understand that.

So this verse is really sharp, really sharp. Let him who stole, even though that man previously considered it the way to live and there was no shame in it, no sin in it. He said, Well, let that fellow who stole, steal no more. Something has happened on the inside of that man. Something that happened, where He is able to meet all of our need according to His riches in glory. Christ in you, the hope of glory. More than conquerors.

A record in the Old Testament, I forget where it is, but it's in there, that it' s never, you never need to borrow or steal bread or... what is that in the Old Testament? Begging bread. One person stand and tell me. {Psalm 37:25, I have been young and now am old; yet have I seen the righteous forsaken, nor His seed begging bread.} Psalm 27:25 who? {Psalm 37:25} 37:25. All the years, he's never seen the righteous to have to do what? {Beg bread} Beg bread.

First of all, I wish the Christian world could hear this. Secondly, I wish our government in the United States could understand it. The Word says, If you don't work, you don' t eat. A lot of that stuff. Well, what we've been doing is stealing from the people who are willing to work to give to the people who don' t want to work. That's a bunch of crap. That's stealing. That's why this verse is so hot in my soul tonight. Let him who stole, quit stealing, dang it. See.

Many years ago I was really knocked for a loop along some of this line in India, from Dr. Williams. I think he loved India maybe like I love the United States, I don' t know. Because only a man knows how much he loves his own country, I guess.

But... as we were traveling together, he said to me, Dr. Wierwille, I hear you have whores in the United States.

You know, I never had given it a thought. I just took it for granted. [Laughter] And I said, yeah. He said, Why does a rich country like the United States have whores?

And I said, I don't know.

And he said, I can't understand it. Cannot your women make enough money to live? Yeah, but they figure that' s cheaper and more pleasurable or something, I don' t know. And he said, Well, I think it's sinful that the United States has whores.

And I said, What do you mean?

And he said to me, why, I can understand India. He said we don' t enough food, we don' t have enough of anything hardly for a lot of people. And we have whores because that' s the only way they can continue to live physically.

And I thought to myself, well boy, that' s slapping me in the face good. And I took it as a wonderful lesson. There is no excuse in the United States for any women being a whore because she doesn' t need to get screwed and paid for it in order to get money so she can live. There's plenty of work available and if there isn' t she ought to get born again, then there' s a guarantee of work. ..other work, available. I tell you, when you' re honest, some of these men in other countries have some real logic behind their thinking. How would you have liked to have handled that? I just simply admitted, Well, I think we' re wrong in the United States. But I said, I think you' re wrong in India, too, because no reason to have whores here if you get them born again.

So I don' t know. But this verse today as I worked the final working on this verse 28 is when my heart really went back and burned with that truth that Dr. Williams had stated. Because in many Eastern cultures, it was not considered as sin or as shame to steal, if it was a matter of livelihood. You sometimes wonder who will live in the greatest condemnation before God and justice and judgment when the time comes.

For in most of what are called poor countries even, there is sufficient money, food, and other things for the people to live if those in positions of authority were not so selfish and egotistical, and want it for themselves , and let the rest of the world die... or a country die.

The word ' labor' in verse 28 is the word which literally means ' hard work resulting in fatigue.' That's how I felt coming from the woods last night. And I didn' t do anything. It was just hard work being there with the rest of you. Today I got so tired of being with some, I came home. Ah, you' re wonderful.

' Working with his hands' is an Eastern cultural type of thing. Today in our culture, you could have it, you know, the truth is working with your mind or working with your hand, whatever you' re working at. But in Eastern culture, every son was to be trained to work with his hands, even if he was the son of a king. Had to learn a trade, a profession of business.

Jesus Christ was a saddle maker. He made them to ride, I guess, what do you want? Tennessee Walkers , or? See. I think not only did he do that, Paul did it, too, you know. Someday I'm going to find a...or Walter, or some of those, are going to find me a manuscript to prove it. .. and a wonderful carpenter by trade. Many times doing carpentry work and being a saddle maker were sort of in the same household, because building carpentry and having saddles to use for their business and carrying on, were very, very closely aligned. Well, I won' t argue the point, but I wish we' d keep looking.

II Thessalonians.. .Do your hands ever get so dry you can hardly hold anything? Golly, mine are so dry tonight, I wonder why? II Thessalonians, chapter 3:10... this we commanded you that if any would not work, neither should he what? [Eat] Right. Even unemployment is no excuse for stealing. He just doesn' t eat. Goes and gets work. Boy, when I first saw the greatness of these principles many years ago, and then of course, I uniquely by God' s grace, inculcated that into our W.O.W. program and very dynamically in the Corps leadership.

ROMANS 3:1-9
February 20, 1979
We’re in Romans Chapter 3, so take your Bibles and go there again. I have some things,
before I get into Romans 3, that I need to share with you that deal relative to this whole
section that we are working. The Jews reckoned his descent from Abraham, we are told.
The word “reckoned” is the Greek word logizomai. This word logizomai is a word you
ought to check in your concordance and then mark it every place throughout Romans. So
the Jew reckoned his descent from Abraham, his circumcision, his covenant privileges,
thinking this gave him special privileges to escape the judgment of God. This is
immediately disproved in Romans. Furthermore, it was most distasteful and humbling to
the Jew when he found out what Verse 26 of Chapter 2 said.
Romans 2:26
This seriously disturbed the Jews, who had such pride and such false security in their
believing regarding their circumcision and their covenant.
This word “reckoned” that I gave you, logizomai, is also translated “counted.” Here in
Romans we are going to move into the actual practice that was committed. The Jews were
very critical of the Gentiles who practiced the evils that are so vividly detailed in Chapter
1. However, in God’s sight the Jews were doing the same thing. What thing? The question
is, does “same things” imply that the Jews were literally participating in the same
immorality of the Gentile world? In working this section, I believe the language in the
Word does not necessarily mean that. I believe the key lies in the word “practice.” The
Greek word is pratto. The Gentiles practiced certain immoralities, and so they broke the
unwritten law of the conscience. You do not need a law to recognize right from wrong.
Suppose you had no law and you had a possession and I stole it from you. It would make
you indignant, angry. You would know it was wrong. If you stole front me, I would know
it would be wrong. That’s the unwritten law that existed from the day of creation.
The Gentiles broke certain laws, the unwritten law, which was of the conscience. Thus, the
Gentiles came under the judgment of God’s declaration. The Jews, on the other hand, in
practice, were the same when they broke law given to them by God. What I have just
stated, I do not know if anybody else has seen this or believed it. I used to believe that the
Jews committed the same immorality that the Gentiles committed, you know, the
homo/lesbian trip in Romans 1. Whenever you have more than one God, you end up with
the homos, which is the lowest on the totem pole. Whenever you get to be homo or lesbian,
you are at the bottom of the ladder.
And it always happens in an area, in a nation, in a country where you have more than one
God. Today in many denominations they are ordaining homos as clergy. I used to believe
that these Jews had sunk to the same low level of the Gentiles that Romans 1 talks about. I
do not believe the language here in Romans literally says that. The language in the Word
does not necessarily mean that. I believe the key lies in the word “practice.” The Gentiles
broke the unwritten law, the law of conscience. They practiced those immoralities. They
came under the judgment of God’s declaration. The Jews, on the other hand, in practice
were the same when they broke the law given to them by God. So the breaking of the law
given to him by God was, in God’s sight, sinful. The Gentiles as homos and lesbians and
all the sex stuff that went on in Romans 1 were also sinful. Sin is sin, Jews, Gentiles. The
Gentiles broke the unwritten law of creation, the conscience law; the Jews broke the laws
of Sinai and his adoption. According to God’s justice, both Jew and Gentile then are
leveled in the dust. Jews sin by breaking the law; the Gentiles sin by breaking the
unwritten law. Sin is sin. Soup is soup. Apple butter is apple butter. The only reason it’s
lowest on the totem pole is because of man’s relationship with it. From God’s point of
view, sin is sin. A little white lie is as black as the blackest lie, because it is sin. There are
no grades of sin with God. Grades are in men. With God, if it’s sin, it’s sin.
Ephesians says that all men are dead in trespasses and sins without God and without hope.
That’s exactly what I’m saying to you, it happened with the Gentiles and the Jews.
That word logizomai I gave you, I’m going to give you a few more Greek words, and I
want you to go through this section, at least to Romans 3:20, and mark these words in your
Bibles and in your notes so you know exactly what is happening.
Pratto is the word translated “practiced.”
The word Jew you know.
The word Jew is not in any text. It’s the word Joudaioi, and it’s Judean. We have a booklet
on this.
Phusis is translated “nature”
Kardia is translated “heart”
Kruptos is translated “secret”
Opheleō is translated “profit”
Krinō is translated “judge”
Krina is translated “judgment”
Check all of this from Chapter 2 through 3:9. As you mark these, watch the order of the
usage of it. It will begin with the krina stuff and end with it.
If we were doing structure tonight, I would take you and show you why the structure is
built that way. You have to learn how to work some of this yourself. So mark those in your
Bible and check them.
The final judgment is not in how much law or Word you have, but what are you inside
(Romans 2:26).
It’s the circumcision of the heart, of the spirit, not of the letter of the law.
Acts 10:34, 35
Why then have a law? The answer we begin to read in Chapter 3 of Romans.
Romans 3:1-2
Two things here, what advantage, what profit? They had the oracles of God, the law. They
had what you would speak of today as the Word. They were favored in having it, even as I
feel we are highly favored today having the Word that is among us. They had the Word,
the law. God had’ adopted them, Israel. He had given them the law. They were highly
favored. What advantage? Highly favored. The Gentiles were just left to their experience.
The Jew had the Word and could walk on it, walk in the light of that Word knowing the
will of God.
You have to read Romans 3:9 in connection with this.
Romans 3:1-9 121
Romans 3:9
He has one more major point to make in Verses 1-9, and then up to Verse 20. Then we go
back to Romans 1:17 beginning with Romans 3:21. The whole thought content will begin
with Verse 21. There is just one more major point he is going to make before going back to
Romans 1:17 and that is the concluding verse that shows both Jew and Gentile guilty
before God and without hope.
Romans 3:20
Romans 3:1
In looking over this, I don’t know if I found them all, but I would like for you to check it
out in further detail. I trust I didn’t miss too much. We have a number of questions. What
advantage? What profit? What if some did not believe (Romans 3:3)? Is God unrighteous
(Romans 3:5)? Why yet am I also judged as a sinner (Romans 3:7)? Why not say as we do,
let us do evil (Romans 3:8)? What then, are we better (Romans 3:9)? Those are the seven
questions I saw in Verses 1-9 of Chapter 3.
What advantage then? The advantage is just like a son in your family. What advantage is it
to be your son? Quite an advantage. You are his father, and you take care of him. What
advantage hath the Jew or what profit, personal benefit?
Romans 3:2
There is a preposition, in, missing between “much” and “every.” It is the preposition kata,
which is in every text. Much in every way.
“Chiefly” is the word principally, primarily. A literal is “first.”
“Committed” is episteuthesan. This usage here is third person plural aorist tense, and it’s
indicative passive. For those of us who are concerned about the integrity and accuracy, that
speaks very loudly. It comes from the root word pisteuō. That is a variation of pistis, which
we have worked so many times, and which is so uniquely interesting. Literally, entrusted,
because unto them were entrusted. If I gave you the most valuable thing I have, then I
would trust you with it, entrusted. That’s this word. God entrusted them. What a fantastic
responsibility. That word “committed” is like a diamond. He entrusted it. Then they blew
it. Think how God felt. If I gave you the most precious thing I had and then you screwed it
up, how would I feel? How do you think God felt? God entrusted them, who adopted them
as His kids. He didn’t adopt you, for you are born again. He has entrusted you with
fantastic things. What are you doing with them? But that’s not where Romans is right now.
Romans is with the Jews.
My mind can’t help but already go to the end of Romans and Ephesians. Every person
under the true God has freedom of will. If there has been any brain washing, it isn’t from
The Way Ministry. You got it before you got to the ministry. Maybe they washed your
brains, but all I do is wash it out with spiritual Ivory soap and get it clean and make you
think again.
He has entrusted you with the Word of life. He must have had a reason. He can’t overstep
the freedom of man. The Devil does, for he possesses, he controls. But the true God never
does that. The more you know about the true God and about His Word, the sharper you are
mentally.
God committed, entrusted, to His sons He had adopted.
“Oracles” is a very interesting word. It’s the word logion and it comes from the word
logia. Now I’m sorry that I didn’t get to teach you far enough yet, because now I would
have finished where I’m going to close tonight, and we’d most likely all stand up and shout
and yell. You’d be hotter than a fire cracker on the Fourth of July in August.
This word logia comes from the word logos.
John 1:1
Word = logos
God committed unto them the logos. He committed the Word unto them, the oracles. We
know He gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. But when he told the prophets and the
prophets wrote it, it was still the Word of God. The scrolls, the Word of God. Unto them
was committed the Word of God. Man’s word is here today and gone tomorrow, but the
Word of God liveth and abideth forever. Look at the value of it. If God would just entrust
you with one verse of scripture. It’s so valuable. That God would let us have even one
verse of the Word, for He magnified His Word above all His name. His Word never fails.
Just to have one word of truth from God would be fantastic. He has committed unto you, in
the body of the church today, all of this. And what have we done with it? Now I could sit
and cry, and right now chills are running up and down my spine. How little people have
believed God’s Word and how little we walk on it. When you don’t walk on it, it’s sin.
When we don’t walk on the Word and we contradict what the Word says, that is sin.
I really worked this section in here, and I want you people at the Day in the Word to get
blessed who are not Corps. So I’m taking more time to build it than I ordinarily do.
When I worked this word again, logia and committed, pisteuō, this word logos that comes
up in John 1:1, it means it is genuine. The Word is genuine. It is unadulterated. It is pure.
To be entrusted with the oracles is to be fully persuaded, entrusted with the Word, logos,
fully persuaded, confident, assured, rely on.
There is a Greek goddess who they called Suada, who was called the goddess of
persuasion.
They were entrusted with the logia, the logos, fully persuaded, persuaded of the purity, the
genuineness, unadulterated, all of that is in that word.
I Corinthians 2:4
“Enticing” – words that would not be genuine, they would be adulterated, they would not
be pure.
Whenever money was collected for the poor, this word is used, logos. If you’re poor, the
money would help you, and that would be the logos, the salvation. That would live for you.
Romans 3:3
“If” – ei – verb, indicative mood. Being in the indicative mood, the hypothesis is assumed
as an actual fact.
If some did not believe, so what?
“Some” = certain ones
“Believe” = apisteō
“Unbelief” – apistia
Romans 3:1-9 123
“Faith” = pistis – Talking about Jews, Old Testament. Could they have any faith? No.
Galatians says faith came with Jesus Christ. Could they have believing? Yes. Faith is a
spiritual trip. I’ve taught you all of that.
This word here is faithfulness. Shall their unbelief make the faithfulness of God, the
trustworthiness. By the way, all of this is in Young’s Concordance.
“Without effect” = katargeō, to reduce to inactivity, nullify
If some did not believe, shall their unbelief make the faithfulness of God reduced to
inactivity, nullified?
Romans 3:4
“God forbid” – not in text; Greek word is mē genoito, which literally is, may it not be.
“God” is not in the text.
God doesn’t lie.
Hebrews 6:18
It’s impossible for God to lie.
Titus 1:2
II Timothy 2:13
Romans 3:4
“It is written” – from Psalm 51:4; If you read in King James, it won’t fit, because it’s from
the Septuagint.
“in” = en
“Sayings” = logos, the Word
“Overcome” – prevail
“When thou art judged” – When thou earnest into judgment
The picture here is one of a legal picture of one being accused appearing in court where the
righteousness of the verdict of the judge is a complete acknowledgment on the part of the
accused.
Romans 3:5
But – We just went through the unbelief. Now we move from unbelief to unrighteousness.
Unbelief will produce unrighteousness. But unrighteousness produces a lot of other stuff.
“Commend” – sets forth
“What shall we say?” – This is used seven times in Romans. The perfection of the usage of
this in the seven places is absolutely astounding, because the number seven stands for
perfection. Some of you ought to work out the seven usages of this expression in its
immediate context in a fantastic piece of research.
“Taketh” – visitest, inflicts
“Vengeance” – with wrath
“I speak as a man” – That does not mean he is not speaking by revelation. “As” is kata. It
means I am presenting this from a logical point of view I can get it, which is the human
point of view.
Romans 3:6
“God forbid” – May it not be
“Judge” – As judge, God is undeniably accurate, undeniably just.
This section, beginning with unrighteousness in Verse 5 and God shall judge the world in
Verse 6, we will tie that all together. It indicates the justice and sovereignty of God.
Romans 3:7
“For” = but; It just gives what you could immediately say an impossible argument.
“Abounded” – overflowed
“Through” = en
“Unto” = eis
He is just presenting an impossible argument.
Romans 3:8
You know nothing ever abounds through a lie. We should have learned that because all
governments have a department of propaganda, which is a department of lies. Nobody has
a department of truth in any government.
It’s an impossible argument which is contrary to all laws of logic or reason. You cannot
logically spend yourself rich. A lie never augments; it always detracts or subtracts from
truth. So it’s an impossible argument.
“Rather” – was added
Text reads, “And why not say (as we be slanderously reported, as some affirm that we say)
Let us do evil, that good may come? Whose damnation is just.”
“Slanderously reported” – blasphēmō; As we be called blasphemers.
“Affirm” – used. 58 times in the Bible, and this is the only place it is translated “affirm,”
because it’s the same word as the word “say.” As some say we say.
“Evil” – evil things
“That” – hina, in order that
“Good” – good things
“Damnation” – condemnation, krina
In this verse the accusers stand condemned in their very condemnation of him. Any man
who accuses God will already stand in condemnation.
Romans 3:9
What then? Are we Jews better? Better than Gentiles.
“Better” – proechomai; I really don’t know what to tell you here, because there is another
way of looking at this, and I don’t know which one I should really say is the word of God.
One of the translators says, “Are we worse.” King James says “better.” Are we worse than
Gentiles? No.
“In no wise” – Not at all, in no way.
“Proved” – convicted
Romans 3:1-9 125
“Under” – hupo
“Sin” – hamartia, missing the mark
All under sin, not sins, it’s the root. Sin is the root of sins. The root is hamartia. The fruits,
the results of missing the mark, are put in the plural as sins in the Bible. Jews and Gentiles
are all under sin. The Gentiles had the homo/lesbian trip. Jews had broken the oracles of
the Word of God. They were favored, had highest privileges, and they broke the law.
That’s why they are all under sin, both Jew and Gentile.
You talk about God’s Word and the accuracy of it.
“Under” – preposition; down under; like a body of water and you’re down under it.
Down under being sinful. Sin full, missing the mark. That’s the greatness of these nine
verses in Romans 3.