Romans 3:21-26 - Corps - March 13,1979
Format: mp3
Publication Date: March 13, 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 3:21-26
March 13, 1979
I’d like to say to the Corps across the country, that I have tears in my eyes when I think
about tonight’s Corps, because I feel so absolutely unqualified to teach what I have to
teach tonight. It’s just so fantastic and so tremendous that I just do not have words in my
vocabulary to make the greatness of that Word live for you as it lives in my heart. I
understand it better within my soul than I’m able to teach it. I think all of you Corps know
that I’ll do my best to teach it to you with the greatness of the ability that I do have,
whatever that may be.
Tonight as we go to the Book of Romans, the third chapter, this great section in Romans is
what I’d like to refer to as the great Magna Carta declaration of true Christianity. Magna
Carta simply means the great charter. The Magna Carta was the first document of the
English constitution. It was given back on June 19, 1215 by King John. It was what our
ancestors brought with them to The United States of America. It finally issued in our Bill
of Rights and our individual personal liberties here in The United States of America.
Thinking of that personal liberty is why I thought that we are right now in Romans in the
great Magna Carta declaration of true Christianity.
This section in Romans from Chapter 3:21 through Chapter 4:25 is one major division.
There is a subdivision in it, which I had thought originally I would be able to cover
completely tonight, but I will not be able to complete all these verses. The subdivision is
Chapter 3:21-28. In our last session I worked with you, Romans 3:21, 22.
Romans 3:21, 22
“Righteousness of God” – These are a figure of speech. The figure of speech is the Greek
word, spelled enallage, which simply means the exchange of one part of for another. The
specific figure under enallage is called antimereia, and that figure is where one tense or
mood or a person or a number is exchanged for another. Righteousness of God. Two nouns
used. One of those nouns is placed in the genitive case. It is that noun in the genitive case
that rules the other noun. In other words, the latter word, if you would take it out of the
regimen, it would become an adjective. If I said to you tonight, mighty angels, the
emphasis would be upon the angels, because the mighty is an adjective. Suppose I want to
emphasize the might rather than the angels. That’s when this figure comes into being.
That’s when you take the adjective, “mighty” and put it in the genitive case, and it reads
angels of might. Figures of speech are the Holy Spirit’s markings in the Word of that
which God wants emphasized. “Righteousness of God” in Verse 21 and 22, these words
are that figure. If God wanted to emphasize the righteousness, He would have said godly
righteousness. He would have taken the noun and made it an adjective. But because God
wanted to emphasize God rather than the righteousness, it says righteousness of God.
The word “by” in Verse 22, which I gave you last week, is dia. It’s genitive singular,
meaning “through.” The righteousness of God through. The best way I know to picture it
in your mind is to see this preposition as dividing a surface in two by an intersecting line. It
divides it into proceeding from and passing out. (Example of circle)
It is by, or through, pistis, faith or believing of Jesus Christ, all the way through by Jesus
Christ, passing out, moving out from. And that moving out from is fantastic, because that’s
how you and I got it. That’s why that preposition sits there like a diamond.
134 Romans 3:21-26
Galatians 3:16-20
If you’re going to have a mediator, you have to have more than one, because the mediator
is the one who stands between one and two. A mediator is not a mediator of one. God is
one, one God.
Galatians 3:21-23
I wrote something today, afterthoughts, after I worked this.
Never fear what men may say. Tradition has too long held the slave, and the fear of man is
its slave. That’s why we need to come to the Word afresh. I know of no group any place
that I have ever run into, all the commentaries, all the theologians, that have ever been able
to put together by God’s mercy and grace what I expect to do for you tonight. And that is
again, there was a time when there was no faith. Faith is a spiritual job, an inside trip. But
there has never been a time when there hasn’t been believing. Believing is of the mind. It
says this very plainly if we get off of tradition. Never fear what men may say. Tradition
has too long held slave. Go back to the Word. Come to the Word fresh. It’s the fear of man
that has made people slaves to tradition.
Galatians 3:23
Galatians 3:24
“unto” – until
Galatians 3:25
So there was a time when there was no faith. It tells you that that period of time was when
we were kept under the law. The law was a schoolmaster until Christ that we might be
justified by believing. Faith came with the works of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Galatians 3:26
Children of God – same figure that I just showed you. Emphasis is on God and what He
did, not upon His kids.
“by” – dia, proceeding from and passing all the way out
“in” – of
Colossians 1:15
Jesus Christ is the likeness, resemblance, of the invisible God. Since God is invisible, that
likeness, that resemblance has to appear in some category or our Bible falls to pieces.
I Timothy 2:4-5
One mediator, the man, Christ Jesus.
That’s why in Romans 3:22, the righteousness of God by the believing of Jesus Christ,
Jesus Christ is the mediator between God and man. If he’s the mediator, he can’t be God,
for God is one and one doesn’t need a mediator. One God and one mediator between God
and men. That’s what it says and that’s what it means. The only thing that will stop you
from believing it is tradition, which has held you in slavery too long.
John 4:34
John 5:30
Jesus Christ had a will, and by that will he made his decisions. His will was to always do
Romans 3:21-26 135
the will of the Father.
John 6:38
When you have freedom of will, you can either choose to do the will of God or to screw it
up and blow it. That’s right.
John 10:30
Doesn’t say they were identical. I always do my Father’s will. That’s how they were one.
One in holding forth the will of God. He had his own will, but he willed to do the will of
God. That’s why he could say, “I and my Father are one.” One in purpose, one in desire.
God is invisible. John 4:24, God is spirit. Jesus Christ was the image, likeness, of God,
because he always did the will of his Father.
John 14:9
That’s the great meaning of this verse in Romans (3:22). No difference between Jew and
Gentile.
Romans 3:23-26
Romans 3:23
“sinned” – hamartanō
What I’m going to do now for the rest of you who are not Corps (Taught at Day in the
Word), I’m going through these verses and then I’m going to pick up my afterthoughts.
This will recapitulate and solidify a lot of things in your heart and mind. For you Corps,
you’re going to have to take this tape and work these scriptures and work these out so you
get the impact of the greatness of these verses.
“For all” – both Jew and Gentile without any exception
Scratch “have.”
“sinned” – hamartanō, aorist tense, which tells you it’s a one time, everybody did it
“came short” – husteleō
Matthew 19:20
“lack” – husteleō, first usage in New Testament.
Romans 3:23
For all have sinned and came short. I think a great translation would be, “are coming
short.”
“glory of God” – same figure of speech with emphasis upon God. The word “glory” is a
fantastic word. It’s the Greek word doxa, meaning the perfection required. It is come short
of the perfection required, a lacking, coming short of the glory, the perfection required by
testing and proving.
Matthew 3:17
This is my beloved son – That’s what God said about the mediator. He didn’t say, “It is me
here.” This is my beloved son.
“well pleased” – perfection required, testing and proving; I always did the Father’s will. He
who has seen me has seen the Father. I came forth to carry out His will. That’s the proving.
That’s the glory of God.
Ephesians 2:1, 3-14
Verse 9 – “boast” = glory
Romans 6:2, 10-11
Galatians 2:19
Romans 3:24
“being justified” – present continuous tense; not just once. He entered in once, but for the
believer, it’s not just once. It’s present continuous tense. Being justified is the formal and
legal acquittal of guilt by God as the just judge, and the formal and absolute declaration of
the believing sinner as declared righteous in God’s sight. That’s what it is to be justified.
“freely” – dōrean, as a gift; the absence of any cause in the man who is the object of the
action. If man was at all involved in the object of the action, it could not be a gift. Being
justified freely, as a gift.
“grace” – charis
“through” – dia (same as 3:22)
“redemption” – apolutrōsis; deliverance from the guilt of sin. The verb form of this word
is lutroō, to deliver, to redeem. So redemption is deliverance, redemption, from the guilt of
sin.
There’s another word used in the New Testament for “redeem,” and that is exagorazō. This
word must be understood along with apolutrōsis, because there are two sides to
redemption. The one side is the one I’ve just given you, deliverance from the guilt of sin.
This word, exagorazō, is to redeem, to buy up, a price paid. It’s real simple. To redeem
someone does not necessarily mean to deliver them. In order to have this word redemption,
freely by his grace, you not only have to have a buying up, but you have to have a
deliverance. I could buy you out of something, like if you were in some country and I
could buy you out of it. Then you would be my possession. But I’m still not giving you
freedom, not deliverance. That’s the difference. You could buy someone and still they
would not be free.
Justified freely as a gift. The purchase price, the buying, is redemption, to redeem, to buy
out, a price paid. Then the setting free, the deliverance from the guilt of sin, is the other
side of it. That’s the greatness of that word “redemption.”
There’s a counterfeit one in Acts 24.
Acts 24:25-26
That’s the wrong side, redemption on the wrong basis, in the negative side.
Romans 3:24
Redemption in Christ Jesus – He paid the price, and after the price was paid he set us free.
That’s the deliverance.
This is so much bigger than any of us have ever been taught or believed. I’m real grateful
to God for the privilege of taking a look at it. I feel there are no words I could say to make
it as beautiful and fantastic as it really is. All I’m trying to do is to give you insight into
what I see in the greatness of it here.
Romans 3:21-26 137
Romans 3:25
Scratch “hath.”
“set forth” – This gave me the great key to understanding so many things in this verse and
in this section. These words, set forth, is third person singular, second aorist, indicative
mood, middle voice. This doesn’t mean much to many of you. But when you work the
integrity and accuracy of the Word in its minute detail, that is just a fantastic thing.
The Greek word for “set forth” is protithemi. In checking this word in Bullinger, which is
also in all the other major works I checked, it is the word “foreordained.” Set forth is
foreordained.
(Dr. Wierwille reads from another Greek lexicon – name was unclear on tape, but the
quotes from it as follows.)
Purpose or determined. Whom God purposed, whom God determined. Determined is the
same general basic truth as the word predestinated. Whom God predestinated. Whom God
foreordained, whom God purposed, whom God determined, whom God predestinated.
I Peter 1:19-20
Jesus Christ was foreordained, a mediator between God and man. That’s the same word,
whom God set forth, foreordained, before the foundation of the world.
Get your Young’s Concordance and look up the word foreordained. It’s used only one
place, I Peter 1:20. Yet, in the margin it’s the word foreordained, but in the text of King
James, it’s set forth in Romans. But in the margin it’s foreordained.
Foreknowledge and foreknow are from the same word, same root.
Now go to the back of the concordance to the lexicon of New Testament Greek. Look up
the word proginōskō. It is translated foreknow 2 times; foreordained 2 times; know 1 time;
know before 1 time; foreknowledge 2 times.
Whom God foreordained, set forth. God in His foreknowledge. God is omniscient, all
wise. God is omnipotent, all powerful. God is omnipresent, everywhere present. God
knows your end before the beginning. He knew there would come a day when you would
hear the Word and believe the Word and get born again. How did He know this? Because
of His foreknowledge. Proginōskō. Pro is before; ginōskō is to know.
Man does not have foreknowledge. He has better hind sight than foresight. Sometimes our
hind sight isn’t too good. But God has foresight. If I had foreknowledge, I could have
written that on. such and such a date I would be in Salt Lake City for a Day in the Word
and such and such people would be present sitting at such and such places at this hotel.
This is fantastic! Whom God set forth, foreordained, foreknew. How was Jesus Christ with
God? In God’s foreknowledge. Ephesians says you were also with God in His
foreknowledge. Because you were with Him in His foreknowledge does not make you
God. Because Jesus Christ was foreordained in His foreknowledge does not make Jesus
Christ God. He is the son of God, but he was with God in His foreknowledge. That’s what
you have to rightly divide in Romans.
Romans 3:25
“to be” – in italics, so scratch it
Why was God able to foreordain or predestinate Jesus Christ a propitiation? Because of
His foreknowledge. He knew that when Jesus Christ would be born of Mary, He knew
before the foundations of the world that he would believe to buy up, to pay the price, to
always do the Father’s will, so that he could redeem and deliver mankind. That’s how great
that verse is.
“propitiation” – hilastērion
It’s not only the propitiation, the payment to redeem, to buy up, but he is the payment to
set free, to deliver. God foreordained Christ Jesus to be the propitiation. This word is only
used twice in the Bible. The other usage is in Hebrews 9.
Hebrews 9:5
“mercyseat” – hilastērion, propitiation
Romans 3:25
Whom God foreordained a mercyseat, a propitiation. The reason mercyseat is this word is
because in the temple the mercyseat was covered with the cherubim, and when they
offered the sacrifice once a year on the day of atonement, it was poured out on the
mercyseat. Jesus Christ foreordained a mercyseat, the blood poured out, sacrifice. It’s
really something.
It means to cover. God covered for Israel in the Old Testament because of the mercyseat,
the propitiation.
“through faith” – dia pistis – These two words are omitted by the Codex Alexandrias. I
personally will go with the omission. If you’d like to keep it, that’s okay because I can
handle it. But it’s so simple and so direct if you just read, “Whom God foreordained a
propitiation in his blood.”
“in” – en; meaning his blood by his death. It is by the apolutrōsis of Verse 24 that I
covered with you, deliverance from the guilt of sin, redeemed by a price paid. God
foreordained a propitiation, a mercyseat, by the mediator, by the apolutrōsis of Verse 24,
the mediator Christ Jesus, by his death, by his blood.
“to declare” – In Romans 3:21, “manifested” is declared. The preposition “to” is eis,
which equals for, meaning immediate purpose. For the immediate purpose, declare.
“declare” – endeixis; It’s the same truth as the word “manifested” of 3:21. The righteousness
of God without the law is manifested, is declared.
Propitiation by his death. A declaration to declare, a declaration of God’s righteousness.
“for” – dia, which is the perspective cause, or because of
“remission of sins” – “Remission” is paresis. The ordinary usage of remission is the word
aphesis. The usage of paresis here is almost unbelievable. Aphesis means a release from
sin. Paresis means a passing over.
Propitiation by his blood, by his death, a declaration of God’s righteousness with the
perspective cause of passing over.
Exodus 12:7, 13
“Pass over” is this remission. When I see the blood I’ll pass over. To pass over is this word
paresis, remission. It’s covered with the blood. It’s the mercyseat, and he just passes over.
Remission of sins passes over. Sins, plural. Remission of sins is not the root. Sin is the root
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of sins. It’s not the root that this word paresis is passing over, not at the root, but the
consequences of sin. The root is sin. The consequences of man’s nature, man’s sinful
nature, are sins. This is that word, paresis, a passing over of the sins, the consequences or
sin, man’s nature.
Romans 3:25
“that are past” – proginomai, meaning previously committed. It’s a perfect participle.
Having been committed previously is the literal translation. By his blood a declaration of
God’s righteousness, passing over the consequences of sin previously committed.
“through” – en
“forbearance” – anochē, meaning self-restraint, to hold back
Sins that are previously committed in the forbearance, in the self-restraint, in the holding
back of God, because God being a just God, Israel blowing it, the Jews having the law but
never able to live up to it, that’s why it talks about remission of sins that are past.
That’s the law. In the self-restraint, in the holding back of God. Sprinkling the blood on the
doorposts is significant because basically it is not in the work of sprinkling the blood, but
in the believing of doing what God said that He would cover for them. That’s the
mercyseat. It isn’t in the works of the law, but that they believed that God said to sprinkle
the blood on the doorposts, and it’s in the believing, not in the works. That’s sins that are
past, previously committed.
In the forbearance of God, self-restraint. Same word in 2:4.
You know what man deserves? Nothing. Man always blew it. Man doesn’t deserve a lousy
thing. But God in His forbearance, in His self-restraint, all sinned, come short of the glory
of God, but being justified freely by God’s grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus,
whom God foreordained a propitiation by the blood of Christ, a declaration of God’s
righteousness for the passing over of the consequences of sins that are past because of
God’s self-restraint. That’s the essence of it.
This is His will. Jews in Verse 25. The words “to declare” in Verse 25, the preposition “to”
is the preposition eis.
Romans 3:26
Same English words, to declare, but entirely different preposition. “To” is pros, meaning
ultimate purpose in the usage here. God’s main purpose of the coming of His son was to
fulfill the law, to redeem Israel. That was the main purpose. Jesus Christ came unto his
own. That’s Verse 25 in Romans. Main purpose was to fulfill it. Israel under the law. Main
purpose to fulfill the law to Israel.
But in the foreknowledge of God that included Verse 26, to declare, ultimate purpose.
“I say” – in italics, so scratch it.
“his righteousness” – God’s righteousness
“that he” – God
“him” – ton, the one, literally means everyone “believeth” – pisteos, genitive singular
I will put this together for you literally from the accuracy of the text. And this, Verse 26, is
to the Gentiles.
God’s righteousness that He might be just, justifying him, everyone, by the believing of
Jesus. That’s the text.
The ultimate purpose, the main purpose, was to Israel, but God in His foreknowledge
already knew He had an ultimate purpose. That’s why pros for the preposition “to” in
Verse 26, ultimate purpose.
To declare at this time God’s righteousness that God might be just, justifying him,
everyone, by the believing of Jesus. That’s the text.
The love of God provided the ransom. God so loved, provided the ransom, His son. God’s
righteousness required that the ransom be paid, which was accomplished by the free will
decision of His son, who always did his Father’s will.
To Abraham, God supplied the lamb or something. Here the love of God provided the
ransom to buy back. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. Through
the blood of Christ. The love of God provided the ransom, His son. He is the just and the
justifier. God as the justifier provided the ransom, His son, but because He is also a just
God and the price has to be paid, God’s righteousness required the ransom be paid. But
because of His foreknowledge, He knew that Jesus Christ would always do His will. See
how beautifully that all fits. Just think it through. God’s righteousness requires the ransom
to be what? He provided the ransom in His son. His righteousness, to be both the just and
the justifier, God’s righteousness required that the ransom be paid. The true God never
possesses. He never controls man’s will. But in His foreknowledge He knew that Jesus
Christ would always do the will of the Father. I and my Father are one. People, some day
you’ve got to see it. He is God’s only begotten son. Did he have the privilege of blowing
it? Yes. Could he have sinned? Yes. But God in His foreknowledge knew he would always
do the will of God. That’s why God’s righteousness required the ransom be paid by the
free will decision of His son.
God knew in His foreknowledge that this woman, Mary, would believe. You beautiful
women are still made the same way Mary was. Then why don’t you have a Christ?
Because God’s Word is that He is only going to have one only begotten son. But everyone
of you women are constructed the same way physically that Mary was. In God’s
foreknowledge He knew that Mary, by the freedom of her will, would believe. It was she
who said, “Be it unto me according to thy word.”
Because of God’s foreknowledge. He may have waited thousands of years, but that’s okay.
In His foreknowledge He knew. The true God never possesses. Therefore, He waited until
the time when He knew in His foreknowledge a woman would say, “Be it unto me
according to thy word.” And she brought forth a son, Jesus Christ. God in His
foreknowledge knew he would always do the will of God. That he who had seen me, Jesus
Christ, had seen the Father. He declared Him, make God known. One mediator between
God and man, the man, Christ Jesus. That’s why you and I can be born again today.
Now we go to my casual remembrances, just statements that thrill my heart.
Romans 1:17 must never be forgotten, because this section that I dealt with is a
continuation of 1:17.
Romans 1:17
God’s righteousness was manifested apart from the law in 3:21. The righteousness of God
apart from the law of 3:22 and the glory of God in 3:23, in between the righteousness of
God in Verse 22 and the glory of God in Verse 23 is sin. For all have sinned and come
Romans 3:21-26 141
short of the glory of God.
These words, “God’s righteousness, the righteousness of God,” must all be considered
together in Romans. I’ll give you the references.
Romans 1:17
Romans 3:5
Romans 3:21, 22, 25, 26
Romans 10:3
The righteousness of the law and the righteousness of faith, pistis, believing are brought
together in Romans 10:6-10.
Romans 10:6-10
The righteousness of the law and the righteousness of faith are brought together in Romans
10. The righteousness of God to the sinner transcends all righteousness of the law.
John 1:17
Romans 3:21,22 direct contrasts the expression apart from the law through faith, believing,
of Jesus Christ, showing law is ruled out on the great basis and foundation of the believing
of Jesus Christ.
Romans 4:12
believing – The Hebrew word corresponding with the Greek word pistis is enunah,
meaning believing, trust, which issues in being faithful and being stedfast. Believe is a
verb, which connotes action. If you believe, you will be stedfast, faithful. The cognate
word is amanah. Check the usage in Habakkuk 2:4, where the just shall live by amanah,
believing; I Samuel 26:23; I Chronicles 9:22; II Chronicles 34:12 Psalm 33:4; Nehemiah
9:38.
The dual meaning of Romans 3:22 and 26 is the just, the sinner who has been justified and
is now just, shall live, after his being justified, by his and by my faithfulness, believing
faithfulness. The faith of God.
The faith of God, Romans 3:3, is closely aligned with the word, the truth of God, of
Romans .3:7. It’s Christ believing, not my believing in Christ, that’s the great foundational
cause of the glorious gift of the Gospel. Whether I believe it doesn’t matter. It’s Christ’s
believing.
Abraham believed and operated before the law of Sinai. Christ, the true seed of the woman,
Genesis 3:15 and the true seed of Abraham, Genesis 12:7.
I told you this would be rambling on my mind.
We’re back to pistis. The Hebrew was enunah and the cognate was amanah, trust, which
issues in being faithful.
I went through and checked the “pistis of” in the New Testament. I’ll give you all its
usages. Mark 11:22 (You’ll have to check the parallels in Matthew and Luke); Acts 3:16;
Romans 3:3; Romans 3:22; Romans 3:26; Romans 4:12; Galatians 3:16; Galatians 3:22;
Ephesians 3:12; Philippians 3:9; Colossians 2:12: I Thessalonians 3;2,5,7,10; James 2:1.
In Romans 3:22 the “righteousness unto all” ignores all distinction between Jew and
Gentile, circumcision and uncircumcision, but it is not upon all except they believe and get
born again. Believing implies obedience. “Faith obedience” as in Romans 1:8, which is the
first usage in Romans and in 16:26 is the last usage.
Righteousness by law or works would be our own, but the righteousness of God is only
through the believing obedience of Jesus Christ.
The glory of God always has the hope at the root. As I worked the glory of God, I always
found the hope at the root.
Romans 5:1, 2
When I told you that 3:25 sin and 3:26 Gentiles, Craig told you today that Abraham looked
forward, saw his day as the hope of the coming of Christ. That’s how God reckoned
righteousness unto him. When you work this down, which I did today, that is why Israel is
going to be resurrected and the body of the church is only going to be raised or changed.
Our believing, pistis, (faith) and hope are activated by the love of God. All three are
possible because of the resurrection, Christ raised up by the glory of the Father that we
may walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). From this walk of believing in the now, we
look forward in hope to the “liberty of the glory of the children of God,” Romans 8:21.
Exodus 34:1-9 – Moses said to God, “Show me thy glory.” And Exodus 33:23 says that
God showed him only His hind parts. If this made Moses’ face to shine like the Word said
it did, how great and magnificent, how effulgent, illuminating, bright, must be the glory of
God in the face of Jesus Christ.
To have such exquisite language as used in II Corinthians 3 and 4. Remember Moses
earning down from the mountain with the big ten. His face was so bright they couldn’t
look at it. If it was that, and all he saw was God’s hind parts, what about how great the
glory of God must be in the face of Jesus Christ.
We must discard all belief in all else but our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, himself as our
righteousness, our acceptance with and before God. Anything less comes far short of the
glory of God; anything more is impossible.
Romans 3:24 – “Freely” – I made these notes. Man’s justification is God’s act of grace,
divine, undeserved, unmerited favor, a gift. No strings of works pulling it down to man or
strings attached pulling it up.
Check Matthew 10:8; John 15:25; II Corinthians 11:7; Galatians 3:21; II Thessalonians
3:8; Revelation 21:6; Revelation 23:17; Romans 5:15,16 – dōrean, gift. Also dōrea or
dōrēma or dōron. All derive from the Greek word didōmi, which means to give.
No definition of grace is satisfactory that does not include the free gift, the antithesis of
wages, and by works (Romans 6:23); a gift without repentance, no strings attached,
Romans 11:29; salvation by grace, not of works, Ephesians 2:8.
The total essence of love, which God is, is to give. John 3:16 – For God so loved;
Galatians 3:20; Ephesians 5:3, 25.
Justified freely literally is without a cause by God’s grace. The free gift of righteousness of
God to the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is freely covered and provided for in the one
great gift of God, His only begotten son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Titus 3:6-7
That’s the Corps tonight.