Bible Study: Romans - "A Righteousness from God apart from Law"

Having categorically concluded that no one is righteous in the eyes of God and that both the Jew and the Gentile stand condemned before God, Paul now passes on to explain a righteousness that came from God, something other than the Law. This is dealt in Romans 3:21 to 30.

This is a beautiful passage which lies at the very core of Christianity. This, one can say, is the crux of our faith and belief. This is the Good News and this is the Gospel in short.

According to Paul, while we all stand condemned before God as ‘guilty,’ there is one thing that can set us right before God, so that we are not counted as guilty, but are declared ‘non-guilty.’ What is that one thing?

Religion, be it Hinduism, or Islam or Christianity deals primarily with the sinfulness of mankind and the way of liberation from it.

In Hinduism, one must reap the consequences of one’s deeds, karma, and there is no deliverance until the person concerned pays off all his/her debts due to wrong doings (bad karma), by his/her own effort, by doing acts of goodness (good karma), over many births, until good deeds weigh more than the bad deeds. The entire stress here is on the efforts of an individual to earn his or her deliverance from this sinful life. A person must earn his deliverance by ‘works.’

In Islam also, traditions and rituals like doing namaz five times a day, giving out mandatory charity, going on pilgrimage to Haj and so on, alone can make Allah pleased with him/her. Even so no Muslim is sure of deliverance and admission to heaven, for that is entirely left to the mercy of Allah, their God.

Coming to Christianity, there is a way out from the effects of sin and the sinful life and that way has been provided by God Himself. As Paul mentions in Verse 21, a righteousness apart from Law has been revealed by God. A person must be righteous, if he or she has to stand before God and be declared ‘not guilty’ and not get the punishment due to God’s wrath.

And Paul’s contention is that this is not possible by human effort, whether a Jew or Gentile, but God Himself has provided a way. To this way, the Law and Prophets in the Old Testament have testified. Not in the legalistic way of the Pharisees, as it was in the time of Jesus, but in the prophetic traditions. Jesus himself insisted that he has come in the fulfilment of the prophecies of the Old Testament. Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:27.

It is a righteousness of God that comes from God, revealed in Jesus Christ and from having faith in Jesus Christ. This revelation of God is apart from the Law. Verse 22. In 2 Corinthians 5:21, Paul says, “God made him who has no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” In Philippians 3:9, Paul reiterates this by saying, “(that I may gain Christ) …not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”

The Law is nothing but a code of conduct containing many commandments and instructions for leading a godly life and a life pleasing to God. Now, In Jesus Christ, God has revealed the Way, and we have to respond with faith in Jesus Christ. All who believe in Jesus Christ will be saved. It is nothing which we can achieve by ourselves, or by our good deeds or efforts. It is only through faith in Christ.

In verse 23, Paul returns to his favourite argument that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Man, was made in the image of God to reflect His glory, 1 Corinthians 11:7, but by his disobedience he rebelled against God and lost the likeness of God, His glory and became sinful.  

We were all dead in our transgressions and sins. Ephesians 2:1-2. By our own efforts, we cannot win righteousness before God. Isaiah 64:6 puts it across beautifully saying, “…all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;”

Only in Christ’s righteousness we can stand before God and be declared righteous. ‘Jesus Christ became what I was - sin, that I might become what He is -righteous.’[1]

To be righteous is to be just, and be justified; to be declared ‘not guilty;’ to be acquitted. A man, Jew or Gentile, stands condemned as a sinner before God, the Judge, in front of His judgment seat; miraculously the man is acquitted as not guilty by God. How is this possible?  

  

This is explained in Verse 24. The sinners that we are, we are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ. The acquittal comes free, we can do nothing to secure it and we do not merit it too. It comes by His grace, the favour of a sovereign God. God acquits the guilty and declares him justified.

Justification means ‘we stand before God just as-if-we had-never-sinned.’ It is the pronouncement of the Judge, that the sinner, who puts his trust and faith in Christ, is righteous. It is an act by which ‘a wronged person is given his rights, is vindicated, delivered from oppression.’[2]

Our redemption comes from Jesus Christ. How? Paul deals with this in verse 25. Redemption is to redeem, to get back. We redeem a pawned jewel by paying the cost. A slave has to be purchased to set him free. His dues have to be paid by the one who sets him free. Here Jesus did that for us, for every one of us. He paid the price. All that we have to do is to have faith in Him.

In Matthew 20:25 Jesus says, “…Son of Man (came) to give his life as ransom to many.” His own life he gave as a ransom, as payment for the dues, to set us free. He redeemed us from sin, from Law and the world. 1 Peter 1:18-19 says, we are not redeemed by perishable things like gold and silver, but by with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

In Revelation 5:9, the elders and living creatures sing, “with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” Yes, He bought us, and freed us by shedding his very blood on the cross as payment to deliver us from our sins.

God presented Jesus as a sacrifice of atonement. Verse 25. A sacrifice is performed by the sinner or defaulter, to turn away the anger of God, to please God, to placate God. That is atonement. It is Divine Propitiation offered by Jesus Christ on our behalf to turn away the anger and wrath of God, which should have fallen on us otherwise.

Christ satisfied the righteous character of God, who has to punish sin, by taking it on himself and making it possible for God to show His mercy on the sinner and let him go scot-free. His justice has to be satisfied, so He could show His mercy on humans.

In Leviticus 17:11, Yahweh lays down that “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” Hence Israelites were forbidden to eat blood. It is meant for atonement, to annul their guilts.

That is what Jesus did on the cross – he atoned our sins by shedding his own blood, like in a sacrifice.

God passes over the sins previously committed by us, in his forbearance, kindness and mercy. The moment we put our faith in Christ, God forgives our previous sins, as if they were nothing. His justice is shown in that in the present time after Jesus has come and paid the price for us, if we accept that in faith, God is willing to forgive and justify such people, by letting them go free. Verse 26.

Paul concludes by saying that there can be no boasting in our justification for it is not our own doing by good deeds or by observance of law. A man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. Verse 27, 28. God is not just the God of Jews but is the God of Gentiles also, for there is only One God, who will justify both the circumcised and the non-circumcised by faith in Christ. Verse 30.

Points to Ponder:

1.    Have you put your faith in Christ and the price He paid on the cross with his own blood, as a sacrifice for your sins?

2.    Are you justified before God, by appropriating the ransom paid by Jesus Christ on the cross?

3.    Have you sought forgiven of your sins by trusting in the work of Christ, and set free from sin? Or are you still depending on your own works to earn merit before God?

    

---

[1] John G Mitchell, D.D., Let’s Revel in Romans, Glory Press, USA, 1990, p.91

[2] Dodd, C.H., The Epistle of Paul to the Romans, Fontana, 1959, p. 76.

“No One is Righteous”

Bible Study: Romans

After successfully demolishing all the probable arguments by a Jew, why they should be considered special in God’s view, Paul declares that Jews and Gentiles both are under sin.

In Chapter 3, from verses 10 to 18, by quoting many verses from the Old Testament, Paul tries to pin his arguments to conclude that all, both the Jew and the Gentile, are guilty before God.

Are the Jews any better than the Gentiles? Paul categorically answers, ‘Not at all!’ in verse 9. A Jew has no advantage just because he has the Law and circumcision. This, Paul has laboured to establish in chapter 2:12-28. So, the conclusion to which all these debates point out is that ‘Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.’

The first quotation, in verses 9-12, which Paul chooses to support his aforementioned conclusion is,

“There is no one righteous, not even one;

there is no one who understands,

no one who seeks God.  

All have turned away,

They have together become worthless;

There is no one who does good,

Not even one!”

This passage has been taken from Psalm 14:1-3. However, Paul quotes, may be from memory, mostly from Septuagint version of the Old Testament, giving a free rendition. The same verses are repeated in Psalm 53:1-3 also. In both the places David, the Psalmist, talks about the fool who thinks that there is no God and acts also as if there is no God. The general trend in the world is, such people are corrupt and their actions vile, and altogether there seems to be no one who does good.

The murky politics that is outplaying presently in Tamil Nadu, where a leader dies, and within weeks her companion corners all her wealth and claims the seat of the Chief Minister. This sinister design is condemned by the people, who had given their vote to the departed ruler and not to the sinister gang of the lady-in-waiting or the 117 MLAs who stood by her, just because the corrupt money has passed hands.

The lady herself lost the probability of becoming the Chief Minister, as she was indicted by the law of the land in a corruption case and was consigned to jail. A show of wickedness to the extreme in political corruption. May be the Psalmist and even Paul had something like this in mind.  

The Lord looks down from heaven to see if there is anyone among human beings, who understands what is expected of him by God, and seek God, but He found no one. Didn’t Jesus say, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will begiven to you as well.” Matthew 6:33. But, sadly God could find no such person who would seek Him and do good.

The Psalmist further states, all have turned aside and they have become altogether corrupt. “There is no one who does good, not even one.” Unfortunately, each age has its own corruption. I suppose, it was the corruption during the time of Noah that kindled the wrath of God and the world was destroyed by flood. It was moral turpitude that caused brimstone and fire to rain from heaven and destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.

David has seen corruption in his days. Paul witnessed corruption under the rule of Romans. And now we see it in everyday life and in the form of political corruption.

No human being could ever be totally pure and good in the eyes of God. That is what Paul is trying to drive in. King Solomon beautifully expresses this concept in Ecclesiastes 7:20, “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.” No human being except Jesus who walked on earth could claim that he or she is without sin. All are sinners in the eyes of God and in need of a Saviour.

The next quote in verse 13 is from Psalm 5:9. Here David is describing his enemies, whose words cannot be trusted and whose throat is an open grave and whose tongues speak deceit. Paul quotes partly from Psalm 140:3, where David is seeking protection from slanderous people whose “tongues are as sharp as a serpent’s; the poison of vipers is on their lips.”

Not only are the evil people’s throats like open graves, ready to swallow people alive, but with their tongue they practice deceit and to cheat and swindle people. Their lips are so poisonous, that no good words come from them. Cursing and bitter accusations are common to human beings. It is James who calls the tongue as the fire that can set a forest on fire and calls it a restless evil and a deadly poison. James 3:5-6, 8. 

    

Paul calls the mouths of evil persons as being full of cursing and bitterness, in verse 14. It reminisces Psalm 10:7. Writing about the wicked people, David says, “His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue.” James admonishes “Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.” James 3:10.  

Describing the evil deeds of the people in general, Paul goes on to say in verses 15-17 that ‘their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.’ Paul is voicing the concern found in Isaiah 59:7,8.

“Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are evil thoughts; ruin and destruction mark their ways. The way of peace they do not know;”

Murder for money and gain, rape and murder are so common in today’s world. Such sin is not the monopoly of non-Christian, but Christians too indulge in these nefarious activities. People are being displaced from their homes and land due to wars that ravage their countries. Millions of Syrians have been driven from their homes as refugees. Millions of girls are sold into sex trade without their consent. Why is evil plaguing human beings in so many forms? Why is such destruction and misery and blood shed on earth?

We sin against God because, there is no fear of God. That is Paul’s conclusion too in verse 18. Psalm 36:1 is being quoted here. “Sinfulness of the wicked,” is because “there is no fear of God before his eyes.” When men imagine, they are the masters of their fate and there is no God to whom they are accountable, then evil becomes redoubled. There is no end to it.

Paul finishes the authentication of his argument by these quotes and pronounces the verdict that the Law gives its commandments to those who are under the Law, the Jews, who like their counterparts, the Gentiles are accountable to God for all their evil deeds. Neither the law or conscience can save us. Verse 19. We are all guilty before God and will stand before His judgment throne on the final day, to give account for our deeds. Revelation 20:11-13.

No one will be declared righteous in the sight of God based on the observance of the Law. Law’s only effect is that we become conscious of sin through it. Verse 20. By our own efforts, we will not be able to please God or be declared righteous on the judgment day.

Only the work done by Christ on the cross will absolve us from our sins and wash away the stains of sin, that too only if we have faith in Christ and his work. Nothing else will save us.

Points to Ponder:

1.    Can we consider ourselves without sin and righteous on our own merits?

2.    Are we free from the evils of misuse of our tongues to curse and be bitter about others?

3.    Do we practice deceit?

4.    Are we prone to peace or conflict with each other?

5.    Do we fear God in our day to day activities? 

Bible Study: Romans, “Imaginary Arguments”

Paul has been labouring to show that the Jew is not exempt from God’s judgment just because he has the Law. Having the Law or circumcision will not really help a Jew, when he faces the Judge on the final day. Then the question is what is the advantage of being a Jew.

Paul deals with this question in a series of imaginary arguments with the Jewish teachers of the law. He mentions four objections that could be raised by a Jew. It is possible that Paul is not just imagining, but had been subjected to these questions, during his missionary journeys.

The first objection by the Jews is what is the advantage of being a Jew or having circumcision; these are the God-given legal requirements and rituals of the covenant and if, as Paul points out, these will not justify a Jew on the Judgment day, then what is the advantage of being a Jew?

To this question raised in Verse 1 of chapter 3, Paul answers in verse 2, that the supreme advantage of a Jew is that he has been entrusted with the very Word of God. Along with Moses, Paul is virtually asking the Jews, ‘what other nations is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws’ as have been given to them as the Law? Deuteronomy 4:8.

God has been gracious to the Jews by revealing His mind, His will and His character and His expectations from the people to them. He selected them not because they were in any way superior to the other nations. Deuteronomy 7:7, 8. It was mainly because God had made His promises to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, especially to Abraham. Genesis 12:3.

The Jews were the custodians of God’s Law. They possessed the written word of God. They had the light, when other nations were in the dark and worshipped idols, man-made creations. Jews were the library-keepers of God.

This advantage was given to the Jew, not only for their own benefit, but also for others, to lead the other nations to the light. Instead, the Jews gave over-emphasis to the rituals, looking for needles in the hay stack, forgetting the real intent of the Law. They failed in their mission and lost the advantage.

A close parallel would be the Hindu Brahmin pundits, who kept the Vedas, the sacred books of the Hindus, to themselves and not let any other caste person to even to read them. Claiming full monopoly of the religious texts, they controlled others and subjecting them to lower positions in the caste system.

Applying this truth to us, the Christians, we could say that we go to church, read the Bible, attend Sunday-classes and so we are better than the non-Christians, but if we do not live as per the commandments given in there by Jesus Christ, we have failed in our duty to obey God and will stand condemned on the final day.

In a country like India, Bibles are available in plenty, whereas there are countries like Saudi Arabia and China, where having a Bible is an offence and people thirst for the written word. That is the advantage we have, but do we use it to bring others to Christ?

The next objection of a Jew would be, if as Paul says some of the Jews did not have faith, then would that nullify God’s faithfulness to the Jews? To this objection raised in verse 3, Paul answers in verse 4 with an emphatic “Not at all!”

God cannot lie. Numbers 23: 19 beautifully puts it, “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfil?” The whole world of men could be liars, but God will stand true to his promises and fulfil them.

Paul quotes David’s words spoken after Nathan the prophet points out the severity of his sin with Bathsheba in Psalm 51:4. David acknowledges his sin, saying he had committed the sin against God and agrees that God is justified, if he were to judge and punish David. But God in His mercy did not punish David the way he should have been punished, but kept the covenant He had entered with David. Even when man fails, God will still fulfil his promise.

But sin has serious consequences. It hurts us, others and God, for in committing a sin, we are disobeying God and rebelling against how God want us to live. Sword followed David and tragedy after tragedy struck his life, because of this sin. We need to be careful.

The third objection from a Jew, Paul deals with in verse 5 and 6. The argument goes like this: If by committing a sin, I am paving way for God to show his mercy, then I am doing something good and why am I being condemned by God? Isn’t God being unfair? This is a twisted argument and Paul emphatically refutes it.

Basically, the argument is, if our unrighteousness helps to bring out the righteousness of God, then isn’t God being unjust in bringing his wrath upon us? The worst of man helps to bring the best in God. So, a man’s sin serves a useful purpose here and God shouldn’t be punishing man for it.

Paul points out if sin were to be counted as good, because it brings out God’s goodness in the form of forgiveness, this would result in moral chaos and moral anarchy in the society. God is the Judge of this world. If He were to encourage sin in this manner, then how could He even judge the world? As Abraham asked, in Genesis 18:25, “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

Sin never glorifies God, it glorifies only the Devil, the inventor and inciter of sin. Just because God is merciful, we cannot go on sinning. God might give us a long rope, but one day the noose will tighten and we will be without any excuse.

The last objection purported by a Jew, Paul treats in verses 7 and 8. If our falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and increases his glory, why condemn man as sinner? It is as good as saying, let’s do evil so that good may result. Another twisted argument! The end is good, so what if it comes through a bad conduct? Doesn’t the end justify the means?

In this manner humans justify their sinful ways to day also. They argue, sin is not grievous, if it does not hurt others; for producing a good result, we can commit a wrong thing. An old saying in India goes like this: to get a girl married one can tell thousand lies. Another one is, to feed and look after one’s family, it is alright to steal or adopt wrong means to earn money. These are all but twisted arguments by humans, who want to justify their sinful acts.

Paul brushes these arguments saying such people deserve their condemnation justly. In the world, created as a moral order by the Creator God, any sin has serious consequences. God paid a heavy price to save humans from sin. Jesus paid with his life on the cross. God’s grace does not come cheap for us to play around with it. It cost Jesus his life.

We need to count the cost before justifying our wrong conducts. It not only ruins us and the others connected with it, but also slights the heavy price paid by Jesus for our sake. Let us outright reject such arguments along with Paul and be the light of the world, as God would want us to be.  

Study of Romans: Circumcision of the Heart

Having seen the grounds of God’s righteous judgement in Chapter 2, verses 1 to 16, and having established that God does not show favouritism, Paul turns to assessment of Jews about their compliance of the Law.  

Paul takes on the Jew directly here. He shows that despite the privileges bestowed upon them as a race, the Jews have fallen far short of the mark. They are no better than the Gentile. All of them stand guilty before God, both the Jew and the Gentile.

Paul launches the direct attack on Jews in chapter 2 verses 17 to 24.   

Jews boast that they have the Law and have a relationship with God. God has entered into a covenantal relationship with the Jews, the descendants of Abraham. God, who is sovereign, chose to enter into a relationship with the Jews, the vassal people, who will be protected by God, if they will obey Him. Exodus 19:5. God chose the Jews to be His people Deuteronomy 14:2, but this has given only a religious pride in the Jew.

The Jews also boast that they have Moses’ Law, containing the commandments of God, the Pentateuch. But did they obey the Law?

Jews claim that they are instructed in the Law and hence know the will of God and consider only what is superior in the light of such a Law. Paul’s question is, do they really know the will of God and act accordingly? Or is it only a pride in the religious privileges and contempt for others, who are outside the covenantal relationship?

Again, a Jew living abroad, among the non-Jews, considered himself as a guide to the blind and a light to those who are in the dark. Jesus called such people ‘blind guides,’ in Matthew 15:14. Jesus also exclaimed that the Pharisees do not practice what they preach. Matthew 32:3. That was the reality.

The Jews considered a Gentile as foolish and infantile, in need of instruction from a Jew, because they had the Law, the embodiment of knowledge and truth. A non-Jew did not know the right from the wrong and morally inferior to a Jew. Such self-righteousness led to moral pride in a Jew.

Paul then attacks the Jews, asking them, they who teach others, do they not teach themselves? Do they practice what they preach? Do they live up to their own ideals? Paul is exposing the hypocrisy of the Jews.

Paul continues the questioning. The Jews who preach the others not to steal, do they not steal? Were they not robbing the poor? Amos 2:6,7; 8:4,5,6. Do they not steal God Himself, by not paying the tithes and offerings? Malachi 3:8. These were happening in Paul’s time as well.

Jews teach others not to commit adultery, but Paul is asking do they themselves not commit such sins? Jews were living a loose life during the 1^st century AD, during the time of Jesus and Paul. Men were divorcing their wives for flimsy reasons like having burnt the bread.

This was reflected in the Pharisees’ question to Jesus in Matthew 19:3. This led Jesus to lay down the rule that ‘anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness and marries another woman commits adultery.’ Mt.19:9.

Paul continues. Jews say that they abhor idols, but do they not rob the temples? Jews abhor idols, rightly so, but they had no compunction in robbing a temple and looting the gold and silver from that place.

God does not want such defiled items to be brought into his Temple, as clearly written in Deuteronomy 7:25-26. “Do not covet silver and gold on them (images of their gods)… for it is detestable to the Lord your God.” Still a Jew broke this commandment of the Law, just like Achan, who coveted silver and gold at Ai and was destroyed. Joshua 7:20-21.

Paul finally asks the Jew, you who brag so much about the Law, do you not dishonour God by breaking the Law? Jews were always breaking the Law, knowing fully well the written code. Such knowledge did not save them from acting worse than a Gentile.

Such conduct by the Jews, the so-called God’s people, led God’s name being blasphemed among the Gentiles. Paul quotes here from Isaiah 52:5. The dishonour of the Jew reflected his religion. In Ezekiel 36:21 the Lord laments that “I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone.”

A holy God who commanded Israel “Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy, Leviticus 19:2, complained in Malachi 1:12, Israel profaned his great name. Such was the conduct of a Jew.

Jews were considered by others as disgusting of all races. Their pride, self-righteousness, exhortation of money by way of usury, claims of exclusiveness and privileges - all made them hateful to the others in the society. They were considered unsocial and extortionists. It reflected poorly on their religion.

The Jews judge others who practice such vices, but commit the same sins themselves. Are they any better than the Gentiles, who do not have the Law? Paul says a big ‘No.’

In verses 25, 26 and 27, Paul comments on the most important identification of a Jew, the circumcision. That is the sign of the covenant, which God made with Abraham and his descendants. It became a national sign, an outward manifestation that they belonged to God. That was their passport to heaven, as it indicated that they were Abraham’s children.

Paul’s argument is, if they observed the Law, circumcision is of value, but if they broke it, they are as good or as bad as the uncircumcised. In the same way, if the uncircumcised person kept the requirements of the Law, then they will be regarded as if they were circumcised.

One, who is not circumcised physically, but obeys the Law will condemn the Jew, who has the advantages of a written code and circumcision and yet is a law-breaker.

Here Paul is arguing with the Jews on their own grounds of the written code, the Law and circumcision. In Christ, there is no circumcision or non-circumcision. Colossians 3:11, for ‘Christ is all, and is in all.’ But here Paul is still arguing in the terms of a Jew and not a Christian.

Finally, in verses 28 and 29, Paul concludes that a man is not a Jew outwardly, just because he is circumcised, and that circumcision is not just physical, wrought by the written code, but must be inwardly, and it should be the circumcision of the heart by the Holy Spirit.

Paul is just reflecting the commandment of Moses in Deuteronomy 10:16, “Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.” So also, exhorts Jeremiah 4:4, “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem…”  

The inner life of thought, desire, motive and mind must be as per the will of God, reflecting inward purity. “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.” Galatians 6:15. This is possible only in the New Testament dispensation with the operation of the Holy Spirit to transform a person.

Wasn’t this that the Lord proclaimed in Ezekiel 36:26, 27. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

What the Law had no power to do, the Spirit within us was able to do, enabling us to walk in the ways of the Lord. It was not the written code, but the power of the Holy Spirit, that would empower us to live as the children of God.

Points to ponder:

1.    Do we carry a moral superiority to the others, especially a Hindu, because we know the True Way, Jesus Christ?

2.    Do we live up to the teachings of Jesus Christ?

3.    If divorce and remarriage are considered as adultery, where do we stand?

4.    Do we nail Jesus to the cross again and again by our misconducts?

5.    Are our hearts circumcised with true repentance?

It will do us good to contemplate on these, especially in the light of Paul’s debate about Jewish Law and their adherence to it.

God bless you all.