To the Old Testament believer, salvation came as a result of following God's commands perfectly and offering sacrifice when those commands were broken. To be saved was to live righteously and to make sacrifices - - just in case.
Salvation was thought to come only to the Jewish people by a unique relationship with God that began with the covenant to Abraham. A gentile might live even more righteously than a Jew - but because they were not a part of the nation - they would not have salvation. One could convert to Judaism - but this was highly improbable and the focus of Judaism wasn't on conversion, but on national salvation.
Salvation could come to the nation through the Godly actions of a few believers as when Abraham petitioned for the salvation of Sodom if only ten righteous men could be found [Gen 18:32]. In like manner, one man could bring disaster to his entire family [2 Sam 21:1-14], or one King could bring doom to the whole nation [2 Sam 24].
At best, one might say that salvation was a very 'iffy' condition, eventually culminating in the development of the thousands of legalistic maneuvers that were only attainable by the highly educated, exclusive and professional-class clergy of Jesus' day. Through the hands of man, the road to God had become unattainable. The Law was King - even over the relationship with God - and that law had lost it's meaning to the vast majority of helpless people.
It was this professional and exclusive view of salvation that Jesus came to condemn. This was the "Yoke of Law" which Peter confronted in the Jewish Christians when they tried to enforce 'the law' upon Gentile brothers: "Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?" [Acts 15:10] Jesus himself would say; "[29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." [Matt 11:29-30]
It was the gift of Jesus Christ to offer us "The New Covenant." Salvation by relationship - not by rules. The freedom of the New Covenant lies in a whole new reason for being. No longer do we follow God's precepts in fear of our condemnation - but we follow God's call because of love. We want to serve Him - and that is a stronger desire than fear. A desire that reaches beyond the written page and onto the sacrificing heart. William Barclay would tell us that, through Jesus, we no longer fear breaking the law, we fear breaking God's heart.
The salvation offered by Jesus to 'first the Jews, then the Gentiles' would be so counterculture to the Jewish concept of the Law that the priestly class might consider it anathema to their very belief system. Their system held that God was Judge. And God was the ultimate judge who demanded ultimate justice. Therefore, those who broke the law had no hope of salvation.
Jesus promised a salvation that would wash away our guilt through relationship with him - not through the impossible adherence to The Law. Through Christ, although our lives are full of sin, we are judged worthy of salvation. To the Jew, that would be a disgrace! How can a man not be held accountable for his actions? That is not justice? Why even have a law if no one is going to follow it?
Paul tells us that the law exists to remind us of our sinful nature and just how short we fall of the love of God. Then he goes on to proclaim us freed by the promise of faith in Jesus Christ!
[Gal 3:19-29]
[19] Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. [20] Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. [21] Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. [22] But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. [23] But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. [24] Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. [25] But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. [26] For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. [27] For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. [28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. [29] And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are made children of God. A gift that is without boundaries - either of race, gender or status. Jesus offers salvation - the free gift of life - to any who would choose his hand in relationship.
Here then is the Good News. We can choose to be judged by the law or by the love of Jesus Christ. We can choose to stand before God declaring our right to enter into eternal relationship with Him based on our merits or based on our relationship with His son. We can decide whether to stand on our works - or on our faith.
Yet, even more than choosing Christ for the need of an advocate on the day of our judgment is the promise of faith that is in store for us now. Salvation does not have to wait for SOMEday - it is readily accessible to us TOday. We don't have to wait to know the abundance of a relationship with Jesus Christ. We can start living in complete love today. We can start living in complete acceptance today. We can start today to receive the whole and abundant promise of freedom and forgiveness from our sinful past right in this present moment!
[Ro 3:22] For there is no distinction; [23] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [24] {2}being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; [25] whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; [26] for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who {f}has faith in Jesus. [27] {3}Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. [28] For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works {h}of the Law. [29] Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, [30] {4}since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one. [31] {5}Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.
[3:22b] For there is no distinction, [3:23] since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;
There are seven Hebrew and Greek words used for sin in the Old and New Testaments. There are countless more words and stories that are descriptions of sin.
The Hebrew words (with brief definitions are):
The Greek words for sin are:
I list these because I want to show that sin is only used twice (pesha' and parabasis) as a specific action. All other inferences of sin are a way of living. In essence, the preponderance of sin lies in living incorrectly: a missing (chaTTa'th); or missing of the mark (hamartano).
We tend to think of sin as one action, but mostly - sin is missing the point of life! The acts of sin are usually symptomatic of missing the reason we are alive. The reason of our existence, the whole point of all that we experience - the joys, pains, friendships and losses that we go through in life - are to lead us into deeper unity with God.
Our culture would tell us that the reason for living is to be admired, loved or even feared. Yet, even living to try to get others to love you is a misconception that leads to greater suffering. Everyday I meet people who have experienced the greatest sorrow and loneliness trying to make someone else love them.
Psychologists tell us that the root of that emptiness is that we always seek the love of the parent who loved us the least. Imagine the pain caused in so many lives by incomplete fathers and mothers who were unable to love themselves. How empty it is to live life trying to impress a parent who (because of their own incompleteness) was never able to adequately care for another human being - even their own child.
There is incredible freedom in recognizing that no one else can offer you completeness. That only in God will that be found. No more blaming, no more anger, no more dredging up past disappointments. Also, there is no more striving to try and be better than or prove yourself to others. Only in accepting the complete gift of forgiveness offered by the Living Water of Jesus Christ can bring this joy into our lives.
Instead of living in the bondage of those misconceptions, the entire bible leads us to the understanding that the point of living is not to 'be loved' but to love. To love God and to love others. Not to be loved - but to give love. This subtle difference is the critical basis for living a life wholly free from the whims of others (trying to 'get' them to love me, admire me or fear me). Instead living a life that rejoices in constantly praising and giving.
The freest people that I know are people who have no encumbrances of needing to prove themselves worthy of love or respect. People who live in the awareness that they are 'The Sinner' that Jesus addresses - yet, also 'The Beloved' that Jesus has saved. How other people view them or treat them is inconsequential - they recognize God's touch in every life and offer a love without hooks. They do not love to be loved back - they love because of the incredible gift of salvation given to them by God.
That's 'the mark' that we must aim for to live in total joy. That is 'the mark' that the sinful life misses.
To say that, "all fall short of the Glory of God," is to say that we all act below the dignity of our Creator. We live in a world of sin and we sin by choices we make - and even choices we do not make.
The 'rapper' who shouts words that prompt violence sins. The Producer who funds it is sinning. The Company that sells it is sinning. The Board of Directors who wants a profit at any cost are sinning. The investors who demand a return (at any cost) are sinning. The person in church who is poo-pooing the article in the morning paper about a cop-killer - - but isn't even aware that her money-market fund is heavily invested in the 'entertainment' company that promotes the rapper - - well, she sins too.
We all fall short of the Glory (or dignity) of God. Each act of sin - indeed Jesus tells us that each sinful thought - contributes to the spiritual web and physical bondage of oppression in this world. In short, without God, we are hope-LESS.
Yet, read on! Because Paul's next sentence is the GREAT NEWS! For with God, we are indeed Hope-FULL.
[Ro 3:24] being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
It would be hard to find a single passage in the bible that sums up the focus of the Gospel as this one. It begins with a critical word, justified [dikaioo]. Whenever 'oo' is added to a word in Greek it means something was made into something else. For example, ore into gold, a youth with potential into a world-class athlete or a criminal like Barabbas set free. Here is the most mysterious truth about the release of Barabbas. He was a criminal, a terrorist leader. He was sentenced to death, but he was freed instead of Jesus. The innocent was put to death and the criminal was released - that is justified. We were found guilty - but released anyway because Jesus bore our guilt! -What could we ever do in return for the gift of Jesus. He 'redeemed' us - a business term, which means he paid our debt completely. Like Barabbas, our lives are freed because Jesus' life was taken instead.
[Ro 3:27] Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. [28] For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.
Paul was addressing primarily the Roman sect of Jewish Christians in this letter who were boasting that their lineage made them somehow more important in the eyes of the Lord than the Gentile believers. Paul's argument is based on two central tenets:
Those who use their lineage to cut to the front of the line will find themselves in sorry shape. Because God begins serving from the back. God can make dead bones into warriors and Jesus could make stones sing his praise. I can't get heaven on my parents faith and I can't supremacy because of any race. God will judge me based on my fidelity to Him, I won't be sucked into heaven by anyone else's jet stream.
Nothing we do and no one we know can purchase our way into heaven except for Jesus our Redeemer. We can only fall into his open arms and remaining faithful and grateful - the only two true attributes of redeemed criminal.
[Ro 3:30] since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one. [31] Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.
The predominant issue in Paul's day was that the Jewish believers were trying to say that Gentiles must first become Jews through circumcision in order to become Christians. the Holy spirit showed Paul that this was but one step of many into another religion based on ritual and man's works. So, he attacked it fervently everywhere he met it.
Ritual, traditions or denominational doctrines do not lead to Christ. They may assist my worship or fidelity to the Lord - but that is my own need and can not be made into a requirement of faith. All that Jesus required of the man dying with him on Golgotha was belief. He confessed himself a sinner and asked for Christ's mercy - and he received it. He wasn't baptized, didn't receive communion, had no intermediary for his confession save the Lord. "Today, you will be with me in paradise," was the promise received. We cannot add a single 'must do' to that list. "That's how I've always done it," or, "that's how it's always been done are not fit for the Christian vocabulary. We need to bow before the mystery of Jesus to use whatever is necessary and never attempt to limit God to our institutions or traditions. He is the center of our salvation - not traditions or ritual.
When Paul talked to the Jewish Believers, the "Law" meant the Torah, primarily the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament. Paul was asking; "Does the New Testament cancel out or even contradict the Old?" "God forbid!" He responds to his own query. If you made an employee into a co-owner, you wouldn't expect less of him - but more! You wouldn't expect him to follow the rules - but to model the beliefs of a company. You don't expect him to show up at 08:00 and leave at 17:00 - you expect him to greet others at the door and say good-bye to them at night. That's the difference between Old and New. We are no longer slaves - we are family. Christ does not want our rigid subservience - but our abundant joy.