Romans 3:19a
"Now we know that what things soever the law (that is the law of God. The very mind of God, the Will of Gos is.) it says to them who are under the law:" In other words, what most automatically think is the Law was originally given to what people? Israel. Israel was put under the Levitical Law and the whole system of worship that was associated with it. Alright, but it doesn’t stop there. Yes, the Law was given to them who were under that Law but, that how many mouths should be stopped?
Romans 3:19b
"…that every mouth may be stopped,…" Every mouth! Not just the Hebrew but every mouth of the whole human race should be just clamped shut by what? The righteousness of the law of God. Who’s perfect. He’s sinless. Alright, read on.
Romans 3:19c
"…that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world. (not just Israel, but that all the world) may become guilty before God."
Guilty!! And what does guilt always demand? A sentence. Doesn’t it? We go before a court of law and if the Judge slams the gavel down and he says, "Guilty." What follows? Sentencing. And it is no different in the Spiritual realm. The guilty world is going to come up for sentencing. There is no escaping it. And God is going to have the record. There will be no argument. It’s going to be awful, and that’s why the world doesn’t want to hear about it. How often do churches ever, ever mention Hell anymore? Almost, never. The law as we saw back in Genesis was first spoken and given to Adam when he disobeyed the command which carried with it the penalty, separation from God, death. That command then became law as it revealed lawlessness, sin. That put all humanity under the yoke of bondage in chains tied to Satan's authority, which also covers human government established by God in Genesis 8:15-11:32. This human government runs from Genesis 8:15 though to Revelations 19, in other words until the Lord sets up His rule over Israel and the nations, the millennium period. The last portion of God's divine time table as seen in Psalm 2 verses 9 through 12. This is another subject area for teaching later.
We just trust that the Lord will use us to open the Scriptures to your understanding. This thrills our heart to see so many lost people coming to a knowledge of salvation but many, many more believers who have never had an understanding of the Scriptures are finally getting their eyes opened.
Paul is addressing primarily a Hebrew congregation, wherever they are. And the people are in a battle to make a clean break with Judaism and come over in to this doctrine of Grace which is trusting, faith + nothing in the finished work of the cross for salvation. (I Corinthians 15:1-4) It’s trusting, faith + nothing, and without any attachment to the Levitical Law and temple worship and so forth. So always remember, that first and foremost the people we are dealing with here. But, we can also glean so much that applies to us even as Church Age believers in God's Gospel of His Grace and the Better New Covenant of His Grace. Remember too, that God has in this Gospel as in each of His economies, has set out certain rules and terms of conditions with penalties, that we are required to know and follow is Israel had, but failed. He is the Living Covenant God.
Hebrews 3:13
"But exhort one another daily, (not just once a week on Sunday) while it is called Today; (your day of opportunity) lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."
Remember, he is talking to people that are involved in a religious system. Now if you doubt when we call Judaism a religious system, back up with us to the Book of Galatians chapter 1, where the Apostle Paul is reviewing his own past. Let’s just start at verse 11. Because we never say any of these things to put any one group down or to make any snide remarks or anything like that. But it is just based on Scripture that the Judaism of which these people were still a part, was indeed a religion. Which could and did stand alone and does so still. And of course, we maintain that Christianity is not a religion. As religion is comprised of works and things that you have to do, whereas, our Salvation is by trusting His faith and His faithfulness alone in that finished work of the cross! That said, this age of God's Grace still has rules of requirements and penalty. And Paul is rehearsing his going into the ministry, so he says:
Galatians 1:11-13
"But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preach of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but, by the revelation of Jesus Christ. (now here it comes.) For you have heard of my conversation (or manner of living) in times past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the Church (or the assembly of Jewish believers) of God, and wasted it:"
Now in verse 14 he says it again. And I "profited in the Jews’ religion." Okay? So now when we come back to Hebrews and we use the word, hopefully, we're on the right track that these people were still half in the religion of Judaism but they were also contemplating and some of them had completely embraced Paul’s Gospel of what we call the Age of Grace. So they are on the fence. Now consequently when we come down to verse 14, we're going to use the little word, "if." And it doesn’t make any reflection on our losing the salvation that we once had, but it is dealing with these people who are battling the complete break with their religion and stepping into this whole economy of Grace. It’s not a matter of their being saved and then lost. It’s a matter of making a break with that which withholds their whole salvation. Alright, we’ll come back to that again later. So he says again:
Hebrews 3:13
"But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Or "lawlessness." Just a complete rejection of the things that God had laid out for mankind. Now verse 14.
Hebrews 3:14
“For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;”
Hebrews 3:14a
"For we are made partakers of Christ,…" In other words, when we come into the Body of Christ, we are not like a subject of a king. We are a member of the Head Who is in Heaven and of which we are the Body. Now, we guess we should stop right here. Goodness! Come back with us to I Corinthians, chapter 12, because this ties in so perfectly with what he says here. We are partakers of Christ, by the power of the Gospel, and the New Covenant of course. But now, look what that means.
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