What then? Are we
better than them?
Not at all. for we
have previously
Charged both Jews and
Greeks
That they are all
under sin.
Romans 3:9
After Paul
addresses sin, explicitly pointing out specific and horrendous sins against
people he ensures to us that we are not to put one group of people above
another even though for the Jews God entrusted to them His oracles; rather that
all men are under sin and all are in need of a Savior. Paul then applies those
ancient oracles of God that entrusted to the Jews to Christians. First: in
Ecclesiastes 7:20: “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Ecclesiastes
7:20). No one, no one, is righteous and this is due to original sin whereby
the fall of Adam into sin making the soul of man to not desire God, and this
lack of desire for God has grown throughout all the years. This lack of desire
for God grew unchecked until man before the Great Flood made cause for God to
destroy them. Yet, by the Grace of God mercy shown upon eight souls who even
though having their soul corrupted by original sin. Why them? It is possible
that due to the fact that men lives so long and that even Adam and his son Seth
would not be far removed from them that they believed what was possibly told to
them by those so close to creation that they would believe in God. Man as Paul
even mentions have creation alone that shows that there is God and by this very
creation can see that grace and provision of God. Yet: no one is righteous
unless by the Providence of God that is in control of His creation directs a
person in the way he should go and this was the case for Noah and his sons,
wives and daughters-in-laws. They believed and saved. Noah sought God and found
God and was saved, him and his family and yet sin still reigned in his life as
would be seen in later years. Why did God allow this? God in His economy, and
dispensation, may allow sin but never makes cause for sin even when: “There
is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all
turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who des
good, no, not one” (Psalm 14:1–3; 53:1–3; Romans 3:12). It is when we have
turned aside from God, and this is often done when a person believes in fables,
and false teachings that they seek, not after God, rather a god that has become
a reality to them and a place in which to put their faith. They lack
understanding, not only from true Biblical preaching, even the things that they
can see, feel, and hear. Man want to apply some goodness to themselves making
themselves good enough to be saved, but there is no one good, that is all the
philosophical good, while good often in itself, is not the good that God
requires. Paul continues: “Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues
they have practiced deceit; The poison of asps is under their lips”(Psalm 5:9;
140:3; Romans 3:13). Do we not see this in our lives by the things
presented in sitcoms and other shows on TV; i.e., The Modern Family, or The
Big Bang Theory, and other shows that present homosexuality, adultery,
fornication as being normal and acceptable? They are practicing deceit, as
poisonous to the soul, as the poison of asps (A most powerful killer by poison
in all of nature). Listen to the words spoken, those words of cursing, and
blasphemy that are defaming the God who created them and to our ears that are
in every way attempting to shield from us, and our children those harsh and
hurtful words: “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness” (Psalm 10:7;
Romans 3:14). This attitude so present in the world from Paul’s day to ours
only brings death and blood upon their hands. Maybe not actually killing a
person, rather killing the soul of a person even going so far as to make harm
upon the elect: “Their feet are quick to shed blood; destruction and misery
are in their ways; and the way of peace is not known” (Isaiah 59:7–8; Romans
3:15–17). Ante–Global Flood people had living those members of the family
of Adam, if not even Adam and Even, their sons who would be able to teach them
God was not enough for they ignored God, the preaching and teaching of God and
turned to mystical and heretical views of God. They made gods for themselves,
or turned to the creature rather than God; all because: “There is no fear of
God before their eyes” (Psalm 36:1; Romans 3:18).
There it is
in a nutshell: NO FEAR OF GOD! It is more than just a fear that makes a person
to hide in the shadows, to shun fear as a bad thing; no, it is the fear of
reverence, respect, to God who created all that is and all that ever will be.
It is God, for us post–Global Flood, and after the coming, death, resurrection
and ascension of Jesus, who paid for all this lack of fear. Who paid for sin
that is common to man; sin that makes cause for a man not to seek after God;
Christians who admit to believing to not just believe, it is to be converted to
Jesus Christ, to God, and allow the Holy Spirit that God in His Providence has
imparted to His children a new covenant of grace. God has never, ante–Global
Flood; post–Global Flood; post incarnation of Jesus and his propitiation for
sin; left His children alone and has guided all His elect, His children, to
safety. If God did not elect and choose to save some, then salvation would be
possible for anyone. Man is not righteous before His eyes and deserves death. This
is the good news: God sees His children through Jesus Christ. In all our sinfulness,
God has chosen you, not because you are good, no, rather because by His
omniscience He has done so. Now, that this is true the question is: will you
live as one of His chosen?
In righteousness you shall be established;
You shall
be far from oppression,
For you shall not fear; and from terror,
For it
shall not come near you.
Isaiah 54: 14
Pray and Thank God for Your salvation
Richard L. Crumb
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