On Sunday morning we saw the apostle Paul answer several objections to God’s judgment from Romans 3. He has stressed in chapter 2 that both Jews and Gentiles face God’s fair judgment. This leads those from a Jewish background to wonder if there was any advantage in their upbringing. Paul will give several advantages in chapter 9 but he provides the main blessing in 3:2:
“First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.”
The primary advantage those of a Jewish background had over everyone else was that God had spoken to them. The Old Testament records the history of how God had spoken to His people. He spoke to Abraham, gave the law through Moses, spoke through David in the Psalms, and through the prophets. They had God’s word, their culture was shaped by God’s word, they knew what God was like, and how to relate to him. Yet they found themselves under God’s judgment because they did not obey His word.
Today we are in an even more privileged position than the Jews of Paul’s day. We live at a time when we have the complete New Testament (as well as the Old). We too have a rich culture that has been shaped by God’s word. We can pick up a Bible and walk into a church easily and hear God speak to us. We are tremendously privileged. With this privilege, we also have a responsibility. We know how we can relate to God – through Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross. Our responsibility now is to follow Christ wholeheartedly. To live by faith knowing that God’s word is sure and to live trusting that whatever God’s word says is always best. Read His word daily and live life trusting that God’s ways are best.