We now come to Paul's big question in Romans chapter 3 and verse 1. "What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?" I would go further than that by asking: "What advantage then hath the Evangelical Christian?" or what profit is there of doing good works? Well, if according to verse 11 of chapter 2 "For there is no respect of persons with God," then what advantage has the Jew over the rest of the world? What advantage has the religious Evangelical Christian over the rest of the world?

Are they better because they do good works? Are they better because they don't sin as much as others? Are they better because they have confessed Jesus as their personal Lord? (What personal Lord?) Are they better because they go to church? Are they better because they tithe, pray, fast, read the bible, don't curse, don't chew, don't drink, don't smoke, don't watch dirty movies, don't lust, don't think evil thoughts? Yeah right! The Jews and Gentiles that were boasting about not doing any of these things were exposed and called on the carpet by Paul for their hypocrisy.

Paul began to expose their hypocrisy at verse 1 of Romans chapter 2 through verse 29 of the same chapter. In other words, do you think because you are a Jew, been instructed in the law, call yourself a teacher, an instructor, have a form of knowledge, boast about God, the law, and have been circumcised, that you are now better, holier and more accepted with God than the rest of the world? You hypocrites! You are the blind leading the blind. A bunch of foolish instructors. You don't know the difference between the tip of your nose and your tail bone.

Why don't you teach yourselves what you are trying to teach others? You go around pointing out people's faults and sins, and all of you aren't doing no different. You accuse others of adultery, stealing, serving idols, and here you are committing sacrilege. You accuse others of breaking the law of Moses, and you are doing the same? It is because of your self-righteousness and holier than thou attitude that the Gentiles are blaspheming the name of God. Circumcision does profit, but only if you keep to the entire law.

All of you are dishonoring God. All of you ought to be grateful and thankful for the fulfillment of the law in Christ Jesus. All of you should learn that it is the goodness of God, not the wrath of God that leads men to a change of heart. You don't gain any favor with God simply because you do good works, tithe, pray, get your peanut shorten, and do all those goody, goody, fruity, juicy churchly moral works that you think will save you? Circumcision and being a Jew doesn't gain you anything with God as long as you are basing your relationship with Him through the law instead of the grace of Christ.

Get that through your thick skull. Circumcision is of the heart, and not a work of the flesh. Jews (Christians-Believers) are known from the inside out, and not from the outside in. Friends, there is no advantage for the Jew, nor for the Gentile, nor the Evangelical Church. It was Paul who asked in chapter 4: Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Is it by the law of works? NO! NO! NO! It is by the law of faith in Christ Jesus. Galatians 2:16. Then in chapter 4 and verse 15 Paul explains why boasting is not by the law: "Because the law worketh wrath".

Now, getting back to chapter 3 and verse 1, Paul answers the questions of verse 1 in verse 2. Remember how Paul said in chapter one and verse 16 "To the Jew first"? Well, here in chapter 3 and verse 2 the only advantage the Jew had was that the oracles of God had been committed to them first. Hebrews 5:12. In other words, the book of the law. Now, look at the powerful statement that Paul makes in verse 3. Please allow me to put it in Puerto Rican jive: "Ok, so what is the big deal? What if there are people who don't believe? How is that going to affect the work of God? How is it going to affect His faith and stop it from accomplishing what it set out to accomplish?

Friends, there is more boldness in grace than any one of us ever imagined. Look at what Paul said in verse 4 in answer to his questions in verse 3 "God Forbid!" In other words, God forbid that God would ever favor some and not others. God forbid that He would save some but not others. God forbid that He would judge some as saints and others a sinners. God forbid that the unbelief of some and the belief of others will make any impact on what He decided to do for all by grace. God forbid! Like they say in the game of Tennis - "Advantage God!"

To be continued...

Grace N Peace