The Bible was given to the Jewish people as a sacred trust to be cherished, read, learned, lived, and declared among the nations. Can we, as Christ’s followers, do anything less with God’s Word?
Transcript
Hans Christian Andersen wrote a rather famous story about a proud emperor who was flattered and deceived by some men who promised to make him the most amazing suit of clothes. They convinced the king that his suit would be so special that the only people who could see it were the wise and pure in heart. People who lacked wisdom would be unable to see and appreciate such exquisite and beautiful clothing.
When his “suit” was supposedly finished, the king proudly wore it in a public parade. Of course, there was no suit at all, but the whole kingdom joined in praising the king’s beautiful clothes, lest others would think they were unwise and unsophisticated. But then a little a child, standing in the crowd, was heard to say, “Mommy, the emperor has no clothes.”
The innocence of an honest child, who didn’t know what he was supposed to see, exposed the hypocrisy of an entire nation. In fact, he revealed the truth everyone else had been unwilling to admit, including the king—the emperor had no clothes.[1]
Thus far in our study through the first two chapters of Romans, the apostle Paul has effectively revealed the nakedness of unbelievers. They are trying to cover the bareness of their sinful hearts. But no matter how people applaud them, no matter how sophisticated they try to appear, the blunt truth is this: they stand exposed before the holiness of the living God. As the writer of Hebrews says, “No [one] is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him [God] to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).
In Romans 1 Paul exposed the guilt of the unbelieving, immoral person who has ignored creation’s witness to the existence and power of God. In chapter 2 Paul exposed the moral person who has ignored his God-given conscience. Paul also exposed the spiritual nakedness of religious Jews who were trying to wear the clothing of their own righteousness. But they too are shown for who they are—spiritually unclothed as it were, exposed and without excuse.
This would have been terribly shocking to these Jewish people. If any group felt they had a right to go to heaven, it was the descendants of Abraham, God’s chosen people. Yet, Paul, in effect, says to them, “Your family relationship with Abraham does not automatically put you into the family of God.”
Now we come to Romans 3, and Paul is continuing to address the self-righteous, religious Jewish people. He anticipates their argument that they have an advantage with God. So, Paul brings their objection out in the open in order to answer it, saying in verse 1, “Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision?”
Paul anticipates the Jewish religious leaders saying, “We are following what God’s law tells us. We are practicing circumcision. But Paul, you are telling us there is no advantage to this—that this is not going to make us acceptable to God. So, if what you are saying is true, why did God give us His law? Why would we bother obeying it if does not guarantee us a place in heaven?”
Besides that, to accept what Paul is saying is to acknowledge that there is no purpose behind their suffering as God’s chosen people. They could look back at 400 years of slavery in Egypt, followed by 40 years wandering in the wilderness. They were eventually taken into captivity to foreign lands like Babylon and Assyria. Later they came under control of the Greek Empire and suffered terribly. And now, as Paul is writing this letter, they are being mistreated by the Roman Empire.
No wonder they would now say to Paul, “What good is it to be a Jew if our connection to Abraham, our obedience to the law, our sacrifices, and our mistreatment at the hands of enemies does not get us into heaven? What is the purpose of going through all that? What advantage is there to being a Jew? We don’t have security socially, politically, or physically, and now you are telling us we don’t have security spiritually!”
The basic problem here in their thinking: they do not understand the gospel. Getting into heaven is not a matter of what you have done; it is a matter of what Christ has done for you. It is not who you descended from—what family tree you came from—that matters. It is your relationship to Jesus Christ that matters.
Paul had asked what advantage there is to being a Jew, and his Jewish readers probably expected him to say, “Everything about the nation of Israel is worthless.” Instead, Paul actually gives a rather surprising answer in verse 2: “Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.”
So, there are blessings related to being a part of the nation of Israel, and Paul now brings them forward. First, the Jewish people were entrusted with the oracles—the very words—of God. They were given the Holy Scriptures. And what are the Scriptures? They are nothing less than the written revelation of who God is, what God is like, what God has done, and what God expects from us. The Jewish nation was given this priceless, inspired, infallible record of God’s word. It tells us our own purpose—who we are, where we came from, how we got lost, and how we can be saved.
What an incredible blessing! The Jewish nation—from Moses to the prophets and the apostles—has been honored by being entrusted with the revelation of God. And let me tell you, having learned the Hebrew language in seminary, I can assure you that the Hebrew scribes were incredibly careful in their stewardship of the Old Testament as they recorded and copied and preserved the Scriptures. We owe a tremendous debt to the Jewish nation for receiving and protecting this infallible, unchanging, eternal, inspired Word of God.
Do you own a copy of the Bible? Do you use it as your manual for life, or is it sitting under your car seat, or on a shelf in the closet? Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16 that the Bible is “profitable for [doctrine/teaching], for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” Doctrine tells you what is right, reproof tells you where you’re wrong, correction helps you stand upright, and training equips you to keep doing what’s right. Do not ever take the Bible for granted.
Years ago, Robert Chapman pastored in England. He was a single man his entire life. He loved people, and he faithfully led his small congregation. At the same time, Charles Spurgeon pastored the large Metropolitan Tabernacle in London. Spurgeon knew Robert Chapman; in fact, he called Chapman the godliest man he knew.
I want to close by reading what Robert Chapman wrote about the privilege of having a Bible—not only for the Jewish people of the first century, but for every believer in any century!
This book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. … Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass and the soldier’s sword. It should fill the memory, test the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully. … It involves the highest responsibility, rewards the greatest labor and it condemns all who will trifle with its sacred contents. Christ is its grand subject, our good is its [great] design, and the glory of God is its [final conclusion].
圣经的宝藏 Shèngjīng de bǎozàng
安徒生写过一个相当著名的故事，讲的是一位骄傲的皇帝受到一些人的奉承和欺骗，这些人承诺为他做一套最令人惊叹的衣服。 他们让国王相信，他的衣服非常特别，只有聪明而纯洁的人才能看到它。 缺乏智慧的人是无法看到和欣赏如此精美绝伦的服饰的。
当他的“套装”据说完成后，国王自豪地穿着它参加公开游行。 当然，根本没有西装，但整个王国都齐声称赞国王的漂亮衣服，免得别人认为他们不明智、不世故。 但就在这时，人群中站着一个小孩子，他说：“妈妈，皇帝没穿衣服。”
一个诚实的孩子的天真，他不知道自己应该看到什么，暴露了整个国家的虚伪。 事实上，他道出了包括国王在内的所有人都不愿意承认的真相——皇帝没有穿衣服。
到目前为止，在我们对罗马书前两章的研究中，使徒保罗有效地揭露了非信徒的赤身露体。 他们试图掩盖自己赤裸裸的罪恶之心。 但无论人们如何称赞他们，无论他们试图显得多么老练，直白的事实是：他们暴露在永生神的圣洁面前。 正如希伯来书的作者所说，“没有人能在他眼前隐藏，所有人都赤身露体，暴露在我们必须向他交账的他面前”（希伯来书4:13）。
在罗马书第一章中，保罗揭露了那些不信、不道德的人所犯的罪，他们忽视了受造物对神的存在和能力的见证。 在第二章中，保罗揭露了有道德的人忽视了神所赐的良心。 保罗还揭露了虔诚的犹太人试图披上自己正义的外衣，在精神上的赤裸裸。 但他们也暴露了自己的真实身份——精神上赤裸裸、毫无借口地暴露。
这对这些犹太人来说是非常震惊的。 如果有哪个群体认为自己有权利去天堂，那就是亚伯拉罕的后裔，上帝的选民。 然而，保罗实际上是对他们说：“你们与亚伯拉罕的家庭关系并不自动将你们带入神的家中。”
现在我们来到罗马书第三章，保罗继续向自以为是、虔诚的犹太人讲话。 他预见到了他们的论点，即他们在上帝面前有优势。 因此，保罗公开提出他们的反对意见，以便回答这一点，他在第 1 节中说：“这样，犹太人有什么好处呢？ 或者说割礼有什么价值？”
保罗预计犹太宗教领袖会说：“我们遵守上帝的律法。 我们正在实行割礼。 但是保罗，你告诉我们这样做没有任何好处——这不会让我们被上帝所接受。 那么，如果你说的是真的，为什么神要赐给我们他的律法呢？ 如果不能保证我们在天堂有一席之地，我们为什么要费心去遵守呢？”
除此之外，接受保罗所说的话，就是承认作为神的选民，他们所受的苦难是没有目的的。 他们可以回顾埃及 400 年的奴隶制，以及随后 40 年在旷野漂流的经历。 他们最终被俘虏到巴比伦和亚述等异国他乡。 后来他们又落入希腊帝国的控制之下，遭受了极大的苦难。 现在，当保罗写这封信时，他们正受到罗马帝国的虐待。
难怪他们现在会对保罗说：“如果我们与亚伯拉罕的联系、我们对律法的服从、我们的牺牲以及我们在敌人手中的虐待都不能让我们进入天堂，那么作为一个犹太人有什么好处呢？ 经历这一切的目的是什么？ 成为犹太人有什么优势？ 我们在社会上、政治上或身体上都没有安全感，现在你却告诉我们，我们在精神上没有安全感！”
他们思想中的基本问题是：他们不明白福音。 进入天堂不是你做了什么的问题；而是你做了什么的问题。 问题在于基督为你做了什么。 重要的不是你是谁的后裔——你来自哪个家谱。 重要的是你与耶稣基督的关系。
保罗曾问身为犹太人有什么好处，他的犹太读者可能会期待他说：“以色列民族的一切都是毫无价值的。” 相反，保罗在第2节中实际上给出了一个相当令人惊讶的答案：“凡事都多。 首先，犹太人被赋予了上帝的圣言。”
因此，作为以色列国的一部分，有一些祝福，保罗现在将它们提出来。 首先，犹太人被赋予神谕——上帝的话语。 他们得到了圣经。 圣经是什么？ 它们无非是关于上帝是谁、上帝是什么样子、上帝做了什么以及上帝对我们的期望的书面启示。 犹太民族获得了这份无价的、受启发的、无误的神话语记录。 它告诉我们自己的目的——我们是谁，我们从哪里来，我们如何迷失，以及我们如何得救。
这是多么不可思议的祝福啊！ 犹太民族——从摩西到先知和使徒——因被托付上帝的启示而受到荣耀。 让我告诉你，在神学院学习了希伯来语之后，我可以向你保证，希伯来文士在记录、抄写和保存圣经时，在管理旧约圣经时非常小心。 我们欠犹太民族巨大的恩情，因为他们接受并保护了这无误的、不变的、永恒的、受默示的神的话语。
你有一本圣经吗？ 您是否将它作为您的生活手册，或者将它放在您的汽车座椅下或壁橱的架子上？ 保罗在《提摩太后书》3:16 中写道，圣经“对于[教义/教训]、责备、归正和正义的训练都是有益的”。 教义告诉你什么是对的，责备告诉你哪里错了，纠正帮助你站得正直，训练装备你继续做正确的事。 永远不要认为圣经是理所当然的。
几年前，罗伯特·查普曼在英国牧会。 他一生都是单身汉。 他热爱人民，并忠实地领导他的小会众。 与此同时，查尔斯·司布真 (Charles Spurgeon) 牧养伦敦的大都会会幕。 司布真认识罗伯特·查普曼； 事实上，他称查普曼是他认识的最虔诚的人。
最后，我想阅读罗伯特·查普曼 (Robert Chapman) 所写的有关拥有一本《圣经》的特权的文章，这不仅是为了一世纪的犹太人，而且是为了任何世纪的每一个信徒！
这本书包含了神的心意、人的状态、救赎之道、罪人的厄运以及信徒的幸福。 ……读它使人明智，相信它使人安全，实践它使人圣洁。 它包含指引你的光、支持你的食物以及让你欢呼的安慰。 它是旅行者的地图、朝圣者的手杖、飞行员的指南针和士兵的剑。 它应该填满记忆，考验心，引导脚。 慢慢地、频繁地、虔诚地阅读它。 ……它涉及最高的责任，奖励最伟大的劳动，并谴责所有轻视其神圣内容的人。 基督是它的伟大主题，我们的利益是它的[伟大]设计，神的荣耀是它的[最终结论]。
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