Romans 3-0 - Q&A for Jewish Legalists#
Romans 3-0 God is Truth
(JP Text Group - Organized by Life Like an Eagle)
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You. We believe that You are the true God, willing to reveal Your truth to us, so that we may know You more and also know ourselves. Through Your words, let the problems in our lives find answers. May we walk according to Your words in our lives. We dedicate this time to You, blessing every brother and sister who seeks You. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen!
Brothers and sisters, peace in the Lord!
Romans chapter 3, verses 1 to 8,
1 What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? 2 Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. 3 For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? 4 Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, and may overcome when You are judged.” 5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath on us? 6 I speak as a man. Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world? 7 For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just.
The topic we are sharing today is, God is Truth.
The text we are sharing today is quite interesting; it is a question and answer format, just like when Paul preached the Gospel, many under the Jewish law did not understand and did not know what God's grace truly was, still holding onto the so-called law. However, what they were adhering to was indeed quite terrible, and they asked many questions, just like in today's text. They raised a question, and immediately, Paul provided an answer. The book of Romans addresses many doctrines and answers many questions of faith.
To review our last sharing, the Jewish legalists relied on the law and boasted about God. They claimed that God made a covenant with them, boasting about circumcision. To this day, many Jews still boast that they are an excellent nation, believing they are superior to other nations, considering themselves God's chosen people. So what is there to boast about? They possess God's law, and God made a physical covenant with their ancestor Abraham, called circumcision.
At the end of chapter two, Paul reveals the true situation of the legalists, stating that if you have the law and can keep it, the law is beneficial to you; if you break the law, circumcision cannot save you, and circumcision is not even considered circumcision. There is nothing to boast about.
If an uncircumcised person can fully obey the law, then he is better than you. Later, Paul used two terms, one called a true Jew, and the other a false Jew. One is outward, and the other is inward. One is true circumcision, and the other is false circumcision. This extends into today's text.
So, what advantage does the Jew have? What profit is there in circumcision? Although they are descendants of Abraham, although they are Jews, having received circumcision, including baptism, what benefit does this have for them? God specifically chose this group of people to be His children. But if someone is born a Jew and follows God, this person is indeed accepted by God; otherwise, even if you are born into a priestly family, if you do not believe, even if you are circumcised, even if you worship in the synagogue, it is of no benefit to that person.
This passage can apply to anyone. As a Christian, do not say, "Because my parents are Christians, I will also be able to enter the kingdom of heaven!" This statement is incorrect! There is a saying in our country called "maternal faith." I do not know how to understand this maternal faith, but it seems to imply that my child has believed even before being born. Some say, "I have maternal faith; my mother believed since I was little, so I believed when she gave birth to me." Brothers and sisters, this is equivalent to what the Jews say, "My ancestor Abraham is what I boast about; I am superior to other nations, and God cares for me." This does not align with the Bible.
God does not look at who your father is or who your mother is; He looks at whether you believe in Him. Therefore, in this faith, there is no inheritance; whoever believes will be saved! Thank the Lord! In this light, what advantage does the Jew have? It seems there is not much difference from us. At this point, someone starts to ask...
Verse 1 states, "What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision?"
Paul immediately provides an answer, "Much in every way!" I do not know why the Chinese translation says "Much in every way," as it can easily lead to misunderstanding. The original text expresses that it is particularly beneficial; Paul is saying it is indeed very beneficial. What is the benefit? The following word is "chiefly." Of course, there are other places where Paul uses this term "chiefly" (do not understand it as the Chinese first and second, as there is only one chief). It means "the greatest characteristic, overall, the best." This is what Paul is expressing; it is very beneficial.
What is the benefit? The greatest benefit is that the oracles of God were entrusted to them; God gave them His words, and this is their greatest benefit. What advantage do they have?
First, they possess the words of God. In the Old Testament, other nations did not have the words of God at all; how could they obey? They had not heard of Jesus Christ, so how could they believe in Him? In this regard, the Jews are much stronger than others because they have the words of God; this is their benefit.
Second, they can read, hear, see, and obey the words of God. From a young age, Jewish children are taught by their parents to memorize the five books of Moses, the law of God, which refers to the first five books of the Bible. Children start to read and memorize these things as soon as they learn to read. God's words are continuously instilled in their families from a young age, just like compulsory education. This is their second benefit; they can read, hear, see, and obey at any time.
Third, they live in a society influenced by God's words. It is undeniable that having a very good faith environment is greatly beneficial to our faith. For example, in Israel, from top to bottom, from kings to children, they all acknowledge this Lord. In such an environment, you can believe and obey without anyone forcing you; this is their great privilege and benefit, which other Gentiles do not possess. This is still the case today; even among us, it is not that you can do whatever you want. For example, if you take a loudspeaker to preach the Gospel on the street, someone will immediately stop you; this is the national situation we need to abide by.
But in the Jewish place, such things did not happen. Remember John the Baptist? He shouted loudly in the wilderness, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand; you should repent." When people heard this, they went to John the Baptist to confess their sins and receive baptism. What does this prove? It proves that these people had the seeds of God's words in their hearts from a young age; this is their benefit, their greatest benefit. Thank the Lord! However, even if they have such benefits, if they do not believe in God, it is all in vain. This tells us that the Jews indeed have such benefits.
Verse 3 says, "For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect?"
In other words, if there are some among the Jews who do not accept God's words, does that mean God's promises are nullified? Because at that time, God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky, that He would bless them, and that his descendants would become a great nation, etc. But if there are unbelievers among them, does that mean God's promises cannot be fulfilled?
Verse 4 provides another answer: "Certainly not!"
What does "certainly not" mean? Let me express to the brothers and sisters the thought behind Paul's writing this letter. "Certainly not" means to forget this kind of thought that should not exist! Translated into Chinese, it can be understood as "certainly not," meaning to forget this kind of thought; it is impossible. Just like we often preach the Gospel. Can we today sin at will? Paul also said, "Certainly not," meaning you should forget that idea! God cannot allow you to do that. This is a way of expression from Paul.
Today, what truly benefits them is that God's promises will not be nullified; they can receive benefits only if they truly believe. If they do not believe, it is of no benefit to them. Applying this to us today, in this era, we talk about God's grace, and many people also say they are talking about grace.
What is the characteristic of grace? Just like the covenant God made with the Jews in the Old Testament, where is the covenant? It is physical. The covenant between men is physical, called circumcision. This circumcision is a sign that they are God's children. What is the sign of grace? Grace is not a foundational Gospel; it is not a one-sided Gospel; it speaks of Jesus Christ and the salvation He accomplished on the cross; this is the entirety of the Gospel.
Brothers and sisters, grace is not one-sided; it is not foundational; it is everything because we are talking about Jesus Himself and what He has done.
What benefit does grace have for us? If we only talk about grace with our mouths, it is like the Jews often say, "We are descendants of Abraham; we have God's law, and this is what we can boast about." We talk about grace, speaking of Jesus and His non-condemnation. The greatest characteristic of Jesus during His three years of ministry was non-condemnation; no matter what kind of person He faced, Jesus did not condemn him; this is one point. Those who are willing to come before Jesus, willing to accept Him, are all accepted by Him, with no condemnation.
If on one hand, you say you are talking about grace, and on the other hand, you condemn others, saying, "You brood of vipers! You are destined for hell; you unrepentant person, or I see you do not look like a believer, etc..." Such condemning words are no different from the Jews.
What we can boast about is God's grace. If you accept grace, you accept what Jesus Christ accomplished for you on the cross, as well as non-condemnation; do not accept the condemnation of others, and do not condemn others. Otherwise, you are believing in the same thing as the Jews, just a framework. This is of no benefit to us. Even if you say you believe in grace, it is of no benefit to you because bitterness still resides in your heart, complaints still linger in your heart, you still accept the insults from others, think about them, and even curse others. This is of no benefit to you. God's grace has already been given to us; what harm is there in your unbelief? Does your unbelief nullify God's grace?
Verse 4 says, "Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar."
What does this mean? Even if you still need to obey the law, still need to enhance your holiness through the Ten Commandments to achieve our righteousness and please God, you can do so, but remember one thing: even if you believe this way, even if you do this, it cannot nullify God's grace because this matter has already been accomplished. Jesus has completed it. Your refusal to accept it does not mean that God's promises are nullified. It does not mean that God is a liar.
Legalists do not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, are unwilling to accept everything Jesus said, would rather hold onto the law, would rather cling to those things they have been unable to keep, and are unwilling to accept "Jesus said, 'Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.'" They do not want this rest.
Even if you do not accept it, you cannot say that God's promises are ineffective because those who accept it will experience God's grace. God cannot allow those who are unbelieving and rejecting to make His words and promises ineffective. We know that God promised the Jews a special right, which is to have God's words given to them, to have God's law given to them, to let them obey, and ultimately God will also give them a Messiah, a Savior, to save them from here once again. They clearly know God's promise but refuse to believe it. This is a very regrettable thing.
What is the reason for unbelief? People not only do not believe but also engage in serious self-deception. A common mistake people make is that when others tell them something, they do not believe it and argue that if they do not believe this matter, ignore it, reject it, and do not think about it, it does not exist; it is not a fact.
In matters of faith, many people understand it this way. Where is God in the world? There is no God at all, so I do not believe; I do not believe that there is a God in this world. Brothers and sisters, should we be discouraged when they say such words? Do not be discouraged; you must be certain that even if you preach to a hundred people, and all one hundred tell you, "Where is God? I am God! I am God!" If these people do not accept it, do not lose heart because no matter how people refuse, God is still God. No matter how people deceive themselves, even if they cover their ears and steal a bell, or do not believe and do not accept, God still exists today; He will not cease to be a fact because you do not believe.
Just like today when we preach the Gospel, even if you are constantly confessing your sins, that is okay because God will not say, "Because you do this, I consider you an enemy." He will not. Similarly, God hopes that we enjoy His joy every day; this is what God wants us to do. Therefore, we should understand more clearly what we should believe today and what we should not believe; this is important.
There are also some people who believe only part of the Bible, for example, God's love, which I think is quite good, but when it mentions holiness, righteousness, etc., that we still need to do, they are not very willing to listen. For example, miracles; telling stories is fine, but if you ask me to believe in miracles all the time, I will not believe it.
Brothers and sisters, we must understand that the Bible is inspired by God; all the words are permitted by God for us to see. From this, we can see God's love for us, His care for us, and His promises to us, allowing us the right to choose freely.
God is never a coercive God; just like God gave the Jews the law, this law was not something God forced upon them; it was something they wanted to come out with. So if you do not believe and do not accept, it still cannot change God's words, nor can it change God's promises to us.
Some Jews, due to their unbelief in God's promises, do they mean that God does not keep His promises to Abraham's descendants? Did God make His words ineffective? Did God become a liar? No.
Today we are under the New Covenant, and there are still certain differences between the New Covenant and the Old Covenant. In the Old Testament, God only stipulated their behavior; when the law was given, the law only cared about your behavior. For example, if you hate someone in your heart to the point of wanting to kill him, but you do not carry out the act of killing him, the law cannot condemn you. This is true even to this day; all national laws do not have such provisions. You cannot say, "You killed someone," and you have committed a crime; no country can condemn you unless your inner thoughts are put into practice, like hitting someone with a stick. Then, if someone sues you, that is a different matter.
Under the Old Covenant, God made a covenant with the Jewish people through the law. There was baptism, allowing them to obey the law to show they were God's children. If they followed these rituals at that time, God would accept them because that was how it was then. We know that if someone violated the law at that time, they would be condemned. God has never changed, so God cannot let His words return to void; God is faithful.
Let us continue to look at, "Let God be true but every man a liar." As it is written: "That You may be justified in Your words, and may overcome when You are judged." [Romans 3:4]
God is never afraid of others discussing Him. When we discuss God, when we talk about God, ultimately, God is victorious. Just like today, many people say, "I do not believe; I cannot find a single error in the Bible." So many people look for errors in the Bible, searching, searching, searching.
There are no errors in the Bible. When people discuss God, God is victorious.
When God rebukes people, it can only show God's righteousness.
When God rebukes people, when He condemns a certain person, when He points out a person's error, that person has no room to refute because God has pointed out the facts about the person. But it is different between people because people are not perfect; therefore, when one person points out another person's problem, the other may not necessarily accept it.
When we are pointed out by the unbelieving, brothers and sisters, do not rush to defend yourself; if we have indeed done poorly, humbly accept it. Only our God is true; when God points out our problems, He is certainly not wronging us. This is God's righteousness.
When Jesus was on earth, many people always wanted to find fault with Jesus, always trying to find His weaknesses, find problems in His words, and then attack Him, criticize Him. In the end, these legalists could not find anything because Jesus had no sin and had never sinned. Finally, they found one thing; what was it? He claimed to be the Son of God, saying He would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days. They thought Jesus was a liar; how could it possibly be rebuilt in three days?
People could not find any sin in Jesus, including the Gentile Pilate, who, when he crucified Jesus, said, "I find no fault in this man." The Jews also could not find any sin in Him. When Jesus rebuked a certain person, that person certainly had nothing to say, and it also showed God's righteousness.
John 19:6-7
Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him." The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according to our law, He ought to die because He made Himself the Son of God."
Paul here answers them again, saying that even if you do not believe in God, God's salvation has been prepared for you; even if you do not accept Him, grace has already come down. People do not accept it, and they cannot nullify God's grace.
The essential difference between heaven and hell is that heaven is filled with the grace of Jesus Christ. Hell has no grace of Jesus Christ; this is the greatest difference between heaven and hell.
If a person on earth does not want to draw near to Jesus, how can they endure heaven? Being there every day with Jesus, who can stand it? So some people say, "I do not want to go; I cannot stand it. I can only see Jesus once a week, and I cannot stand it. You want me to go to heaven and see Him every day; who can stand it?"
In the future, when God judges people, when He ultimately executes "Where will you go?" people will have no reason to refute because when people stand before God, they have nothing to say; this is the choice of their own will.
When we preach the Gospel to others, we must know that we are giving the grace of Jesus Christ to the world. If they reject it, do not lose heart; this is normal. Even if they reject it, God's grace does not diminish. At any time, God is still God; God's grace is still abundant. It will not decrease because there are many people; nor will it remain much because fewer people enjoy it; God is always complete. Just like manna, those who gathered much had nothing left over, and those who gathered little had no lack; this is God's grace.
Even though people do not believe Him, God's grace is still being supplied every day. Even if people do not accept God, His grace still exists. You breathe the air, enjoy the sunlight and rain, but people enjoy God's grace on one hand while saying they do not want God, do not want to accept Jesus. This shows the hypocrisy of man and the truth of God.
Let us look at verse 5: "But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath on us?"
Is God's wrath because God is not good? No, this actually shows what? It shows human unrighteousness. God has always bestowed grace, but people refuse, constantly sinning. God's anger is also a hope for us to turn back and accept His grace.
The purpose of His anger is not to make people die but to hope that you turn back and accept His grace; all of this is out of God's love. This once again proves that God is righteous. He is a faithful God.
In the history of the Old Testament, the Israelites repeatedly violated God; every time they cried out to God, He immediately saved them. Especially in the book of Judges, it shows the rebellion of the people! When they were at peace in their country, the people abandoned God, began to do whatever they wanted, acting arbitrarily. As a result, enemies oppressed them, and they began to cry out to God. God raised up a judge to save them. Not long after, they began to commit the same old mistakes again, started to sin, drifted away from God, and when the enemies attacked them again, they cried out to God once more, repeating this cycle for four hundred years. Just think about it; God has such great patience! How great is God's love for us! Because He is faithful, because He does not let His words fall to the ground, He remembers the covenant made with Abraham.
Today, under the New Covenant, even if people's behavior is terrible, you can still cry out to God because God does not bless you based on your behavior; God looks at who? It is the covenant made between Jesus and God. That covenant is better than the Old Covenant. This covenant is established by the blood of Jesus' life; we call it the New Covenant, also known as the covenant of grace.
So today, no matter how terrible your behavior is, God still keeps His promise; He is true. He does not let His words fall to the ground, nor does He let His promises become void. Because of Jesus, and the blood sacrifice Jesus made for our sins on the cross, the Father sees us through Jesus; God no longer gets angry with us because His anger has already been directed at Jesus.
Before the law of Moses, God did not look at the behavior of the Israelites; He looked at the covenant He made with Abraham. But at that time, the Israelites were too proud; they said, "All that the Lord has spoken we are able to do." They privately changed the covenant and introduced the law. God said, "Alright, since you say so, I will complete it for you. When you keep all the laws, I will bless you; if you break one of them, all the curses will come upon you." So the Israelites said "Amen, Amen..." in the face of curses, but the Bible does not record them saying "Amen" during blessings; most of the time, the people fell under curses. What a pity!
But God is the true God; His words will not return to void. God has never let His promises fall to the ground; He never lies. He promises to give people salvation and eternal life; He is faithful. The Bible says that God loves the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. This everlasting covenant is valid forever. Once you accept Jesus Christ, He has paid the price for your sins on the cross; if you believe this, He has resurrected from the dead, making you righteous. The validity of this covenant is forever, so God will not change this covenant.
So where is the problem? The problem lies in whether people are willing to accept God's words, willing to come before God, and whether people are willing to live according to God's methods; this is important.
Let me briefly share with the brothers and sisters that from the Old Testament to the New Testament, every era has God's salvation. Although the methods are different, the core covenant remains unchanged.
In the Old Testament, what was the covenant God made with Adam in the Garden of Eden? The covenant of eating or not eating. If you eat, you will die; if you do not eat, you will live. It is a very simple covenant. Other matters do not matter; even if you kicked a rabbit or a giraffe, that does not count as sin, as long as you do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
In Noah's time, the covenant God made with him was the covenant of entering the ark or not entering the ark; other matters do not matter. God said, "If you enter the ark, you will be saved; of course, if you do not want to enter, your life will end in death."
In the wilderness, when the Israelites were bitten by fiery serpents, what was God's method of salvation? You look at the bronze serpent on the pole, and you will live; if you choose not to look, that person will surely die.
In the New Testament, what is the covenant God gives us? If a person believes in Jesus, they will be saved; if they do not believe, they are destined to perish.
What does this mean? Jesus Christ has already come. If you still want to rely on that old covenant to achieve something, people are destined to fail. The New Covenant of Jesus Christ has already arrived; you need to obey this covenant. This covenant is really simple for you, just like it was for Adam: eat or not eat. Even if your behavior is really terrible, if you believe in the Lord Jesus, you will have eternal life; if a person does not believe, even if their behavior is really good, giving money to the poor, helping old ladies cross the street, doing many good deeds, despite this, the final outcome is still destruction. God does not look at anything else; He only looks at whether you believe or not.
The problem lies in whether people are willing to come before Him according to the methods God has established. Today, do you believe that you are truly under grace? Through Jesus, we have eternal life. If you truly believe, then according to the method God has told you, you seek Him, and you will be blessed.
Under the Old Testament law, God told the Israelites to be holy because God is holy, meaning that people must strive to achieve holiness. When people are not holy but appear before God, that is death. This is why the high priest entered the Holy of Holies once a year; he was very afraid. Because the standard of holiness is not what he thinks he has achieved, but whether God sees him as holy. Therefore, every time they entered the Holy of Holies, they were uncertain and terrified.
Today, under the New Covenant, Jesus is your holiness. You can come to seek God without fear because Jesus is the perfect sacrifice; His holiness is upon you. You must come before Him according to God's established method. At this point, you will understand why God is willing to hear your prayers, why God no longer condemns you, because Jesus Christ has already paid for all your sins, clearing all your sins.
In the Old Testament, the high priest could only offer the blood of bulls and goats for the sins of the Israelites for one year, but the effectiveness of the blood of Jesus Christ is permanent. So when you believe, all your sins have already been cleared by Jesus before God. This gives us a guarantee and assurance. God is willing to hear your prayers.
Verse 7 says, "For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?"
Human lies also increasingly highlight the truth of God's glory. God's throne is established in heaven; He is never influenced by people. How stable He is! God is not influenced by people at all. He will not nullify God's truth because of people's unbelief.
So in verse 8, Paul uses a rhetorical question to respond, "And why not say, 'Let us do evil that good may come'?—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say."
These people distort and slander the apostles' words, believing that the doctrine Paul preached does not require people to obey the laws and regulations, which exactly fits their argument—that human sin and evil help God show His goodness. Such arguments confuse God's truth and prove that they are unwilling to repent and accept God's salvation, so they deserve God's judgment.
Some say, "You always emphasize grace, as if we would no longer sin today." You often say, "Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more." Does that mean we should deliberately sin so that grace may abound even more? Just like what is said today, "For my lie increases His glory." It means that I make an effort to sin so that God's grace may become more and more evident. Paul reverses this and asks, "Why can you say this? Why not say you do evil to bring about good?"
When we talk about grace, some people slander us, saying, "You always talk about Jesus no longer condemning you. You always say God is no longer angry with you. Therefore, you are deliberately condoning people to sin, and people will commit many sins. You always say where sin abounds, God's grace abounds even more. Then, let's sin more!"
At this time, we should turn it around and ask, why do people want to do evil to show God's glory? Because these people do not yet know grace; they do not understand what Jesus has done for them today, so they are slanderers and liars. They do not believe that God has prepared such abundant grace. For example, we know that God is a healing God. But these people say, "Then let us deliberately get sick to show God's healing power!" Is there anyone willing to live like this?
What is the characteristic of legalism? They think they are already very good; they believe they are much better than others. Do you remember? In the Bible, there are two people's prayers: one is the Pharisee, and the other is the tax collector. The Pharisee stood in the most crowded place, raised his hands, and said, "Lord, look at me! I pray three times a day, I fast twice a week; isn't that enough? I am not like him; I am not like that tax collector." The implication is that I am much better than him; "Lord, I am much better than him in every aspect."
What did the tax collector say? "Lord, yes, he is right; I am just as he said, so I do not deserve Your grace, but You forgave me; I know this is Your grace."
God's truth, because of our lies, increasingly highlights His glory.
People cannot do evil to bring about good because this is a deception from those who deceive us, or it is a trick from the devil. Therefore, God's judgment on religious legalists is precisely because they are unwilling to accept the grace given freely by God. They are willing to use human methods, human behavior, and human efforts to obtain God's blessings, which precisely falls under God's judgment.
Do we know? In verses 5 to 8, it says, "Is God unjust who inflicts wrath on us?" If the unbelief and sins of some people give God an opportunity to judge them, it reveals His righteousness and shows how great their sins are, further highlighting God's glory.
So today, how can God punish us for this? He cannot because today, because of Jesus Christ, we have already been justified. So Paul says, "Certainly not! Do not see yourself as a person in sin; God no longer condemns you." That is what the slanderers say; this person's condemnation is just. Because they are unwilling to accept God's grace freely, they are willing to be condemned by God.
Do not live as if you are a sinner; you are no longer one. God has judged all our sins on Jesus Christ; when He said, "It is finished" on the cross, it represented that everything the law required in terms of righteousness has been accomplished. All the penalties for sin have been completed by Jesus. He has cleared all the righteousness required by the law, completely bringing us out from under the law and into His grace. Therefore, we should not see ourselves as legalists; do not easily condemn others, nor accept the condemnation of others, because there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
What does God want us to care about? Let us focus on Jesus Christ; let us focus on the work accomplished by Jesus on the cross. When you place your gaze here, you will not self-condemn or condemn others. The more people understand Christ's love, the more they will live out Christ's love in their lives. This also proves that God is true.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise You. Thank You for reminding us once again with Your words during this time. We are all under the grace of Jesus Christ today; we are not under the law. Grace is unearned, but today You are willing to give it to us, for which we thank You.
You have accepted us; You no longer remember our sins; You no longer get angry with us; grace has come. We are willing to receive the grace of Jesus Christ, living every day in the blessings You have given us. Thank You for providing us with such words; we thank and praise the Lord, and all glory be to You. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen!