Goal: 

This is a continuation and an expansion of the diatribe the apostle began back in the second half of the second chapter of Romans which I’ve entitled: “What Right Does God Have to Punish Anyone—A Messianic Discussion of Romans 3:5-8.” And our goal for this discussion is to  confront and refute, if you will, the “Epicurean” and “Antinomianistic” mindset and practices, which I refer to in part as simply a precursor to the “Mystery of Iniquity” paradigm, that has overtaken much, if not all, of denominationalism and even portions of the Messianic-Hebraic Roots-based communities today.

Attention:

In our last two installments, Shaul attempted to level the spiritual playing field that existed between the first-century Jew and Gentile. And he attempted to do this in his letter to the Roman Assemblies after he effectively knocked the religious Jew from his spiritual “high-horse” by highlighting his arrogance, hypocrisy and lack of biblical understanding.

Then he lifted the Jew back-up by highlighting his unique advantage, which he attributes to the Jew having been entrusted with the Creator’s lively oracles (3:1). And so, he lifted the Jew back-up ever so gingerly by reaffirming, primarily to the Gentile side of his audience, that Yehovah’s faithfulness (Yah being faithful to His Words and His promises) would not in the least be dependent upon Yisra’el’s faithfulness or her belief in Him and His Words—in particular, her acceptance of Y’shua as her Mashiyach and Mashiyach’s gospel.

We further established that Yehovah’s steadfast, uncompromising faithfulness is a foundational premise to our Faith: Yehovah is not like man, in that He always keeps His Word and that He will always judge and treat his human creation righteously and justly; for one of Yehovah’s inherent character traits is that He will always remain true to Who He is: a Righteous, Just and Holy Elohim.

Need:

So, in our discussion today, for us to grasp what the apostle is writing to his Roman readers about in terms of questioning and putting to the test Yehovah’s grace through supposed Epicurean and Antinomianistic reasoning (we’ll define what these are in just a moment), we need to be honest with ourselves, transparent and spiritually critical of the state of our hearts. For the rhetorical questioning that Shaul uses to convey his vehement rejection of Gentile-derived humanistic thinking and practices that serve to exploit the grace of Yehovah in a believer’s live, will assist us in coming to terms with how we deal with the tug of sin in our respective walk in Mashiyach.

Satisfaction of the need:

So, by the end of this discussion, we will have established the following foundational premises that will serve to solidify our walk with Mashiyach, put into proper spiritual perspective how Yehovah’s grace is applied to His fallen human creation, and what responsibility Yah’s human creation has in terms of its would-be relationship with the Almighty. And lastly, recognize that because Yehovah is righteous, faithful, just, and sovereign, He has every right to judge His human creation and He will do so based upon the standards outlined within the framework of His Torah. (Listen or read my post on “What Did Paul Mean by Being Under the Law.”)

1. Visualization:

S0 then, let’s get into our focus passage for today which reads as follows:

(5) But if our iniquity (our “ad-ee-kee’-ah”, wrongfulness of character, life and actions) establishes the righteousness (the “dik-ah-yos-oo’-nay, or justification) of Elohim, what will we say? Is Elohim unrighteous when He inflicts wrath? (6) May it never be! Otherwise, how will Elohim judge the world? (7) But if the truth of Elohim has been furthered by my falsehood (by my “psyoos’-mah” or my deceiving ways) to His glory, why am I then condemned as a sinner? (8) Or will we say as some have slanderously reported us to say: “We will do evil things, that good (results) may come?” The condemnation of such is reserved for judgment (Rom. 3:5-8; AENT). 

So, let’s break this passage down verse-by-verse in order to get a better sense of what the apostle is saying.

5. But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He?

The wording of this verse in most English translations to me is frustratingly wonky. And it’s especially wonky when we, the modern reader, neglect to read Shaul’s statement as though he is having an argument with himself. And we can only presume that therefore an unnamed scribe inserted into the authorized text: “I am speaking in human terms.” In other words, this scribe was helping us recognize that Shaul was employing a rhetorical argument to get his point across.

Regardless, the wording remains difficult to decipher. But the gist of what the apostle is writing here is undeniable, if we take what is written within context of the previous verse: “…Let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, ‘That thou mightiest be justified in they sayings, and mightiest overcome when thou art judged.’” (Check out our last installment to gain a better understanding of what Shaul is trying to convey here.)

A more contextually understandable rendering of the verse in my humble opinion is found in the HCSB (not my go to English Translation of the Bible mind you, but it does from time-to-time offer sound renderings of the sacred text). It reads as follows:

“But if our unrighteousness highlights God’s righteousness (Shaul is speaking rhetorically here), what are we to say? Is God unrighteous to inflict wrath?” 

And so, what appears to be the case here in Shaul’s rhetorical questioning is a reaffirming of the fact that Yehovah is always going to be proved right despite Yisra’el’s (or for that matter, any person’s) failures and unbelief. His righteousness will always stand. Is Shaul also rhetorically questioning the sensibility and justification of Yisra’el being punished for that which only serves or proves Yehovah’s righteousness? Or rather, why would Yehovah harm those whose unrighteous actions are working to demonstrate to the world His righteousness? And by extension, what sense does it make for Yehovah to punish His human creation for the very thing that displays His righteousness? Indeed, there are so many angles to be had from this single verse.

Shaul’s retort to such reasoning takes us back to the simple, foundational premise, which happens to be one of Yehovah’s fundamental character traits, which is that He is just and righteous in all His Ways. Therefore, it is Yehovah’s uncompromising righteousness and justice that requires Him to judge and punish sin, separate from the glory He will invariably receive for always being right. For Him to not punish sin would run counter to His righteous and just nature. And so, any individual who would think otherwise deserves the wrath and punishment that is coming to them (3:8).

For such Epicurean philosophical thinking serves only to promote Yah’s people to continue in sin so that grace may abound (Rom. 6:2). Such thinking can also be viewed as antinomianism. Antinomianism essentially promotes lawlessness as a way of life simply because Yehovah’s grace covers and cleanses one from their sins (1 Joh. 1:7). In other words, God’s got you, so you’re free to live however you desire to live. Sounds a bit like Evangelical Christianity’s grace-perversion doctrine. Nevertheless, we’ll revisit Epicureanism and Antinomianism when we examine verse six (6).

So how is any of this connected to what the apostle is writing here? Well, it appears that certain Messianic or Orthodox Jews who stood in opposition to Shaul and his teachings were accusing the apostle of preaching and teaching a lawless grace-based doctrine. And based upon what we know about Shaul and his teachings, it’s kind of hard for us to understand why anyone would arrive at such a conclusion. However, when we take into consideration all that we’ve read in Shaul’s letter to the Roman Messianics regarding religious Jews and the exclusive faith they placed on their Jewishness, any mention of one’s salvation and obedient covenant relationship with the Almighty being faith and grace-based would certainly incite some to rebel against the apostle and his teachings in such a slanderous manner.

Furthermore, it’s certainly not too difficult to recognize that the individuals who were slandering Shaul and his ministry, fell among those who the Apostle Kefa—Peter—described as:

“But we (Kefa), according to His (Yeshua’s) promise, expect new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (14) Therefore, my beloved, as you expect these things, strive that you may be found by Him in peace, without spot and without blemish. (15) And account the long suffering of Master Yehovah to be redemption; as also our beloved brother Shaul, according to the wisdom conferred on him, wrote to you; (16) as also in all his letters speaking in them of these things in which there is something difficult to be understood; (and) which they who are ignorant and unstable pervert, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction” (2 Pet. 3:13-16; AENT). 

So then, if Shaul was not teaching or promoting antinomianism or a lawless grace-based faith as it relates to Yisra’el’s and humankind’s sinful nature highlighting or vindicating Yehovah’s righteousness, what exactly was he teaching? Well, quite simply that humans are depraved creatures; that they are in fact totally incapable of knowing Yehovah or coming into and maintaining a substantive, covenant relationship with Him on their own accord. The carnal human make-up works overtime to coerce a person to resist obeying, praising, glorifying and imaging Yehovah in this world. The human make-up instead seeks desperately to exalt itself—to always address and see to its own desires and preferences; to focus on the self. There then is no room for Yehovah and His Ways in the carnal man/woman way of thinking and behaving. And the only remedy for this dire situation is the blood of Y’shua HaMashiyach and the indwelling and workings of the Ruach Kodesh in a would-be child of Yehovah’s life. Yehovah’s precious Holy Spirit provides the elect of Yah the ability to walk in Yehovah’s Ways (that being an obedient covenant relationship with Yehovah) and to image Him in the earth. Praise Yah!

6. May it never be! For otherwise how will God judge the world?

So, if the Epicurean-based religious Jew and Gentile is correct in their assessment of Shaul’s teachings, they would be countering one of the foundational premises of faith in Yehovah: that premise being that Yehovah is fundamentally good and just and holy in all His Ways. And if this axiomatic understanding (this indisputable understanding) of the fundamental nature of Yehovah is not firmly established in his readers’ minds and hearts, then all bets are off. And then the argument being proposed and discussed here becomes a circular one whereby we would never come to an agreement on the question of whether Yehovah has the right to judge a sinful world. Therefore, the bottom-line must be firmly established; that being, Yehovah is the ultimate judge of the world, which alone means Yehovah is just and good and righteous in all His Ways.

But returning to verse six for a moment more, we find here that Shaul raises yet another rhetorical objection. The apostle surmises what the foolish might think regarding the question of one being more and more faithless in their lives, that Yehovah’s faithfulness is made more evident and powerful in that person’s life. So, it would stand to reason in these folks’ flawed minds that for Yehovah to take vengeance upon those poor souls whose faithlessness only made Yah’s faithfulness more abundant, would make Him, Yehovah, unrighteous. In other words, it would not be fair.  And Shaul answers yet again: God forbid; for then how shall Yehovah judge the world. For the simple truth of the matter is that if Yehovah were to stave off His judgment on the unrighteous because His righteousness abounds in their unrighteousness, then there’d never be any future judgment. And we know that Yehovah has promised there would be judgment.

Yehovah offered His people, Yisra’el, a solution to their faithlessness; their sin; their disbelief, in the Person and teachings of Y’shua Messiah. But as we previously mentioned, Yisra’el missed the time of her visitation (Luk. 19:44). So then, what is Yehovah supposed to do in response to Yisra’el’s continued unrighteousness and unbelief? Is Yehovah fundamentally unrighteous to inflict wrath and punishment on His people? What right does He have to inflict his wrath and judgment on Yisra’el or any person since they are inherently incapable of coming to Faith on their own accord?

Part of the answer to these difficult questions may be found back in our earlier discussions of the first chapter of the Book of Romans where the apostle makes that case that despite man’s inherent depravity, they have no excuse:

16. “For I (Shaul) am not ashamed of the Good News (the Besorah; the gospel); for it is the power of Elohim to life, to all who believe in it; whether firsts they are of the Jews, or whether they are of the Arameans. (17) For in it is revealed the righteousness of Elohim from faith to faith; as it is written, The righteousness by faith, will live. (18) For the wrath of Elohim from heaven is revealed against all the iniquity and wickedness of men who hold the truth in iniquity (19) because a knowledge of Elohim is manifest in them; for Elohim has manifested it in them. (20) For, from the foundations of the world, the hidden things of Elohim are seen by the mind in the things He created even His eternal power and divinity, so that they might be without excuse (21) because they knew Elohim and did not glorify Him and give thanks to Him as Elohim but became vain in their imaginings and their unwise heart was darkened. (22) And while they thought within themselves that they were wise, they became fools. (23) And they changed the glory of the incorruptible Elohim into a likeness to the image of a corruptible man, and into the likeness of bird and four-legged animals and reptiles on the earth. For this cause, Elohim gave them up to fill the lust of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies with them. (25) And they changed the truth of Elohim into a lie; and worshipped and served the created things, much more than the Creator of them…(28) And as they did not determine with themselves to know Elohim, Elohim gave them over to a vain mind; that they might do what they should not…(2:1) There is therefore no excuse for you, O man, who judges your neighbor; for by judging your neighbor, you condemn yourself; for you that judge do practice the same things. (2) And we know that the judgment of Elohim is in accordance with truth, in regard to those who practice these things.” (AENT).

And so, the apostle goes on to lay before His Roman Messianic readers the inevitable wrath and judgment that is to come upon Yah’s human creation. And that pending judgment is one that will focus on the state of people’s hearts:

“But because of the hardness of your un-repenting heart, you are treasuring up a store of wrath against the day of wrath, and against the revelation of the righteous judgment of Elohim (6) Who will recompense to every man, according to his deeds” (Rom. 2:5).

 

You see, Yah judges the deeds of His human creation in accordance with the state of their heart:

“For Yehovah does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but Yehovah looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7; NKJV). 

Clearly, the premise that Yehovah is the ultimate judge over all creation, cannot be overlooked. Nor can one overlook the premise that Yehovah is inherently righteous in all His Ways. Thus, it stands to reason, in a brilliant quote from Messianic Author and Teacher J.K. McKee, that “if God does not judge them (them being his faithless people), how then could He judge the world, as he would surely be fair in His dealings with all His people.”

If Yehovah is indeed unrighteous in His Ways, what gives Him the right to judge His human creation?

One way of understanding Shaul’s answer to the rhetorical question posed in verse five (5) is to approach it from an Epicurean, otherwise known as Antinomian perspective.

What is Epicureanism? Well, it is believed by some scholars that the Greek Philosopher Epicurus founded his religion in c. 307 BCE.

Although Epicureanism bordered on hedonism; the incessant pursuit of pleasure and fulfillment, it also held, among a great many other things, that the Creator had little to no involvement with His human creation. Thus, for the would-be Epicurean, the thought that God would pour out wrath and punishment on humanity just didn’t fit his/her mindset. In fact, Epicureanism espoused that one should not go through their lives fearful of what the gods might do to them.

Epicurean thinking would lead one to see Yehovah as having no right to punish His human creation because humanity is what humanity is: Depraved. Humanity then knows nothing but its depraved nature and thus cannot/should not be held responsible for its behavior. And if Yehovah is indeed what He is touted to be: a loving and forgiving God, then it would stand to reason that He could not pour out wrath and punishment upon humanity.

Antinomianism, seemingly working in conjunction with Epicureanism among the Gentiles, simply rejected all legal systems.  In fact, antinomianism could be viewed as the basis upon which the grace perversion of denominationalism is based. We know that much of denominationalism strongly rejects Torah-honoring/observing/keeping by Yah’s elect for reasons associated with a twisting of the Eternal’s grace. A complete rejection of Torah, and an embracing of lawless grace as the foundation for one’s faith walk.

Epicureanism and Antinomianism, therefore, seems to form the nascent basis upon which much of denominationalism is formed today–a completely lawless, grace-drunk system that is humanistic in nature. And this is what Shaul was likely facing in his dealings with the various Gentile enclaves throughout the Roman Empire that he oversaw: This mindset of let’s live it up today for tomorrow we die. It’s fueled by the mystery of iniquity–that which brings about or promotes lawlessness in the earth, especially within the Body of Mashiyach.  I wouldn’t say that it is an inherent mindset within humanity, but that it is a willful ignorance and an agenda by people, both within and outside the Body of Mashiyach, to live contrary to one’s profession of Faith. In other words, I want to adulterate, fornicate, steal, murder, revel, get drunk, lie, not keep the Sabbath, the feast days or the food laws–I want to live the way I want to live and I’m going to get away with doing what I’m not supposed to do or I’m going to get away with not-doing that which I’m supposed to do because God is not going to punish me; He’s not going to pour out His wrath upon me; He has to forgive me, regardless how many times I go back to Yah for forgiveness, He must forgive me.

Now, the comparison that exists between humans (that stand as inherent sinners and unrighteous and faithless in every aspect of their being) and Yehovah (who is inherently holy and righteous and faithful in every aspect of His Being) are beyond striking. And so it is that Yah establishes and embodies the standard by which His human creation must live/exist/operate in this world. Consequently, there are no exceptions to humans having to meet Yehovah’s standards. Failure to meet those standards will result in Yah’s wrath and punishment being pour out upon those who refuse to meet those standards. And those standards are clearly laid out for humanity in Torah.

Unfortunately, humans are incapable of meeting those standards of righteousness by their own means. Thus, humans desperately need Yehovah’s help for them to meet those exacting standards. And Yehovah has, through His renewed covenant, established a means by which humans receive help to meet those standards, deliver them from the Kingdom of Darkness and save them from Yehovah’s righteous and just wrath and punishment. Those humans who elect and aspire to meet those standards have one and only one option: to enter an obedient covenant relationship with the Almighty through the provisions of the renewed covenant that was facilitated through the personal ministry of Y’shua HaMashiyach.

This is Yehovah’s righteousness and faithfulness in action. He’s provided the means by which every human may escape His coming wrath and punishment. It’s up to the individual then to accept the provision of Yehovah.

And let’s be clear here: We’re not talking about an individual simply saying the so-called “Sinner’s Pray,” receiving the “right-hand of fellowship,” maybe getting dunk in a baptismal pool and throwing a few duckets into the offering plate from time-to-time, and going on to live his/her life as he/she sees fit to do, expecting some day to be raptured up to heaven where he/she will walk the streets of gold, sing in the hallelujah choir and gaze in the face of Jesus for all eternity. Oh no! We’re talking about a complete, from top to bottom, renewal of an individual’s mind, heart and soul, where he/she repents from his/her sins and enters an obedient covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe through Y’shua Messiah. We’re talking about going through a period of sanctification that is affected by Yehovah’s precious Ruach HaKodesh, seeking Yehovah’s Kingdom and His righteousness daily.

Now, if humans choose not to receive the free gift of redemption from the Kingdom of Darkness and salvation from the coming judgment and to walk in covenant relationship with Yehovah, does Yehovah have the right to punish his obstinate human creation? If Yah does in fact pour out his wrath and punish those who choose to remain in their deplorable state (and we know that He must do that very thing in order for Him to remain true to His righteous and just character), can it then be determined that Yehovah is unrighteous? That He is evil?

And the apostle answers assertively in verse 6 with a deafening: “By no means! (ESV)”; “Absolutely not!” (HCSB).  Which leads the apostle to ask a follow-up rhetorical question: If this be so, how then will Yehovah judge the world? In other words, if Yehovah is compromised by way of Him being “unrighteous in His Ways,” how then can He be a proper and just God? For one to execute judgment against an offender, they must be beyond reproach. The judge cannot be compromised; He must be righteous. A judge that is unrighteous is disqualified from judging offenders.

Shaul is anticipating how people will throw doubt as to Yehovah’s righteousness and faithfulness. And we must know that this is an age-old problem with those who claim to be Yehovah’s children: They simply don’t believe Yehovah. People for whatever reason rationalize within themselves (although they may say otherwise) that Yehovah cannot or will not do what He has declared He will do: He will not punish me for my continued sin; He will give me a free pass into the Kingdom despite my refusal to repent and turn from my evil ways. If I want to do something that is sinful, I’ll just go ahead and do it (pretentious sin) and then ask God for forgiveness; and we’ll repeat this cycle endlessly, rationalizing within our deceptive hearts that Yah has to forgive us, otherwise He would not be just, righteous and true to His Word to forgive us of our sins.

But Yehovah doesn’t operate in such a manner. Yes, Yah, as we discussed in our previous post, will always remain true to His Words. Yehovah will always do that which He says He will do. He is uncompromisingly faithful in all His Ways. However, even though He has made provisions for His redeemed to receive forgiveness for their sins, there is a point where Abba’s patience with his obstinate people wears out in response to their insistence in continuing to live in sin. Eventually He will be forced, because of His holy and righteous character, to render unto His obstinate people that which they’ve sown. (Such that the wages for sin is death…Romans 6:23). You see, Abba will also not tolerate presumptuous sin–those sins that are committed willfully, whereby one thinks that he/she will get away with simply by asking Yehovah for His forgiveness repeatedly. Invariably, Yah will judge the guilty accordingly.

To continue to live in sin with the intention of exploiting Yehovah’s grace, serves only to test and ignite Yah’s anger against us. For when we responded to the call to be a child of the Most High, we effectively agreed to walk in obedient covenant relationship with the Most High. We effectively agreed to hand over our lives to Him so that He, through the work of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, will transform us into the image of our Older Brother Y’shua Messiah—so that we may walk out those exacting standards—the ways—the paths—the lifestyle of righteousness that He requires of His chosen ones.

Thus, for our part, we cannot give ourselves over to sin at any level. We cannot do so because we are not our own as we’ve been purchased with a tremendous price (1 Cor. 6:19-20). We belong to Yehovah. Conversely, any who would willfully give themselves over to the ways of the old man—the ways of this world—the ways of the Kingdom of Darkness are effectively showing themselves to be slaves to sin and to the Kingdom of Darkness.

Of this Shaul wrote:

Rom. 6:19–I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification (ESV).

 

Thus, a central, foundational premise that must be drawn from verses 5 and 6 is that Yah sets the rules for all of humanity. And because of Yah’s righteous, holy and just character, He must abide by those rules, regardless who of humanity violates those rules. So then, who are we to think and act otherwise? Yah has all authority. He is sovereign.

7. But if through my lie (through my unrighteousness; through my unfaithfulness) the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner? 

Here, the apostle reasons: Is it fair for one to be blamed or held divinely responsible for his falsehood, if by his lie, (or rather his unrighteousness or his unfaithfulness) Yehovah’s truth all the more exalts Him (Yehovah) as the Holy and Righteous Elohim that He is.

Some scholars interpret this passage as Shaul referring to himself—that being, “my lie” which would conceivably refer to his teachings and doctrine. And so, in that sense, we find Shaul here rhetorically arguing the flawed thinking: Should Yehovah punish us for preaching and teaching that which is false—or rather a lie, shouldn’t our false teachings serve as a display of Yehovah’s righteousness? Why then am I subject to Yehovah’s wrath and judgment? Or rather, what right does Yehovah have in punishing me?

I, on the other hand, take Messianic Commentator and Teacher J. K. McKee’s position that when Shaul refers to “my lie” here in verse 7, he is referring to a hypothetical person: primarily an ungodly—an unrighteous person. And so, the ungodly mind is rhetorically pondering: “If my (the carnal rhetorical person’s) unrighteousness enhances God’s righteousness; faithfulness; His truthfulness, just as any person’s unrighteousness highlights Yehovah’s righteousness more brightly (verse 5) or rather increases Yah’s glory that much more, then surely God ought to be pleased, even grateful for a person’s unrighteousness? Am I (the rhetorical person) not doing Him a service?” (J.K. McKee)

By my lie—by my unfaithfulness—by my sin, rhetorically speaking, Yehovah’s Truth—His righteousness–becomes more obvious and known to both the Kingdom of Yehovah and the Kingdom of Darkness. The phrase “by my lie” carries us back to verse 4.

Another way of looking at this verse is to refer to the understanding of humankind’s depraved nature. And what we see the apostle rhetorically postulating here is the flawed thinking that man sins as a result of his depraved state, his depraved nature. And it therefore stands that because of this depraved state that man finds himself in, he needs Yehovah’s grace—His helping through Yeshua’s sacrifice to save him. In other words, Yehovah can rightly contend: Look, you are incapable of making it on your own. You need my righteous help. And so Yehovah stands ready to come to our rescue through the work of His Son Y’shua Messiah. And through His saving grace, He ultimately receives the glory.

Well one might rhetorically challenge: Because Yehovah is right and man is in desperate error, is Yehovah then justified in His judgment of depraved, sinful humankind? Or rather, is it fair for Yehovah to judge and punish depraved humanity because Yah knows better; humanity doesn’t? And of course, the answer to such humanistic thinking is obvious: Yah is sovereign, holy, righteous and just. Thus, He has every right to judge and punish His human creation. And referring back to the second half of the first chapter of Romans, humankind inherently knows that Yehovah exists and it knows right from wrong. Therefore, Yehovah’s wrath and impending judgment is just. Humanity has no excuse.

8. And why not say: “Let us do evil that good may come?” Their condemnation is just. 

There is another parenthetical insertion to be found in most of the Authorized English Versions of this verse, that reads: “as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say…” Although I tend to shy away from parenthetical statements in most of my discussions simply because they were added by some unnamed scribe or interpreter, for the sake of context and reason, it does appear that here in this verse, Shaul is rhetorically responding to slanderous accusations being leveled at him and his teachings. Recall we talked earlier in this discussion about the Epicurean thinking and antinomianism that was finding its way in the various assemblies Shaul oversaw. Well, Shaul in this verse could well have been rhetorically referring to those who hold such humanistic thinking.

Combining verses seven (7) and eight (8), we find Shaul rhetorically asking: If by my lying to you (that is, if by or through my sinfulness–my faithlessness) the truth of Yehovah abundantly succeeds, why then am I condemned or judged a sinner? I simply can’t be judged a sinner. Thus Yehovah has no right to pour out His wrath upon me nor punish me. I’m just a poor, depraved human. Yehovah, on the other hand, is Almighty and will always be shown to be the righteous and faithful One over His human creation. Which then could be reasoned: Let’s continue to live in sin so that good may come of it—such that God’s righteousness and faithfulness prevails and rescues us from our depraved state. And Shaul concludes that such souls who think and live by such thinking deserve the judgment that is due them.

Folks, this is in a general sense the premise that undergirds or supports denominationalism’s grace perversion doctrines–Live according to the way you are so inclined to live, because Y’shua lived and kept the Law (aka Torah) perfectively so that we don’t have to. That being the case, when we live less than Godly lives, we can simply depend on Yehovah to forgive us. And in so doing, God’s outrageous grace that He lavishes upon His people brings forth glory unto Yehovah and the world sees just how wonderful our God is.

Well, such thinking is from the pit of hades. Such thinking is derived from the desperately wicked nature of humanity’s heart (Jer. 17:9): the heart of a soul that seeks to fulfill and promote an individual’s personal desires, resist the Will of Yehovah in his/her life and still get into the Kingdom of Yah when it is all said and done. It’s a self-serving, humanistic mindset that deserves, as Shaul declares, judgment/damnation/wrath.

Any Child of the Most High with a truly circumcised heart and who desires to maintain a true and substantive covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe, could not possess nor entertain such a mindset. Such a mindset runs counter to the changed heart–the circumcised heart–the heart upon which Yehovah’s Torah is inscribed, under the auspices of the renewed covenant through the personal ministry of Y’shua HaMashiyach. For such a renewed soul realizes, through the revelation and indwelling of the Ruach Kodesh, that such mindset and practice cannot stand in the life of an elect of Yah. He/she realizes that Yah receives the glory and honor He so justly deserves when we honor Him with our obedience and our praise and worship and our faith; when we die to self; when we refuse to give our members over to the ways of the Kingdom of Darkness and of the old man. Yah’s glory as manifested through His grace is realized when we turn from sin and walk permanently in the newness of life. Yah’s grace when left to such Epicurean and Antinomianistic thinking is made of no effect.

At the risk of violating my own rule of avoiding the use of biblical sound bites at all costs, I turn to Shaul who wrote the following to the Galatian Messianics:

I do not frustrate the grace of Elohim…” (Gal. 2:21; AENT).  

In other words, I do not set-aside or marginalize the grace of Yehovah, presumably by dabbling in the things I did in my past—turning from walking in obedient covenant with Yehovah, to walking in sin. To do so is to play with fire–Yah’s judgment fire.

Later on in the Cepher of Romans, the apostle rhetorically asked:

Will we continue in sin that grace may abound? (2) Far be it: For if we are persons that have died to sin, how can we again live in it? (6:1-2; cf. 6:15; AENT).  

And from there, the apostle expounds on the reasons why we should not continue to frustrate the grace of Elohim by continuing to live in sin.

The best wrap-up of our focus passage here today comes from Messianic Teacher and Commentator Tim Hegg who writes:

“Thus, the righteousness of Torah still miraculously manifests Yehovah’s faithfulness even when some have been unfaithful to its precepts and demands.” 

Call to Action and Discussion Wrap-up 

Grace certainly exists and operates effectively in the life of Yehovah’s elect.  Conversely, sin also exists, and it too operates, yes, in the lives of many of Yah’s elect. Nevertheless, the reality stands that Yah cannot, by His Perfect and Just character, ignore or give sin a pass. Sinners musts somehow pay for their sin. The question is how will sinners have their sins paid for?

As Yah’s elect, it is our responsibility to die to self, put on the new man and walk in the newness of life in Y’shua Messiah. We cannot take advantage of Yehovah’s grace and commit high-handed sins. As Yah’s elect, we are under contract–a covenant–and we cannot give ourselves over to another master–that master being sin. To do so willfully is to break covenant with the Eternal. In willfully breaking covenant with the Eternal, it stands to reason that the state of our heart is in terrible question and is thus in need of a transplant. Yah’s grace, in its proper understanding, provides us, through the working and indwelling of the Ruach Kodesh, the wherewithal to resist the tug of sin and walk uprightly before our Creator perfectly, in order to be holy as He is holy. And by the way, if we lack the Ruach Kodesh, our Master told us how to get it:

“If you who are evil you know to give good gifts to your children, how much more your Father from Heaven will give the Ruach HaKodesh to those who ask Him” (Luk. 11:13). 

So, if we truly seek to walk in obedient covenant relationship with our Elohim and we want to overcome this flesh of ours, all we need to do, according to our Master, is ask Abba for His Holy Spirit. Yah’s Ruach Kodesh, when fully operating in our lives, gives us the wherewithal to walk effectively, powerfully and successfully in obedient covenant relationship with Yehovah. This is in effect, Yah’s grace in action and in-force.

Yah’s grace was never intended to be used as a get-out-of punishment and wrath card. It was designed and implemented to assist us in walking out this Faith walk of ours successfully and triumphantly.

Therefore, we must examine the state of our hearts and determine where our loyalties lay: With the Kingdom of Darkness or the Kingdom of Yehovah; and then not exploit the grace of Yehovah to our own personal, spiritual and physical benefits. For Yehovah clearly sees through our foolishness and exploitation of Him. His patience will eventually wear out and He will be compelled, by His holy and righteous character, to inflict wrath and punishment upon us, if we don’t permanently straighten up and fly right.

It’s up to us beloved, to accept the challenge Yehovah put before us: to walk in the ways of righteousness and seek His Kingdom, despite the push-back we will inevitably get from this world. But He did not leave us to work through these inevitable challenges alone. Yehovah, through His Son, has given us His precious Ruach HaKodesh—His grace which He’s lavished upon us—to overcome the world, just as His Son overcame the world. We don’t have to continue as slaves to sin. Yeshua showed us that we can break the bonds of the Kingdom of Darkness and sin. Through His sacrifice, we’ve been purchased with the blood of Y’shua. And now, we belong to Yehovah and are eligible to be citizens of His Kingdom, if we simply learn to die to self, let go and let Yah.