SINCERE BUT UNSAVED

Rom 10:1-4

Morning Meditation 12/10/2012

“Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”

If someone were to say these things today many would scream and say “you are judging.” Is Paul exempt from judging? Is it ok for him to judge and not for me? Or, is it possible that what Paul is saying in this passage is not what Jesus was talking about when he said, “Judge not that ye be not judged?” Anytime you get on a subject like this that puts some hearers in a tense situation they use this command of the Lord to counter the teaching so that it makes the teacher look wrong instead of those of whom he speaks.

The Holy Spirit gave these words that Paul states. Jesus was ministering in the Spirit when he said “Judge not that ye be not judged” (Matt 7:1). This is not a contradiction. God does not contradict himself. There is a Judgement that is wrong. It is not the judgment that Paul is making here that is wrong. If it is wrong, then God is wrong because it is the inspired inerrant Word of God.

The word “Brethren” (adelphos) is used in several ways. It’s primary meaning is a reference to those born of the same parents. It can refer to those of the same nation. Here it refers to those in the same family of God with Paul in the church in Rome.

The words “my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved” reveal three important things. First, Israel was a heart matter with Paul. The work of the Lord was not just a job with him. He had a “desire” in his heart for his own people, the Jews. Second, he prayed for them. This is a work we can do for the unsaved that they cannot say no to it. We can knock on their door or speak to them on the job and they may turn us away. Prayer is something we can do that will do good. Paul prayed for his people. When we read a passage like this, do we ever ask ourselves “am I burdened and do I pray for the lost?” Was Paul wasting his time? Was it something for him to do and not for us? I must confess. I do not spend enough time in prayer for the unsaved. The words “that they might be saved” mean that Paul is saying they are not saved. Now this is like saying many church members are unsaved. That is a strong statement. But it is true. He would not have said that he was praying for saved people that they might be saved. They were not saved even though they were very sincere and very religious.

The words “For I bear them record that they have a zeal for God” reveal their religious fervor. The word “bear” (martureo) means “witness.” Paul says, “I am a witness to their zeal.” The words “they have” are a present tense verb and refer to something they continue to have right now. The word “zeal” (zelos) means “excitement of mind, ardor, fervor of spirit.” Sometimes religious lost people put God’s people to shame. There are cults and ism and schisms out there that walk the sidewalk and knock on doors giving out their perverted gospel and they themselves are as unsaved as those of whom Paul speaks here. Paul indicates a perverted gospel will not save.

Gal. 1:6-9: “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” Paul is writing to the Churches of Galatia because they were tolerating some teachers who were teaching that salvation is not only by faith in Christ but circumcision is to be practiced as a condition to salvation. Now that was a serious enough error that Paul is telling them not to listen. He said of these false teachers “let them be accursed.” The word “accursed” means “something devoted to destruction.” Now a person devoted to destruction is unsaved. Do you mean Paul is saying that just because these teachers added circumcision to the gospel as a condition to salvation that they are unsaved and devoted to destruction? That is what Paul is saying. They have a zeal for God but they are lost.

Now the next verse tells us why they are in the condition they are in: verse 3 says, “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” Some think ignorance will be excused in the judgment. It will not. Paul said these were lost and yet they were lost because they were ignorant of God’s righteousness. Man wants to be right with God his own way. Man has gone about to establish his own righteousness. The word “establish” (histemi) means “to cause or make to stand.” The Jew’s belief was that it was their own righteousness that was to stand before God as the means of their acceptance. The words “have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” mean they had made a choice between the two, i.e., God’s righteousness and their own. Literally multitudes are doing the same thing today. Most professing Christians believe that there is something you have to do to obtain salvation or something you have to do to keep it after you get it. If you believe that, you are in the same condition as the Jews for whom Paul was praying.

Paul concludes by saying, “for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. The word “end” (telos) means “termination, the limit at which a thing ceases to be.” The law has never saved anyone (Rom. 3:19-20; Gal. 2:16). It was not intended to save (Gal. 3:21). It was a schoolmaster to bring one to Christ (Gal. 3:24). Christ came to produce a righteousness that man could never obtain by keeping the law then die as the sinless substitute on the cross. When we believe in him, it means that we are accepting him as God’s offering for our sin. God accepts the blood he shed as the payment for our sins. Then God gives the believer the righteousness of Christ as a gift (Rom. 5:17) so that he has the righteousness of Christ in which to stand before a holy God. This is what it means “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth.” Rom. 4:5 says, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”

May God bless each of you.

In Christ

Bro. White