Bible Study on Romans Session 8

Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans;

A Bible Study Based upon the Homilies of St John Chrysostom (SJC)

Study Guide – November 27, 2018 – Romans 3.9-31 – Homily 7

Prayer before reading of the Holy Scriptures: Shine within our hearts, loving Master, the pure light of Your divine knowledge, and open the eyes of our minds that we may comprehend the message of Your Gospel. Instill in us also reverence for Your blessed commandments so that, having conquered sinful desires, we may pursue a spiritual life, thinking and doing all those things which are pleasing to You. For You, Christ our God, are the light of our souls and bodies, and to You we give glory, together with Your Father who is without beginning and Your all holy, good and life giving Spirit, always now and forever and to the ages of ages.

Chapter 3, Verses 9-20

  • Paul accused the Gentiles AND the Jews to show the need for grace. SJC “Paul did this so that none of his hearers, because they were sufficiently shackled by enough accusations of the prophets, might bound off or skip away while the subject of faith was being discussed and made clear.” (Pg. 114, #2)
  • Prophets (v. 10-18) charge those who were under the law with three excesses
    • All together were doing evil deeds
    • All sought only wickedness
    • All pursued wickedness with all their strength and intensity
  • Not just as an accusation but to prepare for faith, so the Jews might realize their own sin and run to Christ – SJC “He shows that what he said was not simply of making an accusation; rather, it was in order to smooth the road for faith. Such is the harmony between the two Testaments, the Old and the New, that both the accusations and the reproofs were entirely for this purpose, namely, that the door of faith might open and enlighten those who hear them.” (Pg. 114, #5)
  • Paul wraps up with a reminder from Homily 6 on the danger of avoiding repentance.

Chapter 3, Verses 21-31

  • Grace is not new theology, but “is revealed” by law and prophets. SJC “In what follows he introduces Abraham and David and shows them as they spoke to us about these matters. For Abraham was a patriarch and a prophet; David was a king and a prophet. And the promises about these matters had been made to both of them. And this is why Matthew, at the beginning of his Gospel, mentions both of them in the first place.” (Pg 117, #16)
  • It is God’s work. SJC “For it is now man who is accomplishing these things in which he might fail. Rather, it is God, who can do all things…For it was on this account that Paul said, ‘by His blood,’ to recall to their minds those sheep and calves. What Paul means is that if the slaughter of irrational animals removed sin, all the more will this blood of Christ do so.” (Pg. 118, #21)
  • God makes us what we are not. SJC “The manifestation of God’s riches means that not only is God Himself rich, but also that He makes others rich. The manifestation of His life means that not only is He alive, but also that He makes the dead to live. And the manifestation of God’s power means not only that He is powerful, but that He also makes the weak and feeble powerful. So also the manifestation of God’s justice means not only that He Himself is just, but also that He suddenly makes others just, even when they have been corrupted by sin. Therefore, by way of explaining ‘manifestation,’ Paul himself went on to add, ‘So that God Himself is just and justifies him who believes in Jesus.;” (Pg. 119, #23)
  • God manifested His grace at just the right time. SJC “It was to stop up their shameless mouths that Christ delayed His coming for a long time so that, after it had been proved by every argument that they could not achieve salvation by themselves, He might save them by His grace.” (Pg. 121, #30)
  • “Law of faith” = To be saved by grace (all who have faith)
    • Since the law didn’t work
    • Since Gentiles had same obstacles as Jews
  • Jews upset by faith doctrine out of envy
    • Those who had not been saved by their words could be saved apart from works
    • Justice was still served if they uncircumsized enjoyed the same blessings as the Jews
  • God is God; no matter who we are
  • Faith established the law – SJC “What was the work the law was to achieve? Why did this work cover everything? It was to make man just and righteous. But the law lacked power to do this. As Paul put it, ‘for all have sinned.” But faith came and succeeded in making man just. For as soon as a man believed, he was also justified. Therefore, faith established the purpose of the law, and it brought to accomplishment that for which the law proposed to do all things. Therefore, faith did not make the law void, but brought it to completion.” (Pg. 124, #42)
    • It was possible to be justified apart from the law
    • law lacked power
    • Faith does not oppose the law

Life Application – Flee from Envy SO THAT you can Love

  • We must be careful to do good. – “We shall show this if we keep watch over our charity, the mother of all blessings, and do so with abundant zeal. This love for our fellow human beings is shown by more than mere words or greetings. It means guarding them and proving itself in deeds. For example, by easing poverty and want, by lending aid to the sick, by rescuing men from dangers, by standing by those in trouble, by weeping with those who mourn, by rejoicing with those who are glad.” (Pg. 124-125, #44)
  • Envy takes away all good acts – “We might find many who accomplish the more irksome tasks but who are remiss when it comes to this rejoicing. Many weep with those who weep but no longer rejoice when others are glad. Instead, they shed tears when others are rejoicing. But this is because they feel malice and envy toward the man who is glad.” (Pg. 125, #45)
  • Envy is worse than all others sins – “Even is someone works miracles; shows himself as a pattern for celibacy, for fasting, for making his bed on the bare ground; and all but outstrips the angels by these virtues, he will be more accursed than all men as long as he is in the grip of the vice of envy. He will be more a breaker of the law than the adulterer, the fornicator, and the robber of tombs.” (Pg. 126, #51)
  • Nothing is worse than an envious soul – “To what, then, could such a soul be compared? To what kind of viper? To what kind of asp? To what kind of worm? To what kind of beetle? For there is nothing more accursed, nothing more pernicious, than a soul of this sort. For envy has subverted churches; it has begotten heresies. It has put weapons in the hands of a brother; it has caused those hands to be dipped in the blood of a just man. It has torn away the laws of nature; it has opened the doors to death. It brought God’s curse into action. It did not allow that miserable man to recalls his mother’s birth pangs, or his parents, or anything else. But it brought him to such a pitch of frenzy and led him to such madness that he did not even give in when God called him and said, ‘To you shall he submit, and you shall rule over him.” (Pg. 128, #57)
  • Christ gave us the law of love to defeat envy – “We shall be set free if we keep in mind how much Christ has loved us and how He commanded us to love one another. How much did Christ love us? He gave His precious blood on our behalf, even though we were His enemies and had done the greatest wrongs to Him. You must also do this to your brother. This is why Christ said, ‘A new commandment I give you, that you love one another just as I have loved you.’ Indeed, the measure of His love did not stop here. For Christ did this on behalf of His enemies. Are you unwilling to shed your blood on your brother’s behalf?” (Pg. 129, #61-62
  • When we give away our goods, we are blessed – “This is the reason we are commanded to give our goods away, namely, so that we may not be deprived of them. For it is just as if someone should give a silver piece to a little child; he bids the child to hold on to it tightly, or to give it to a servant to keep and guard, so that it cannot be snatched away by anyone who wishes to steal it. So it is that God does with us. For Christ is telling us, ‘Give your goods to someone in need so that no one may steal them from you – for example, no calumniator; no devil, no thief; nor, after all the others, death. For as long as you hold on to it yourself, you are not safe in holding on to it. But if you give your goods to Me through the poor, I will guard them all carefully and, at the fitting time, I will restore them to you with an abundant increase.” (Pg. 130-131, #66)
  • Not being charitable comes from not trusting God – “For when we are accused, what shall we be able to say to avoid our own self-destruction? What pretext can we put forward? What defense can we offer? For what reason did you refuse to give? Did you not believe that you would get it back again? How could this make sense? Because Christ has given to one who has given nothing, how much more will He give after He has received.” (Pg. 131, #68)
  • The devil hates charity – “Les us give our possessions to the Father. If the devil sees this happening, he will immediately retreat. Then, when the devil is gone, the Father will give all these goods back to you safe and sound, because the devil cannot cause a disturbance in the world to come.” (Pg. 131, #70)
  • God repays good for good – “Why do you not give to Him who will by all means give to us and who will give back in greater abundance? Perhaps it is because a long time will pass before He repays. However, He surely repays us in this life too. For he is not lying when He says, ‘Seek the kingdom of heaven and all these things shall be given to you besides.’ Do you see His excessive liberality? For he is saying that those goods have been kept and do not become less; these goods on earth I give by way of an increase and addition. But, besides these gifts, the fact that you will not receive the others for a long time is going to make your wealth greater, because the interest increases it.” (pg. 132, #73)
  • God blesses now AND in heaven – “But God has not deprived you of all the blessings of this life. For along with that promise of which I spoke, He made another promise when He said, ‘Everyone who loves the things of heaven will receive a hundredfold in this life and will inherit eternal life.’ If w do not receive the hundredfold,, we are the ones to blame, because we did not not give a loan to Him who can give back so much. For as many as give have received, even though what they give is little.” (pg. 133, #77)
  • Leave your children with virtue rather than wealth – “Let us not consider how we may leave our children rich, but how we may leave them virtuous. For if they put their confidence in their wealth, they will care about nothing else, because they can cover up the wickedness of their ways with the abundance of their riches. But if they see themselves stripped of the comfort that comes from wealth, they will do everything so that they may find for themselves much consolation in poverty, because they are virtuous. Therefore, do not leave them wealth, so that you may leave them virtue.” (pg. 135, #83)
  • Christ has need for us on earth, not heaven – “For if you will not give to Him now, Christ will not ask of you after you leave this life. For it is here on earth that He thirsts; it is here on earth that He hungers. he is thirsty because He thirsts for your salvation. For this is the reason why He begs, this is the reason why he goes about naked; He is working to bring immortal life to you. Therefore, do not ignore him. He does not wish to be nourished, but to nourish; he does not wish to be clothed, but to clothe and to furnish you with that golden garment, the robe of royalty.” (pg. 136, #87)

Send-Off – We cannot gather what we do not sow

Look at the sower of seeds. Consider that he will not be able, in any other way, to gather more if he will not scatter what he has and if he will not give freely of what is ready at hand. And so let us sow our seed and cultivate heaven.