ADDRESSES ON ROMANS
Again, after enlarging upon this free gift of salvation in verses 9 and 10, Paul quotes two other Old Testament proph~ ets, who set forth the only way to eternal life-either in Old Testament times or since Calvary's cross-by faith, and by faith alone. In verse 11 he quotes Isa. 28: 16; 49: 23, "Who~ soever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." And in verse 13 he tells us what Joel said hundreds of years before Christ came, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Joel 2:32). Do you see, my friend, how convincingly the inspired writer argues the case? There is nothing else that can be said to the orthodox Jew, for he claims to believe the Old Testa- ment Scriptures, and they clearly teach "righteousness which is by faith." But let us go back now to look yet more closely at these words of Israel's prophets. Let us read again verse 5, "For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them." Paul here reiterates what God had said through Moses hundreds of years previously, that one must keep the law, if he holds ยท it up as his standard. The Lord Jesus emphasized this when He was on earth. You remember that the rich young ruler went to Him, asking, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 18: 18). Christ told him what the law demanded, the keeping of the command- ments. By this our Lord meant that, if he came on the ground of doing, he must do what the law commanded. The rich young ruler answered Christ, saying. "All these have I kept from my youth up." Then in order to prove to the young man how self ~deceived he was, Christ told him to sell all that he had and give it to the poor. If the rich young ruler had loved God with all his heart and his neighbor as himself-which is the whole law-he would have willingly obeyed this injunc~ tion. But he went away sorrowful, yet with the added convic- tion that the righteousness of the law was not his. In this, at least, he had fallen short of God's holy standard. [Page 197
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online