NIPTO, Day 72

Looking at old pictures makes me happy. My sisters and I were really cute kids. I want to scan some pictures and put them on facebook sometime... It's just a matter of when I'll have time to actually do that! I was going to do it yesterday, but I killed the power supply of our scanner... but my dad's amazing and had another power supply. Where does he get these things?!? haha


Oh man. I'm tired this morning... Time to focus on Romans 3! Or at least part of it :)


The first section of Romans 3 is headed "God's Faithfulness." I like that title. Let's see if I still like it after I've read it! haha




Romans 3:1-8


 ¹What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 


<sup>Goooood question! After all that talk about circumcision in chapter 2, it's nice that he addresses what the advantage of being a Jew/being circumcised. 


2</sup>Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.


There is apparently a lot of value in being a Jew/being circumcised. "They have been entrusted with the very words of God." The Jews were the ones who wrote the bible, basically. I don't know if there were any "Gentile" writers (or non-Jews) in the Bible... I'm guessing not. Just because. But I could be wrong. 

 ³What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? ⁴Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written:
   "So that you may be proved right when you speak
      and prevail when you judge."
I like thissss. If someone lacks faith, will their lack of faith cancel out God's faithfulness. NOT AT ALL. Thank goodness. (I smell cinnamon rolls... we don't have any in our house. WEIRD. Maybe it's  candle or something...)
God's always right and we're basically always liars. God will be proven right when he speaks and will prevail when he judges. 


  ⁵But if our unrighteousness brings out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) ⁶Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? 


This is a little bit confusing to me. Paul can be a little bit confusing. 
So he's saying that when we sin, we bring out God's righteousness... so should we say that it's unfair that God is going to judge us for sinning? No. We sin. We still need to be forgiven. If we sinned so that God's righteousness could be revealed, how could he judge the world? 
I think that's what he's trying to say.


⁷Someone might argue, "If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?" 


<sup>Someone's trying to get out of sinning by saying that they were sinning to enhance God's greatness... why are they still condemned? Cuz they sinned. That's why. A sin is a sin no matter what the intentions behind it were. If it's not pleasing to God, it's not pleasing to God. Simple as that.


8</sup>Why not say—as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say—"Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is deserved.


Don't do bad things so that good things will happen. That's not really how it works. So if you were in the church and Paul was writing this to you and you had said that... well, your condemnation is deserved. OOPS. Guess repentance is in the near future. =P




I think that made sense. I don't actually re-read what I write... I just write it and pray that something intelligible comes out... Maybe even something you never realized before! Hope you have a good day. I'm hoping to crank out some ridiculous amounts of school this morning before Urban Vision and Bible Study... 
Long day ahead of me. But God'll see me through it. Hip Hip Hurrah! 
Hmmmm... looking for a video for today... and the song is: To Know Your Name-Hillsong



Enjoy!