Who Are You Reading the Bible for?

In the first century church, gentiles were far more likely to have come from what we would describe today as an “unchurched” background, i.e., a background without any kind of foundation in Biblical faith. For every God-fearing Cornelius (cf. Acts 10:1-2), there seem to have been countless more like the Corinthians who, prior to being “washed… sanctified… [and] justified” by Jesus were “fornicators… idolators… adulterers… homosexuals… sodomites… thieves… covetous… drunkards… revilers… [or] extortioners” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Jews on the other hand were far more likely to have been “instructed out of the law” (Romans 2:18) and to have come to Jesus from a position of faith in God and in the Old Testament Scriptures.

With that in mind, you can almost imagine the way some first century Jewish Christians might have reacted the first time they heard the material recorded in Romans 1, a chapter which enumerates the many sins of the Gentile world. Knowing nods and hearty amens might have come forth as they heard the chapter conclude, “who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:32). It may have caught some of those Jews off guard when Paul then said, “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things” (Romans 2:1).

Just as Romans 1 had done with the Gentile world, Romans 2 outlines the sins of the first century Jewish world as it existed without Jesus and His Gospel. While people in the Jewish world were not typically guilty of the same sins as their gentile counterparts, they were still guilty: of hypocritical judgment (Romans 2:2-3) and of practices (Romans 2:21-23) that were inconsistent with the Law that they felt themselves to be equipped to teach (Romans 2:20). They needed Jesus just as much as the Gentiles did.

How was it that people to whom were “committed the oracles of God” (Romans 3:2) found themselves unaware of how much they needed Jesus? After all, the law was supposed to be like a “tutor” to bring people “to Christ” (Galatians 3:24). Well, it seems to have been related to the way they read their Bibles. In Romans 3:10-18, Paul draws a series of quotes from the Old Testament (Psalm 5:9; 10:7; 36:1; 14:1-3; 140:3; Isaiah 59:7). These passages constantly reference “they,” “them,” “those,” and “his.” It is very possible that some of those who read these verses heard all of those third person pronouns and said, “Thank God this is not about me.”

After quoting from all of those passages in Romans 3, Paul says this: “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law” (Romans 3:19). This implies something very true and very powerful: God never intended for me to read the Bible solely so that I could think of the implications of Biblical teachings and truths for others. No, He intended for me to apply the words first to myself.

Whether it’s the Old Testament or the New Testament, the laws of God do a fantastic job of providing us with “the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). We should never react to receiving this knowledge though by opening our mouth to discuss everyone else who could benefit from this teaching or to discuss why it does not apply to us. No, only one response is appropriate: “that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Romans 3:19).

Praise be to God that while the Old Law had no final solution to that guilt (Hebrews 10:1-4), the “righteousness of God” apart from that Law “is revealed… through faith in Jesus Christ” (Romans 3:21-22). Please remember though that as you read Jesus’ Law, “the Law of faith” (Romans 3:27), that just like the Old Law, it was not written for someone else. It was written for you and for me. It is impossible for Jesus to make you righteous if you already believe that you are. As Jesus said, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Matthew 9:13; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:32).

-Patrick Swayne  
patrick@tftw.org