It was such a beautiful day here in Pohang. The sun seemed to shine even brighter after sharing time over lunch with my TA, Seung-Hee, and another old student, Yoon-Jung. (Both were my grammar practice students last semester.)

Romans: Bible Study 6

Lesson 6: The Dangers of Religion (Part 2)
Correct Thinking about PRIVILEGE:
In our previous discussion about the main point of circumcision, is there any advantage in being a Jew? _________________
Then what's the use of being a Jew? Are there any special benefits for them from God? Is there any value in the Jewish circumcision ceremony? Yes, being a Jew has many advantages. First of all, God trusted them with his laws, so they could know and do his will. (Romans 3:1-2)
What might be a negative tendency of people who are privileged? _______
As we all know, the British people often scrutinize the royal family. On the occasion of Queen Elizabeth's (Queen Mother) birthday, there was a surprising outpouring of love and affection for the Queen Mother. The news commentators couldn't help but notice and remark about the overwhelming public display.
Can you explain? ______
The Queen Mother viewed her position as a platform for service. Her commitment to this attitude was obvious. In 25 years, she didn't miss a single engagement, even though at times she was ill.
What point are we making as it relates to the Jewish people and to Christians today? _____
Religious people must always struggle with:
1. Disregarding the importance of privilege
2. Exaggerating their own importance
The Jewish nation had many advantages:
-They were entrusted with God's laws
-They were the race through whom the Messiah would come to earth
-They were the beneficiaries of covenants with God Himself
These privileges did not make the Jews better than anyone else. All of us - pagan Gentiles, humanitarians, or religious people - are condemned by our own actions. The law, which God gave to show the way to live, holds up our evil deeds to public view. The law condemns us, but the law is not the basis of our hope. God is the basis of our hope. We receive our salvation and eternal life not through the law but through the faith in Jesus Christ.
Pagans and pietist alike must come to Christ.
Yes, being a Jew has many advantages. First of all, God trusted them with his laws, so that they could know and do his will. True, some of them were unfaithful, but just because they broke their promises to God, does that mean God will break his promises? Of course not! Though everyone else in the world is a liar, God is not. Do you remember what the book of Psalms says about this? That God's words will always prove true and right, no matter who questions them. "But", some say, "our breaking faith with God is good, our sins serve a good purpose, for people will notice how good God is when they see ho bad we are. Is it fair, then, for him to punish us when our sins are helping him?" (That is the way some people talk.) God forbid! Then what kind of God would he be, to overlook sin? How could he ever condemn anyone? For he could not judge and condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty brought him glory by pointing up his honesty in contrast to my lies. If you follow through with that idea you come to this. The worse we are, the better God likes it! But the damnation of those who say such things is just. Yet some claim that this is what I preach! (Romans 3:2-8)
All Together Now:
The Christmas spirit is a strange phenomenon. Every year for a brief period of time people seem to be overcome with a sense of cooperation not in evidence for the rest of the year. For a few days an almost surrealistic air of "togetherness" prevails.
All Under Sin:
Well, then are we Jews better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all men alike are sinners, whether Jews or Gentiles. As the Scriptures say, "No one is good - no one in all the world is innocent." No one has ever really followed God's paths, or even truly wanted to. Every one has turned away; all have gone wrong. No one anywhere has kept on doing what is right, not one. Their talk is foul and filthy like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are loaded with lies. Everything they say has in it the sting and poison of deadly snakes. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. They are quick to kill, hating anyone who disagrees with them. Wherever they go they leave misery and trouble behind them, and they have never known what it is to feel secure or enjoy God's blessing. They care nothing about God nor what he thinks of them. (Romans 3:9-18)
"Under"-As a student is "under" a school teacher...to be dominated by...under the authority of..
What is the difference between 1. "sin"? 2. "sins"?
"sin"-We are dominated by an evil dynamic
"sins"-doing things that are not right
Disease vs. Symptoms
We will remember from the first chapter of Romans that "the righteousness of God" is the theme of Paul's letter. God is always in the right and God himself is the only criterion of rightness. As there is only one magnetic North on a compass, all other standards of righteousness must be determined with reference to Him.
"There is none righteous, no not one." Compare to the points on a compass.
"There is none who understands." Without exception, the thought processes of men and women are so affected by sin that there will always be some degree of deficiency in their grasp of the truth as it is to be found only in the knowledge of God. This naturally leads to confusion.
Politicians-inadequate political solutions
Sociologists-confusion causes errors in his sociology
"There is none who seeks after God."
Discuss the difference between: 1. a desire to know God..."seek and you will find" 2. "Thou shalt find him, if thou seek him, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul."
AGREE or DISAGREE: Man does not naturally engage in seeking with all his heart and soul.
Sin has left man with a warped will and a confused mind.
"They have all gone out of their way." When the tires of a car are out of alignment, it will have the tendency to steer right or left. Man with his sin-dominated mind and will has a natural tendency to move from God's path. The human race has a bent to evil and a bias to disobedience.
"unprofitable" "turning sour" "uselessness"
As a wineskin that rots becomes useless. As meat that spoils. As a salt that loses its flavor.
Mankind is pitiful in its deteriorated and disintegrated uselessness.
"There is none who does good (habitually)."
How do we explain man's innumerable acts of courage, evidences of sacrificial love, creative genius, actions of compassion and concern? _________
Goodness is the essence of God's nature, not a product of man's activity.
There is not a human being who has habitually produced a life characterized by undeviating commitment to righteousness and unadulterated goodness. No, not one.
Paul uses the human voice as an allegory to illustrated human sinfulness.
"Their throat is an open tomb." The inner realities of the human experience produces only rotting bones and flesh.
"With their tongues they have practiced deceit." Humans are designed for deception.
"The poison of asps is under their lips." A sinful heart is capable of speaking poisonous words that produce destruction.
"Mouth is full of cursing and bitterness."
Paul uses the eyes and feet as an allegory to illustrate human sinfulness.
"Their feet are swift to shed blood."
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."
AGREE or DISAGREE: All characteristics of sin, as listed in the previous verses, are in evidence in every life.
Godet: Some, even most of them, may remain latent in many men: but they all exist in germ in the selfishness and natural pride of the ego, and the least circumstance may cause them to pass into the active state.
All Under Law
So the judgment of God lies very heavily upon the Jews for they are responsible to keep God's laws instead of doing all these evil things; not one of them has any excuse; in fact, all the world stands hushed and guilty before Almighty God. Now do you see it? No one can ever be made right in God's sight by doing what the law commands. For the more we know of God's laws, the clearer it becomes that we aren't obeying them; his laws serve only to make us see that we are sinners. (Romans 3:19-20)
Who is under the law? ________
Who is under sin? _______
The solidarity of the human race is to be seen not only in its common bondage to sin but its common guilt before the law of God.
All Under Pressure
When man realizes that efforts to please God through self-attempts are bound to fail, he then comes under intense pressure to find the means whereby man might be reconciled to God. Jews and Gentiles are totally united in their need for salvation.

Odonchimeg (cherished exchange student from Mongolia) and Jihae (who is a volunteer helper in the upcoming APEC meeting in Pusan...) went to a lot of trouble preparing an "r sound" vocabulary word match game for their presentation. God has truly blessed me with the chance to meet so many interesting people!

Ji-Sun and Eun-Mi from one of my Pronunciation Clinic classes presented "the M sound" today. And in case you didn't know it, "Minnie is well known as Mickey's girlfriend!"

Introduction to Doctrine 3 - Double Verilies

"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not." (John 21:18)

Twenty-five times in the Gospel of John, Jesus uses the expression Verily, verily to introduce a concept the hearer might have difficulty believing. This intensive expression emphasized that what was stated was true just as God is true. In the Old Testament, a person who might be doubted would use such an expression to insist that he was telling the truth (Num. 5:22)
Illustration: In the New Testament, Peter confessed that he found some of Paul's epistles hard to understand; nevertheless he accepted them with the other Scriptures (2 Pet. 3:15, 16).
Application: When a Christian approaches his Bible, he should do so with a commitment to believe the whole Word of God and not just part of it.