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  • From: "George Athas" <gathas AT ausisp.com>
  • To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: All under sin (Rom 3:19)
  • Date: Sun, 7 Oct 2001 22:56:51 +1000


I think both both Billy and Moon have slightly misunderstood me in regards to
Rom 3:19.
Yes, Paul does his make case against the sinful barbarians in ch1 and their
behaviour is
enough to indict them. However, in addition to the 'natural' indictment
against the
barbarians, the failure of Jews to observe the Law dimmed the beacon to the
Gentiles as
described in Deut 4. The Law was not given for the purpose of indicting the
Gentiles; it
was given to indict the Jews. However, in the indictment of the Jews - the
chosen race -
we also see the indictment of Gentiles who have no law. If we delve back into
the Torah,
we will see how the law and the observance of it by Israel was meant to bring
Gentiles to
Yahweh.


Let me give an illustration as to what I'm saying:

The Gentile is speeding at 150 km/h down the road, but he has no speed sign
to tell him
how fast he should be going -- but he knows he's going too fast. The Jew,
driving in the
lane beside him, has seen the speed sign telling him to do 60 km/h. He knows,
though, that
he is driving at 150 km/h -- way over the known limit. The speed sign
condemns the Jew who
has seen the speed limit. The speed sign also condemns the Gentile, even
though the
Gentile hasn't seen the sign. Both drivers are photographed on the speed
camera. Instead
of the Jew slowing to conform with the law, he keeps driving 150 km/h and so
fails to
demonstrate the correct speed to the Gentile. He knows he should slow to 60
km/h, but
doesn't.

Now, when the Jew and Gentile become believers, they are called to slow down.
I think Paul
is saying that the Jew now believes he is a better driver than the Gentile
and because he
knows the speed limit, thinks he is better off than the Gentile. But, says
Paul in
2:12-29, the Gentile who realises how fast and recklessly he is driving, and
so starts to
slow down (even though he still might not know the speed limit) is more
righteous than the
Jew who keeps speeding. The advantage in being a Jew is that he knows the
limit and how he
should drive, but the true Jew -- the better driver -- is the one who
actually slows down.

Best regards,

GEORGE ATHAS
(Sydney, Australia)






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