QT 17/06/2024 Monday Romans 7. Unity: united in living out the vibrant laws of God. 合一： 团结一致，践行上帝充满活力的法则。
QT 17/06/2024 Monday Romans 7. Unity: united in living out the vibrant laws of God.
READ
http://www.esvbible.org/rom7
LISTEN
https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Romans.7
A believer is released from "the law" if he is one in Christ, just as a married woman is "released" when her husband dies (Rom 7:1-3).
The question is what is "the law"? It is not the law that is praised in the Psalm, e.g. Psa 119:18,165. It is also not the law which Jesus says will not disappear "until all is accomplished" (Matt 5:18).
NO. There seems to be a DIFFERENT definition of law in Romans and Psalms. The law referred to by the Psalmist is good as it encompasses the wisdom and will of God that is practised out of gratitude and reverence in response to what God had done for them in Israel's history - Exodus 20:1-2.
Paul even says that "the law is holy ... and good" (Rom 7:12), the law "is good" (7:16) and "For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being" (7:22).
The "BAD law" is a set of "code" that MUST be followed mindlessly, routinely, heartlessly, emotionlessly in order to EARN salvation. The Jewish religious leaders of the 1st century A.D. and their followers had already received the "expanded" version of God's law in the Old Testament. This expansion consisted of numerous added oral traditions, minute regulations that micro-managed all parts of daily life to the point of NUMBNESS.
To this kind of tradition, Jesus replied, "So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God" Matt 15:6).
The practitioners of this kind of "code" do them for SELF-justification and SELF-elevation. They tend to be PROUD and LOOK DOWN on other believers and CONDEMN them, as in the Roman church.
SPECIFICS: 3 items of this "code" appear in Romans to cause division between the Jews and the Gentiles:-
Food issue - eat all things or only vegetables? (Rom 14:2)
Holy days issue - all days are alike or one day above another? (14:5)
Circumcision - a must for salvation? (Rom 2, 3:1, 4:11).
APPLICATION: Gentiles should not view the Jewish laws as totally useless, in order to make it an excuse for sinning under grace. Jews should not insist on those 3 items to set themselves apart from the Gentiles and reject the Gentiles who are God's people in Christ.
"But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code." (Romans 7:6 ESV)
星期一 2024年6月17日 今日读经：罗马书7章. 合一： 团结一致，践行上帝充满活力的法则。
http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/Rom/7/
听音频罗马书7章
https://www.bible.com/bible/41/rom.7.cnvs
一个信徒如果是在基督里，他就脱离了“律法”的约束，就如一个已婚的妇人，若丈夫死了，她就“脱离”丈夫在律法上的约束(罗7:1-3)。
问题是这“律法”是什么？它不是在诗篇里被赞美的律法，如诗119:18、165。它也不是耶稣所说的律法，一点一画也不会废去，“全部都要成就”(太5:18)。
不。罗马书和诗篇里律法的定义似乎不太一样。诗人所指的律法是好的因为它包含了神的智慧和旨意，是因着神为他们在以色列历史上所作的一切而以感恩和敬虔作为回应--出埃及记20:1-2。
保罗甚至说“律法是圣洁的...是良善的”(罗7:12)，律法“是好的”(7:16)，“按着我里面的人来说，我是喜欢 神的律”(7:22)。
那“坏律法”是一套“法规”，是必须盲目地、照常规地、绝情地、毫无感情地跟从，以赚取救恩。公元前第一世纪犹太人的宗教领袖和他们的跟随者早已得到旧约里神的律法的“延伸”版。这个延伸的部分包括好几个增加的口述传统、一些微小的条规，这些条规都把日常生活的每个部分都管得死死的，以致到了麻木的地步。
对于这样的传统，耶稣回答，“你们因为你们的传统，就废弃了 神的话”(太15:6)。
遵守这样的“法规”的人正陷入了自我称义和自我提升当中。他们往往骄傲且瞧不起其他信徒，还谴责他们，就如在罗马教会一样。
具体的来说：这套“法规”里的3件事出现在罗马书，制造了犹太人和外族人的分裂:-
饮食的问题- 所有的食物都可以吃或是只能吃青菜？(罗14:2)
圣洁之日的问题-- 这日比那日好，还是日日都是一样？(14:5)
割礼--得救非得割礼吗？(罗2,3:1,4:11)。
应用：外族人不应该把犹太人的律法看为是完全无用的，以致用它作为在恩典下犯罪的借口。犹太人也不应该坚持这3个项目，借着它们来与外族人分别出来，并且拒绝在耶稣基督里的外族人。
“但现在，我们既然向那捆绑我们的律法死了，就脱离了律法的约束，好让我们用心灵的新样子，而不用仪文的旧方式来服事主。”(罗7:6)
