Romans 2 Mere Christianity

The origin of the Roman Church is historically obscure. There is no indication when or by whom the church in Rome was founded. Scholars theorize the founders were part of the Diaspora (Acts 8). This church already had a worldwide reputation by the time of Paul's writing (1:8). Because Paul had been unable to visit the church, he writes a letter stating his intentions (1:13-15).
There is no doubt; the author of Romans is Paul. He clearly states this in the opening verse, and the style and content is identical to Paul's other letters. His primary theme is the gospel; God's plan of salvation; and righteousness for all mankind, Jew and Gentile alike (1:16-17). Scholars also agree upon the date and place of authorship, believing Paul wrote this letter while in Corrinth (Acts 20), between A.D. 55 and 58.
In Romans 2, Paul explains that both Jews and Gentiles need the gospel—everyone needs to be rescued from the condemnation that they rightly deserve. Although some Jews claimed to have an advantage in salvation, Paul
explains that Jews are not immune to sin, and they are not immune to judgment. Everyone is saved in the same way. How do people become right with God? Paul explains it in chapter 3—but first he has to answer some objections.
Paul had preached in many cities, and he knew how people responded to his message. Jewish people often responded with this objection: "We are God's chosen people. We must have some sort of advantage, but you are saying that we are condemned on the same basis as everyone else." So Paul asks, What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? (3:1). What is the point of being a Jew? Paul answers in verse 2: Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God. The Jews have the Scriptures. That is an advantage, but there is a downside to it—those who sin under the law will be judged by the law (2:12). The law that reveals God to the Jews, also sentences them to God's punishment.
In chapter 3, Paul's goal is not to explain how special the Jews are, but to explain that they, just like everybody else, need to be saved through Jesus Christ. He is not going to elaborate on their privileges until he has explained their need for salvation—they have not kept the law that they boast about. In his book, Evangelical Repentance, John Colqhoun writes:
Justification, considered as an immanent act of God, or as the eternal and unchangeable will of God to justify His elect upon the ground of a righteousness fulfilled by Christ and imputed to them, has been by judicious divines called active justification (Witsius, The Economy of the Covenants, Book 2, Chap. 7). But justification, viewed as terminating on the persons and in the consciences of believers, has been styled passive justification. The former precedes both the principle and the first acting of true repentance. The latter takes place after regeneration, when the principle of repentance takes root in the soul but before that repentance is actually exercised. This last is the justification, which is often mentioned in Scripture as the privilege of believers, and which is brought to pass by the instrumentality of faith (Rom 3:28; Gal 2:16). It is justification in this sense only that I am to consider, in its connection with the exercise of true repentance.
So Paul asks: What if some Jewish people were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God's faithfulness? (3:3).

Will the fact that some Jews sinned by being unfaithful cause God to back out of his promises?
Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar he says in verse 4. God is always true to his word, and although we are unfaithful, he is not. He will not let our actions turn him into a liar. He created humans for a reason, and even if we all fall short of what he wants, his plan will succeed. God chose the Jews as his people, and they fell short, but God has a way to solve the problem—and the good news is that the rescue plan applies not only to Jews, but also to everyone who falls short. God is more than faithful.
Paul then quotes a scripture about God being true: As it is written: "So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge". This is quoted from Ps. 51:4, where David says that if God punishes him, it is because God is right. When God judges us guilty, then it is because we are guilty. He is right and faithful even when he punishes people. His covenant said he would punish sin, so a threat of punishment on the Day of Judgment is not a betrayal, but a matter of faithfulness.
Paul deals with another objection in verse 5: But 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.) Here is the argument: If we sin, we give God an opportunity to show that he is right. We are doing God a favor, so he should not punish us. It is a silly argument, but Paul deals with it. Is God unjust? Certainly not! He says in verse 6. If that were so, how could God judge the world? God has promised to judge the world, which means that he is right in doing so.
Paul paraphrases the argument a little in verse 7: Someone might argue, "If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?" If my sin shows how good God is, why should he punish me? In verse 8 Paul gives another version of the argument: 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"? Paul stops dealing with the argument and repeats his conclusion by saying their condemnation is just! They are condemned, and rightly so. Sin (including that slander) deserves to be punished.
In verse 9, Paul returns to his discussion: What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Are we Jews better than others, or even better than people who spread lies about the gospel? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. Jews are not any better, and have no advantage, because we are all sinners. When it comes to God's judgment, we are all justly condemned. God does not play favorites, and he does not give salvation advantages to anyone.
In a rapid-fire conclusion, Paul quotes in verses 10 to 18 a series of scriptures to support his point that everyone is a sinner. These verses mention various body parts: mind, mouth, throat, tongue, lips, feet and eyes. The picture is that people are thoroughly evil. There is no one righteous, not even one. Ecclesiastes. 7:20.
There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one [Ps. 14:1-3; 53:1-3]. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit [Ps. 5:9]. The poison of vipers is on their lips [Ps. 140:3]. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness [Ps. 10:7]. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know [Isaiah 57:8-9]. There is no fear of God before their eyes [Ps. 36:1].
Those scriptures are true about Gentiles, some Jews might say, but not about us. So Paul answers them in verse 19: Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law. In other words, all these Scriptures (the law in a larger sense) apply to people who are under the law—the Jews. They are wicked. Gentiles are wicked, too, but Paul doesn't have to prove that—his audience already knew it.
Why do the scriptures apply to the Jews? So that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Everyone must stand before the judgment seat of God, and the result is in verse 20: Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law. By the standard of the law, we all fall short.
What does the law do instead? Paul says rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. The law sets a standard of righteousness, but because we sin, the law can never tell us that we are righteous. It tells us that we are sinners. According to the law, we are guilty and condemned.
Paul introduces the good news in verse 21 with the important words "But now." He's making a contrast: We can't be declared righteous by the law, but there is a way that we can be declared righteous: But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. Here Paul gets back to what he announced in Romans 1:17, that the gospel reveals a righteousness from God.
Since we are sinners, we cannot be declared righteous by observing the law. Therefore, it must be through some other means. God will declare us righteous in a way apart from the law. Although the law does not make us righteous, it gives evidence about another means of righteousness: This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile (3:22). We can be accounted righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. This pathway to righteousness gives no advantage to the Jew—all who believe are counted righteous in the same way.
In his book Justification Before God (Not By Faith), W. E. Best writes:

The righteousness of God is through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ who is the object of saving faith. The context of Romans 3:22—"Even the righteousness of God which is by [dia, which means through] faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe [present active participle of pisteuo, which means believing]: for there is no difference"—proves the faith of Jesus Christ is subjective. The verse may be translated, "Even the righteousness of God through faith of Jesus Christ unto all believing."

An analogy to the righteousness of God being through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ in Paul's terminology is, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Rom. 1:16). The gospel being the power of God "unto salvation" proves the gospel does not come to mankind in general to inform them of a new objective state of affairs. It invades the elect in the same manner as the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ invades the elect (Rom. 3:22).
There is no difference, Paul says, for all have sinned—both Jews and Gentiles have sinned—and [everyone] falls short of the glory of God. By the law, we all fall short, and we all fail to achieve the salvation that God has designed for us. However, our weakness will not stop God's plan!
All are justified [declared righteous] freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (v. 24). Because of what Jesus did, we can be made right by God's grace. We are not made sinless and perfect, but in the courtroom of God, we are declared righteous instead of guilty. Whether we feel forgiven or not, we are forgiven if we have faith in Christ.
What permits God to change the verdict? Jesus has paid a price to rescue us from slavery. He has bought us back; that is what "redemption" means. That is one way to look at it, in financial terms. Courtroom terms have also been used, and in the next verse Paul uses words from Jewish worship:
God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. God himself provided the payment, the sacrifice that sets aside our sin. For "atonement," Paul uses the Greek word hilasterion, the word used for the mercy seat on top of the Ark of the Covenant, where Israel's sins were atoned every year on the Day of Atonement.
God, because of his love and mercy, provided Jesus as the means by which we can escape the punishment he says is appropriate for sin. We receive that atonement through faith; we believe that his death did something that allows us to be saved. Paul is talking about three aspects of salvation: The cause of our salvation is what Jesus did; the means by which it is offered to us is grace; and the way we receive it is faith.
God provided Jesus as a sacrifice, verse 25 says, to demonstrate his justice—to show that he is righteous and fair—because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished. Normally, a judge who let criminals go free would be called unjust (Ex. 23:7; Deut. 25:1). Isn't this what God is doing? However, God is not unjust when he justifies the wicked because he has provided Jesus as a sacrifice. He is within his legal rights, to use a human analogy, in letting people escape punishment because those sins have already been punished in the death of Jesus Christ. Even for those who lived before Christ, the payment was as good as done. In one sense, that applies to everyone, to the whole world. However, it applies in a fuller sense to those who trust in Christ. When we are united with him in faith, then we have died with him, and we have suffered the penalty that our sins deserved (6:5-6).
God is not contradicting himself, giving one definition of justice to humans while he uses a different definition.
When he says that sin deserves punishment, and then he doesn't punish, he is not being inconsistent. He can do this without self-contradiction because he has punished sin, that is, in Jesus Christ. He does not condone sin—he punishes it—and in mercy, he pays the penalty for us. Jesus shows us both the justice and the grace of God.
Romans 3:26 says that God did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. In the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God demonstrates that he is just even when he declares sinners to be just.
Galatians is Paul's manifesto of freedom to the young church that he started in Asia Minor (Turkey). Paul communicates plainly that Christianity, with its emphasis on faith in Christ, is antithetical to religion which approaches God based on good
works.
Paul argues strongly in this letter that there is nothing that can be added to Jesus' sacrifice for our sin, not circumcision or any other external religious forms. The gospel according to Paul means faith in Jesus Christ plus nothing.
Galatians was written in 48-49 AD just before the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) at a time of crisis. First century Christians were wrestling with what it meant to be a Christian in a non-Jewish context. "What is Christianity? Does one have to be a Jew in order to be a Christian?" In the book of Galatians, Paul defines the gospel as given to him by Jesus Christ. It is this message of faith in Jesus Christ alone that found a warm reception among so many non-Jews and set the course for Christianity to change the world.
How could anyone believe it? How could the people taught by Paul himself go so quickly astray into false doctrines? Paul, who had seen many things in his ministry, was flabbergasted. He was aghast that the people were being persuaded by such a foolish idea. He wrote a strongly worded letter to stop this nonsense!
Paul writes in Galatians 3, starting in verse 1: "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified."(ESV).
Here's the starting point, Paul says: Jesus Christ has been crucified, this is the foundation on which we build. His crucifixion changes everything, as Paul will explain.
"I would like to learn just one thing from you," Paul writes. "Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?" (v. 2). Obviously, they received the Spirit through faith, by accepting what they heard. This is another foundational point. Paul was astounded that the Galatians did not see the consequences of their experience with the Spirit.
"Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" (v. 3). The Galatian Christians were apparently being taught that they needed to add the Law to their faith. False teachers were saying that they needed to progress further in the faith by observing the Torah. They were teaching circumcision and the entire Law of Moses (Gal. 5:2-3; Acts 15:5).
Paul says this is a ridiculous idea--if a person is given the Holy Spirit on the basis of faith, without deserving this gift, then Christianity is based on faith, and there is no place for works as far as salvation is concerned. (Paul will later comment on how Christians should behave in response to Christ's work, but here he makes it clear that salvation is on the foundation of faith in what Christ has done.) Our goal cannot be attained by human effort, and that is why Jesus died on the cross. Whatever work had to be done, he did on the cross. That is our foundation.
Paul asks, "Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?" (3:5). The people had seen miracles in their midst, and it was based on faith, not of works of the Law. In The Common Principles of the Christian Religion, Hugh Binning writes:
Therefore the Gospel opens the door of salvation in Christ, the law is behind us with fire and sword, and destruction pursuing us; and all for this end, that sinners may come to him and have life. Thus the law is made the pedagogue of the soul to lead to Christ; Christ is behind us, cursing, condemning, threatening us, and he is before with stretched-out arms ready to receive us, bless us, and save us, inviting, promising, exhorting to have life. Christ is on Mount Sinai, delivering the law with thunders, Acts 7.38; and he is on the Mount Zion, in the calm voice; he is both upon the mountain of cursings and blessings, and on both doing the part of a mediator,

Paul quotes from the Torah itself. "Consider Abraham," he said, quoting from Genesis 15:6: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Paul concludes, "Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham" (3:6-7). Paul's point is that even in the Old Testament, a right relationship with God came through faith. Abraham was accounted righteous because of faith, not because of his obedience. If we have faith, then we are accepted just as Abraham was.
Can non-Jewish people really have a relationship with God on that kind of basis? Yes, says Paul, and he again quotes the Torah: "The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: `All nations will be blessed through you' " (v. 8). The Torah says that non-Jews will be blessed through Abraham--and that blessing is by faith, not by the Law. Abraham did not need to be given the Law of Moses, and his spiritual followers do not need it, either.
Paul concludes, "Those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith" (v. 9). God's blessing is by faith. The Law brings penalties, not blessing. "All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: `Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law' " (v. 10). The Law is not a way to earn favor with God. It functions in the reverse way, since we all fall short of its demands. If we think we have to observe the Torah, if we want to be under the Law, we will be under its condemnation.
"No one is justified before God by the law, because, `The righteous will live by faith.' The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, `The man who does these things will live by them' " (vv. 11-12). Paul is contrasting faith and law. Righteous people should live by faith (Hab. 2:4), but the Law is based on performance (Lev. 18:5). The Law emphasizes human effort, but salvation is given by grace through faith in what Jesus has done.
Law keeping cannot earn us God's favor. If we look to it, it can bring only a curse, since we all fall short. However, even in the curse, there is good news--in the crucifixion of Christ: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: `Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree' " (v. 13, quoting Deut. 21:23). The Law demanded a penalty for law breaking, and Jesus Christ paid the worst penalty of the Law.
Paul is using several lines of reasoning to show that Christians are not under the authority of the Law of Moses; we are not obligated to obey it. Not only is the law ineffective, bringing a curse rather than a blessing, Jesus has also paid its worst penalty. His crucifixion gives Paul the basis for saying that Christians are not under the Law.
"He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit" (v. 14). The blessing is by faith as opposed to the Law. Paul then argues from another angle, using the example of a contract. "Let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case" (v. 15).
Paul is talking about God's promise to Abraham, which includes being accounted righteous by faith. Paul writes, "The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say `and to seeds,' meaning many people, but ‘and to your seed,' meaning one person, who is Christ" (v. 16).
Here Paul notes that the word seed is singular. Although the singular word can be used for many seeds, Paul is saying that this scripture finds its fulfillment most perfectly in one Seed, Jesus Christ. It is through him that gentiles can become part of Abraham's descendants (v. 29).
"The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise" (v. 17). What law is Paul talking about? He means the law given 430 years after Abraham--the Law of Moses. The laws that came through Moses cannot change the fact that God accepts people as righteous based on faith, not by human efforts.
Paul then reasons, "For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise" (v. 18). Either it is one way or the other--either by laws and works or by faith and gift. Paul does not try to combine the two. Rather, he is saying they cannot be combined.
Why did God give the law? Paul answers: "It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come" (v. 19). Were laws added because the people were already breaking them or were they added so that people could see more clearly that they were sinners? Either way, the Law of Moses was added for only a certain length of time--until Christ came. After that, the Law of Moses became obsolete. "Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law" (v. 21). The Law did not nullify the promise of salvation by faith, for it was not designed as another means of salvation. If there were any way possible for laws to bring us right standing with God, then God would have given us those laws, but the Law of Moses is not designed to give us eternal life.
People who think they can improve their standing with God through the Law are misunderstanding its purpose and are not accepting the biblical evidence that salvation is simply by faith, without any role for human efforts. We receive the Spirit by faith and are counted righteous by faith, without any need to add the Law of Moses.
The Law cannot give life, because we all fall short of what it requires. "The Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe" (v. 22). Instead of giving life, the Law prescribes penalties, and the result is that the promise of salvation can come only through God's grace. The Law makes it clear that we all fall short and need the salvation that Jesus offers by faith.
Before faith in Christ came, "we [the Jewish people] were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed" (v. 23). The Jews were under the restrictions of the law, under its temporary jurisdiction or custody. "So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith" (v. 24). The law had authority from Moses until Christ. It showed that humans are prisoners of sin, unable to save themselves through human effort. It showed that salvation could be received only through faith, not by law.
Now that the Law of Moses has fulfilled its purpose, it has become obsolete: "Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law" (v. 25). The Torah does not have authority over us. It is not a way to get right with God. It is not a way to enter his kingdom nor a way to stay in his kingdom nor a way to improve our standing with God.
Because of Jesus' crucifixion, our relationship with God depends entirely on faith. "You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (v. 26). In the last section of Romans 3, Paul declares that the gospel of salvation announces a righteousness from God, a righteousness that "is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe" (3:22). This righteousness is given to all who believe in Jesus—in other words, believers are justified or saved by faith in Jesus Christ, not by observing the law (3:28).
Some people would object: Paul, are you saying that the law is wrong? Paul answers: "Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law" (3:31). The law does not contradict the gospel, and the gospel does not contradict the Old Testament. Paul began this section by saying the Law and the Prophets testify to this gift of righteousness (3:21). He began the entire letter by saying that his gospel had been promised in the Scriptures (1:2).
The law was designed to lead people to the gospel, and the gospel does not nullify the law in the same way that the Messiah does not nullify the prophecies that predicted his coming. Rather, he fulfills them. Similarly, the gospel fulfills the law, brings it to completion, and accomplishes what the law could only point at.
Paul then illustrates this with an example from the Old Testament. The patriarch Abraham is a great example of what Paul is saying—that salvation is given on the basis of faith, not through the law. In Romans 4, Paul elaborates on the meaning of both justification and faith. He asks in verse 1, What then shall we say that Abraham, the forefather of us Jews, discovered in this matter?
He sharpens the focus of the question by saying, If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God (v. 2). If Abraham was considered righteous because of his works, he would have something he could brag about, even though it would not put him anywhere near to God.
Paul has already said that boasting is excluded (3:27). He is contrasting two approaches to righteousness—one based on what people do and can take credit for, and one that depends on faith, which they cannot brag about but merely accept with thanks. What kind of righteousness did Abraham have?
Paul finds an answer in the Law: What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness" (4:3, quoting from Gen. 15:6). Abraham's belief was counted as righteousness. The patriarch, representing the entire nation (and even the world), was declared to be righteous not on the basis of what he did, but on the basis of believing God's promise.
Paul then begins to reason what this means. He builds the contrast between works and faith: Now to anyone who works, their wages are not credited to them as a gift, but as an obligation (v. 4). Abraham was given his status—if he had earned it through good works, then God would not have to credit his faith as righteousness. Some Jews thought that Abraham was perfect in his behavior, and God was obligated to count him righteous, but Paul is saying that, according to the Scriptures, Abraham had to be counted righteous on the basis of faith. Paul then says, However, to anyone who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, their faith is credited as righteousness (v. 5). Paul is increasing the contrast—he is not talking about someone who works and has faith, but someone who believes but does not work. Of course, works normally follow faith. But at this point in the story, Abraham had only faith, and no works. He trusted God, and his faith was credited as righteousness.
Paul increases the contrast again by saying that God justifies the wicked. He is using a strong word, one not normally associated with Abraham. But Jews had only two categories of people: the righteous and the wicked. If God had to intervene in order for Abraham to be counted as righteous, then that meant that he was not righteous beforehand, and he had been in the category of the wicked.
God does not need to rescue the righteous. He saves the wicked; there is no point in saving people who aren't in any danger. Abraham was a sinner, but because of his faith, he is now counted as righteous. Paul will return to the example of Abraham in a few verses. But at this point he gives more evidence from the Old Testament that God can count the wicked as righteous. Paul uses Psalm 32, written by David, another highly respected patriarch of the Jewish people: David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of those to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed are those whose sin the Lord will never count against them" (4:6-8).
David talks about someone who had sins, who would have to be counted wicked if judged by works, but who had all their sins forgiven. David didn't mention faith here, but he is talking about a person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works. There is a way to be right with God that doesn't depend on perfect behavior. The sins are not counted against us, but faith is counted in our favor.
Paul then returns to the example of Abraham, asking, Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? (v. 9). Is the blessing of forgiveness available only to Jews, or also to Gentiles? Can Gentiles be counted among the righteous? We have been saying, he reminds them, that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! (vv. 9-10).
Abraham was circumcised in Genesis 17. So in Genesis 15 (which is 14 years earlier), when his faith was counted as righteousness, he was not circumcised. Not only was Abraham credited with being righteous apart from works in general, he was counted as righteous apart from Jewish works in particular.
Therefore, a person doesn't have to become Jewish in order to be saved. They don't have to become circumcised, or keep the laws that distinguished Jews from Gentiles, because Abraham was a Gentile when he was counted as righteous. Abraham shows that God doesn't mind calling sinners righteous, and he doesn't require circumcision, or the laws of Moses.
Abraham received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised (v. 11). Abraham became circumcised later, but that doesn't prove that we also need to become circumcised after we come to faith. Circumcision was simply a sign of the righteousness that he already had. That didn't add anything to his righteousness and didn't change his category.
So then, Paul concludes, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. Abraham is the father of all the Gentiles who believe. He set the precedent for an uncircumcised person being counted as righteous.
He is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised (v. 12). As Paul has already argued, a person is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly (2:28). To truly belong to the people of God, a person must be changed in the heart, not necessarily in the flesh. If Jewish people want to be counted among the people of God, they need to have faith—the same kind of faith that Abraham had before he was circumcised.
The basis of salvation is faith, not flesh. Gentiles do not need to copy Jews in order to be saved. Instead, Jews need to copy a Gentile—that is, Abraham, before he was circumcised. We all need to copy the Gentile named Abraham. Paul now brings the word law back into the discussion: It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith (v. 13). The law of Moses wasn't even around in the days of Abraham, but Paul is saying that the promise wasn't given by law at all. God didn't say, If you do this or that, I will bless you. No, he simply said he would bless him. It was an unconditional promise: Abraham, you are going to have descendants enough to fill the earth, and the whole world is going to be blessed through you. Abraham believed that promise, and that is why he was counted as righteous. It was not the basis of a law.
Because, Paul reasons, if those who depend on the law are heirs, [then] faith means nothing (v. 14). It is either faith or law—it cannot be both. If we cannot be saved by works, then we are looking to our works, not trusting in God. If Abraham had earned this blessing by keeping a law, then there would be no point in mentioning his faith.
More seriously, Paul says that if salvation is by law, then the promise is worthless, because the law brings wrath (vv. 14-15). The promise would do us no good because we all fall short of what the law requires. We are sinners, and all the law can do for us is bring wrath and punishment. It cannot deliver the promises, because by its criteria, we fall short. If salvation is by the law, then we have no hope. The good news, however, is that where there is no law there is no transgression (v. 15). If salvation is not on the basis of the law, then we cannot disqualify ourselves through our transgressions. Since the law is not part of the method by which we are saved, our sins are not part of the picture, either. They don't take away what God has given to us by a promise (see 8:1).
Therefore, Paul says in Rom. 4:16, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham (v. 16). The promise given to Abraham was for uncountable descendants, and we can share in Abraham's promise by being one of his descendants, through a spiritual union with Jesus, who descended from Abraham.
The promise of salvation comes to us by faith, by grace, not by works, and it is consequently guaranteed. We do not have to be afraid that we will lose our salvation through some sin that we have trouble getting rid of. Grace does not keep count of works, either good or bad. In this way, the promise goes not only to the Jews, but to all people.
Abraham is the father of us all, Paul concludes, and he follows it up with a confirming quote from the Torah: As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations" (v. 17, quoting Gen. 17:5 and using the common word for Gentiles). Abraham is the father not just of the Jewish nation, but of many other nations. Gentiles are also his descendants, and they do not have to become Jewish in order to be counted.
Abraham is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not (v. 17). Why does Paul bring this up? Perhaps he is thinking of the spiritually dead—Gentiles and unbelieving Jews. God can rescue them, and he can take people who were alienated, and make them his people. He can take people who are wicked and call them righteous.
Paul concludes with a summary of the story of Abraham. His audience knew the story well, but Paul emphasizes certain points to reinforce what he has been saying: Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be" [Gen. 15:5]. Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised (vv. 18-21).
According to the flesh, Abraham did not have any reason to hope, but he had faith in what God had promised, and his faith was a witness to how great God is. Abraham knew that the promise was physically impossible, but he trusted in God's power and faithfulness rather than in his own abilities.
In our salvation, too, we have no hope according to the flesh, no hope according to our works, but we can trust in the promise of God, given to Abraham and extended through Jesus Christ to all who believe in him. We should not be discouraged by our human inability to be righteous, but we should trust in the promise of God to count us righteous on the basis of faith. Paul reminds us that because Abraham trusted in God, this is why "it was credited to him as righteousness" (Gen. 15:5).
As his final point, Paul reasons that the words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, but also for us (vv. 22-23). Actually, those words were not written for Abraham at all, for they were written long after he died. They were written primarily for us, so that we will also have faith. We are the ones to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead (v. 24). In his first letter to the Corinthian church, Paul deals with a number of questions the Corinthian Christians had. Some of them felt free to eat meat in pagan temples; others thought that would be sinful.
Paul explains that Christian liberty must be voluntarily limited, and in this case the "free" Christians should stay out of pagan temples so they would not hurt the faith of weak Christians. He illustrates his conclusion by saying that he would not eat meat at all, if eating would cause someone to fall into sin (8:13).
The city of Corinth was the hub of Greece during the first century. Corinth won many admirers with impressive temples; all-inclusive, trendy philosophies; pervasive prostitution and notorious drinking parties. Understandably, the Corinthian church struggled with how to flourish spiritually in such a permissive culture. Sounds a lot like America today. 1 Corinthians contains a wealth of practical truth for Christians and non-Christians alike. Paul's letter prescribes how to live a life of integrity in a culture that pursues egotism, religious pluralism, materialism and rampant immorality. In such a culture, superficial spirituality is soon unmasked as insufficient. Learn the Bible's answer to the loneliness of the modern world, in this application-filled study of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians.
Doesn't Paul have the right to do what he wants? Why should his freedom be limited by other people's immaturity? Paul explains that love requires self-sacrifice, and he gives an example from his own ministry. In this example, the Corinthian church is "weak," and Paul is giving up his rights to avoid offending them. Though he is free, he chooses to be a slave for the sake of the gospel."Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord" (9:1-2).
Apparently some people in the Corinthian church did not respect Paul, did not accept him as a genuine apostle and were refusing to give him any support. Paul replies that he has full apostolic credentials, but even by a lesser definition, they should accept him as an apostle because he is the one who brought the gospel to them. And because of that, he has certain rights.
"This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. Don't we have the right to food and drink? Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas? Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living?" (9:3-6).
Other apostles are being given support--enough to support their wives, too. The Corinthians apparently agree that those apostles have a right to financial support, but they deny it for Paul. (The other apostles were conveniently far away, barely aware of the Corinthians and unlikely to ask them for support.)
This is not fair, says Paul. Barnabas and I are doing the same kind of work, and we should be able to have the same kind of support. Paul gives some examples from secular society: "Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk?" (9:7).
It is the glory of a minister to deny himself, that he may serve Christ and save souls. But when a minister gives up his right for the sake of the gospel, he does more than his charge and office demands. By preaching the gospel, freely, the apostle showed that he acted from principles of zeal and love, and thus enjoyed much comfort and hope in his soul. And though he looked on the ceremonial law as a yoke taken off by Christ, yet he submitted to it, that he might work upon the Jews, do away their prejudices, prevail with them to hear the gospel, and win them over to Christ. Though he would transgress no laws of Christ, to please any man, yet he would accommodate himself to all men, where he might do it lawfully, to gain some. Doing good was the study and business of his life; and, that he might reach this end, he did not stand on privileges. We must carefully watch against extremes, and against relying on any thing but trust in Christ alone. We must not allow errors or faults, so as to hurt others, or disgrace the gospel.

"Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn't the Law say the same thing? For it is written in the Law of Moses: ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain' " (9:8, quoting from Deut. 25:4). This law is not simply about animals, Paul says. It is a principle that applies to people, too. "Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely he says this for us, doesn't he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest" (9:9-10). Yes, people should be paid for the work they do.
Paul then applies the principle to his own situation: "If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more?" (9:11-12) In other words: If I have given you the gospel, you should be willing to support me as I preach the gospel. If I have given you something of eternal value, surely you should be willing to give me things of temporary value.
We have this right, Paul says, "but we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ" (9:12). Paul is willing to set aside his rights--the gospel is more important to him than his own privileges. Paul's example is relevant for many modern situations, and his comments challenge those who receive money as well as those who should give. All sides are called to self-sacrifice for the sake of the gospel.
This is common sense, Paul seems to say. The principle is true for oxen, soldiers, farmers and shepherds. If the work is worth doing, it is worth supporting, and this is true in religion, too: "Don't you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?" (9:13).
To clinch the argument, Paul quotes Jesus: "In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel" (9:14, perhaps alluding to Luke 10:7). But then Paul again notes, "I have not used any of these rights" (9:15). Paul clearly calls this a command of the Lord, and just as clearly says he does not obey the command. He makes his living by making tents--he understands the Lord's command more as a command for giving than for receiving. The focus is on the responsibility of believers to support the work of the gospel.
The priority for Paul is not money, but the gospel. He willingly sets aside his right to financial support so that people will not think his message is just a speech designed to get money. Some Greek orators made their living by traveling and entertaining audiences with speeches. Others formed schools and charged students for lectures. Paul does not want anyone to think his message is motivated by selfish concerns.
Paul's willingness to support himself does not change the Lord's command. Ministers of the gospel have a right to financial support, and believers have an obligation to provide support. But Paul is not asking for his own support. "I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast" (9:15).
Even in this letter, Paul is not asking the Corinthians to support him. His request may have been for the collection he was coordinating for the believers in Jerusalem (16:1-4). He wants to make it clear that he does not preach for his own benefit. Rather, he preaches because the Lord commanded him to preach. The gospel is his priority: "When I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me" (9:16-17). Paul feels compelled, not quite sure whether he is a volunteer or a slave. As he does his duty, he also feels rewarded.
"What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it" (9:18). Paul felt good in being able to preach without asking for money. That approach may be good when preaching to unbelievers, but eventually the time comes, as it has here for Paul, when believers must be taught about the Lord's command. Those who accept the gospel of grace must become gracious.
Paul again uses himself as an illustration of how believers should respond to the gospel with self-sacrifice: "Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible" (9:19). His goal is the gospel, not himself. He sets aside his rights, gives up his freedom, to do the work Jesus has given him.
"To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law" (9:20). Jesus, as a Jew, was born "under the law" (Gal. 4:4). Jews were under the law, and Paul obeyed the law when he was with Jews. Why? To win the Jews, to help them accept the gospel.
But Paul also notes that he is not under the law. Rather, he is free to live like a gentile (Gal. 2:14), to live as though he does not have the law, as we see in verse 21: "To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law."
Paul's priority is to win people, to make the gospel attractive. He is obligated by the law of Christ to set aside his personal preferences so that he can serve others. He uses his freedom in Christ to be a slave, to adapt his behavior to the situation. His main goal is not to uphold tradition or to fight tradition, nor to side with one ethnic group or another, but to preach Christ. "To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings" (9:22-23).
Paul does not want to disqualify himself (9:27) by living a self-centered life. He goes out of his way to serve others, to serve the gospel. His example is consistent with his message: the message that God loved the world so much that he sent Jesus to die for us. Although we were enemies, Jesus gave up his rights and gave up his life as a ransom for us.
The example Jesus set includes a command for all of us: Those who receive spiritual blessings must be willing to share material things. No matter whether we are Gentile or Jewish, we will be counted as righteous, as God's people, if we trust in God. What he did for Jesus, he will do for us: raise us from the dead. He has done it before, and he will do it again.
Paul concludes the chapter with a brief restatement of his gospel message: Jesus Christ was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification (v. 25). The deed has been done; the promise has been given. We need to accept his gift—the gift of righteousness—given to those who believe in Jesus Christ. If God can raise the dead, he can save anyone!
Paul founded the Ephesian church during his third missionary journey (Acts 18) between 49-51 a.d. Ephesus was the fourth largest city in the Roman empire. Home of a temple to the fertility goddess, worship to her was the city's largest source of income. Along with this idol worship, prostitution and other religious practices were prevalent throughout the city.
Paul's letter calls for the church to remain unified and to be a light to the spiritual darkness that envelops the city.
Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus is filled with numerous theological and practical insights. Chapter 2 takes us from death to life, from hostility to peace. This chapter shows us that there is an important connection between God's grace and human interrelationships.
Paul begins by telling his readers: "You were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live" (Eph. 2:1-2). All humans start in a state of spiritual death, whether we have many transgressions or only a few. A life not oriented to God is dead.
Paul is talking about average people, socially respectable people. When they "followed the ways of this world," they were following the devil--"the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient" (v. 2). In living the way they thought best, they were unwittingly imitating the devil and disobeying God. Christians did it, too: "All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath" (v. 3). We lived with no thought other than to take care of our desires, and as a result, we were objects of wrath--under the judgment of God (Rom. 2:5).
R.C. Sproul writes:

It is because of this condition that the verdict of Scripture is heard: we are "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1); we are "sold under sin" (Romans 7:14); we are in "captivity to the law of sin" (Romans 7:23); and "by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3). Only by the quickening power of the Holy Spirit may we be brought out of this state of spiritual death. It is God who makes us alive as we become His craftsmanship (Ephesians 2:1-10).

But God's wrath is not the end of the story: "Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved" (Eph. 2:4-5). The judge of all humanity is full of mercy, and even when we were guilty and without excuse, he forgave us. Insofar as we sin, we are dead, but as much as we are in Christ, we are alive.
Life in Christ is much more than the physical existence we are familiar with--our new life has a different quality to it, a heavenly quality, an eternal quality. When we become Christians, our identity changes. We become new people. The old self dies, and a new person lives. We died with Christ, we were buried with Christ, and we also live with Christ. "God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus" (v. 6). Those who have faith in Christ are seated with him in glory. It is so sure that Paul can say that it has been done.
God did this "in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus" (v. 7). God's grace is already at work in our lives, but the extent of his grace will be revealed with much greater clarity in the future.
Paul then summarizes the way God is working: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" (v. 8). In Greek, the words grace and faith are feminine, but Paul uses a neuter form of the word this. Paul is not saying that faith is a gift of God, or that grace is a gift of God--they are, but here Paul is saying that all of salvation is a gift of God. None of it comes from from ourselves--"not by works, so that no one can boast" (v. 9). No one can brag about having faith or works. Since God has done it, he gets all the credit.
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (v. 10). Even our good works are a result of the way God is working in us. He created us for his purpose, to do his will. Paul expects believers to be obedient. He says that we used to be disobedient, but that in Christ we are created anew, so that we might have a different foundation for how we live. This new life is a result of our salvation, not the cause of it. Our works should be good, but they can never be good enough that we deserve to be saved. We are saved by grace, by God's mercy and love, through Jesus Christ.
Paul then begins to address a practical matter within the church, the tensions between Jewish and gentile believers. Because we are saved by grace and because we are saved for good works, our attitudes and behavior toward one another ought to change.
He begins by writing to the gentiles: "Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called `uncircumcised' by those who call themselves `the circumcision' (that done in the body by the hands of men)--remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world" (vs. 11-12).
The Jews looked down on the gentiles, calling them "uncircumcised." This insult was a reminder than the gentiles were not in the covenant of Abraham and not included in the blessings promised to him. Although circumcision was a human work, it reflected a spiritual reality. The gentiles were separated from Christ, God, hope and promise. But that has now changed: "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ" (v. 13). Once they were separated from Christ; now they are united with him. Once they were excluded; now they are included. They have hope, and they have God, through the death of Jesus Christ. "For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one" (v. 14). What "two" is Paul talking about? He is talking about Jews and gentiles. The peoples who used to be in different spiritual categories are now united in Christ. The Jews were just like the gentiles in being spiritually dead; the gentiles are now like Jews in that through Christ they are members of the people of God.
Jesus has made the two peoples one by bringing the outsiders in, by bringing the gentiles just as close as he does the Jews. Through Christ they both have the promises, the citizenship and the hope, and they have God. Where there was rivalry between Jews and gentiles, Jesus has made peace, because both peoples are equally saved by grace and no one has any reason to feel superior.
How did Jesus make peace between Jews and gentiles? It is because he "has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility" (v. 14). And what was the wall that created hostility between Jews and gentiles? Paul answers this question when he says that Jesus destroyed the barrier "by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations" (v. 15).
The wall of hostility was the law, which had commandments and regulations separating Jew from gentile. This law defined who was on which side of the barrier, it said who had the promises and who belonged to the people of God.
Some of the Jews had created laws that made the Jew-gentile hostility worse, but Paul is not talking about human-made laws. Christ did not need to abolish human-made laws, because they had no spiritual authority in the first place, and Paul is talking about barriers in connection with God. He is talking about spiritual realities, not human traditions.
Paul is talking about laws that divided Jew from gentile in the sight of God, laws that had to be abolished by the cross of Christ (v. 16). Jesus did not have to die to eliminate human regulations. Rather, he died to bring an end to the old covenant. Ephesians 2 is therefore in agreement with what we read in Acts 15, 2 Corinthians 3, Galatians 3-4, Colossians 2 and Hebrews 7-10.
The old covenant came to an end with the death of Jesus Christ. The old covenant had defined Jew and gentile, creating the distinction, and Jesus made the two peoples one by destroying that divider. Jesus abolished the old covenant with its regulations and commandments. The people of God are no longer defined by old covenant laws.
Christ's purpose, Paul says, "was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility" (vs. 15-16). Before Christ, there were two kinds of people: dead Jews and dead gentiles. Both peoples needed to be reconciled to God, and this is what Christ did on the cross. The result is a new people, a people who are alive in Christ, alive to God.
"He came and preached peace to you who were far away [gentiles] and peace to those who were near [Jews]. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit" (vs. 17-18). Paul is proclaiming equality for gentile believers and unity of all Christians. People of different ethnic groups, people of different denominations, are one in Christ.
"Consequently, you [gentiles] are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household" (v. 19). Through Christ, we are members of God's family. Paul then shifts to a different metaphor: "Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets" (v. 20). Moses is not our foundation. The apostles and prophets are--and Paul is probably speaking of New Testament prophets, as he does in Ephesians 3:5. But even more important than this foundation is the fact that "Christ Jesus himself [is] the chief cornerstone." He is our primary point of reference.
"In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord" (v. 21). Our unity is in Christ, and as we are growing in him, we are a place of acceptable worship. "And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit" (v. 22). As we are in Christ, through faith in Christ, through seeing ourselves as his people, we are growing closer to one another, and God is living in us by his Spirit. If the Holy Spirit is living in us, then God is living in us, for the Holy Spirit is God.
In Ephesians, Paul makes it clear that we are saved by grace, not by our works (Eph. 2:8). But he makes it equally clear that God has made us and called us so that we do good works (v. 10). In the last half of his letter, he gives some specific exhortations for the kind of behavior that reflects our Christian faith.
At the end of chapter 4, Paul exhorts the Ephesian Christians to forgive one another, just as God in Christ had forgiven them (v. 32). We are to pattern our behavior after God himself. Paul states this general principle as he begins chapter 5: Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (vv. 1-2, TNIV throughout).
We should be like our heavenly Father, and the imitation of God is a basic principle of Christian ethics. We do not imitate him in authority, but in humility, because God is revealed to us most clearly in the self-sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This is the clear example of forgiveness and love that we should follow. When we love others, we are a sacrifice that pleases God (Hebrews 13:16).
Love does not mean promiscuous sex, however: But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people (Eph. 5:3). Paul does not say what sort of "impurity" he is thinking of. Greed is wrong because, among other things, it is an opposite of love.
Not only should Christians avoid even the hint of immorality, Paul advises, Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving (v. 4). Obscenities are common in American culture now, but Paul exhorts us to conform to Christ rather than to culture (Romans 12:2). When sin becomes a joke, more people sin. Sex is a gift of God, and it should not be tarnished by referring to it as a joke or as an insult. Our speech should set a good example, and Paul suggests that if you have to say something, say something good. "Thanksgiving is an antidote for sin"
It would seem that there are some that want to confuse the issue and state that Paul was writing about Christ's relationship to the church:

Yet when it comes to marriage, most of us want to jettison theology altogether and run straight to the "practical." Think, for instance, of how many sermons the average parishioner has had to endure on Ephesians 5 in which the minister waxes authoritatively on the proper "roles" within marriage; yet, more often than not, this is done without ever so much as mentioning the first two-thirds of that book, which spell out the entire theological basis for our relationship to God and one another! This fact is even more remarkable, when one considers that Paul himself states explicitly that he is "talking about Christ and the church" in this standard text on marriage (Brewer, Modern Reformation, The Importance of Theology In Marriage)

Paul then emphasizes how important this matter is: Of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God (Eph. 5:5). That behavior, and that sort of speech, is contrary to the character of Christ. How can we be scrubbed of such impurities? Through Christ—and having freed us from corruption, Christ wants us not to go back to wallowing in the mire (2 Peter 2:22).
Let no one deceive you with empty words, he warns—let no one tell you that God doesn't care about such things, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them (Eph. 5:7-8). Paul is saying here that God is angry with people who give themselves over to corrupt behavior. Sin hurts people, and since God loves people, he hates sin, and he opposes those who persist in it.
Greed and immorality hurt people, and even though they are common in society today, we should not join in with people who do them. Indeed, we should avoid even the hint of impropriety, such as the dirty jokes. This requires a difference in behavior, not physical separation. "We cannot share the gospel if we separate from unbelievers. The light is to shine in the darkness" (Snodgrass, 278).
In verses 8-10, Paul uses a figure of speech common in Greek literature: light as the good, as the intelligent choice: For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.
You once lived the way the world does, he says, but now you have a different standard—Christ—and in him we are people of light. When we follow him, our lives will be characterized by goodness, righteousness and truth. We need to find out what God wants, and we need to do it.
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret (vv. 11-12). Paul again mentions the need for us to keep our speech pure. How do we "expose" wrong behavior? With light—with goodness, righteousness and truth—setting a good example, having good words.
Everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illu