The Greatest Advantage of being a Jew

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Introduction: Paul has effectively proven his case. *He begins in Romans 1:16-17, saying that he is not ashamed of the gospel. Which is really just a way of saying that he is proud of the gospel, he will declare it without shame and with all boldness. Why? -It is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe, for both Jews and Greeks, without distinction. -It is the only rescue from the wrath of God that is upon all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. His wrath is upon both Jews and Gentiles, for all have sinned against God. So the gospel is how God saves sinners, and all men need saving. -It is also a demonstration of God’s righteousness. The gospel, the good news of salvation in Christ, not only demonstrates the unrighteousness of men, it demonstrates the righteousness of God in, both, the need for salvation and how God actually saves sinners. Then, Paul goes about proving his case. He must show that all men are sinners and under the wrath of God. *So in chapter 1:18 to the end of that chapter he shows the guilt of the Gentile world. *Then in chapter 2 he shows the guilt of the Jew. This is more difficult because the Jew didn’t feel that he was under the wrath of God. He had confidence in his heritage, he had confidence in his possession of God’s law and he had confidence in the fact that God had made a covenant with Abraham and he bore the mark of that covenant in his own body, circumcision. So in chapter 2, Paul demonstrates that being a Jew doesn’t save, and having the law doesn’t save, and having circumcision doesn’t save. In fact, the real issue (if you’re an ethnic Jew) is not whether one is a Jew or circumcised physically, but whether one is a Jew and circumcised inwardly. The real issue is not whether you are a Jew or a Gentile but whether you are a new creation. Have you been circumcised in heart; have you been given a new nature? Have you put away your sin to embrace God’s Son? That brings us to chapter 3, and here Paul anticipates the justification of the Jew’s sinful perspective. -Aren’t you saying, then, that the entire Old Testament period was for nothing? If what you say is true, if being Jewish doesn’t matter for salvation, then why did God choose Abraham, and why did God bring forth a nation from this one man, and why did God give His law to that nation and why did God give circumcision as the sign of the covenant? “Paul, if we are to believe you, then we are to believe that all of this meant nothing, that there was never any real difference between Jews and Gentiles.” You are saying, aren’t you, that there is no advantage to being Jewish? THE OBJECTION (vs.1) You will notice that Paul states this objection in verse 1. What is the advantage to being Jewish? What advantage has the Jew? THE ANSWER (vs.2) His answer might surprise us. You might expect from what he just said in verses 26-29, that he would say, “you are right, there is no advantage”. But that is not what he says. Indeed, if they were paying attention, in verse 25, he has already stated it. (vs.25) THE GENERAL ADVANTAGE OF THE JEW (vs.2) Paul says there is MUCH ADVANTAGE. In fact, he says there is advantage in every way. In other words, if he wanted, he could offer a catalogue of advantages. He does that in Romans 9. Numerous advantages, he says. THE GREATEST ADVANTAGE OF THE JEW (vs.2) But he doesn’t list a catalogue, does he? He doesn’t list numerous advantages. “To begin with”, which is to say, “first at the head of the list.” What he means is that what he is about to say is the CHIEF ADVANTAGE that the Jew had over the Gentile. He is about to give the FIRST OF ALL OF THEIR ADVANTAGES. **Now just pause and let that sink in. Out of all the advantages that he could list, and he says there are many, he is about to give the one that really sums them all up and is the chief of their advantages. What was it? THE WORDS OF GOD God gave to this people, out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, only to them, His very words. God communicated revelation, in an absolutely distinct way, to this people whom He had chosen. THE PRIVILEGE OF GOD’S WORD This word translated “oracles” is found 4 times in the New Testament. Each time it clearly speaks of the revelation of God that has since been inscripturated. In Acts 7 Stephen is preaching his great sermon, tracing God’s graces to the nation of Israel, and showing their rebellious nature, and their rejection of those graces. As he does this he talks about Moses. Stephen is asking, “who was this man that you rebelled against?” NAS Acts 7:38 "This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you. There, obviously, he is talking about the Law of God.