Who needs salvation and why are the questions the apostle Paul was answering in this epistle to the Romans. The Jews thought that being the chosen people of God, having been given the Law and the sign of circumcision they were excused from serious judgment for their sin.
Being a Jew and having the Law spares no one from judgment, neither Jew nor Gentile. The Jews had many privileges, many blessings, yet tragically failed to live in light of all God had provided them and revealed to them. Paul challenged the Jews he was writing to with the issue of obedience to the Law they possessed. They mistakenly thought that merely possessing the Law was enough rather than their obedience to it. As Gentiles and Christians today we can do the same when we are found to be living in sin while having the complete revelation of God.
For the Jews, the most significant aspect of Judaism was circumcision. They failed to remember the sequence of events and the basis upon which Abraham was declared by righteous by God. A circumcised Jew who failed to keep the Law was no closer to being saved than a Gentile who did not keep the Law.
The basic circumcision required for salvation is spiritual of the heart, not physical. Circumcision was meant to be an outward expression of what happened inwardly to the heart – the putting off of sin. Much confusion continues in the church today as external religious rituals and practices are consider a means of righteousness without first having dealt with sin in the heart and mind.
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In the fall of 1969, Gil began a full-time teaching ministry as Senior Pastor of Indian Hills Community Church. He also earned his Ph.D. from the California Graduate School of Theology. The focus of Pastor Rugh’s ministry is systematic, verse-by-verse teaching of the Bible. As a...
