Telling the Truth

Guest (Female): No matter our differences, we all share one important trait: we all fall short of God's glory. Today on Telling the Truth, Stuart Briscoe once again shares from his series, The Gospel.

Guest (Male): If you've been feeling overwhelmed lately, like your mind just won't slow down, you're not alone. A lot of people today are carrying anxiety, uncertainty, and questions they don't know where to take. That's why Telling the Truth is sharing biblical teaching in digital spaces, so people can encounter God's truth right in those moments, right where they are.

As we approach the end of the financial year, your support is critical to keep this ministry going. Right now, your gift will be doubled through an $82,000 matching grant, helping reach more people searching for peace and direction. And as our thanks, we'll send you Stuart Briscoe's book, *A Piece of My Mind*, a resource designed to help you experience God's steady pace when life feels unsettled.

Call 262-788-4648 to have your gift doubled by the match, or give online at tellingthetruth.org. Now, Stuart tells us what we all have in common on today's Telling the Truth.

Stuart Briscoe: I don't know if you would agree with me, but it seems to be that right now in our culture, in our society, we seem to concentrate very much on differences. We've produced one generation after the other and we have majored on the things that distinguish those generations. In other words, we have majored on differentials because there's a tendency towards exceptionalism.

Even in the church, we'll see this majoring on differences very often. The things that we have in common are infinitely more significant than the exceptional aspects of our age, or our sex, or our race. Let me give you an example of what I would call a major commonality that far outweighs any differentiation that there might be.

Romans chapter 3, verse 23: "There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" is a far more important statement than anybody can make about the uniqueness of being a boomer, or a buster, or a generation X, or anything to do with age, or sex, or race. It is these huge commonalities that are the major issues. We need to be careful that we do not major on minors and minor on majors.

Having said all that, the Apostle Paul is willing to acknowledge that there are exceptional aspects to different people. He begins chapter three by talking about this. It's what I would call the issue of Jewish exceptionalism. Having said at the end of chapter two that there's a basic problem with humanity and that is we all come under the wrath of God, he then raises a very important question.

Chapter 3, verse 1: "What advantage then," he asks, "is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision?" Well, he's just said the Jews and the Gentiles are in the same boat. They both come under the judgment of God. Now, this is going to raise the hackles of many Jewish people who believe that they are the favored people, and they're right. They believe that they are the chosen people, and they are right.

So to suggest that they are just like the Gentiles is not going to sit well with them at all. Paul knows this; he is one. He is a Jew. And so he says, "What advantage then is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision?" Surprisingly, instead of saying none at all, he says the opposite. He says there's much advantage.

There is no question about it that the Jewish people were uniquely called in Abraham to be the chosen people through whom God would bless all the nations of the world, and Paul says don't forget it. In fact, he says the first thing is—and it's rather interesting to notice—he carefully tells us what the first thing that's special about them is and never gets around to his second point.

So you see that your preacher is in very good company indeed. First of all, he says, they were entrusted with the very words of God. No question about it. They had much to be proud of, and they were perfectly legitimate in making these claims. What shall we conclude then in verse 9? Are we any better? Are the Jews any better than the Gentiles? And he says, not at all. We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.

Now, notice this expression. It's very, very important. This is another of these commonalities. What he's saying is this: Jew and Gentile, that's all there are. That's all of humanity. Jew and Gentile, he concludes, are all under sin. What he means by that is that human beings universally—listen very carefully—human beings universally are dominated by a dynamic called sin.

Sometimes in our more honest moments, we get around to admitting we're not perfect, right? Sometimes we actually admit we never claimed to be a saint. And sometimes we might even go so far as to say we've done a few little sins.

This is a totally different level that Paul is taking this to. He isn't saying, "Hey, come on, admit it, you've done a few little sins." It's not just that you're not perfect and we know you never claimed to be a saint, but admit that you're not one. He's not saying that. What he's saying is this: every single human being on the face of God's green earth has a powerful dynamic operating within them called sin.

And this powerful dynamic called sin operates at various levels, in different ways, in different people, at different times, and produces a bewildering variety of sins. We don't sin because we're sinners. We sin because there is an indwelling dynamic called sin. Paul gets into this in Romans chapter 7.

This is what he says: "I find myself quite frankly in a situation where I turn over a new leaf, I make every good intention of doing certain things, and I very quickly find that I'm not doing them. And sometimes I do things and as soon as I've done it, I'm sick. Can't believe I did that thing again. I'm just sick of this."

He said, "The good that I say I'm going to do, I don't do, and the evil that I'm going to give up, I keep going back to it and doing it all over again." And then do you know what he says? "If that is the case, if I do what I don't want to do and I don't do what I do want to do, it's not so much me, but sin that dwells in me."

Now he's talking about a dynamic called sin that reproduces itself through my personality, through my circumstances, through my opportunities in a wide variety of ways. And Paul is making this huge statement that he concludes that all are under sin.

Guest (Female): God's glory is so great that no one measures up without Jesus. Stuart Briscoe talks about this commonality on today's Telling the Truth, and he'll be right back with more of that.

Guest (Male): There's a growing hunger for truth in our world today, and more people than ever are searching for real answers. That's why as Telling the Truth prepares to close out another financial year, your support matters so much. Your support helps take the trusted teaching of Stuart and Jill Briscoe and place it into digital spaces where people are already looking for hope. And right now, an $82,000 matching grant will double your gift, expanding that reach even further in the months ahead.

When you give, we'll say thanks by sending you *A Piece of My Mind*, a powerful resource from Stuart that shows you how to experience God's perfect peace, even in uncertain and challenging times. So call today to request your copy when you have your gift doubled by the match: 262-788-4648. That's 262-788-4648, or you can give online at tellingthetruth.org.

For many, our smartphones have become our social connection, but we want to help you make a spiritual connection with the Telling the Truth mobile app. You can listen to daily programs, engage in Bible reading plans, journal, and share your thoughts and prayers on the community wall. Get the Telling the Truth app through your app store or log on to tellingthetruth.org/mobileapp. Remember, you can also give to support Telling the Truth on our mobile app. Now, let's head back to Stuart Briscoe for more of his message, "What We All Have in Common", on today's Telling the Truth.

Stuart Briscoe: Now Paul, to substantiate his statement, particularly with the Jewish people in mind who are not liking one little bit what he is saying here, concluding that they are just like the Gentiles in this problem of being under sin, in order to substantiate what he is saying, he then gives a long, long series of quotes from the Old Testament scriptures.

Paul has just said these were one of the great privileges and one of the uniquenesses of the Jewish people. In verse 2, he says they have been entrusted with the very words of God. That's true, but if they read the very words of God that have been entrusted to them, what do those words of God say? Those words of God are one long damning indictment of the evidence that they are living under sin. They're proud of their exceptionalism, but they flatter themselves so much that they neither detect nor hate their own sin.

All right, move on. I want you to notice something now very important. Verse 21. Notice the word "but." That's a huge word in the Bible. It is what we call an adversative. That means it is going to introduce something totally different from what we've been talking about up until now.

You should always put a ring around an adversative because it is going to show you the other side of the argument. "But now a righteousness from God apart from the law has been made known, to which the law and the prophets testify." This is a remarkable statement. He said, "All right, the old way of trying to do it by keeping the law all the time doesn't work because we don't do it."

But now an entirely different way of being right before God has been introduced and, incredibly, the Old Testament testifies to it. That's what Paul is saying. Now he's really got their attention. Verse 22, he tells us what this new way is: "This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe."

All are under sin. There's the commonality. Now, to all who will believe, to all who will believe, to all who will come to God not on the base of doing their best but on simple faith in God who has done His best, all those who come to Him in faith will be declared righteous by God. We are justified not by works but through faith in Christ Jesus.

Now he's introducing something quite different. Verse 23, and I've already read this to you: "For all have sinned." We've seen why, because we're under sin. "And fall short of the glory of God." Actually, the expression here is "and are falling short of the glory of God." What's the glory of God? The glory of God in a nutshell is the manifestation of His presence.

All right, put that in mind again. There is no difference. Verse 23: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by His grace." You say, "How can that work?" Here's the answer: redemption. Through the redemption. John Stott says if justification is the language of the law court, redemption is the language of the slave market.

The word means at root to pay a ransom to deliver from bondage. That's what redemption means. "The wages of sin is death," God said. That's how serious sin is. We don't understand that. We don't think sin's very serious. We have black ones and white ones and gray ones and not very important ones, just little sins. No, the wages of sin is death.

This is what God did: Jesus died on the cross, paying the wages for the sins of the whole world. He paid the price with His precious blood so that men and women and boys and girls held in the bondage of sin and the law might be set free from it, so that God would be free to declare them not guilty.

But why? Read on. "There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came through Christ." God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood. There are many, many people today who absolutely, outright reject the idea of propitiation.

They say, "Are you telling me that our God is a mean-spirited, small-minded, vindictive, short-tempered God and we've got to appease Him by taking His innocent son and nailing him on a cross?" I just want to tell you something folks, you can't afford the righteousness of God. It costs a life of undeviating perfection. You can't afford it.

But I've got the gospel for you, the good news: a righteousness from God has been revealed. And the righteousness from God is this: that God offers redemption in order that you might experience justification, because through Christ He has brought about a propitiation of your sins. It's done. It's done. Now it's up to you whether you want to receive it by faith or whether you're going to try and do the best you can. It's up to you.

Guest (Female): This is Telling the Truth, the teaching ministry of Stuart and Jill Briscoe. Today, Stuart is talking about how everyone falls short of God's perfection, and he'll be right back to answer a couple of questions about that.

Guest (Male): What if your generosity today helped place biblical truth in front of someone at the exact moment they needed it most? That's what's happening every day through Telling the Truth. Through social media, our Telling the Truth website, and other digital platforms, people are encountering God's word, many for the very first time, right where they are.

And more people than ever are searching for the kind of peace that can only be found through life in Christ. That's why as we approach the end of the financial year, it's so important that we finish strong. Because your support can help us reach even more people with biblical truth in the coming year.

The great news is that a group of generous friends has offered an $82,000 matching grant, doubling your gift to expand the outreach even further. Now is a powerful time for you to step in and help keep God's word going out to the people who need it most. And as our thanks, we'll send you Stuart Briscoe's book, *A Piece of My Mind*, to help you experience the peace of God in whatever you're facing today. Just call 262-788-4648. That's 262-788-4648, or you can give online when you visit tellingthetruth.org.

Guest (Female): And now let's ask Stuart a few questions about today's message. Stuart, what can we learn from Paul about a Christian's retirement? We're never going to get to retire, are we?

Stuart Briscoe: Well, the short answer to the question what can we learn from Paul about Christian retirement is quite frankly nothing, because the word retirement does not occur in scripture. Now, does that mean then that retirement is not a subject that Christians should be concerned about or interested in? And the answer to that of course is no.

There are many things in scripture that are not mentioned that are part and parcel of our daily lives. To enter into retirement simply means that you are now in a position where you no longer need to be employed so that you could live on the remuneration for your employment. That's perfectly legitimate. If you have the opportunity for that, then thank God for it.

It frees you up to do many things that perhaps you haven't had the time to do before. So retirement is a non-issue as far as the scripture is concerned. However, there is an issue on which the scriptures speak very clearly and forcibly, and that is we are created to work.

And so I would say by all means retire if you have the opportunity, but retirement does not mean hanging around doing nothing. It means being freed up to do works that will glorify God and bless people. That's the joy of Christian retirement.

Guest (Female): Stuart, how does redemption deliver us from sin?

Stuart Briscoe: The word "redemption" is borrowed from the ancient slave markets. We obviously have no experience of this, and we're grateful for the changes in society that have done away with the iniquitous practice of slavery. However, there are many pictures from slavery which was common in the days when the Bible was written that are very helpful to us in understanding what God has done for us in Christ.

The idea of redemption coming from slavery is simply this: a slave would be put up in the marketplace and he or she would be for sale. And if somebody wanted to pay the price, that slave could become their property, and they would be able to take off their chains and lead them away. The scriptures talk about sin being like chains upon us.

It holds us in, it restricts us, it takes away our freedom to live as we ought. But Christ came and paid the price, and the price that he paid was he died on the cross or he shed his precious blood in order that he might then take us by the hand, remove our shackles from us and lead us off into newness of life. That's the biblical picture of redemption.

Guest (Male): Before we go, here's something important to remember. Your support this month can help Telling the Truth reach even more people in the coming year. Right now, your gift will be doubled through an $82,000 matching grant, helping extend biblical teaching to people around the world through digital platforms. And as our thanks, we'd love to send you Stuart Briscoe's book, *A Piece of My Mind*, to encourage you with the promise of God's peace.

So please request your copy when you call 262-788-4648. That's 262-788-4648, or you can give online when you visit tellingthetruth.org. We're glad you listened in today. Come back next time as Stuart Briscoe shares what a true saving faith looks like from God's word. Experience life here on Telling the Truth.