I prefer stories over abstract theological ideas. Even weird stories like we find in Revelation, the last book in the Bible. I pushed Romans to the back of the line so I could muscle up by working through everything else he wrote. The Casual English Bible is a beta project, not yet edited or even carefully proofed.
It has famous lines like. See what you think. But what if some Jews reject God? No way. God tells the truth. But some folks might keep on arguing that if their lie shows how truthful God is, why should they get condemned for lying?
Why not take it one step further? Some folks slander us by saying we do that. They say we teach that the more we sin, the better it makes God look. People who talk like that deserve what they get for it. So what about Jews? Are we better off than other people? Not a chance. Jews are controlled by sin, just like everyone else is.
Everyone has gone off in some other direction. No one is doing anything good. No one. Their throat is a toxic pit. Their lips are pockets of snake venom. We know this much. The Jewish law is a law for the Jews. This law was intended to show them that everyone is accountable to God and that no one can talk their way out of it. But we know this, too.
No one can have a good relationship with God simply by obeying the law. Now we know how to become a good-hearted person who pleases God. In fact, those laws and the prophets confirm this.
