mount everest of the bible. the most important paragraph in scripture

The Mount EverestThe Mount Everestof the Bibleof the Bible

A Commentary on“The Most Important Paragraph”

in Scripture

E. M. M u r r a y

Contents

Introduction……………………………………………..……..…1

Chapter 1: Base CampNo One is Righteous………………………………….........…..3

Chapter 2: Beginning the AscentThe Righteousness of God Made Known…………………...5

Chapter 3: Death ZoneThe Wrath of God………………………………………….....….8

Chapter 4: Dash for the SummitScandal in the Heavens………………………………………..12

Chapter 5: Near Vertical at the Top of the WorldA Sacrifice of Infinite Value……………………………………16

Chapter 6: The View from the SummitYour Claim to Righteousness……...................................…19

The Mount Everest of the BibleA Commentary on

“The Most Important Paragraph” in Scripture

by Paris E. M. Murray

Copyright © 2011 E. M. Murray

IntroductionA number of years ago while in the midst of a prayerful read-through of Romans, I wassurprised to learn that the tail-end of chapter 3 has caused quite the stir in Christianscholarly circles over the past century or so. For instance, the NIV Devotional StudyBible—arguably the world’s most popular devotional Bible--refers to the end of Romanschapter 3 as “the central theological passage in the Bible”. What on earth did thatmean? It bothered me quite a bit I had no idea why NIV’s Devotional Bible team wouldmake such a claim.

A while later I learned that Martin Lloyd Jones, a man widely held to be the mostinfluential British preacher of the twentieth century, singled out verses 25 and 26 ofRomans chapter 3, declaring: “This is the acropolis of the Bible”. Acropolis? Youremember—as in the highest point of the city. But what about Romans 3—that is, twoverses in Romans 3—would compel Lloyd Jones to say that?

I subsequently discovered renowned expositor and author John Piper labeled verses21-26 of Romans chapter 3 “the most important paragraph in the Bible”[1], and went sofar as to label verses 23-26, “The Mount Everest of the Bible”[2].

Needless to say, my curiosity was peaked. Is it possible a mere segment of a singlechapter of one New Testament book could be so central to the entirety of Biblicalrevelation? If so, how come so few of the church-going mainstream—my InternationalChurches of Christ family members in particular—seem to have any awareness of it?

My attempt to answer that question ultimately led to this prayerful analysis—8 years inthe making as of Easter 2011—to discover for myself what Romans 3:21-26 is all aboutand why it appears to be such a pivotal passage to our faith and understanding.

[1] The Pleasures of God, p. 165[2] The Demonstration of God’s Righteousness, sermon 5-23-1999

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The Mount Everest of the Bible

A Commentary on“The Most Important Paragraph” in Scripture

by Paris E. M. Murray


CautionA word to the reader: it is with good reason we’ve adopted “Mount Everest” as our title.An attempt on Everest is not for the faint-hearted; casual climbers are well-advised toseek lower peaks.

Our ascent upon the slopes of Romans 3 will at times be arduous; indeed, as we nearthe summit the effort will likely discourage all but the most determined reader. Thegood news is, with the apostle Paul and the inspired text as our trustworthy Sherpas,who knows how high our faith and understanding might go—if we just have thecourage to make the climb?

When the effort becomes discouraging, hang in there. As we traverse the slopes ofRomans 3 the full grandeur and scope of God’s revelation will be seen more clearly.What seemed hazy, disjointed, and unintelligible at lower altitudes becomes obvious,unified, and understandable. The full panorama of key Biblical events from Genesis tothe Revelation can be taken in simultaneously; their relationships are more apparent;and the unity of the Bible is easier to grasp. Perhaps most important, from the summitof Romans 3 the death of Jesus Christ—why it had to happen and why it is rightfullythe focal point of all history—will make more sense, gain more significance to you, andfortify your faith unlike ever before.

DedicationEvery Holy Week for the past 8 years or so, I’ve retired into solitude and worked on thiscommentary as part of my Easter week devotions. In the moments I completed thisyear’s edition, I was informed a dear friend, Andy Bulatao—a faithful brother, father,and servant who had been suffering from liver cancer—summited early this morning.

So then, Andy, since you now know fully what the rest of us see in a mirror dimly, thisone’s for you. See you at the summit, my friend.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

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Chapter One: Base CampChapter One: Base CampNo One is RighteousNo One is Righteous

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Chapter One: Base CampChapter One: Base CampNo One is RighteousNo One is Righteous

Every major climb starts at base camp. Alas, rather than a comforting refuge from thestorms to come, we begin with Paul’s terrifying proposition that all humanity—Jew andGentile—is under sin.

Romans 3:9-18“9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeksare all under sin; 10 as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; 11 there is none whounderstands, there is none who seeks for God 12 all have turned aside, together they have become useless;there is none who does good, there is not even one. 13 Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues theykeep deceiving, the poison of asps is on their lips; 14 whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; 15 theirfeet are swift to shed blood, 16 destruction and misery are in their paths, 17 and the path of peace they havenot known. 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Scripture upon scripture is amassed to confirm the awful truth: “There is nonerighteousness, not even one”.

Romans 3:19-2019 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that everymouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; 20 because by the works of theLaw no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

We may deduce from Paul’s argument that the Law of Moses was not given to fullyremedy the dilemma of Humankind’s sin; Paul asserts rather that through the Law comesthe knowledge of sin. In another words, one of the primary reasons the Law was givenwas so the entire human race—not just the nation of Israel, but all nations—would havea profound awareness of its unrighteous state, “so that every mouth may be closed andall the world may become accountable to God.”

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Chapter Two: Beginning the AscentChapter Two: Beginning the AscentThe Righteousness of God Made KnownThe Righteousness of God Made Known

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Romans 3:21-26 NASB21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Lawand the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe;for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as agift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as apropitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in theforbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of Hisrighteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

The Righteousness of God made known21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and theProphets

Having asserted the dilemma of humanity’s unrighteous estate (Romans 3:9-20, seeIntroduction), Paul declares that the righteousness of God has now been made known.

What precisely is Paul talking about?

First, Paul asserts that the righteousness of God has been made known now; hence itfollows that before now—before Jesus’ death—it was not yet known or apparent.

Also, the righteousness of God is described as being witnessed by the Law and theProphets, meaning that the testimony of the Law introduced on Mount Sinaiapproximately 1450 B.C and the testimony of the Prophets who proclaimed that Lawthroughout the ensuing one thousand years, point forward across the centuries, as itwere, towards the righteousness of God. Consequently the righteousness of God—theobjective of the Law—supersedes the Law, is greater than the Law, and as its successorand superior is distinct and apart from the Law.

Lastly, Paul’s word choice—“being witnessed”—implies the righteousness of God isbeing witnessed in an ongoing continuous manner by the Law and the Prophets even upto the present time. For this reason the righteousness of God manifested now is theright and proper object of anyone who at anytime looks intently into the Law (James1:25) and pays attention to the Prophets (2 Peter 1:19, 3:2).

And so we inquire, when Paul speaks of the righteousness of God, what exactly is hetalking about? Is he referring to Christ? Or something else?

Chapter Two: Beginning the AscentChapter Two: Beginning the AscentThe Righteousness of God made knownThe Righteousness of God made known

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For All Who Believe22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe

The righteousness of God has been made known for all who believe. Having affirmedGod’s righteousness as the objective of the Law and the Prophets, it would naturally bethe objective of those who were subject to the Law and those who listen to the Prophets,then and today. Notice Paul’s distinction between God’s righteousness on the one handand Jesus Christ on the other. That is to say, Paul depicts them as separate and distinctfrom one another; he is not referring to the same thing. Insofar as “all those who believe”are concerned, it seems Paul presents the righteousness of God as their objective andJesus Christ as the means to that objective.

If you’ve made it this far, you are doing great. Before we move on to a more challengingphase of the climb, let’s recap:

Points to Pin Down: So far we have noted several distinguishing characteristics ofwhat Paul describes as “the righteousness of God”:

o The righteousness of God is presented as the object of the Law and theProphets.

o The Law and Prophets testify about the righteousness of God in formerdays, in the present, and for all eternity.

o The righteousness of God is for—implying for the benefit of—all thosewho believe.

o The benefits of the righteousness of God come through faith in JesusChrist.

o Paul depicts the righteousness of God as distinct from Jesus Christ—they are not the same thing.

o The righteousness of God is the ultimate objective; Jesus Christ is themeans of its accomplishment; and faith in Jesus Christ associates allthose who believe with the righteousness of God.

From this point forward Paul addresses the extraordinary difficulties inherent in arelationship between the infinitely glorious God and the fallen human race. We nowproceed to the problem of sin, the bigger problem of forgiveness, and the massivetension between the two.

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Chapter Three: Death ZoneChapter Three: Death ZoneThe Wrath of GodThe Wrath of God

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Chapter Three: Death ZoneChapter Three: Death ZoneThe Wrath of GodThe Wrath of God

Falling Short of God’s glory(22 cont.) for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Despite being created for the glory of God (Isaiah 43:7) in the sense of giving duehonor and praise (Romans 11:36), and for the glory from God—as rulers of creation(Psalm 8), and as recipients of His rewards (Matthew 5:12, 6:1, 25:21), honor andpraise (John 12:43; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 2 Corinthians 10:18; 1 Peter 1:7 ), Humankindhas either failed to glorify God as God (Romans 1:21), exchanged God’s glory forsomething else (Jeremiah 2:11-13; Romans 1:23), placed hope in things other thanGod’s promises (Colossians 1:23; Hebrews 10:23), or sought glory from men insteadof God (Romans 2:29b). Thus sin could be described as an exchange—trading theglory of God or the glory from God for anything else.

Now we must ask: what are the consequences for falling so far short?

Enter God’s Wrath24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom Goddisplayed publicly as a propitiation (“sacrifice of atonement” NIV) in His blood through faith.

Bible students normally think of God’s wrath in terms of long ago Old Testamentepisodes, such as Noah’s flood (Genesis 6-8) and the destruction of Sodom andGomorrah (Genesis 19), or in terms of the distant future, for instance God’s ultimatejudgment on unrepentant sinners in “the coming wrath” (Matthew 3:7; 1 Thessalonians1:10) or “the day of wrath” (Romans 2:5). However, John speaks of the terrifyingpresent state of the individual who does not believe and obey the Christ:

“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but thewrath of God abides on him.”John 3:36

That is to say, the wrath of God is abiding on that person at this very moment—meaning right now. Paul alludes to the same idea when recalling his and his readers’former states, “We were by nature objects of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3).

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Saved from God’s WrathAccording to Romans 5:9, we are saved from God’s wrath through the blood of Jesus,“Having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of Godthrough Him.”

Just how precisely God’s wrath is averted and appeased, according to several ofChurch history’s most prominent scholars[1] is attributed to the Greek term hilastērionwhich is translated propitiation in NASB, propitiatory in several older translations,and sacrifice of atonement in NIV:

“Or as one who would turn aside his wrath, taking away sin.”--NIV footnote for sacrifice of atonement

On PropitiationConsider author John Piper’s explanation of this term:

This old word is important because other words like “expiation” (RSV) and “sacrificeof atonement” (NIV) do not press forward the idea of appeasing wrath which is in thisword. The point of the word is that God’s wrath is against the ungodly because of theway they have desecrated his glory, and a way must be found for this wrath to beaverted. This is what happened in the death of Jesus. That is what propitiation means:God averted his own wrath through the death of his Son.

The Pleasures of God, p. 167

It [i.e., propitiation] refers to the removal of God’s wrath by providing a substitute. Thesubstitute is provided by God himself. The substitute, Jesus Christ, does not just cancelthe wrath; he absorbs it and diverts it from us to himself. God’s wrath is just, and it wasspent, not withdrawn.

The Passion of Jesus Christ, p.21

The Punishment that Brought Us PeaceJesus therefore not only took upon himself the sins of all humanity and not only wasHe separated from God as a result, He absorbed the full measure of punishment thatwas due to the fallen human race. This is what Isaiah alludes to by, “the punishmentthat brought us peace was upon him” (Isaiah 53:5, NIV) and, “but the LORD waspleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief” (Isaiah 53:10, NASB).

It may be that Jesus’ ordeal on the cross went far beyond the physical and emotionalsuffering of his abandonment, torture, and crucifixion, possibly even far beyond humancomprehension. Acts 2:24 states when God raised Christ up He, “put an end to theagony of death.”

[1] Such as John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, Moses Stuart, et al.

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In a way we may never fully understand in this age, Jesus willingly absorbed the holywrath of God on behalf of all Humanity.

Crushed by the FatherWe should also note Paul’s emphasis it was God Himself who presented Jesus Christas a wrath deflecting sacrifice (Romans 3:25). Jesus did not die as the helpless victimof evil men who brought about an untimely end to His ministry. Over and above all theschemes against Jesus—whether by Judas or Herod or the Jewish religiousestablishment or fickle crowds or the occupying Roman authorities—He was handedover to them by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge (Acts 2:23) and they did to Himwhat God’s power and will had decided beforehand should happen (Acts 4:28).

More profoundly, not only did God orchestrate the death of His Son, He was pleased todo so:

“The LORD was pleased to crush Him”Isaiah 53:10, NASB.

This begs the question: How could God the Father be pleased to crush his onlybegotten Son? What in all the universe could be so inconceivably valuable to God thathe would be pleased to crush his Son in order to bring it about?

Or from the viewpoint of Jesus, what objective could be so indescribably precious Hewould willingly go to unimaginable lengths to bring it about--including make himselfnothing, live thirty years in a feeble body amongst sinful people, suffer shame andcrucifixion, take upon himself the sin of all humanity, endure separation from theFather, and deliberately subject himself to God’s infinite wrath?

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Chapter Four: Dash for the SummitChapter Four: Dash for the SummitScandal in the HeavensScandal in the Heavens

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Demonstration of righteousness(verse 25 cont.) This was to demonstrate His righteousness

If, in effect, Paul is equating the punishment that brought us peace with ademonstration of God’s righteousness, we are compelled to ask:

1) Since “demonstration” implies an audience, for whom was thisdemonstration of God’s righteousness performed?

2) Why would God’s righteousness need to be demonstrated in the first place?

If most of the world—indeed, most of the Church—goes to the grave oblivious of suchthings, could it be that God’s demonstration failed for lack of an audience? I will declaremost emphatically no.

Although it is obvious by virtue of its inclusion in the Bible that God intended a Christianaudience—if only a few brave climbers like yourself—it is probable the demonstrationwas primarily for a non-Earth audience[1], namely:

• God Himself• Christ Jesus• the Heavenly host• Satan• the fallen angels• the Old Testament saints• the animal kingdom• possibly even all (inanimate) Creation

Which brings us to the second question: Why would such a profound demonstration ofGod’s righteousness be necessary in the first place?

Could there be a reason to doubt God’s righteousness?

[1] Rather than risk killing off the some of the few brave climbers who’ve made it this far, I’ll undertake an expositionof the demonstration of God’s righteousness to the above “non-Earth audience” in the next edition of thiscommentary.

Chapter Four: Dash for the SummitChapter Four: Dash for the SummitScandal in the HeavensScandal in the Heavens

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The Great I AM Passes Over Sin(v. 25 cont.) …because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed

We must here emphasize the intimate connection between the concepts ofrighteousness and justice, because what seems to be at stake is the righteousness ofGod as it relates to God’s justice (that the semantic range of the Greek dikaiosynēencompasses “righteousness” as well as “justice” is evident by the choices of Bibletranslation teams, e.g., NASB renders dikaiosynē in verse 25 as “righteousness”, cf.Romans 2:5, 13; NIV translators render it as “justice” in verse 25 and 26).

Paul explains that God in His forbearance (or tolerance, as dikaiosynē is rendered inRomans 2:4) passed over the sins previously committed during the Old Testamentdispensation[1].

Scandal in the Heavenly RealmsIn passing over those sins, God stayed His hand so to speak, restraining the deservedjudgment and ruin that would otherwise follow sinning against an infinitely just God.Now imagine for a moment how God’s actions here would have raise the eyebrows ofthe angelic members of the aforementioned non-Earth audience: How could the God ofJustice (Isaiah 30:18), who loves righteousness and justice (Psalm 33:5) pass oversins? Indeed, Paul himself declares that if God’s righteousness were suspect, howcould he judge the world (Romans 3:6)? Wouldn’t something be cosmically askew if theGod of Justice were to turn a blind eye towards injustice, particularly injustice againstHimself?

In a sense, passing over the sins previously committed creates the appearance of anunresolved anomaly on God’s track-record of justice. The appearance of such couldconceivable raise an impossible possibility in the minds of angelic onlookers—that is, ofa blemish on God’s attribute of infinite righteousness and justice.

The Passover: Old Testament GraceAs we attempt to resolve this predicament, consider Paul’s allusion to the Passover—when Hebrew households were spared from God’s judgment of Egypt by displaying theblood of the Passover lamb on their doorframes (Exodus 12).

[1] By dispensation, I adhere to the term’s original meaning and usage: e.g., “A general state or ordering ofthings; specifically: a system of revealed commands and promises regulating human affairs,” EncyclopediaBritannica. This is not to be confused with Dispensationalism as espoused by Scofield.

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Take note that in those days, despite a few Israelites’ sporadic acknowledgement ofGod (Exodus 1:17-21), Israelite religious practice was little distinguishable from theirEgyptian overlords. Indeed, when left to their own devices they quickly returned todeep-seated Egyptian influenced pagan practice, not just at Sinai (Exodus 32), butperhaps even centuries later (Hosea 8:5).

As such it was by no righteousness of their own that the Israelites were saved, but itwas solely by God’s mercy. This mercy was inseparably tied to God’s allegiance toHis promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 50:24)—an oath He swore byHimself (Hebrews 6:13). Even so, it is also evident that the Israelites weresufficiently faithful and obedient to follow the Passover instructions from the Lord,thus they were spared from the destroyer (Exodus 12:23).

We revisit this account because Paul’s carefully chosen allusion to the Passoverhints at parallels between how God dealt with His chosen people then, and how Hedeals with His chosen people now. We remember how the Israelites in Egyptbecame partakers of God’s grace and recipients of God’s promises through a faithfuland obedient response to the word of the Lord; God had prophesied theirsubsequent delivery to Abraham four centuries earlier (Genesis 15:13-14), despitethe Israelites having no claim to righteousness, worthiness, or merit of any kindoutside of God’s grace and His promises.[1]

Neither Animal Sacrifices nor Grace Removes the OffenseThe Passover sacrifice appears to be a forerunner of the systematized animalsacrifices under Mosaic Law. However, looking backwards with the benefit of God’scomplete revelation we are aware despite the high priest entering the Most HolyPlace annually to offer blood for sin, the Mosaic sacrifices were external regulationsonly. Even though God commanded Israel’s adherence to these regulations, theseacts were unable to clear the conscience of the worshipers (Hebrews 9:7-10) and itwas impossible for the blood of animals to take away sins (Hebrews 10:4).

Instead it seems animal sacrifices offered in faith under Mosaic Law granted God’speople a temporary pardon, so to speak, but the offense of sinning against aninfinitely holy God remained.

[1] It should be noted that Paul’s allusion to the Passover should not be construed as excluding the sins ofHumankind that occurred before the Passover—from the Fall to the Exodus. It is apparent that in a sense Godhad “passed over” those sins as well.

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Chapter Five: Near Vertical atthe Top of the World

A Sacrifice of Infinite Value

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The Reputation of GodThus, the immensity of God’s dilemma is beginning to crystallize: Despite being createdfor God’s glory Humankind has fallen into sin and in so doing has desecrated anddemeaned God’s glory. Evidently even God’s short-term solution of animal sacrifices didnot take away sin nor did those sacrifices undo the colossal offense of defaming aninfinitely holy God.

How might we repair the righteousness of an infinitely righteous God? By asking such aquestion, the impossibility of saving ourselves becomes immediately apparent. As sinfulcreatures what could we possibly do to reaffirm God’s infinite righteousness? Whatreparations could we conceivably offer to undo offending an infinitely just God? Neitherrepentance alone, nor our deaths alone, nor even the collective condemnation of allhumanity throughout history, would remove the infinite offense of sinning against theGreat I AM.

The infinite value of each human soul is not a Christian doctrine. God did not die for man because of somevalue He perceived in him. The value of each human soul considered simply in itself, out of relation to God,is zero.

--C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory and other addresses, p. 119

Thus we see the humanistic folly of concluding Jesus Christ died for us solely because ofour great value. It would be more accurate to say that humanity’s sin against the glory ofGod was so horrible that to remove it would require a solution on an infinite scale. Asolution of this magnitude would be completely beyond the reach of sinful mortals, or thedeath of mere animals—to accomplish such a feat would require a sacrifice of infinitevalue.

A Sacrifice of Infinite ValueHaving fallen short of God’s glory with nothing to offer, no hope of redeeming ourselves,indeed with God’s wrath abiding on us, it is obvious that left to our own devices we arehopelessly and irretrievably lost. Yet God Himself has already spared us from His wrathby substituting an infinitely valuable sacrifice in our place. We are “justified as a gift byHis grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (verse 24).

Chapter Five: Near VerticalChapter Five: Near Verticalat the Top of the Worldat the Top of the World

A Sacrifice of Infinite ValueA Sacrifice of Infinite Value

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When Christ died as our Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) He entered the Most HolyPlace once for all, not by the blood of animals, but by His own blood and thereforeachieved our eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12). He redeemed the transgressions thatwere committed and previously passed over under the old covenant (Hebrews 9:15)thereby vindicating (i.e., clearing, justifying) God’s holy name from what had seemed tothe angelic audience to be a gross miscarriage of justice by the God of Justice.

Equally amazing is that Christ’s sacrifice resolved the seemingly irresolvable tensioncaused by Humankind’s fall; His infinitely valuable sacrifice effected the harmoniousresolution of God’s justice, mercy, and holiness, all for God’s glory.

Indeed, Christ demonstrated the righteousness of God.

Righteousness Past and Present26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time

Having demonstrated God’s righteousness concerning the Old Testament dispensation,Paul’s second mention of the demonstration of God’s righteousness reaffirms that therighteousness of God, concerning the past and the present age, was the primary reasonJesus went to the Cross.

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Chapter Six: The View from the SummitYour Claim to Righteousness

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Chapter Six: The Viewfrom the Summit

Your Claim to Righteousness

Paul emphatically declares that God, through the propitiatory sacrifice of His Son, hasdemonstrated His own righteousness:

(v. 26 cont.) so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

By this demonstration God has defused a cosmic scale scandal and re-established, soto speak, His righteousness and justice as uncontested in the past, the present, and forall time.

All of this was done for two simultaneous reasons:

1. So that He would be just: Paul affirms by means of an Everest-sizeunderstatement that the God of Justice would “be just”—presumablyundeniably and infinitely so in the eyes of all those in heaven and earth.

2. So that He would be the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus

By the very same means God demonstrated His own righteousness by the infinitelyvaluable sacrifice of His Son; God demonstrates our righteousness today by our faith inthat very same sacrifice—Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, our Lord and Savior.

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness ofGod in Him.

--2 Corinthians 5:21

Hallelujah Praise Jehovah!

(Congratulations, you made it!)

Ω

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Paris E. M. Murray is an emergingmarkets project finance specialist,theologian, and Semitic languagesstudent. His lives with his wife and

family in Manila, Philippines.

About the Author


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