Romans

God's Judgment defended; All Have Sinned; God's Righteousness Through Faith; Boasting Excluded.

Paul didn't ask if they wanted the good news or the bad news first.  He knew they needed to hear the bad news to understand that the good news was in fact very good!

Up to this point, Paul had addressed the heart of every person who would read this letter in Rome (or since that day).  How could Paul do this when he'd never been to Rome and hadn't met most of those folks?  Paul knew the gospel; he knew the heart of man from God's word; and he had preached these things to Jew and gentile alike from Jerusalem to Antioch and across Asia and Macedonia.  No matter race, color, creed, religion, culture, status, education, or anything else, the heart of man is the same: deceitful, wicked and sinful by nature.  Paul anticipated their questions and attitudes and summarily dismantled every argument. 

• Unbelievers:  Paul first spoke of the unbelieving world acting like unbelievers.  Yet, Paul essentially said there is no such thing as an unbeliever, only those who reject and ignore the obvious revelation of God.  He spoke of the wrath of God that will come on them in judgment. 
• Morally upright (self-righteous):  Now, about the time the morally upright, maybe Jew and gentile alike, began to feel good about themselves because they didn't act like those nasty unbelievers, is when Paul dismantled them.  Their trust in their own goodness and willingness to judge other revealed their hypocrisy. 
• Jews (self -righteous):  He then moved on to the Jews who trusted in the law and the prophets.  They trusted in their heritage of Moses and Father Abraham.  They were self-righteous in their circumcision as if that saved a person. 

The gentiles may have been sitting quietly on the other side of the isle while Paul dismantled what they trusted in.  We can almost imagine the gentiles saying, "Wow, you guys have a problem also!"  By the end of the chapter, no one is left standing.  Paul will get to that and make that summation himself by the end of chapter 3, but first he isn't done with the Jews.

 

Romans 3:1-4

If it was anyone else besides Paul, the Jews may have wondered if he didn't understand that Israel was God's chosen people.  How could he say all these things about the Jews?  However, Paul's reputation would have been widely known, as a Pharisee and a man who sat under Gamaliel. 

With the pummeling the Jews took in the previous chapter, Paul knew they were going to ask the question, "So what's the advantage of being a Jew?"  Being a Jew was about being a descendent of Abraham, of the law from Moses, of Jerusalem and the temple, among other things.  Paul had probably been asked this very thing many places and many times in response to this similar presentation regarding the heart of man.  If being a Jew doesn't put you to any advantage with God, what's the point?

Paul's answer was that there was absolutely a great advantage.  The biggest advantage was that God revealed Himself to the world by His word through the Jews.  This is the oracles of God, the Old Testament.  The word of God was revealed, written and preserved by the Jews.  Through the ages, the Pentateuch, the Psalms, Proverbs and the prophets were given to the Jews to preserve and maintain.  They were the keepers of the oracles of God so that we can hold it in our hands today in this age.  What a privilege, what an honor, what an advantage!!

What if some Jews don't believe?"  Does it change God?  Will the unbelief of the Jews change the faithfulness of God?  Paul says, "Certainly not!"  There will always be scoffers and mockers and those that don't believe.  Their lack of faith doesn't and won't change God's faithfulness.  God revealed himself through, and to, the Jews, but God shouldn't be evaluated by the faithfulness of the Jews.  

God described Himself as "I AM"; which is to say He is the self-existent One.  He doesn't rely on anyone or anything.  He is not like any other.  If every man in the world got together and agreed that God's promises weren't faithful.  If every man, woman and child were all in rebellious agreement, it would change nothing.  God would be true and every man a liar.  If we find ourselves in opposition to God in any way, we ought to seek a new understanding, fresh insight, a renewed mind.  God is not wrong or outdated; He is not a grumpy old man trying to spoil your fun.  He is a loving Father seeking the best for you.  God has never failed in His promises.  Now that we know that, to not believe the promises of God is like calling Him a liar.  

¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.  (1 John 5:10)

God speaks the truth and cannot lie; His word is unchanging.  The very nature of God is unchanging; the same yesterday, today and forever. 

Paul then quotes from Psalm 51, the Septuagint translation.  His quote is the last half of verse 4:

David acknowledged and confessed his sin before God.  In doing so, God is found just and perfect.  The judgment and consequence of sin were deserved.  David declared God blameless. 

 

Romans 3:5-8

Once again Paul anticipated the argument of his audience and those that oppose his viewpoint.  They reasoned that their sin brought glory to God so why not keep sinning?  How could God bring His wrath on someone who glorified Him?  It bothered Paul to even present an argument were God was unjust.  That's why he said he spoke as a man.  He did so only to present his argument and answer.

If this argument held any water, then God couldn't judge the world.  When God judges the world, the unrighteousness of men will show the righteousness of God.  Every knee will bow and every tongue confess, even the unrighteous, even the unbeliever.  Everyone will see God's righteousness and agree with His judgments.  

This argument is the Judas argument.  Judas could say, yes God, I did evil, but look at the good that came from it.  Judas would argue that if he had not of betrayed Jesus, He wouldn't have died on the cross.  Could Judas possibly want to be congratulated for the good that God brought from His evil.  No, the evil belonged to Judas alone and He would be judged for it.  The good that came from it is from God alone.

Why not say, "Let us do evil that good may come"?  There were lies circulating that Paul was teaching this.  They said he disregarded the law and thereby invited sin.  Paul was setting the record straight; calling the idea slander.  He ended by saying their condemnation is just.  Anyone who would spread that kind of lie, that kind of perversion of the gospel message, would find  their condemnation is just in the eyes of God.

There seems to be no end to the great excuses man can come up to keep sinning and justify it.

 

Romans 3:9-18

The anticipated questions keep coming.  The 'we' here is a reference to the Jews.  Paul was a Jew also, so he included himself with the Jewish reader of his letter, saying they weren't any better than all the others.

Remember one by one Paul showed each group of folks their place before God.  The pagan was godless and evil.  The moralists was a lawbreaker and hypocrite.  The Jew was condemned by the law they held so tightly to. The Gentile was found guilty by their conscience.  Paul showed that each one of them were all under sin.  This little phrase has a lot of meaning.  To be 'under sin' is to be a slave to sin; to be powerless under the effects, consequence and judgment of sin.  We are under it, crushed and oppressed by it, even those who were entrusted with the oracles of God.

These verses come from Psalms 14 and 53, both detail the folly of the godless.  Delivering a collection of verses this way is called charaz, which means stringing pearls.  Paul does so to drive the point home that man is universally evil.  There is no righteous man, not even one.  No man can have a right standing with God, apart from the work of God (Jesus).  Both Psalms start with the phrase, "The fool (nabal) has said in his heart there is no God."  The "there is" was added implying that the fool isn't in unbelief but, in fact, knowingly rejecting God.  The fools said, "NO God!" or "No! God."

 

Godless Works of Man (10-12)

Even though none of us are righteous, God values us.  It's truly the only useful and lasting thing we have.  Yet, none of us, in our natural state, seeks after God.  Throughout the ages man has created religious action to avoid the real God.  We find comfort in creating a God of our own making.  We create religious requirements to appease that God.  The false religions of the world are not man's way to seek God but man's ways to avoid the Living God.

There is none who seeks after God because it's not really in us to comprehend or understand Him.  Every man has turned aside and become unprofitable.  The 'unprofitable' here is a word you might use for rotten fruit; something permanently bad and useless, something unserviceable and of no redeeming value.

 

Godless Words of Man (13-14)

Oh, the awful things we say.  Once the words are spoken, they can't be taken back, gathered up and erased.  They move quickly from our lips and deliver corruption, decay and the stench of death, as though coming from a tomb.  We speak deceit without warning; the words delivered like poison to do their wickedness.  The words of cursing and bitterness reveal a dark and rebellious hard heart.  The 'cursing' is a public expression of your desire for the worst possible calamity on someone else.  This bitterness is openly hostility towards someone.  Paul quotes these words from Psalm 5. 

 

Godless Walk of Man (15-18)

Paul borrows the words of Isaiah 59 and Proverbs 1 to speak of a rebellious and godless walk.  They are anxious to run towards destruction and misery.  Isn't fascinating the energy people will commit to immoral and unethical acts, yet won't produce anything honest and productive at a job.  They are quick to stir up trouble, to start a war and shed blood.  Their life is one of destruction and misery; it their own destruction and misery first and foremost.  However, they drag others into the wake of their ways and dark life.  They know no peace; it's a foreign concept to them.  As they have come under the weight of sin, peace was stolen away.  Apart from Christ, man can never know that peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7).

Paul caps off this list of verse with a quote from Psalm 36, stating there is no fear of God before their eyes.  This shows the true heart of man.  The works, words and walk of every person is one that is under the weight of sin.  All this comes from having no real fear of God.  There is no reverence for how awesome He is, there is no submission to Him as God, there is no fear or dread of the results of violating His nature.  Every sin is the direct result of the lack or fear.  John Calvin called this fear of God 'a bridle to restrain our wickedness, so when it is wanting, we feel at liberty to indulge every kind of licentiousness.'  Warren Wiersbe summed up this passage by calling it "An X-ray study of the lost sinner, from head to foot."  From the mouth (throat, tongue, lips, mouth) to man's feet we are inclined to wickedness and deceit.  He just about covers the entire anatomy, how fitting.

 

Romans 3:19-20

This is a reminder that man is without excuse.  The Jews held the law and the same law was written on the hearts of the gentiles.  Every mouth is stopped by the law, there are no exceptions.   The law will bring the knowledge of sin and every mouth that attempts to justify their own sin will be stopped. 

Every person is delivered to the same place, regardless of ethnicity, of education, of family name, wealth, knowledge, wisdom, friends in high places or anything else.  Its as though we are stripped of everything and stand before God with nothing but a sin-stained heart.  It's a dark place man avoids.  Humanity spends zillions of dollars on alcohol, drugs, surgeries, cars, homes, vacations and much more, trying to escape the reality of their hopelessness.  Its as if we believe we can keep busy, seeking wealth and happiness that might replace what's missing or wipe away the stain.  Its looking for love in all the wrong places. 

Jesus is the only man who lived a perfect life.  There is not one other person in the entire history of the world that has ever kept the Ten Commandments perfectly throughout their life.  Not one.  We are all found guilty before God.  Again, we see the law was not meant to save you.  It's not God's way to salvation.  Under the New Covenant, the law served the same purpose as it did in the Old Covenant.  It points to the need for a savior.

 

"It is the straight-edge of the Law that shows us how crooked we are." (J.B. Phillip's)

 

Romans 3:21-26

Paul doesn't leave everyone in that dark place long.  He only brought everyone there so they could see the beauty of the gospel for all that it is.  The 'but now' is a turning point. 

Remember back in Romans 1 when Paul said he was not ashamed of the gospel?  He said that in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.  The revealing of God's righteousness was not something new.  It was old and established, but was now revealed in a new way.  It wasn't revealed with the law.  In reality, the law and prophets were witnesses to this righteousness by faith.  (Paul didn't want them to think 'apart from the law' meant a separation of the law from the New Covenant.)  The righteousness of God is through faith in Christ, and it is to all who believe.  There is no privilege or exception; no preference or prejudice. 

There are several Greek and Hebrew words that all get translated to the word sin:

• Transgression - overstepping the law;
• Iniquity – an act inherently wrong;
• Error - a departure from right;
• Missing the mark - failure to meet the divine standard;
• Trespass - the intrusion of self-will into arena of divine authority;
• Lawlessness - without boundary or moral guideline;
• Unbelief - an insult to the divine veracity

As sin makes no distinction between Jew or gentile, salvation in Christ makes no distinction.  Just as all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory, all can be justified freely by His grace.  The law finds us guilty and drives us to the cross.  At the cross we find the righteousness of God revealed.  It is a righteous, holy and just God that is perfection and requires payment for all that has fallen short.  Our right standing came by the work of Christ on the Cross.  He is the fulfillment of the righteous requirements of a Just God.  He satisfied the requirements for the payment of sin.

This work that Jesus did was in perfect keeping with the law and the prophets as detailed throughout the Old Testament.  The blood atonement of Christ was in perfect keeping with all that was given in the Old Testament.  He is the revelation of all that was concealed in the Old Testament.

(See Jeremiah 23:5-6; Psalm 32; Isaiah 53:9-11)

The idea of being 'freely justified' is the subject of all praise and worship.  Justified means declared legally without guilt.  Freely means without cause.  This is a gift given with no reason or cause.  Redemption means we are set free from a slave market.  We were slaves to sin, but are now purchased out of slavery by Jesus Christ.  

Jesus was the propitiation; this is a substitute sacrifice.  Our debt isn't just wiped out or erased.  A debt was owed and for God to remain just and perfect, that debt must be paid.  God's wrath was due against that sin.  When Jesus became our propitiation, it's as though he stepped into the path of the wrath that was coming on us.  He took God's wrath upon Himself.  This word propitiation means 'mercy seat', an obvious reference to the lid on the Ark of the Covenant.  The Ark contained the tablets of the law and Aaron's rod that was to remember the judgment that came from rebellion against God's appointed leader.  There was also a jar of manna representing God's provision and care for His people.  The mercy seat covered the ark.  It was upon this seat that the blood was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement.  The blood of Christ was the blood sprinkled in the Holy of holies for the sin of the people.  The repeated act of the priests was looking forward to the one-time work of Christ.

Justification is a legal transaction.  God took the righteousness of Christ and put it on our record.  The eternal debt we owed and could not pay is now canceled.  Not only that, since the penalty of sin is death, and we are no longer under the bondage of sin, we will not die.  These bodies will die but one who trusts in Christ will live eternally and receive a glorified body.   It is in this way that God can remain just and also be the justifier of the person who puts their faith in Him.  Jesus is a sacrifice of atonement.  God can't ignore sin, the price had to be paid. 

What about all the sins committed before Christ was born?  If people who died before Christ were condemned was God being unfair?  If he saved them then Christ's sacrifice wasn't needed.  God forgave all human sin at the cross.  This is called forbearance.  God passed over the sins previously committed, for a time.  The Old Testament believers were saved by looking forward to their savior.  They looked forward to the promise of salvation, while we look back. 

• He is the seed of the woman that bruised the head of the serpent.
• He is Melchizedek, the king of peace.
• He is the Lamb provided as substitute for Isaac.
• He was Jacob's opponent as he wrestled in the night.
• He was voice of the burning bush.
• He hosted Moses on the Mountain of God.
• He was Joshua's commander of the Lord's armies.
• He was the scapegoat.
• He was the fourth man in the fire, like the son of God.
• He is every lamb ever slaughtered in the temple.
• He is the blood sprinkled in the Holy of Holies on the day of atonement.
• He is the light that stood before the veil.
• He is the bread of life, the bread of presence.
• He is the Propitiation, the blood sprinkled on the mercy seat.
• He is the door.
• He is the good Shepherd.
• He is the Passover Lamb.
• He is The Way into the temple.
• He is The Truth of the Father
• He is The Life to those dead in sin.
• He is the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world.
• He is our Lord.
• He is The King of kings.
• He is our only hope.
• He is so much more°..
• He is Jesus.

 

Romans 3:27-31

Who has any right to boast?  Who has anything to boast about?  The word translated to boasting means 'pride in human accomplishment'.  The Jews had not added to their salvation by the law or covenant.  No person has ever been able to boast of any work of any kind that led to them earning even a moment of salvation or reconciliation with God.  There is nothing for our pride to grab onto and nothing to congratulate our self about. 

If a man could be justified by works then God would be indebted to him; owing him salvation by works.  God is not indebted to any man.  How could an eternal God owe any mortal man of flesh?  A man is justified by faith alone.  Faith is taking God at his word. 

As we make plans to meet someone important, we often consider a gift.  This gift tells them we consider this meeting important.  We've thought about it and planned for it.  We wanted to bring our best and make it a memorable occasion for both parties.  However, when a person meets God they bring nothing to the relationship.  We come in humility and honesty, with our hat in our hand.  Our sin is open and known.  Not only does He see all our previous sin, He's aware of all the sin we will commit.  We come this way believing that He can and will deal with our sin.  This is not only what he requires, but its what He wants.  Then, out of His great love, the blood of Christ is applied to our sin stain.  We are washed clean.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Someone might wonder why Paul is writing this to a church in Rome.  Isn't this information for nonbelievers?  No unbeliever would sit down and absorb this.  This is to form a deeper understanding of their salvation.  It is to erase the dividing lines between Jew and Greek.  The enemy loves to exploit cracks and divisions.  And for those among them that had come to the Lord with some boast, that was erased.  Isn't if fascinating how many times Paul says the same thing (or nearly same) over and over.  We need to hear this though, over and over.  Go to Deuteronomy and see Moses speak to the Israelites.  He said over and over, "Take heed! Don't forget. Remember" over and over again, because they needed it.  Even then they forgot and so do we. 

We must guard against any thought process that our works, our faithfulness, our goodness or anything else had diddly to do with our salvation.  Sirens and bells should go off in our head when we hear of the innate goodness of man.  Instead of banners of self-righteousness, we ought to only wave white flags of surrender.  It is the work of Jesus alone in which we find hope.

Paul concludes saying since the keeping of the law can't offer salvation.  It is clear that He is not just the God of the Jews, He is the God of the Gentiles also.  He is your God.  The salvation of the gentiles by way of the Jews was always in His plan.  We see it in the promise to Abraham.    

Isaiah wrote of the same plan.

This has always been God's plan.

¹⁷ And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; ¹⁸ knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. ²⁰ He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you ²¹ who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. (1 Peter 1:17–21) 

We probably can't imagine how much the Jews struggled with these ideas.  The covenant, law and works were ingrained in their life and culture, passed down through generations.  Even a new Jewish Christian.  They had been taught and believed that the gentiles were as dogs, dirty and of lower class; God was their God and the gentiles all chased after other gods.  Now they had to let go of those thoughts.  The gentiles also brought old thoughts and baggage and we still do today.  This is the human condition and damage of sin.

Paul knew the Jews were concerned about the law being disregarded, as if set aside and useless in our faith.  We don't harm the law and we certainly don't make it void.  We uphold the law, we establish it.  The law showed us that we are all lawbreakers.  Each person then becomes aware of their own predicament.  Each of us realize God's wrath is being stored against us.  The law has done its job to show you the need for salvation.  It has pointed you to Jesus Christ. 

The law is God's standard of righteousness.  Once we are saved, we desire righteousness and fellowship with God.  It is this new heart and new desire that moves us to walk in God's ways, to recognize the law is the boundaries of righteousness.  It is a spiritual fence around our life.  When we realized we've lied or stolen, our conscience brings us to repentance.  The law reminds us again of our sin, which reminds us of the amazing grace of God, which reminds us we are forgiven. 

As an old man, architect William Jay of Bath said, "My memory is failing, but there are two things that I never forget—that I am a great sinner and that Jesus Christ is a great Savior."

Listen to the way one commentator put it:

Our faith has no saving value. Our religious good works, our moral good works, have no saving value because they are not perfect. Our suffering has no saving value. We would have to suffer infinitely, because we have sinned against an infinite God; and we, being finite, cannot suffer infinitely. The only thing in all of God's moral universe that has the power to save is the finished work of Jesus Christ. Our faith merely accepts the gift. And God justifies all those who believe in Jesus (3:26). If all this is true, then verse 27 is certainly an under-statement. (Schaeffer, p. 81)^[1]

©2008, 2014, 2021 Doug Ford, Calvary Chapel Sweetwater