Series Title: The Line in the Sand
Message Title: The End of the Line
Scripture: Romans 3:19~20
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
When you are riding the Seoul Subway system, usually a melody will play when the subway has reached the final station in its series of stops. When that music starts playing it’s letting you know that you can’t go any further and that you’ll have to get off. I remember years ago when I rode the San Francisco cable car. When it reached the end of the line, it had to be physically turned around on a turntable built right into the road.
In any endeavor, any voyage, or any goal, once you reach the rim, the brink, the edge, the so-called ‘end of the line’ all forward progress is blocked by something. You can’t go any further in your car, on the bus, on the train, in thought, or, in Paul’s case, in an argument.
Our scripture reading today represents several so-called ends of the lines.
(1) God’s patience will one day come to an end; (2) the depravity of mankind does have an end and can’t be any worse than Paul has already described them, that is, without God; (3) Paul’s condemnation of them comes to an end; and, (4) these two verses end Paul’s discussion on the need for God’s righteousness instead of mans.’
Court has been in session for these first three chapters of Romans. In Romans 3:9-18, the prosecutor’s accusations were made, the formal charges were levied, and the 14 counts of the indictment were listed before the accused. Who are the accused? The accused, as we’ve mentioned before, are the heathen, the moralist, and the Jew, and anyone else that has yet to give their life over to Jesus Christ. It’s everybody. All are the same; all are an equal distance from God, and all equal in God’s eyes with regard to sin.
I remember my first impression of many countries that I’ve had the occasion to visit. I’ve been able to see many different cultures, many different people groups: Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Africa, and several others. Yet all of those countries, whether walking in suits, silks or shreds, share one common denominator: they contain a nation of sinners.
My thought when I first walked the streets of one of those countries and how much it differed from my own a supposed distinguished and illustrious country was this, “why are they in such a condition as this?” Well, the Bible does have the answer.
(Psalms 9:15) The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
It doesn’t matter what nation it is, it’s the people in it and their relationship with God that makes the nation. If the nation’s people had decided to follow Satan through fortune tellers and witch doctors, then the country was in shambles. If the nation served idols, there would be some semblance of government and culture as they carved idols and statues, but constant governmental infighting and internal strife were their fare, while the rift between upper and lower classes was immense. If the nation served other gods, they were divided, violent, with constant caste and people group wars, and that, of course, all in the name of religion.
All of these, and you and I, fall into the accusations found in Romans. All of those counts have been brought against every one of us, every member of this earth. And, we will all receive the same judgment. We will all stand before God with nothing to say in our defense for:
(Habakkuk 2:20) “… the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.”
Every nation on this earth can attempt to smugly and pompously say, “We’re where we’re at today because of us!”
That’s right, the United States, England, China, Korea, Canada, and every nation of the world, can stand up before God in their own defense and proclaim that meager and paltry defense. Every nation either in the past, present or future will have had the opportunity placed before them to follow God:
Romans 1
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
Do you see the progression or rather the regression in that statement? They knew God, yet they didn’t acknowledge Him, and slowly degraded to the point of worshipping manmade idols. If you wanted to make a coarse or rough comparison, you could compare it to a court of law. The first time the accused stands before the judge, he gets off and thinks he can continue in his crimes. Then, with futile thinking and a darkened heart, he commits another crime, and receives a small punishment. It goes on until the judge says, “I give you over to your sinful desires, life in prison.” (a comparison of Romans 1:24).
One day all of these pretensions and religious professions will be seen as a travesty and the world will be judged guilty of its sins. All will receive the same penalty: death. Yet, for those that have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, that is when the Son of Man will step in and separate the lambs from the goats. That’s when the chaff will be separated and thrown into the fire.
This is the position of Paul. This has been Paul’s ongoing argument for three chapters, yet now, he moves to the defense on behalf of the world for he knows that the Jew will quickly stand up against Paul’s argument and say against the heathen and moralist:
Matthew 18
11 “…I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”
That’s right, the Jew is not like other men,
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law,
The law pertains to the Jew because they received the very oracles (words) of God. The law itself will condemn the Jew before God. There will be no need for evidence, cross-examination or witnesses, for the law will be the standard, and all that claim to have it have failed to keep it. There will be no flowery speeches, or last ditch attempts to discredit the court,
(19) so that every mouth may be silenced
The mouth of every man will be silenced at the judgment bar of God. There will be no reprieves or last minute words from the governor to stay the execution. There will be no plea bargaining, there will be no clever lawyers, and there’ll be no bribing of the judge. No one will be allowed to utter a word on their own defense. And, if charges have been entered, an indictment with its counts all listed, the it is time for the verdict. All will receive the same verdict:
(19) [and] the whole world held accountable to God.
The word that we have here translated as accountable actually indicates guilt and under sentencing. Blame is established and man is the only culprit. Man is the only one that will receive the blame and the much deserved punishment.
20 Therefore
We have here a word that when it is before us we need to ask the question, “What is therefore there for?”
In this instance, therefore is there for Paul’s summation of his argument. He began way back in Romans 1:18, citing the sins of the gentiles and pointing the finger at the crimes of all other men of the world.
(Romans 1:18) The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
Therefore,
no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law;
A better rendering of the law in this verse would be by observing [a] law. Meaning, there is no law anywhere that can justify any man. The laws of Moses, the laws of nature, the laws of morality, even the laws of Christ mentioned on the Sermon on the Mount will not justify man before God. There was only one purpose for the law,
rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
The Bible tells us that whole world is sinful and desperately wicked and in need of righteousness. And that will only happen through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
Summary:
No amount works, service, goodness, or moral competence will come to the aid of man’s defense before God. Only by placing your faith in the finished work of the cross can you be saved. The Bible says that Jesus stands at the door of your heart and knocks. Have you let Him into your life? And, if you have, does He have access to every room of the house, or, have you relegated Him to only the public portions? It’s important to be transparent before God in your mind, for you are transparent before God in His mind.
Next week we begin the second major division of Romans, a section that elaborates on the righteousness of God. A message that you don’t want to miss.
