Book of Romans
Lesson #8
Romans 3:1-3:12
By Rev. James May
Since it has been a few weeks since we last taught on Romans, let us digress just a little and go to the beginning of Chapter 3. If you will recall, what we had studied was that Paul was trying to tell the Jews that they were no more qualified to lead the church, or to the teach their fellow Christians in Rome anything concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Jews had assumed that just because they had Moses and the Law that they should have a greater understanding of the gospel, but this was simply not the case. In fact, the Jews, in this instance at least, knew nothing more than their Gentile counterparts. All of them, both Jew and Gentile, were new converts to Christianity, and they all needed to grow and mature in the faith before either one could lay claim to being a teacher among his peers.
In spite of Paul’s words saying that the Jews had no advantage over the Gentiles as far as their knowledge and understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ was concerned, Paul was also willing to acknowledge that there was some advantage to the Jews in Rome, simply because it was through the Jews that the gospel had come as Jesus, their Messiah had come from Israel, God’s chosen nation for most of recorded history.
Now let’s continue on with our verses.
Romans 3:1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
Romans 3:2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.
Romans 3:3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
So, did the Jews have an advantage, or was there any spiritual profit in the obedience to their law, and did the obedience of circumcision give them any special privileges?
Paul says, Yes, in every way, the Jews were at an advantage in their relationship with God, in their knowledge that God was real, and in the fact that they, among all of the nations and people of the earth, had been chosen to receive God’s Law, and to be called the people of God.
And though many of the Jews did not believe in Jesus, and even many of them had failed to believe in God’s power and keep the faith, the failure of these Jews did not negate in any way the choices that God had made in dealing with Israel.
The disobedience of those who rejected God, of those who crucified Christ, and who had their understanding darkened by unbelief, did not nullify the Covenant that God had made with Abraham. Neither did their unbelief nullify the Covenant of the New Testament. In spite of the naysayers, God still was dealing with Israel as his chosen people, and now had added to their ranks those Gentiles who would accept Jesus by faith.
Romans 3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
The actions of men, whether in unbelief, or in obedience to the call of God in faith will never alter the plan of God. His plans are fixed and he already knows the end from the beginning. In spite of men, or with the help of obedient servants, God’s will shall be done in all things.
Let no man think that he has the power to change the prophecies of God’s Word! Let no man believe that he, as a man of faith and power with God, could ever cause even one Word of God’s Holy Bible to not be fulfilled!
God is true, and stands by his word, and though men are often rebellious and inconsistent, and sometimes even outright sinful, God’s Word will not fail, for God cannot fail. What he says he will do, he will bring it to pass in spite of what men may do.
God’s promise to Abraham to make him the father of a great nation came to pass in spite of the fact that Abraham and Sarah took matters into their own hands and made a mess of things. God still brought Isaac along, and birthed through Abraham and Sarah and great nation through the 12 sons of Isaac.
God made a promise to David that he would make him King of Israel and establish his throne. In spite of David’s failures as a King and as a man of God, God still fulfilled his promise to David through his son, Solomon. Even though David tried to rush God’s promise and perpetrated the terrible crimes of adultery and conspiracy to commit murder, and then tried to lie about it, God still held up his end of the promise and made David a great king in Israel in spite of himself.
God will be justified in his words and promises, and will not fail to bring to pass that which he has spoken. In the end, no matter how it comes about, God’s word is truth and will stand forever. In the end, God is always proven faithful and true. He is always a Just God, and his actions always prove to overcome his enemies and put to silence all who would try to discredit his word.
Who can judge God as unfaithful? Who can say that his Word has failed? Where are those who can lay a charge of any kind against the God of Heaven? In the end, God always prevails and never fails!
Romans 3:5 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)
Now let us be careful lest we begin to think that being rebellious doesn’t matter in the long run because God is going to be faithful no matter what! That’s the attitude that a lot of people take in our day.
Some might even go so far as to say that their disobedience to the call of God adds to the power of God to show himself faithful! Let us not forget that sin’s wages are death, and though God will be faithful to his promises, it doesn’t mean that the sinner, who wilfully sins and refuses to repent, will ever enjoy the promises of God. In effect, we are trying to justify sin and somehow say that our sin only makes God’s faithfulness that much more effective. Only the sinful heart of man trying to justify his own sin would ever think in that fashion.
There are some who also question, “How can a Just and Righteous God take vengeance on unrighteous man and condemn that soul to an eternity in the Lake of Fire?” If God is vengeful and judgmental, then he must have some unrighteousness within himself too!
(Paul is saying here that he is only repeating what men who want to find fault with God will say, not what the Holy Spirit is saying. Only the unregenerate, sin-sick, heart of a man would try to find a way to make Holy God appear to be unrighteous because he must judge the sinner.)
Romans 3:6 God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?
Such a thought is unacceptable and an abomination in the eyes of God Almighty. God is Righteous, Holy, Just and Pure. Only that kind of God could be qualified to judge the world for its sin.
God is not unrighteous in his duty to judge evil. He is not unrighteous in his duty to condemn the sinner. He is not unholy to send judgment upon the sin-stricken and evil world that must be destroyed to righteousness to be fully realized.
The warnings are not just the idle threats of an angry God, or a God who is jealous in an unholy way. The warnings in the Bible are born out of a heart of love for man that He created. Though judgment must fall, the Lord is righteous and just in always making a way out for those who will take it. He even gave his only Son, Jesus, that men could find a way of escape. We cannot blame God for whatever our eternal destination will be if we choose not to serve him. God is Perfect is all his ways. It is the heart of man that is inherently evil and judgmental, not God.
Romans 3:7 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?
Paul uses the phrase “Truth of God” in place of the phrase “Righteousness of God” here, but in it all he is speaking of the faithfulness of God.
Let us realize that God’s faithfulness abounds in spite of the lies of men. God honors his Word and his promises for his own glory’s sake. But that doesn’t make the lie anything less than a lie. There is no Truth in lies, only death and sin which are contrary to the very nature of God. Lies are of their father the devil, not of our Holy God.
It may seem strange that in spite of the lies of the Jews, in spite of the sin that was even in Paul’s life, in spite of the sin that is in all of us, God remains holy and true and his word is still fulfilled in us and through us, but that is the work of the Spirit and of our God who is faithful to his own word.
It’s not our works of righteousness that brings about the work of God in us, but his work of faithfulness because he is righteous to fulfill his own promises.
Never let us think that the works that we do while we are in sin, though they may seem to accomplish some good for the Kingdom of God, will ever be the means by which we obtain the blessings of God. It’s all by Grace alone, and by the Righteous works of God.
I wonder how many men will face the judgment believing that somehow their good works will be sufficient to save them? I wonder how many preachers, though they might seem to be very successful in building huge ministries and making a name for themselves, will somehow think that their works will commend them to salvation, while they are yet living in sin or in disobedience to the Word of God? Will their works make God a liar? Will their good works be enough? Though men may do wonderful works and build what appears to be great ministries for the cause of Christ, yet they are living in a manner that is inconsistent with the Word of God, what reward will await them? There is only one reward for sin, and it’s not what many will be expecting in that terrible day!
No, a thousand times NO! Works will not save us! If we live in sin; if we refuse to preach the whole counsel of God; if we build huge congregations and yet do not warn men of the judgment to come for the sin in their hearts; if we fail to lead people to the Cross of Christ and teach them that they must live a holy, sanctified, Born Again, and surrendered life to Christ; then we shall be condemned as sinners right along with everyone else who rejected God’s plan of salvation and tried to make it our own way!
Romans 3:8 And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.
These are Paul’s own answer to the questions that he raised in the last verse.
Some have questioned Paul’s own motives. Some have accused him of being a sinner while he yet preached to others, and they say such things through ignorance and say them very loudly. They even blaspheme the gospel saying that Paul teaches error when he says that Christ is crucified for the sin of all men and that there is free justification of sin through the blood of Jesus. Those who speak out against Paul say that there is no way that God will wipe away the sins of men through faith alone. They believe that there must be a price of penance paid for sin.
Paul says that if he had preached as a sinner, that good works alone could save, then the condemnation of those who spoke against him would be just and right. They would have good cause for their accusations. But Paul did not preach such things. His message was the pure gospel of faith in Christ alone. He never condoned lies and sin in any way, even though sin abounded, Paul preached that Grace did much more abound, and that men must repent of their sin to see the fullness of God in their hearts.
Romans 3:9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
Now Paul returns to his original thoughts at the beginning of chapter 3. He again says that in spite of how God moved among the Jews, and the different ways in which God moved among the Gentiles, no one was better than the other, for both were lost in sin. Let neither of us think more highly of ourselves than others. In God, it’s all a level playing field! We are all sinners that must be saved by Grace!
Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
The words given here, and in some following verses, are taken out of the Psalms and Isaiah; and are given to prove, not only that the Jews are no better than the Gentiles, being equally corrupt and depraved; but also to show the corrupt state and condition of mankind in general.
There is none righteous as Adam was, in a state of innocence; for all have sinned, and are filled with unrighteousness, and are enemies to righteousness. None are righteous by their obedience to the law of works; nor are there any righteous in the sight of God who are without Christ.
Men may attempt to appear righteous, and even to think of themselves as a righteous person, but make no mistake about it; there is not one perfect person on this earth. All of our efforts at sanctification leave us yet in unrighteousness and sin. All of our great faith doesn’t make us righteous. And though we may repent of our sin from now until we leave this world, it doesn’t make us righteous. What makes us righteous is one thing only – THAT IS THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST WHICH IS GIVEN TO US THROUGH THE BLOOD OF JESUS. Jesus is our Righteousness.
Romans 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
We like to think of ourselves as people who have the ability to think and to reason and to learn. We like to believe that we can understand and resolve issues in our lives, and it is that power of reasoning, thinking, resolving problems and inventing ways of doing things that sets us apart from the rest of God’s creation.
In a natural sense, this ability to think and to reason and to invent serves us well, but in the supernatural sense, all of our abilities to reason and understand seem to fail miserably. That is because the things of the supernatural are not seen or understood by the natural mind, but must be “seen” through eyes of the Spirit. And the sad fact is that no man can see the things of the Spirit until they are revealed to us through the Spirit, and the Spirit does not reveal them until we are finally in a position with our relationship with God to see them.
It is because of this “Spiritual blindness”, and the human nature of man that is focused on the materialistic world around him that God looked down from Heaven and determined that not one man, in the whole world, really understood anything about God, neither did any man seek to know God.
Man has ever searched for god, or should I say, “their own idea of god”, or their Higher Power, but none searched after the True God. Over a short period of time after the fall of Adam, mankind has become so blind that they lost their knowledge of their true spiritual condition. There was no more innocence as there had been with Adam in the beginning. Man forgot how miserable and lost in sin he is, and men have no natural understanding of the way of salvation by Jesus Christ.
Natural men, as they go about their daily lives even today give no thought of what is going on in the Spirit world around them. They have no knowledge of how the Holy Spirit is working, trying to find a way to get to their heart and draw them back to God. If you were to try to talk to a lost soul about the very existence of another world around them, that world of the spirit that is just as real as the world they see, they would think of you as someone who has lost his mind.
We were not searching for God when we found Jesus. The Holy Spirit came looking for us. God initiated the search, started the process by which we were presented the gospel, and it is still God that continues to draw us ever closer to him all of the time. How often do we find ourselves slipping away from a close relationship with Jesus when suddenly the Holy Spirit will quicken our hearts to turn back to our first love and seek after God again? It’s only by God’s mercy and grace that every one of us does not soon forget God!
That’s what is meant by the saying here that no man seeks after God. Oh if we could only reach a place in our own hearts where we would truly worship Christ in Spirit and in Truth all of the time. If we could only reach that place in Jesus where we can truly pray without ceasing! Thank God, we can reach that place, but only through guarding our hearts and being ever aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit working in us as we stay in close communion with Jesus.
Romans 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
In the beginning, with Adam, man had tremendous knowledge and understanding. God had created man with an intelligence that was far greater than we can even imagine today. Adam was created in righteousness and holiness and innocence.
But through the fall, Adam lost nearly everything of value. Spiritually, he became bankrupt and died inside. Morally he lost his innocence. From the instant he gained the knowledge of good and evil, the mind of man has become more and more corrupted until today, even the most educated man in the world is ignorant compared to the true capacity of the brain to learn and hold knowledge. Even scientists tell us that we use less than 10% of our true brain capacity most of the time.
Men who are lost in sin are of no profit whatsoever to the Kingdom of God. All of the works of the earth that are not done under the direction of the Holy Spirit are of no profit to God. They are all earthly and not supernatural. Only those things accomplished under the direction of the Holy Spirit can become profitable for the cause of Christ. Mankind has become a race of unprofitable servants, giving nothing back to the God that created them, not even their praise and worship.
This doesn’t only speak of the worldly people either, but sadly it applies to many within the church as well. It is impossible even to find a spiritual person, someone born again, who is perfect and without sin. It’s only by Grace that we made acceptable to the Lord. It’s certainly nothing that we have of ourselves that commends us to Christ, but it is Christ in us that commends us to God.
Though we are saved, yet can we claim that we are “Good” in sense of purity and holiness before God? There is none Good, no not one. We are all relying upon the mercy of God, for in us there is no goodness outside of the goodness that Christ give to us as a free gift. By His righteousness alone can I say that I am good!
