A. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers and grandmothers in our congregation, whether they be biological, adoptive, surrogate, or spiritual mothers and granmothers!
1. We all thank God for the influence of godly women in our individual lives and in the life of the church as a whole!
2. May God bless you with joy and peace, and with strength and endurance.
B. Today’s sermon is not about mothers, but the title might lead you to think it is, because motherhood has a lot to do with questions and answers.
1. In addition to mothers, teachers have to handle a lot of questions and answers.
2. Here are some of the funniest questions that students have asked their teachers:
a. “Wait, aren’t rhinos made of mud?”
b. “Aren’t the sun and the moon the same thing?”
c. “How do islands not float away?”
d. “How old was the average 18-year-old in 1942?”
e. “Where is the Great Wall of China?”
f. “What are those pyramid-shaped things in Egypt called?”
C. I decided to title today’s sermon, “Questions and Answers” because that is what Paul was doing in this section of Romans, he was asking and answering questions.
1. Douglas Moo, who wrote one of the commentaries on Romans that I am using as a resource, says, “In over twenty years of ministry, I have taught the same subject many times. By now I can predict with almost 100 percent accuracy what questions students will ask at what point in the lectures.”
2. Similarly, the apostle Paul has been preaching for many years and he knows that teaching on certain topics will inevitably raise certain questions.
3. So, as Paul wrote this letter to the Romans and tackled some of the challenging topics that needed to be addressed, we find him repeatedly pausing in his argument to address questions that he knows his readers will be asking.
4. Nowhere in Romans is this more evident than in the section we will examine today from chapter three, verses 1-8.
D. Paul has just spend the bulk of chapter 2 arguing that the Jews stand in the same position before God as Gentiles do – they are guilty and subject to God’s judgment as well.
1. And it is no surprise that Paul would anticipate some serious objections or questions from the Jews.
2. Although the passage itself is somewhat difficult, the flow of the argument is not hard to follow.
3. Basically, there are three questions raised and three answers given.
4. One of the main challenges to working through this section is sorting out the different “speakers” that Paul uses to make his points.
5. Clearly he is asking questions that reflect some kind of view in opposition to his own, and he responds to these questions.
6. But it is not always crystal clear as to which are the opponent’s questions and which are Paul’s answers.
7. But with God’s help, I am sure we will be able to benefit from this study and its application.
E. So, let’s start with the first question and answer.
1. Paul wrote: Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. (Rom. 3:1-2)
2. The Jews were essentially objecting to Paul’s teaching about universal judgment because in their minds it destroyed their special standing with God.
a. The Jews felt – with some justification – that because they were God’s chosen people, that they had a special relationship with God – one that would shield them from judgment.
b. Part of that is certainly true – the Jews are/were God’s chosen people, but that fact doesn’t negate the reality of their disobedience and the resulting judgment.
3. In essence, Paul anticipates their question, “If we are sinners just like the Gentiles and subject to judgment, then why bother being Jewish, or being circumcised?”
a. After following Paul’s argument in chapter two, we might have expected that Paul’s answer to the question: “Then what advantage has the Jew” Or what is the value of circumcision?” would be, “None. There is no advantage.”
b. Perhaps many Gentile Christians in Rome were eager for Paul to draw that conclusion.
4. But Paul surprises them and us with the answer: “Much in every way!”
a. Paul proceeds to say that “To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.”
b. The Jews were the one people on the earth to whom God had overtly and clearly and comprehensively revealed Himself and His will.
c. Everyone else might have to grope in the darkness about God and His will, but not the Jews, they could see clearly because God had given them revelation.
5. The flipside of that advantage is that more is then expected.
a. To whom much is given, must is required, right? (Spiderman, right?)
b. The privilege of having God’s law doesn’t get you off the hook, rather it puts you on the hook.
6. Ray Stedman offers this helpful illustration.
a. Let’s imagine a remote island permanently shrouded in darkness.
b. There is only one way off the island of darkness—by means of a narrow footbridge that stretches across a deep chasm.
c. Let us further suppose that everyone on the island is given a tiny penlight, so small that it can only illuminate the darkness for one foot in any direction.
d. But one group of people are given a powerful searchlight, with a beam so strong it can cut through the darkness for miles and miles.
e. Although the searchlight was given to this group in order to help them find the bridge and so that they might help others find the bridge, they use it instead to search for needles in haystacks.
7. What would the judgment be on the people who had misused the searchlight?
a. Had they wasted the light they were given?
b. That’s what the Jews had done.
c. The Law was like a searchlight to help people find God.
d. But the Jews, instead of lighting the way to God, were using it to argue over trivialities.
e. They argued about how far you could walk on the Sabbath.
f. They argued about whether it was a sin to spit on the Sabbath.
g. They even discussed whether it was sinful to spit on mud or on rock on the Sabbath.
h. That’s what they turned God’s great revelation into. (From Guilt to Glory, vol 1, p. 58)
8. Being a Jew, having the law and circumcision could have been a great advantage, but they wasted it.
F. Let’s move on to the second question and answer.
1. Paul wrote: What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.” (Rom. 3:3-4)
2. The question that is being raised here is if we Jews have been unfaithful to God will God be unfaithful to us?
a. Or we might word the question this way: why not give up on God since He will surely give up on us because of our unfaithfulness?
3. It is obvious that the Jews have not been faithful as a people to their covenant promise.
a. God’s wrath is universal, and the Jews have become a source of blasphemy rather than blessing in God’s name (2:24).
b. Does the fact that they have not been faithful to their covenant promise mean that God will break His promise, as He has every right to do?
4. Paul’s wonderful declaration of good news is that God does not repay in kind.
a. However faithfulness humanity may prove to be, God remains faithful to His promises delivered to Israel and through Israel to all humanity.
b. The faithfulness of God does not depend on reciprocal human faithfulness.
c. If every human being proves faithless to God, God remains faithful.
5. Part of God’s faithfulness is His promise to punish disobedience.
a. God will always remain faithful and righteous in His own dealings.
b. God’s Word promises blessings for obedience, but also warns of punishment for disobedience.
c. The Jews must understand that the ultimate standard of righteousness is God’s own holy character, and that holy character requires Him to respond to sin with wrath.
6. But another part of God’s faithfulness is His promise to forgive.
a. In order to prove this point, Paul includes a quotation from Psalm 51, the great Psalm of confession composed by King David after his terrible sins with Bathsheba.
b. The verse that Paul quotes is one where David is proclaiming that what happened to him demonstrated God’s justice.
c. David sinned, God judged him, thus proving that God is righteous in everything He does.
d. But after God judged him, God also forgave him, proving that God’s grace is greater than man’s sin.
e. The point is clear: God is right when He judges, but also, God is always willing to forgive.
f. All of the sins of the Jewish nation could not cause God to break His promises.
g. Even if every person in the world turns out to be a liar, God will be true to His Word.
G. Let’s look at the third and last of the questions and answers.
1. Paul wrote: But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) By no means! For then how could God judge the world? But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just. (Rom. 3:5-8)
2. In these verses, Paul imagines that the Jewish objectors are still not satisfied with his answers and want to argue that it is unfair for God to condemn the Jews for acts that enhance God’s glory.
3. Let’s rephrase this question or objection: a person might say, “Paul, you just got through saying that David’s sin gave God a chance to demonstrate both His justice and His grace. If David hadn’t sinned, then God would never have had a chance to judge him or to forgive him. So in a sense, David was helping God out by sinning. If that’s the case, then whenever I sin, I am also helping God out. But if my sin helps God out, how can He judge me for being a sinner?”
a. That is certainly a slick answer, wouldn’t you say?
b. But it is also a really sick answer, because the person who talks like this is really accusing God of using sin to His own advantage.
c. This line of thinking leads to an absurd conclusion: “If our sin gives God a chance to demonstrate His faithfulness in judgment and His grace in forgiveness, then why not sin more so God can forgive more?”
d. Paul comes back to this same question in Romans chapter 6: What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! (Rom. 6:1-2)
4. In both cases, there in Romans 6 and here in Romans 3, Paul’s answer is succinct and strong: “By no means!”
a. The force of the statement communicates “may it never be” or “God forbid.”
b. In modern vernacular we might say, “You’ve got to be kidding!” or “That’s just stupid!”
5. We must keep in mind that sin is always sinful.
a. There is no such thing as a good sin.
b. Sin is the reason that Jesus had to come to earth and suffer on Calvary.
c. There’s nothing good about sin, it is evil through and through.
6. The fact that God is able to bring something good out of someone’s sin doesn’t make sin good.
a. The fact that God can bring good things out of bad choices doesn’t turn stupidity into wisdom.
b. The ends don’t justify the means.
c. Sin is always sinful and deserves judgment.
7. Paul’s conclusive answer to this question is that if this were the case, that sin is justified as long as it results in good, then God would not be able to judge anyone.
a. Paul adds a parenthesis noting that some people have accused Paul of teaching this very thing: “let’s us do evil that good may result.”
b. Paul concludes that the condemnation of people who think that way is well deserved.
H. So what important lessons can we apply to our lives from today’s section?
1. Let me offer two.
I. First of all, from today’s section, we learn an important lesson about God’s faithfulness.
1. The Jews may have misunderstood the nature of God’s faithfulness, but they were correct to believe that whatever He has promised He will do.
2. We can depend on God to carry out, to the letter, every promise He has made to us.
3. One thing we have to be careful about is thinking that every promise in the Bible is for us.
a. In fact, there are many promises in the Bible that are made to a specific group or a specific individual that are not made to everyone, and so we must be careful to make that distinction.
b. God promised to give to Abraham a lot of land and a lot of offspring (Gen. 12:1-3), but God does not give that promise of land and children to everyone.
c. God promised to give King Hezekiah an additional 15 years of life, when he was sick and about to die (Is. 38:5), but God does not do that for all of us.
4. But God gives so many great promises that do apply to us.
a. Like the promises of eternal life and abundant life being found in His Son.
b. Or the promise that if we seek first His kingdom, we will have what we need (Mt. 6:33).
c. Or the great promise we will get to later in Romans 8:28 about how God can work all things for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose.
d. Or God’s great promise in 1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
5. In an uncertain world, we have a certain God and the certainty of God’ promises.
6. In a world without foundations, we have the rock-solid foundation of a promise keeping God.
7. I love words of the old hymn:
Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.
J. Secondly, from today’s section, we learn an important lesson about false security.
1. The Jewish tendency to think that the covenant made them secure from all threat of judgment has parallels to the false security peddled in some churches today.
2. I happen to believe that a genuine and faithful Christian can and does have security in Christ.
3. But, unfortunately, many are given a false sense of “eternal security” that is open to abuse.
a. People can mistakenly think that they are okay with God if they have welcomed Christ into their lives, or said the sinner’s prayer, or even if they have been baptized.
b. We need to help people understand what real conversion is and challenge each professing believer to make sure that his or her profession is lived out in spiritual and practical reality.
4. Nevertheless, while emphasizing security in Christ, we must also maintain the possibility of falling short.
a. The Word of God teaches both the promise of eternal glory for those who are truly God’s, while at the same time maintaining that eternal glory is contingent on a life of obedience and faithfulness.
b. Holding equally to God’s promise to keep us secure with the need for us to be obedient and faithful in order to enjoy that promise is not an easy thing to maintain.
c. We believers should never so presume on our “security” that we fail to make every effort to bring our lives into obedience to Christ.
5. Many contemporary theologians and preachers now prefer the phrase “the perseverance of the saints” over the phrase “eternal security.”
a. Although neither doctrine or phrase is perfect, at least the phrase “the perseverance of the saints” contains the reminder that saints need to persevere if they expect to attain glory.
b. It is so important to us to balance the belief that we are saved by grace and that God gives every aid needed for us to persevere with the understanding that our commitment and dedication to walking with God is also required.
K. So let’s all hold unswervingly to our promise-keeping God, while at the same time doing our best to live in obedience to God’s commands in order to bring God glory by bearing much fruit.
1. Orville Merillat was an American businessman and philanthropist who was a successful manufacturer of wooden kitchen cabinets.
2. When he was asked what was the key to his success, he responded, “Always do your best and then some.”
3. God is certainly pleased when we give it our all, and then some.
4. Let’s walk with God and serve Him whole-heartedly and then some.
Resources:
Romans: Be Right, The Bible Exposition Commentary, by Warren Wiersbe
Romans, The NIV Application Commentary, by Douglas Moo
Romans, Interpretation – A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, Paul Achtemeier
“I Object!” sermon by Ray Pritchard.
