SIN–A Common Bond
Romans 1:18–2:29
INTRODUCTION
• In Romans 1:1–18 Paul tells us about the Promise of God.
• The Promise of God, Paul says, is the Power of Salvation.
• The Promise of God reveals God’s Righteousness.
• The Promise of God comes through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• The Gospel was written to produce a faith that saves.
• Before Paul can tell us how we are saved, he needs to make sure that we understand one very important fact.
• All men are lost because of their sin and because of this all men are in need of God’s Promise.
• In telling his readers about this all important fact Paul focuses on two groups. The Gentiles, those who had been without God, and The Jews, God’s chosen people; he does this because he wants to, once and for all, set aside the bickering between the two as to who was greater in the church. If we follow carefully Paul’s line of thinking we are likely to recognize ourselves somewhere among one of these two groups.
• While addressing the two groups about the serious subject of sin, Paul is attempting to bring them together with a common bond. That bond, while not that appealing, is surely motivating.
Illustration
The late president Calvin Coolidge returned home from church one Sunday afternoon and found his wife sitting in the chair. Unable to go that day, she was interested in what the preacher had to say. She asked her husband what the preacher spoke about and he said, “Sin.”
Like most women, a one word answer was just not satisfactory, so she pressed him for more details. Finally he responded to her by saying, “Well, I think he was against it.”
Illustration from Bill Prater
I don’t believe Paul’s readers had any doubt where he stands on Sin.
MAIN BODY
I. The Sins of the Gentiles. Those without God. Romans 1:18–32
A. Look at what terrible sins they were guilty of!
1. Ignoring God
2. Idiolatry–Worshiping things created rather that the creator.
3. Sexual Immorality.
4. Envy
5. Murder
6. Deceit
7. Gossip
8. Slander
9. God–haters
10. They even went so far as to Invent ways of doing evil.
B. What brought on this terrible condition they were in?
1. They were “without excuse.” Romans 1:20
a. They could not claim ignorance of God.
b. At the very least, God had revealed himself in nature.
2. Rather, they chose:
a. Not to honor or thank God
b. To live their lives in pursuit of futile gain.
c. To worship images rather than God.
3. Because of these things “God gave them over” to their sinful ways. Romans 1:24, 26, 28
C. There are people in this world who need to be warned that there are some things, like those we talked about, that are wrong. That are always wrong and that will bring upon one the wrath of God.
1. Sin is a taboo topic in America today. The politically correct thing to talk about is TOLERANCE.
2. We don’t call ourselves sinners anymore.
3. We blame every fault we have on genetics or life circumstances.
4. No one wants to admit personal responsibility.
D. The sad reality though, is regardless how we rationalize sin, it is still sin, and it separates us from God.
II. The Sins of the Jews. Those who were believers. Romans 2
A. All the Christian Jews in Rome would have been in total agreement with Paul at this point in the letter.
1. It is likely that there could be heard many hearty “Amen’s” as the letter was read aloud to the congregation.
2. But then Paul turns from the concern of the Gentiles, who were probably squirming in their seats as he “got on their toes”, and focuses on the Jews.
3. Paul tells them, “You don’t have anything to be proud of either, you too are sinners.”
B. Paul makes His argument. Romans 2:1–16
1. “2Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth.” Romans 2:2
2. “God “will give to each person according to what he has done.” Romans 2:6
3. “13For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.” Romans 2:13
a. This meant that even Gentiles who lived without the law could be saved if they kept the requirements of the law.
b. Romans 2:14–16
4. God will reward or punish people according to the things they do.
5. God is therefore justified in his condemnation of sinners.
C. Paul then accuses the Jews of failing to keep the law that they boasted so much about. Romans 2:17–29
1. They were proud of their special standing with God.
2. But they were also inclined to do some of the same things they condemned the Gentiles for doing.
3. Consequently, their special standing was done away with because “Jewishness” (circumcision) requires doing the law.
D. It’s easy to condemn those who are guilty of the “open” sins, the more heinous sins of society. Yet all the while we are guilty of similar sins, or sins which are just as bad.
1. It is easy to condemn homosexuality and yet pass over adultery and fornication with the mind set of, “Well, that’s just normal human activity.”
2. It is easy to condemn the man who physically abuses his wife and yet think nothing of verbally and emotionally abusing our own.
3. It would be easy to sit upon a jury and convict a bank robber caught in the act and on tape, yet we don’t think a second thought about cheating on our taxes or taking a little from our employer from time to time.
4. What about the despise we have for murders and child molesters? Yet we never think twice about destroying another person with gossip, or by hurting someone by being mean–spirited, hateful and destructive with our tongues.
5. We can learn three things from this:
a. When we start to condemn others, we need to look at ourselves to see whether we are guilty of the same kind of sin. See Jesus in Matthew 7. 3“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
b. We need to always remember, as we look at the sins of others, that we too are guilty of sin.
(1) There is no one who can say that he has not sinned or does not sin.
(2) As far as sin is concerned, we are all guilty. This is the main point that Paul is making.
(a) Romans 3:23 “23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
(b) We are sinners, in need of grace to be saved!
c. This should make us inclined to deal gently with sinners.
(1) We don’t excuse their sin.
(2) We don’t say that they have not sinned.
(3) We don’t deny that certain acts are sinful.
(4) But, we deal gently with those who are sinners.
CONCLUSION
• Do you see yourself among one of these two groups?
• If you are not a Christian then you fall into the first group. Condemned of your sins because you haven’t recognized God, you have not honored God or given thanks to God. Your life spent in pursuit of futile gain.
• If you are a Christian then you are in danger of falling into the second group. Trying to ensure your salvation by adhering to a type of “checklist” Christianity, constantly living in fear of not getting enough marks placed by your name or it could be that you are simply bargaining with God by trying to point out all those who are doing worse than you instead of living a life dedicated to right doing.
● Remember the Promise that God made?
● The Promise of Salvation by grace through His Son Jesus?
● The good news is that this promise is now available and if you continue in Romans Paul points this out clearly.
● You, of course, don’t have to wait until later to rid yourself of the curse of sin . . .
● You can be freed from the curse of sin. It is possible to turn from a life of sin and devote your life to God.
○ 1 Cor. 6:9–11 “9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
○ Paul tells the Corinthians that some of them were some of these very detestable things we have discussed here today.
- But they were changed! How? They were washed, sanctified, and justified.
- Paul says in Romans 8:1 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
- In Romans 6:1–4 “1What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
- Eph. 5:25–27 “25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”
- It is no surprise that Paul uses repeatedly the idea of washing and baptism together. You see when Jesus appeared before Paul on the road to Damascus and he was struck blind, a man named Ananias was sent to him to heal him and tell him what he should do. Paul recounts this in Acts 22:16 “16And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’”
If you are not a Christian I ask the same question of you. Why remain in your sins, condemned eternally separated from God? “What are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away.”
