The Roman’s Road to Righteousness (Chapter 3:1-20)‏‏‏‏‏

Hello Friends!

Welcome Back! Let’s continue our journey through the book of Romans – “The Romans Road to Righteousness.”

The Roman’s Road to Righteousness (Chapter 3:1-20)

This week we will begin reading chapter 3 verses 1-20 which speaks to God’s Righteous judgment, the “advantage” of being Jewish and the fact that all have sinned…

 

You'll notice that verse 1 begins with a question:

What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? – Romans 3:1

What is the advantage of being Jewish? Is there an advantage? That's the question being posed by the Apostle Paul.

 

If we trace the story of the Jew historically, we might conclude that there was little or no advantage at all. Theirs is a sad saga of struggle, war, captivity and death. They have been hated, persecuted, slandered, imprisoned, slaughtered repeatedly through their history. And yet they live on almost defiantly as an indestructible seed. Today rebuilding their small piece of land in the center of the world, they are a noble people made even more noble by their struggles.

 

They were slaves in Egypt for over 400 years under the bondage of Pharaoh who were given the most menial tasks and they were given circumstances which made those tasks even more difficult. When they were dispossessed from Egypt they wandered in the desert for 40 years until an entire generation of them died off in the wilderness without ever having a home. When they finally entered into the land of Canaan, they had to “save” themselves from the destruction of the surrounding peoples who constantly attacked them religiously, morally and in warfare. They were slaughtered and taken captive finally by the Assyrians first and then the Babylonians. From the Assyrian captivity they never returned and from the Babylonian captivity it was 70 years before a remnant began to come back.

 

After returning from the captivity in Babylon, they set out to rebuild their land from the rubble and were mocked and harassed and hindered and unaided in their efforts. They were dominated by the Greek Antiochus Epiphanes when they were under Greek rule and he took liberties to desecrate their religion, desecrate their priesthood, desecrate their holy place, quell their rebellions by slaughtering many of them. Their babies were massacred by Herod. Their land was oppressed by Roman legions. They were utterly devastated under the power of Rome and other enemies throughout the next two millennia.

 

And, of course, it all came to a horrifying climax in the 1940's when six million Jews were systematically exterminated. Anti‑Semitism was no longer religious as it had been in the Middle Ages but it became racial. Sadly, the Jewish people today again find themselves in many cases to be hated, slandered, defamed, misunderstood and mocked.

 

But here Paul is not really dealing in terms of history. So what about a spiritual advantage? Do they have an “in” with God that no one else has? Do they have a security with God that no one else has? After all, they are His chosen people. Right? Yes indeed – they are the apple of His eye! However, being a Jew and being a member of the chosen people of God is of no spiritual advantage. In fact, the answer to this question is found in the last section of chapter 2 verse 29 - For a true Jew is a true Jew inwardly. So, what is the advantage to being Jewish? Here is Paul’s answer:

Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God – Romans 3:2

“Much in every way!” They had the privilege of proclaiming the true God. They had the privilege of revealing the true Messiah. They had the privilege of blessing from God as they served faithfully. They had the privilege of a land. They had a privilege of an ultimate restoration and glory in the final Kingdom. But their primary advantage was they received the “oracles” – the Scriptures, the very Words of God! That's the greatest advantage anyone can have. 

 

In the Old Testament, we read repeatedly of the tremendous and consistent blessing of God upon the Jews. The very Shekinah glory of God led them by day, led them by night, was in the midst of their holy places. They received the covenants – Abrahamic, Davidic and Mosaic. They were given the law and served God through the priests and the prophets. They received God’s promises through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph – and ultimately their Messiah Jesus Christ!

 

However, as the Prophet Hosea proclaims, where there's no knowledge the people of God – the Jews – perish:

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children – Hosea 4:6

The Jews had all of these privileges and knowledge but they denigrated them. And what if they do not believe? Paul addresses that question as well:

 

For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar – Romans 3:3-4a

So, shall the “unbelief” of the Jew make the “faithfulness” of God ineffective? “Certainly not!” This is the strongest negative in the Greek language! What it says simply in English is: "No!” “Never!” “Impossible!” Now that’s good news!

 

Then Paul uses a marvelous illustration – “As it is written” – he now calls the Scripture by quoting David in Psalm 51 verse 4 to make his point:
 

“That You may be justified in Your words, and may overcome when You are judged” – Romans 3:4b

Although David sinned greatly and lived a life of pain and anguish, he upheld the character of God and that's why Paul quotes him. King David would never speak against God or impugn the character of God. David will not say God is unfair or God is unkind. In fact, he might say, "God, I've deserved everything You've given me." David even acknowledged that God was without flaw. In spite of David's sin, God fulfilled the Davidic covenant in the coming of Jesus Christ the Messiah. In spite of Israel's sin, God will ultimately fulfill the Abrahamic covenant during the 1000-Year Millennial Kingdom. God's Word is true. God's true is valid. God's character can always be upheld!

 

God is even glorified in spite of the sins of Israel. Their unfaithfulness does not make God unfaithful. In fact, by contrast it will reveal His great faithfulness! God will be glorified even in the midst of their unbelief and in the midst of their sin:

But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world? For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just – Romans 3:5-8

NOTE: In the end of verse 5, we find a little parenthesis – “(I speak as a man)" What Paul is saying here is “I'm using typical human logic and reasoning as men might reason – just so nobody will think this is good reasoning!” This is typical of depraved human thinking. A sinful man would argue in this blasphemous argument and Paul wants no one to think this reflects righteous reasoning. 

 

Then Paul says “And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?” The Jews accused Paul’s gospel of grace, mercy, forgiveness and freedom as being a license to sin and was speaking against the holiness of God. In other words, if sin is another way to bring God glory, then there's no such thing as sin. And if there's no such thing as sin, then how can I be judged a sinner? When we become a Christian, that isn't license to willfully sin over and over again just to be forgiven. When we become a Christian we come under the lordship of Jesus Christ and we become desirous above all things of obeying His Word. And so there are those today who turn grace into gross immorality.

 

Paul knows that men tend to resist the reality of their sinfulness, so in summing up this portion of Scripture, he wants to make a strong final statement about the utter and total sinfulness and depravity of man. Up to this point, Paul has argued that man is sinful from the testimony of creation. He has argued from the testimony of history. He has argued from the testimony of reason. He has argued from logic. He has argued from conscience. And now he argues from the Scriptures.

 

Verses 9 through 20 are a very famous portion of Scripture. Let’s break these passages down a little…

What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin – Romans 3:9

Immediately we're faced with one question: who is the "we” of whom Paul is speaking? The only remaining people that he hasn't addressed up to this point would be himself and the Roman believers to whom he writes – Christians. And he's simply asking “Are we Christians any better than the immoral pagan, the moral religious man or the religious Jew who are condemned before God? Are we some kind of elite group who are intrinsically better than everybody else?” Paul’s answer: “Not at all.”

 

Now the Apostle Paul will argue directly from the very Word of God! Once again he uses the marvelous illustration – “As it is written.” Here are nine very vexing verses 10 through 18 and their respective Old Testament references: 

 

As it is written:

“There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.”  (Psalm 14:1-3, 53:1-3 & Ecclesiastes 7:20)

“Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit” (Psalm 5:9)

“The poison of asps is under their lips” (Psalm 140:3)

“Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” (Psalm 10:7)

“Their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known.” (Isaiah 59:7-8)

“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Psalm 36:1)

Remember, the entire book of Romans presents the true saving Gospel – good news – of salvation in Jesus Christ! The first part of the good news is bad news... The bad news first then good news. The bad news is that man is a sinner and is condemned by God for his sin. That is the theme of chapters 1, 2 and 3. The good news begins in the middle of chapter 3 and stretches on through the remainder of the epistle. But before one hears the good news, he must first understand the bad news. You can't take the cure until you realize you've got the disease…

 

It all comes to a telling climax at the end of verse 19:

Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God – Romans 3:19

That "every mouth may be stopped. " What does that mean? It means there's no defense. There's nothing to say. And “all the world may become guilty before God." You might ask, "Well, what about the people who do good things?" Again, that's answered in verse 20:

Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin – Romans 3:20

Man cannot be made right with God through his own efforts. All men are sinners. All men are under condemnation. Whether they're religious or irreligious, they will be judged according to the facts of their unrighteousness. And so the Apostle Paul penned these three chapters condemning man. He has brought men to the judgment bar of God and “every mouth is stopped”... dead silence… nothing more to say.

 

This is the heart and soul of the Gospel message of grace – In our sin, God forgives us and gains all the glory because of His forgiveness. AMEN!

 

In closing:

There are some people today who teach what's known as the “two people” doctrine in that a Christian has an “old person” and a “new person” – the “old person” fights against the “new person.” This teaching is quite common today but it’s not a true New Testament view. The Bible teaches the Christian is one new person, not two people fighting against each other! Lord willing, we shall discuss this issue in more detail later in our study of Romans chapter 7. 

 

In this erroneous “two people” doctrine, when you do right it's your “new person” and when you do wrong it's your “old person.” Here's the ultimate reasoning: When you sin, it is only your “old person” acting out – therefore you're not responsible because it's your “old person” doing the sinning and not the “new person!” So the thought here is that there should be no discipline or chastisement necessary because it's only your “old person” acting wrongly – not your “new person.” Besides, the “old person” can’t really be changed – Right? Wrong!

 

This error is subtle, but very important! This sort of dualism makes for a convenient place to “hide” sin and go on excusing and tolerating it without any necessary change taking place in the life of the Christian. These folks also deny the absolute sovereignty of Jesus Christ in their life which is calling them to holiness. They deny the Lordship of Jesus Christ in the life of the believer. They turn His wonderful grace into license to sin and lasciviousness living. Friends, this is nothing less than cheap grace…

Please begin by reading verses 1-20 of the third chapter of Romans.

We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!

If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com

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Blessings!
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