Romans 3:1-20 The Gospel - Gods impartial judgement

Theological Proposition/Focus: God's judgment is impartial and every person, regardless of their background, is in need of salvation. True justification comes through faith in Jesus Christ, not through the Law or one's own works.

Christ Focus: The passage points to Christ as the ultimate solution to humanity's sinful condition. It foreshadows the Gospel message that Christ fulfills the Law and provides justification for all who believe, highlighting that He is the only way to be made right with God.

Homiletical Proposition/Application: This passage serves as a sobering reminder for Christians and others that they cannot rely on their own efforts to earn God's favor. It encourages believers to embrace the Gospel as the only means of justification, freeing them from the burden of perfectionism and leading them to a deeper reliance on Christ's righteousness.

Introduction

Setting the Stage: When you have done something so much you know the mistakes new people will make. Teaching Calculus 1.

When I taught at UNL, I was the Director of First Year Math, which meant that I taught Calculus extensively. Since I taught the course so much, I didn't just know the subject; I knew the questions my students were going to ask. I would often incorporate my expected student questions and answers directly into my lessons. Students enjoyed watching as the questions on their minds appeared on the screen right as they were about to ask them. Those of you who have worked a job for a long time probably have had a similar experience where you have done a task so many times that you know what the common mistakes and pitfalls will be.

Well, Paul wrote Romans sometime in either 57 or 58 AD. This means that Paul had been deeply engaged in evangelism for more than 20 years. Paul knew the questions that were bound to come up, and he could anticipate the sorts of answers he needed to give. This is exactly what Paul does here in Romans chapter 3.

Body

Without excuse — Faithfulness begins and ends with God and leaves us without excuse (1-8).

Everyone, regardless of their heritage or knowledge, stands accountable before God's truth. No human tradition or possession of the law is enough for justification. What we need is God's gracious provision of grace.

Question 1: Does God's justice mean God is unfaithful to His people, the Jews (1-2)?

Paul has argued quite strongly that salvation is by grace, regardless of whether one is a Jew or a Gentile. That is, when it comes to salvation, the Jews are in exactly the same position as Gentiles. So, does this mean that God is unfaithful to the Jews? Does it mean that God is not honoring His promise to His people?

Paul's answer is that there is a very important advantage or benefit given to the Jews. The Jews were the ones who received the words of God. To understand the significance of this, we need to take some time and think about it.

Moses, on Mount Sinai, received the Ten Commandments written by God Himself. Stephen spoke of this in Acts 7:38 "He was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living words to pass on to us."

The Jewish people were entrusted with the very words of God to pass on to all people.

I love spending time with various people, and the vast majority of them are not trying to get something from me, but one person really stands out. Edison likes to spend time with me for the sake of simply spending time with me. I have seen this time and time again. Edison truly enjoys just hanging out with me, even if he gets nothing for it.

Here is the reality that I think Paul is getting at: Someone might ask, "So what advantage does a Jew have, then, since grace is freely given to everyone?" And Paul responds, "Umm, you got to spend time with God; you got to receive the very words of God."

Ok, on to question two.

Question 2: Does man's failure mean that God is unfaithful (3-4)?

Look at verses 3 and 4. Paul's next key question focuses on a reality. There are people, even some of God's chosen people, who do not trust God. Does the existence of such people then mean that God has failed? Does it mean that God will not be faithful? Paul's response is the phrase "Μη γένοιτο" (May it never be). God is true, even if every single person were unfaithful; that would not change the faithfulness, the truthfulness of God.

One commentator notes that "Paul seems to be grappling here with the common Jewish belief that God's 'righteousness,' his 'covenant faithfulness,' gave the Jews virtual immunity from judgment" . The issue is that while God does have a covenant with the Jews, this covenant was not a blank check but rather a promise of blessing. This blessing came through Christ.

Quoting Psalm 51:4, Paul argues that in the end, God will be proven right. No matter what happens, it will not nullify the truthfulness and faithfulness of God.

Question 3: Does God's glory resulting from our sin justify our unfaithfulness (5-8)?

One final question is relevant in this section, and there is some logic that Paul uses to arrive at this question. The problem is that the logic is moving from specific to general, and that is always a dangerous logical move.

If you look at what Paul has said, then you might, grasping at straws, come to the conclusion that since the unrighteousness of unbelieving Jews was used to magnify the righteousness of God, then perhaps all forms of unrighteousness magnify God's righteousness, and so God should give a pass to those who sin.

The answer is again, "Μη γένοιτο" (May it never be)! Paul lists several reasons.

By that logic, you might as well just choose the wrong thing so that God's good is displayed.

These are clearly the wrong choices!

MTR: Commit to faithfulness in life not to earn your salvation but because God is faithful.

How? Next time you are thinking about a particular sin, remind yourself that your faithlessness is a direct affront to God's faithfulness.

The impossibility of righteousness — Righteousness is only attainable through God (9-18).

Paul levels the playing field for all humanity, showing that none are righteous. This passage demonstrates the universal need for salvation and sets the stage for Christ's redemptive work. By grasping this universal sinfulness, believers can better appreciate the necessity of the Gospel and the grace of God.

Question: Does one's heritage give one an advantage when it comes to the power of sin?

Paul has already argued that the Jew had the advantage of possessing the very words of God. Yet now he states that the Jews have no advantage. What's up with that?

Paul's point is that in a limited sense, the Jews had an advantage in that they had the words of God, but in the eternal sense, the Jews have no advantage because they are under sin just like the rest of us.

We often cite Romans 3:10 "As it is written: 'There is no one righteous, not even one'" as a memory verse, but the context here really matters too! Paul's point is that when it comes to righteousness, every one of us is in the same position: unrighteous.

Having established that there is no advantage when it comes to the power of sin, Paul now adds a few more answers to help clarify.

Answer 1: Nobody seeks after God on their own (11-12).

Paul begins by borrowing from Psalm 14:1-3 "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one."

Within the Psalm, the text is about those who deny God; now Paul turns this full circle to make the point that each and every one of us is in this position. Those who oppose deny God.

To start, Paul argues that outside of Christ, there is nobody who understands God. There is nobody who seeks after God. But wait, you might say, don't people seek out God? I mean, after all, how many religions have been made by people seeking some sort of God? How can Paul say that there is no one who seeks God?

Here is a fact I want you to understand and even consider writing down: Seeking a religious experience is not the same as seeking God. Scripture is pretty clear that God is the one who takes the initiative to condescend to man. This is hard to hear, understand, and comprehend, but it is the case.

You are not here by your own doing! In and of yourself, you do not understand God; you would not even seek God. If it were not for God, you would likely seek some sort of religious experience; after all, we all have a God-shaped hole in our hearts. You might even fill that hole with something you called God. But it would not be God!

I find it interesting that throughout the world and throughout history, idolatry has reigned. It makes sense; we all have this God-shaped hole, but we don't seek the real God, and so we fill it with something—anything.

Answer 2: Nobody is righteous (10, 13-17).

We already said this once, but now we say it another way. The acts of those apart from Christ are despicable, disgusting. The imagery here is intended to convey just how wretched we are apart from Christ.

Open graves emphasize both the stench of death and the rot of decay.

Thankfully, I do not have to spend a lot of time near open graves. I personally do not like the smell of embalming fluids or the smell of decay.

The deceit of tongues stands in contrast to the God of truth.

God is truth, and so it should come as no surprise to us when those who reject God also reject truth.

The picture of venomous snakes conveys the suddenness with which the unrighteous can strike out.

Image: The rattlesnake at Horsetooth Reservoir.

Back when I was in 7th grade, over the summer, my family and I all went on a hike in the Horsetooth Reservoir area of Colorado. As we were out hiking, I was leading the way on the trail when all of a sudden, I jumped and yelled, "Rattlesnake! Get back!" In fact, I don't remember seeing the snake, but what my dad told me was that I jumped over the head of the snake as it struck out at my ankle. I barely cleared the snake.

I have to admit, with four boys and my dad, that snake chose the wrong battle to fight, but still, the event is locked in my memory. I was having fun, out for a walk, and came within inches of a significant snake bite.

This is the picture we are given of our speech absent Christ. Absent Christ, we are preconditioned to strike out with our words and hurt people.

The language of the unrighteousness reminds us that from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

One of the challenges that pastors face is the challenge of building relationships outside of church. I have been able to build relationships at the airport myself and have really appreciated the time. But it is interesting to see how people speak.

There have been several times where, about 15 minutes into a conversation with someone, they will finally ask me about my profession, after which many times they begin to profusely apologize for the words they have been using.

But here is the thing: I don't hold it against them. Sure, I don't expect those words will be used like that in Heaven, but why would I expect anything different? The unregenerate are just that—unregenerate.

The violence of unrighteousness is ever-present in society.

We live in a violent world, but violence has been the norm for a really long time. In fact, ever since Cain killed Abel, violence has been part of the world. Again, why would we expect anything different from the unregenerate?

Answer 3: Nobody properly fears God (18).

Verse 18 brings it all back together with a pretty major conclusion. The biggest problem is that, apart from Christ, nobody properly fears God. Really, this is the summary statement. We know that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."

I guess what we need to remember is that apart from Christ, we are in pretty bad shape!

Image: Idolatry in Trinidad and Tobago

Several years ago, Emily was invited to teach a week-long class in Trinidad and Tobago. So I tagged along. While Emily was out teaching, I asked if I could go exploring some Hindu temples. I was told it was too dangerous, but I kept insisting that I was still going to do it. Eventually, the company that had brought Emily out to teach realized that I was serious, and so they gave one of their employees the day off in the office to go out with me and tour the temples.

I learned a lot that day. One, I got to try some real local food as I was spending the day with a local. But two, I got to see idol worship. Here is the thing: it was clear that these people were worshipping something, and it was clear that it was not the God of the universe.

We seem to naturally seek the religious or the spiritual, but in my experience, Paul is exactly right: people don't seek the real God; they seek a God of their own creation. They seek a God that does not challenge them to repent and live righteously but rather a God who they can control.

Law's limitations — Unlike the Gospel, the law is unable to declare anyone righteous (19-20).

The law reveals sin but cannot justify anyone. This underscores the futility of trying to earn salvation through works, pointing instead to the necessity of faith in Christ for justification and reinforcing the core of Gospel teaching—justification is by faith, not by works.

Laws only apply to those to whom the laws apply (19a).

The above statement is what is commonly called a tautology in logic; that is, a statement that is true by the very nature of the statement. However, this statement here is important for Paul's argument. Paul begins by stating "Οὐδὲν ἔχομεν" (Now we know that). In so doing, Paul is starting with common ground—something on which everyone can agree.

Moreover, Paul is forming common ground in that he is agreeing with the Jews that there is something special that they possess: the Law. But here is the twist: Paul, in so doing, also sets up the Jews for the ultimate reality. The Law does not apply to those who are outside of the Law.

Paul moves into the ultimate statement in the second half of verse 19.

Laws only serve to condemn (19b).

In order to fully understand this, we need to really understand the brilliance of the argument that Paul is making here. He has just argued that the Jews' relationship with the law is exclusive. But now he drops the hammer.

Paul argues that the key point the Jews had missed was the fact that the Law did not give the Jews special favor with God but, in fact, made them defenseless before God. Specifically, the law silenced any who would declare self-righteousness by proving that no one could satisfy the just requirements of the Law.

The Jews argued that one day Gentiles would be held accountable to the God of the universe, and Paul agrees. Yes, he says, one day the whole world will be held accountable to God, but what Paul has done here is stated, "All means all," and it includes everyone, regardless of heritage.

Paul's argument is that the law only serves to condemn.

Verse 20 brings it all together.

Laws prove guilt, not innocence (20a).

The notion of "innocent until proven guilty" is a logical consequence of this fact.

Image: The history of innocent until proven guilty.

The principle of "innocent until proven guilty" is a cornerstone of modern legal systems, reflecting the idea that the burden of proof lies with the accuser or prosecution. This principle, also known as the presumption of innocence, has a long history that spans centuries and civilizations.

The concept traces back to ancient Rome. The Roman jurist Ulpian (170-223 CE) expressed a form of the principle, stating: "Proof lies on him who asserts, not on him who denies." This idea underscored the burden of proof being on the accuser rather than the accused, a principle that influenced later legal traditions.

The presumption of innocence evolved over centuries, influenced by Roman law, religious doctrines, Enlightenment ideals, and revolutionary principles. It is now a universal standard that safeguards individual rights and ensures fair treatment in legal systems worldwide.

But this is incredibly important: a law cannot make you a good person! I think that fact deserves more attention than we give it. We love rules—well, that is not entirely true. Most of us break rules. What is true is that we love to apply rules to other people. But as we do so, we need to realize that we are not making them righteous, good people, or anything like that. What we are actually doing is using the law to make us feel better.

The Law can help us identify sin (20b).

This does not mean that laws are useless. Laws serve a purpose; they make us conscious of sin. So, the law serves to guide us.