Romans 3:1-20
Objections to the Gospel of Grace
Welcome!
Would you open your Bibles to...
I Cor. 1:22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;
I Cor. 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,
Pray
Intro
√ Chapter 3 breaks nicely down into 2 parts:
Vs. 1-20
In which Paul concludes his case against the human race by addressing the objections raised by the Jewish audience.
Vs. 21-31
Paul shares God’s plan for redeeming Mankind from sin apart from the Law.
√ This morning we’ll cover the first 20 verses (no snickering! J)
Paul addresses the questions he anticipates the Jewish readers will raise to the Gospel of Grace.
Probably the same questions he himself had to work through before he really understood the Gospel.
I think most Christians do not appreciate the radical change that Paul went through when he met Jesus.
His theology changed
His Life style changed (dress, food, worship, social)
His family ties changed
His friends changed
He abandoned nearly 2,000 years of tradition that he might embrace the power of God given by Grace!
That radical change is one of the most powerful testimonies that Paul really met Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus!
Didn’t happen overnight – 3 years in the desert of Arabia before he ever went public (ref. Gal. 1-15-18).
Ex. Claire – from legalism to Grace and back again!
Legalism has strong grip on our conscience – takes time to unlearn!
Ap. Reminds me that as Christians we don’t have God all figured out when we get saved! It’s good to recognize that we should have a growing theology – always learning more of God’s un-searchable ways!
√ So, let’s look together at the questions which Paul anticipates the Jewish reader might raise against the Gospel of Grace remembering that Paul’s argument is still to prove that everyone is guilty before God and in need of a Savior!
Question 1 (vs. 1-2)
Rom. 3:1 What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision?
Rom. 3:2 Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God.
√ The first objection to Paul’s Gospel from the Jewish point of view was…
“If anyone can be saved by faith, then why did God go to all the trouble of making the Jews different from the rest of the world by the Law?”
Paul’s answer is that being born into the Jewish faith is beneficial!
Why?
Because the Jew had the advantage over the rest of the world in that he/she was brought up in a home and society that possessed the light of God’s Word.
That is, they grew up hearing about God and what it is that God wants from us as humans.
Contrast to the pagan who grew up in a culture that worshipped false gods and sacrificed the best of their children to demons!
So, there’s a huge benefit to the person born Jewish because they have the Light of God’s Revelation.
Ex. Young Timothy
2Tim. 3:14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
2Tim. 3:15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Ap. The child growing up in a Christian home and society has a great advantage over the child born into a pagan home.
Ex. Know and obey God’s will from an early age vs. making a ton of mistakes looking for God in all the wrong places!
Question 2 (vs. 3-4)
Rom. 3:3 For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect?
Rom. 3:4 Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.”
√ The answer to the first question raises the second question!
“If the main benefit of being a Jew is that we have God’s Word, won’t our disobedience to the Law nullify the promises of God?”
I like Paul’s answer…
“No way!” – vs. 4
Why? Because even though many of the Jews had failed to keep their end of the covenant with God…
…that did not result in God’s failing to keep the promises He made!
Ex. God promised David that the Messiah would come from his descendants (ref. 2 Sam. 7:12-17).
Most of David’s descendants who ruled after him were total heathens!
Yet, God was faithful to keep His promise and bring Jesus the Messiah through the line of David!
Ap. Believers are often tempted to doubt that Jesus will really save them and get them to heaven because we’re constantly reminded our sins.
Jude 24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
Jude 25 To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.
And…
Phil. 1:6 being
confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will
complete it until the day of Jesus
Christ;
And…
1Joh. 3:20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.
√ God is faithful, every promise He has ever made you can count on Him bringing it to pass regardless of how unfaithful Mankind is!
Question 3 (vs. 5-6)
Rom. 3:5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.)
√ The next question the Jewish mind would ask is…
“If God uses the sins of the Jews as a means of showing how merciful He Is to Gentiles…
…could we not then conclude that God’s judgement of those Jews is unfair?”
To which Paul replies…
Rom. 3:6 Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world?
“No way!” – vs. 6
If that were the case, that God were unfair in judging unfaithful Jews, then He would be barred from judging the world.
We know that can’t be, therefore since God will judge the world He will not be unfair in bringing His wrath upon guilty Jews.
Ex. God’s mercy upon sinful human beings does not mean that He is unfair in His condemnation of sinners.
Rather, as a righteous judge He must judge sin.
However, it is also within His right since He is the victim of Man’s sin to chose to pay the penalty of our sin with His Son!
Therefore, God can be both a righteous Judge and a forgiving Savior!
Judge to those, Jew & Gentile, who reject His provision for our sin.
Savior to those, Jew & Gentile, who receive His provision for our sin!
Ap. The important question – which will you chose? God as your Judge, or God as your savior?
Question 4 (vs. 7-8)
Rom. 3:7 For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?
Rom. 3:8 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.
√ As the Jewish mind struggled with this idea of Grace vs. Law the next question they asked is…
“Since sin seemingly benefits God (by enhancing His glory), how could He turn around and judge sinners for their sin?”
Worse, some people actually took Paul’s words concerning the Gospel of Grace and twisted them to say…
“Let us do evil that good may come”?
Note that Paul doesn’t even give these guys the benefit of an answer…
…he just says…” Their condemnation is just.”
Ex. It’s kind of like if I accidentally knock a guys’ drink over and he lets it go. Then, I stupidly kick his popcorn and hotdog off the bench.
The black eye and broken nose are my own fault!
Question 5 (vs. 9-18)
Rom. 3:9 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.
√ The Jew might finally resort to Paul’s Gospel by protesting…
“Aren’t we better than the Gentiles!?”
That is, since there is an advantage to being a Jew (vs. 2) – don’t we get preferential treatment?
There was a time in Paul’s life when he would have said “yes!”
But, having met Jesus Christ he now understood that everyone…
Jew
Gentile
Male
Female
…are all guilty before God because we’re all sinners whether we have the Law and the Promises of God under the Old Covenant, or not!
To prove his argument Paul quotes from 6 different Old Testament passages that show everyone, Jew and Gentile, are guilty before God!
Rom. 3:10 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;
Rom. 3:11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.
Rom. 3:12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”
Rom. 3:13 “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”;
Rom. 3:14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
Rom. 3:15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
Rom. 3:16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
Rom. 3:17 And the way of peace they have not known.”
Rom. 3:18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Ap. My kids aren’t saved because they are a pastor’s kids! Are there advantages? Yes! But each one must make their own choice to follow Jesus.
Don’t argue with God! (vs. 19-20)
Rom. 3:19 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.
Rom. 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
√ Paul summarizes his case by saying that…
1) All of us our condemned
2) We cannot save ourselves
All of us our
condemned (vs. 1-19):
As Paul has demonstrated in the last three chapters both Jews and Gentiles (religious and heathen) are guilty before God.
No one is better than the other
From the top of our head to the bottom of our feet we are all lost sinners!
To the person who wants to argue that point Paul says in vs. 19…
“Stop talking!”
God cannot save you until you stop arguing with Him and simply agree that you are guilty!
Ex. Class visited court
No confession, no forgiveness!
We
cannot save ourselves:
The Jews (and some Christians!) misunderstood the purpose of the Law.
It was not to save us, but rather to act as a mirror to reveal our sins!
Ex. Acne – used to hate mirrors!
Only the blood of Jesus can wash away our sin. It is good to do good works, but good works are not good enough to save us!
Eph. 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
Eph. 2:9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Ex. I love the illustration of one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread!
Close
√ The Gospel of Grace crucifies the religion of our flesh. Legalism is nothing more than trying to win God’s favor by works of the flesh.