Walking Through Romans PT 6: Romans 3

Walking Through Romans PT 6: Romans 3

Romans 3

3:1 Therefore what advantage does the Jew have, or what is the value of circumcision? 3:2 Actually, there are many advantages. First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God 3:3 What then? If some did not believe, does their unbelief nullify the faithfulness of God? 3:4 Absolutely not! Let God be proven true, and every human being shown up as a liar, just as it is written: “so that you will be justified in your words and will prevail when you are judged.”
3:5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is he? (I am speaking in human terms.) 3:6 Absolutely not! For otherwise how could God judge the world? 3:7 For if by my lie the truth of God enhances his glory, why am I still actually being judged as a sinner? 3:8 And why not say, “Let us do evil so that good may come of it”? – as some who slander us allege that we say. (Their condemnation is deserved!)

3:9 What then? Are we better off? Certainly not, for we have already charged that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin, 3:10 just as it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one,
3:11 there is no one who understands,
there is no one who seeks God.
3:12 All have turned away,
together they have become worthless;
there is no one who shows kindness, not even one.”
3:13 “Their throats are open graves,
they deceive with their tongues,
the poison of asps is under their lips.”
3:14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
3:15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood,
3:16 ruin and misery are in their paths,
3:17 and the way of peace they have not known.”
3:18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 3:20 For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. 3:21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God (which is attested by the law and the prophets) has been disclosed – 3:22 namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 3:24 But they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 3:25 God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed. 3:26 This was also to demonstrate his righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus’ faithfulness.

3:27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded! By what principle? Of works? No, but by the principle of faith! 3:28 For we consider that a person is declared righteous by faith apart from the works of the law. 3:29 Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not the God of the Gentiles too? Yes, of the Gentiles too! 3:30 Since God is one, he will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 3:31 Do we then nullify the law through faith? Absolutely not! Instead we uphold the law.

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What a privilege that the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. To them the promises, the workings of God and the very Seed would come through. It was the assertion of some… no the accusation that if the Jew being the caretaker of God’s written word did not come to faith, then God is a liar… That God had failed and His is not worthy. This is of course a lie from the pit of Hell as it actually proves God is Just and faithful. It shows that ever man is a lair and God alone is true…

“Let God be proven true, and every human being shown up as a liar, just as it is written: “so that you will be justified in your words and will prevail when you are judged.”

It shows that man even given the truth will still not see it or respond. One needs to have God reveal Himself to you in order to be seen.

Some had began to teach that if God is glorified by our sin as He is shown to be more merciful and to give more Grace that we should go and sin even more… Some even claimed that this was Paul’s own teachings. Paul of course never taught this nor as we see in this passage saw that, yes God is glorified by His mercy and Grace, yet that is not so that we will keep on sinning…

Paul again refers to what he has already shown that man is not righteous. That man is sinful and needs salvation. Fallen man will always try to justify himself before God. He will come up with all sorts of reasons God is not Just in His verdict. Even from the grave man will shout out that God is a liar and that man is not.

If one is under the Law there is no excuse… so to try to make excuses God only needs to point to the Law and let one know where they fell short. In fact that is the reason for the Law… to show our sin even more magnify it even greater.

In that we stand needing salvation from ourselves. We need to turn to God in faith for this salvation. In that we have been justified freely at the Cross… we need to accept this forgiveness that has been given. Some state that forgiveness comes now… which it does, but forgiveness was given to all at the Cross. All our sins were in the future and in that all sins have been forgiven. That is the reason to not turn in faith to receive God’s salvation is such a horrific thing as one is denying their own forgiveness already granted and then deny the Holy Spirit that will give then New Life…

God gave His Son in our place to fulfill His Justice and to be the Justifier. In that we stand justified, and can walk in its fullness if we receive the Resurrected Life of Christ by the Holy Spirit.

Again, if one is a Jew or Gentile we cannot boast in anything we do… we cannot justify ourselves but must only rest on the Justification of God. For once we have been justified; we can now live by faith…

Blessings,
iggy