Welcome to the Second week of our new series entitled "The Mission." This is a journey through the book of Romans.

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Bible Study: Romans.
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Today's Text:

(Romans 3:1-20) Then what’s the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value in the ceremony of circumcision? ²Yes, there are great benefits! First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God.

³True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful? ⁴Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him, “You will be proved right in what you say, and you will win your case in court.”

⁵“But,” some might say, “our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn’t it unfair, then, for him to punish us?” (This is merely a human point of view.) ⁶Of course not! If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge the world? ⁷“But,” someone might still argue, “how can God condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights his truthfulness and brings him more glory?”⁸And some people even slander us by claiming that we say, “The more we sin, the better it is!” Those who say such things deserve to be condemned.

⁹Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. ¹⁰As the Scriptures say,
“No one is righteous—
    not even one.
¹¹No one is truly wise;
    no one is seeking God.
¹²All have turned away;
    all have become useless.
No one does good,
    not a single one.”
¹³“Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
    Their tongues are filled with lies.”
“Snake venom drips from their lips.”
¹⁴    “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
¹⁵“They rush to commit murder.
¹⁶    Destruction and misery always follow them.
¹⁷They don’t know where to find peace.”
¹⁸    “They have no fear of God at all.”

¹⁹Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. ²⁰For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

²¹But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. ²²We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

²³For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. ²⁴Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.²⁵For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, ²⁶for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

²⁷Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. ²⁸So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.

²⁹After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is.³⁰There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. ³¹Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.

Commentary.

Verses 1-8. God Shows His Goodness.

Paul is now bringing his case to a close. He has been arguing since Romans 1:18 that all mankind has sinned and is without excuse. He spent chapter 2 talking about the Gentiles and jews are both without excuse. He has been writing as though he is engaged in a debate, and he now answers various rebuttals. Because Paul has been a Christian and church planter for over 25 years at this point, he has likely dealt with many of these before.

Verse 1.

Paul is answering the first rebuttal, which would have been a massive concern for the Roman church. Since the Jewish and gentile communities were not in unity, the question would be whether the Jewish people deserved less than normal treatment.

Verse 2.

The answer is, yes. The Jewish people were blessed by God to receive the Word of God, and through them, the Messiah came to the Earth. Therefore, they are blessed by God as a nation. That does not mean they are to be completely given a pass on everything. They can still sin and deserve the penalties of such. It simply means they have been given a great blessing.

Verse 3.

The unfaithfulness of the Jewish people who rejected the Messiah does not invalidate the promises of God. This also means that when we do not accept or receive the promises of God, they are not invalidated.

Verse 4.

This is from Psalm 51. This song was written by David after he was confronted by Nathan regarding his great sin. David says that he had sinned mainly against God. Paul is showing that God's faithfulness is great, even when we sin.

Verses 5-18. God offers Peace.

Verse 5.

The next question Paul has dealt with is why God would punish us if our sin shows His righteousness. This is simply someone trying to find a way around the righteousness of God and make Him seem unjust in some way.

Verse 6.

Paul's answer is to remind the reader that God is completely just. There are no "loopholes" in the kingdom of God.

Verse 7-8.

The next question leads to a heresy that is still going on today called antinomianism. This heresy says that our sin actually brings God glory because it shows how powerful He is. Therefore, we do not have to work to be holy. We simply sin as much as we want, and God's righteousness continually forgives us.

Verse 9.

Paul indicates that the very question shows the depth of our corruption. Grace is unearned forgiveness. It is not guaranteed. Therefore, to expect it is to misunderstand its worth. It is a gift to be treasured, not a right to be demanded.

Verse 10-18.

This is a series of Scriptures used by Paul to show the result of going our own way. The power of sin takes over and leaves us without excuse.
The power of Sin.
- Verse 10- It destroys our character.
- Verse 11- It destroys our ability to see clearly.
- Verse 12- It destroys our ability to live rightly.
- Verse 13- It destroys our ability to speak with kindness.
- Verse 14- It destroys our desire to build others up.
- Verse 15- It destroys our value for life.
- Verse 16- It destroys our desire to build holy lifestyles.
- Verse 17- It destroys our peace.
- Verse 18- It destroys our awe of God.

Verse 19-20. The Law Shows Our Need For A Savior.

These verses give the verdict. The Law of God is not evil. It is a signpost. It was given to help people see how far they had fallen from God. When we see the depth of our fallenness, we realize our need for a Savior.

Bottom line. The Gospel reveals the truth of our condition so we can realize the beauty of the Cross.