Morning Message: Righteousness and Justification

Bobservations' Column
Titled - "Righteousness and Justification"
Written by: Pastor Bob Lawrenz

The authority of our Court System seems to always be in question these days. Perhaps it is because there’s too many cooks in the kitchen. Or better stated, too many kitchens! We have local courts, City Courts, County Courts, State Courts, Federal Courts, and The Supreme Court. Each is overseen by a Judge, or by Judges. And if you don’t like the verdict you got in one court, just push an appeal to a higher court.

The system of human judgment was “authorized” by God generations before a single law was established. Judgments took place by man, and not through a system of courts. Genesis 9:5-6 states it clearly, that if a man’s life was taken, then by man would that man’s life be taken from him, because man was made in God’s image. This was established even before “Continental Drift” took place and the land of Earth was divided, and the continents were separated (Genesis 10:25). It was even before the Abrahamic Covenant of Genesis 12, and generations before Moses, the Law Giver.

Laws complicate judgment, as we have seen in world history, and our own Supreme Court. Ancient rulers made up rules as they ruled over others. Our Supreme Court now hears cases to reinterpret our laws for special circumstances, often ignoring God’s Laws.

Mankind had proven that they were unwilling to abide by God’s one law, resulting in man-made laws, today, made under the “Burger King Method,” of the 1970’s: “Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don’t upset us! Have it your way, have it your way!” …because everybody wants their food, and their laws made just for them. This is the basis of entitlement. Our laws are basically now so vague, that they apply to everyone and no one.

From Jeremiah 7:23 - 

“But this thing commanded I them, saying, ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.’”

Bobservations' Column:  Audio Version

Sunday Morning Audio Message

Romans 3:30 - 4:12 - Righteousness and Justification"

Summary/Additional Commentary and Definitions:

As we begin chapter 4 this week, the apostle Paul is going to bring the story of Abraham into the picture. Paul has not left the theme of Romans, nor has he gone away from the emphatic points he has made in chapters 2 and 3.

To recap, Paul wrapped up chapter 3 with some powerful and amazing points concerning justification. In chapter 3 we learned that we cannot be justified (declared not guilty, acquitted, righteous) by the law of Moses. The law of Moses had a purpose, but its purpose was not to justify but to show us sin (3:20). Paul will explore this point further in chapter 7. Further, the works of the law (possession of the law of Moses, circumcision, Sabbath keeping, defilement laws, all the things that made Israel distinct from the Gentiles) also cannot justified. If the works of the law was the means for justification, then God would be a God of the Jews only (3:29). But the promise was to Abraham that all the nations would be blessed, not just one nation. So, Paul has not overthrown the law but upheld the law. Rather than think that we are justified by works of the law, Paul teaches that we are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ (3:24). The faithfulness of Jesus and his life offered as a sacrifice for sins paid the price to redeem us from slavery to sin. Therefore, God can still be righteous and just in showing mercy and grace and declare righteous those who have faith in Jesus. This is where we are as enter the fourth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans.

Romans 4:1–12 is part of Paul’s extended description, which occupies all of chapter four, of how Abraham is exemplary of the fact that both gentiles and Jews are brought into a right relationship with God by faith in God’s saving work in Christ, rather than by observing the Law.

In Romans 4:1, Paul includes himself with the Jewish people in describing Abraham as their ancestor "according to the flesh.”  In other words, all Jewish people, including Paul, were descended from "Father Abraham."   He is their patriarch and they his biological descendants.   It was well known that Abraham was righteous with God, but Paul’s point in 4:1–8 is that this righteousness came by believing (i.e., trusting) in God and God’s promises rather than by doing works required by the Law (cf. Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:13–22). In fact, God did not even give the Law until after Abraham lived (cf. Galatians 3:6–18).

If Abraham had gained righteousness through his works, then he would have been able to boast of his accomplishment. But in Romans 4:4–8, Paul clarifies that the very nature of righteousness as a gift from God means that no one can obtain it through their own deeds.  Paul draws on another Scripture, Psalm 32:1–2, to strengthen this claim.  Paul is making the point that God's decision to not count the sins of which we are guilty against us is a gift of His grace. Paul is rejecting any idea that we somehow pay off our own sins by doing good works to balance them out. That is not a biblical idea. It is false. There is no scale at the gate of heaven on which our good works will be weighed against our sinful choices to determine our eternal fate.

No, God declares us to be righteous (sinless, justified) based only on our faith in Him and not at all on our inadequate works. Without faith in God, all that is left is unforgiven sin and God's angry judgment for that sin. Although “righteousness” is not explicitly mentioned in this psalm, Paul treats God’s blessing that the psalm speaks of as synonymous with it.

Furthermore, in Romans 4:9­–10 Paul clarifies that Abraham was declared righteous before he was circumcised. As in 4:5, this emphasizes the nature of God’s righteousness as a gift that is received solely by trusting in God, “who justifies the ungodly” (Romans 4:5). And because circumcision is a Jewish ritual that marks inclusion into God’s people, Paul boldly asserts here that Abraham was reckoned to be righteous when he was still a gentile—that is, before being circumcised. This means that Abraham is the ancestor of, and exemplar for, all people—whether gentile or Jew—who trust God’s work and promises in Christ and are thereby also declared to be righteous (Romans 4:11–12).

Sunday Morning Audio Message:  

Key Words and Definitions with Reference:

KEY WORD:  Justification

Justification is derived from the Greek verb dikaioo, meaning "to acquit" or "to declare righteous," used by Paul in Romans 4:2, 5; 5:1. It is a legal term used of a favorable verdict in a trial. The word depicts a courtroom setting, with God presiding as the Judge, determining the faithfulness of each person to the law. In the first section of Romans, Paul makes it clear that no one can withstand God's judgment (3:9-20). The law was not given to justify sinners but to expose their sinfulness. To remedy this deplorable situation, God sent His Son to die for our sins in our place. When we believe in Jesus, God imputes His righteousness to us, and we are declared righteous before God. In this way, God demonstrates that He is both a righteous Judge and the one who declares us righteous, our justifier (3:26).

Through Faith...We establish the Law (3:31) - Salvation by grace through faith does not denigrate the law, but underscores its true importance by providing a payment for the penalty of death,, which the law required for failing to keep it; by fulfilling the law's original purpose, which is to serve as a tutor to show mankind's utter inability to obey God's righteous demands and to drive people to Christ (Galatians 3:24); and by giving believers the capacity to obey it (8:3, 4).

Abraham our Father (4:1) - Paul uses the model of Abraham to prove justification by faith alone because the Jews held him up as the supreme example of a righteous man (John 8:39), and because it clearly showed the Judaism with its works-righteousness had deviated from the faith of the Jews' patriarchal ancestors.  In a spiritual sense, Abraham was the forerunner of the primarily Gentile church in Rome as well.

Justified by Works (4:2) - To declare righteous on the basis of human effort. Paul has spent much of this letter to the Romans making the point that nobody can be justified—shown to be righteous—before God by following the works of the law.

To Glory or Boast (4:2) - If Abraham's own works had been the basis of his justification, he would have had every right to boast in God's presence.  Since we know that our own works do not justify us before God, we cannot boast in ourselves.

Believed (4:3) - This verse is a quotation of Genesis 15:6, one of the clearest statements in all Scripture about justification.  Abraham was a man of faith (see 1:16; cf. 4:18-21; Galatians 3:6, 7, 9; Hebrews 11:8-10).  But faith is not a meritorious work!  It is never the ground of justification - it is simply the channel through which it is received and it, too, is a gift. 

Counted Unto Him (4:3) - This word, counted or accounted, can also be translated "imputed" (vv. 6, 8, 11, 23, 24).  Used in both financial and legal settings, this Greek word, which occurs nine times in chapter 4 alone, means to take something that belongs to someone and credit to another's account.  It is a one-sided transaction.  Abraham did nothing to accumulate it;  God simply took His own righteousness and credited it to Abraham as if it were actually his.  This God did because Abraham BELIEVED IN HIM.

Righteousness (4:3) - A major theme of the book of Romans. Righteousness is the state or condition of perfectly conforming to God's perfect law and holy character. This righteousness is unique because God is its source (Isaiah 45:8); it fulfills both the penalty and precept of God's law. Christ's death as a substitute pays the penalty exacted on those who failed to keep God's law, and His perfect obedience to every requirement of God's law fulfills God's demand for righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24; Hebrews 9:28); and because God's righteousness is eternal (Psalm 119:142; Isaiah 51:8; Daniel 9:24.

Justifies the Ungodly (4:5) - Paul is showing the difference between being made right with God by works, as opposed to by faith. Only God can justify the ungodly through the gift of His Son.

Saying (4:7) - This quotation is from Psalm 32:1, 2.  This was David's psalm of thanksgiving after his repentance over his notorious sin of adultery and homicide.  Paul thus notes that justification by faith was true both before and after Moses - before, in Abraham, Israel's great patriarch, and after, in David, Israel's greatest king.

Not Impute Sin (4:8) - By the marvelous provision of imputation, our sins were debited to the account of Jesus, the Son of man, whereas His perfect righteousness was credited to our account.  "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).  See also James 2:23; Philemon 17-18.

Circumcised (4:9) - This refers to the Jews.   Paul asks if that great blessing is only for the circumcised, meaning God's chosen people Israel. Or is the blessing of the forgiveness of sin available for all people, even the uncircumcised Gentiles? The implied answer is that this blessing is available to both Jews and Gentiles.

Not While . . . But While Uncircumcised (4:10) - In Genesis 15:6. There, we are told that Abraham believed God, and God credited that faith as righteousness.  Paul asks and answers whether that moment happened before or after Abraham was circumcised in obedience to God's command. Of course, Abraham's expression of faith happened before circumcision.  How do we know this? Abraham is declared righteous for his faith in Genesis 15 as God was promising Abraham a son. Sometime later, Ishmael was born when Abraham was 86 years old (Genesis 16:16). Abraham was not circumcised until he was 99 years old (Genesis 17:24). So, it was at least 13 years after God declared Abraham righteous before he was circumcised.  Paul's point is that Abraham's circumcision had nothing to do with Abraham being declared righteous by God for his faith. The two were not connected. So, what is there to exclude the uncircumcised non-Jewish world from being justified by God for faith in Christ?

The Father of All Those Who Believe (4:11) - Racially, Abraham is the father of all Jews (the circumcised); spiritually, he is the father of both believing Jews (v. 12) and believing Gentiles (uncircumcised; v. 11).

Sign (4:11) - This indicates man's need for spiritual cleansing (cf. 2:29, 29; Jeremiah 4:3, 4; 9:24-26) and of the covenant relationship between God and His people (Genesis 17:11).

Seal (4:11) - Circumcision was a sign that served as a seal, Paul writes. It was an outward sign for the Jewish people that they believed what God had told them. An outward demonstration of the righteousness which God had credited to him by faith.

Morning Message: Righteousness In Christ

Bobservations' Column

Titled - "Righteousness in Christ"
Written by: Pastor Bob Lawrenz

We have all heard the term “righteousness” bandied about, both in Churches, and in God’s Word. We learn of a righteous life, not so much by witnessing it in others (even when it is there), but by reading of it in the scriptures, the Gospels in particular, covering the Life of Christ. The Four Evangelists tell us of it, each from different perspectives, from different parables and stories they have included.

The scriptures tell us the “out of the mouths of two or three witnesses, a thing is established.” Matthew and John are among the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus, they are the two eye-witnesses, and Luke makes three, having the perfect knowledge of an eye-witness himself, though not among the original twelve apostles (Luke 1:1&2). Mark, is John Mark, who writes through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and from listening to the eye-witnesses. The inner workings of the Trinity come into play, with Jesus choosing two and the Holy Spirit picking two others as witnesses.

While none of the Gospel accounts give identical accounts, they all give us an accurate overview of the Life of Jesus. Incidental information may differ, but the basic story line is the same in all four of the Gospels. The common threads of each account bring the truth out in clarity, and irrefutable accuracy.

As we read all four of the Gospels, we get a clear picture of Jesus’s life, and the righteousness of the Father, working-through-Him. As we go through this final eleven verses of Romans 3, we see the entirety of the first three chapters gel and bring understanding to us. This too, is the work of the Holy Spirit to Believers. The righteousness of the Law engraved in stone, becomes the Law, written on the “fleshly tablets of our hearts.” (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 11:19; 2Corinthians 3:3, again, the witness of three lending truth to the claim.).

God has established truth, Jesus exemplifies it, and Believers believe it. And similarly, The Father establishes His own righteousness, Jesus lives it out, and we get to exemplify it as we live for Him.

Paul, writing to the Philippians in chapter 3, verse 9 - 

"And being found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness of God by faith."

Bobservations' Column:  Audio Version

Sunday Morning Audio Message:

Romans 3:21-31 - "Righteousness In Christ"

Summary/Additional Commentary & Definitions:

When Paul began his letter to the Romans, he quickly launched into praise for the Gospel. He promised his readers that it was ‘the power of God for salvation.’ He claimed that the righteousness of God is revealed in it. Then he did something unexpected: he brought up the wrath of God, and he spent the better part of three chapters talking about how wicked mankind is. Did Paul forget about his main theme, the gospel?

No, Paul hasn’t forgotten. He is as eager as ever to tell us about the wonderful gospel that he preaches. Now that he has convincingly argued that everyone is ‘under sin,’ we are eager to find the key that will unlock our shackles. Just as Paul began his diatribe with the words “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven” (1:18), now he transitions with the words “now the righteousness of God has been manifested.” The following verses contain some of the richest and most theologically meaty sections of Paul’s entire letter.

Righteousness In Christ is God's Gift of Righteousness to Us. (3:21-26)

The ‘righteousness of God’ that Paul references is not the righteousness of God’s strict justice. Instead, this is the righteousness that we’ve all failed to attain – the concept of ‘being righteous’ that none of us is. "There is none righteous" (3:10) – and we need righteousness in order to be saved from God’s wrath. Now, Paul says, that righteousness has been manifested (made accessible) and it is a righteousness that is ‘of God.’ It’s the righteousness that he gives.

Having shown the Jews that the law is fundamentally unable to justify, Paul is quick to point out that this righteousness is manifested ‘apart from the law.’ You don’t have to be a Jew, and you don’t have to know the law, to know about this righteousness of God. The law plays its part – it bears witness to the righteousness and points men to it – but the law doesn’t actually provide it.

Instead of being available through the law, the righteousness of God is “through faith in Jesus Christ.” Since righteousness is tied to faith in Christ, it isn’t tied to the law – and therefore it is available “for all who believe,” regardless of their relationship to the law.

Paul reinforces this by reminding the Romans of what he just explained: all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. This reference to ‘glory of God’ is not clear. What does it mean to ‘fall short’ of this glory? Most likely, drawing on Jewish theological tradition, Paul is referencing the glory that mankind possessed from God during the time of Adam. Adam’s sin led to a loss of this ‘glory,’ with the consequence that mankind lost eternal life. For Paul, God’s glory and eternal life are connected (see Romans 5:2, 8:30).

Paul now tells us that everyone has access to being ‘justified’ (legally declared righteous) and that this is “by his grace as a gift.” God is the one who provides this righteousness, and he does so freely. This is good news, because we have nothing that we could pay to obtain such an important gift. It is entirely by his ‘grace,’ his kindness, his generosity – and nothing that we do ourselves – that will provide us with the ‘righteous’ verdict that we so desperately need.

We will learn that this justification comes “through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” The apostle now makes the astonishing claim that God has ‘put forward’ or ‘exhibited’ Jesus as ‘place of propitiation’ or ‘Mercy Seat.’ Jesus is the means by which God’s justice is satisfied, and He is appeased – and this occurs by the blood of Jesus, His work on the cross. Jesus is both the sacrificial victim, whose blood must be sprinkled before God, and He is the Mercy Seat where this propitiation occurs.

The last few verses Paul reiterates that Justification is by Faith (3:27-31).  There is no place for human boasting (vs. 27-28).  All human beings obtain this righteousness the same way no matter what their ethnic heritage is. Lastly, Paul explains that justification by faith does not overthrow the law, but solidifies the importance of the law.

Sunday Morning Audio Message:  

Key Words and Definitions with Reference:

But Now (3:21) - Not a reference to time, but a change in the flow of the apostle's argument.  Having shown the impossibility of gaining righteousness by human effort, he turns to explain the righteousness that God Himself has provided.

Righteousness (3:21) - A major theme of the book of Romans. Righteousness is the state or condition of perfectly conforming to God's perfect law and holy character.  This righteousness is unique because God is its source (Isaiah 45:8); it fulfills both the penalty and precept of God's law.  Christ's death as a substitute pays the penalty exacted on those who failed to keep God's law, and His perfect obedience to every requirement of God's law fulfills God's demand for righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24; Hebrews 9:28); and because God's righteousness is eternal (Psalm 119:142; Isaiah 51:8; Daniel 9:24.

Apart from the Law (3:21) - Entirely apart from obedience to any law (4:15; Galatians 2:16; 3:10, 11; 5:1, 2, 6; Ephesians 2:8, 9; Philippians 3:9; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5). 

Witnessed by the Law and the Prophets (3:21) - The Law and the Prophets constitute all the Old Testament (Acts 24:14). 

Through Faith...All Who Believe (3:22) - To trust, to rely on.  Faith is not simply a one-time event, but an ongoing condition.  True saving faith is supernatural, a gracious gift of God that He produces in the heart and is the only means by which a person can appropriate true righteousness.  

There is No Difference...Glory of God (3:22, 23) - God can bestow His righteousness on all who believe, Jew or Gentile, because all people - without distinction - fail miserably to live up to the divine standard.

All Have Sinned (3:23) - All means all!  Paul has already made this case in chapters 1-3.

Justified (3:24) - This verb, and related words from the same Greek root occur some thirty times in Romans and are concentrated in 2:13-5:1.  This legal term comes from the Greek word for "righteous" and means "to declare righteous."  This verdict includes pardon from the guilt and penalty of sin, and the imputation of Christ's righteousness to the believer's account, which provides for the positive righteousness man needs to be accepted by God.  God declares a sinner righteous solely on the basis of the merits of Christ's righteousness.  God imputed a believer's sin to Christ's account in His sacrificial death (Isaiah 53:4, 5; 1 Peter 2:24), and He imputes Christ's perfect obedience to God's Law to Christians (5:19; 1 Corinthians 1:30.  The sinner receives this gift of God's grace by faith alone. Sanctification, the work of God by which He progressively makes righteous those whom He has already justified, is distinct from justification but without exception, always follows it (8:30).

Freely By His Grace (3:24) - Justification is a gracious gift God extends to the repentant, believing sinner, wholly apart from human merit or work.

Redemption (3:24) - Paing the necessary ransom to obtain the prisoner's or slave's release.  The only adequate payment to redeem sinners from sin's slavery and its deserved punishment was "in Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:6; 1 Peter 1:18, 19), and was paid to God to satisfy His justice.

Whom God Set Forth (3:25) - This great sacrifice was not accomplished in secret, but God publicly displayed His Son on Calvary for all to see.

Propitiation (3:25) - Crucial to the significance of Christ's sacrifice, this word carries the idea of appeasement or satisfaction - in this case Christ's violent death satisfied the offended holiness and wrath of God against those for whom Christ died (Isaiah 53:11; Colossians 2:11-14).  The Hebrew equivalent of this word was used to describe the Mercy Seat - the cover to the Ark of the Covenant - where the high priest sprinkled the blood of the slaughtered animal on the Day of Atonement to make atonement for the sins of the people.  Man is incapable of satisfying God's justice apart from Christ!

Forbearance (3:25) - This word, which means "to hold back," was sometimes used of a truce between warring parties.  Rather than destroying every person the moment he or she sins, God graciously holds back His judgment (3:25).  He saves sinners in a physical and temporal way from what they deserve to show them His saving character, that they might come to Him and receive salvation that is spiritual and eternal.

Passed Over the Sins (3:25) - This means neither indifference nor remission.  God's justice demands that every sin and sinner be punished.  God would have been just when Adam and eve sinned, to destroy them, and with them, the entire human race.  But in His goodness and forbearance, He withheld His judgment for a certain period of time.

To Demonstrate...His Righteousness (3:26) - This is accomplished through the Incarnation, sinless life, and substitutionary death of Christ.

Just and the Justifier (3:26) - The wisdom of God's plan allowed Him to punish Jesus in the place of sinners and thereby justify those who are guilty, without compromising His justice.

Deeds of the Law (3:28) - Doing perfectly what God's moral law requires is impossible, so that every person is cursed by that inability. 

God of the Gentiles (3:29) - There is only ONE TRUE GOD (1 Corinthians 8:5, 6).

Through Faith...We establish the Law (3:31) - Salvation by grace through faith does not denigrate the law, but underscores its true importance by providing a payment for the penalty of death,, which the law required for failing to keep it; by fulfilling the law's original purpose, which is to serve as a tutor to show mankind's utter inability to obey God's righteous demands and to drive people to Christ (Galatians 3:24); and by giving believers the capacity to obey it (8:3, 4).

 

Morning Message: The Unregenerate Man

Bobservations' Column
Title - "The Unregenerate Man"
Written by: Pastor Bob Lawrenz

After last week’s study in the beginning of Romans 3, Paul asks a rhetorical question of the Jews dwelling inn Rome: “Are we better than they?” Is God unrighteous because He takes vengeance? To say that God is unrighteous would be a blasphemous lie! So, clearly Paul’s question needs no reply, because the Jews were guilty of the same things as the gentile heathens. Yet, the Jews had God’s Law(s) passed down to them through Moses.

God’s Chosen People garnered much favor from the Lord, but they ignored His laws as much as did the heathens. This is evidence of a broken relationship. It is the curse of sin as it was passed down to us from Adam. Obedience to God took on many gray areas for the Jews, and the priests of the Temple fostered it by their own hypocrisy. In verse 5, Paul describes the human rationalization, human thinking, because God gave man an intellect. The natural man will always choose that way of thinking, but the Spiritual man will set his human thoughts aside and ask himself if his thoughts are according to God’s will for him. King David wrote of this in the Psalms, as he asked Jehovah to examine his heart and reveal any wicked way in him. It’s the residual sin nature that begs to come out, and the Gospels teach us to lay it aside, and even to put it to death, that we might please God.

The answer to Paul’s question though, is found in James 4:6, “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.” God’s grace is given freely to those that adopt His ways as their own, as exemplified by the Lord Jesus… Not my will, Lord, but thine be done!

The human intellect pales in comparison with God’s (Isaiah 55:7-9). While it’s true that He made us in His image, that image consists of body, mind, and spirit. How sad that as humans, we focus on things we have in common with Jesus: two legs, two arms, a torso, and a brain. Yet the natural man has a tendency to use his legs to run to mischief, seeking only to fulfill his own desires. Mischief (sin) is not the product of a God-fearing world.

God’s grace is indeed abundant, but only to those that are seeking Him.

From Psalm 139:33-34,

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Bobservations' Column:  Audio Version

Sunday Morning Audio Message:

Romans 3:9-20 - "The Unregenerate Man"

This morning as we come to Paul’s final section on sinfulness of man, his summary of this whole discourse of the bad news of the Gospel, he delivers to us the ultimate testimony, the undeniable testimony, the testimony of Scripture. Beginning in verse 10 and going through verse 18 Paul as if standing in a courtroom presents to the court the testimony of God’s own Word as seen in the Old Testament. This whole section can be divided as if it is taking place in a courtroom with first the charge being read, then the indictment, which is God’s testimony, and finally the ruling of the court, the verdict. In this testimony of God’s Word, it shows His perfect view of man.

If you ever wondered if you were measuring up... you're not. Not at all. If you ever thought even a part of you earned God's favor or somehow you provoked Him to overlook your sin by the things you've done or by the things you've abstained from doing, you didn't (Rom. 9:16, James 2:10). Why? Because you have no bargaining chip before God (Rom. 11:35). If our study through Romans thus far didn't clear that up, let these verses tell you it very plainly as Paul intended it to be. God who delights in righteousness (Jer. 9:24) looked down and found none.

Paul thus far in Romans has walked us through scripture, facts, and sound reasoning in order to give us understanding, now tells us plainly to our face. Paul who first showed us that according to scripture, nature, logic, experience, and evidence that we are not right with God. Now, to those who may be left hanging onto the law; Paul tells them very plainly from that very law, we are bankrupt (Matt. 5:3). We have nothing to offer God (Psalm 8:3-4, 144:3, Job 7:17) and you're clinging to a sinking ship.

As Christians, especially those of us who are legalists, we like to think we are "good" sinners. In the back of our minds we measure our merits according to a standard of our own, grasping for something to hold onto that will declare us an "okay person". In our own minds we victimize ourselves (to avoid blame) our change our standards (to avoid judgement). Paul here wants us to recognize that there is no such thing as an "upright thief" nor is there an "honest liar". If we rob a bank but in the process vow to not hurt anyone, we're still a robber. Oh but such declarations help us avoid guilt doesn't it. Let the Romans road which comes to a point in these verses sink in. The law has found you guilty of being a sinner. The law which was intended for our good, to show us the right way of living (Rom. 7:10), because of the weakness of our flesh (Matt. 26:41, Rom. 8:3), has only pointed out to us our shortcomings "for through the law comes the knowledge of sin" (v20).

Paul declares that all people—both Jews and gentiles—are under the power of sin and cannot be justified through the Law.

Romans 3:9–20 is the conclusion of a longer section of the letter that begins in 1:18. In this section, Paul argues that all people—both gentiles and Jews—have some awareness or knowledge of God, whether through experience of the world and the testimony of one’s conscience, or, in the case of the Jews, also through the Law that God gave them. Despite this knowledge, both groups have failed to properly honor God and have instead turned away from God, manifested by not living in accordance with God’s will (as they have come to understand it). Therefore, all people—Jews and gentiles alike—are subject to God’s impartial judgment.

Paul powerfully brings this argument to completion in 3:9–20. Although he acknowledges in 3:1–8 that Jewish people have an advantage that gentiles do not because God gave them the Scriptures, in 3:9–20 he clarifies that even so, Jews and gentiles (referred to in 3:9 as Greeks) are equally under sin and not able to be justified (that is, brought into right relationship with God) by observance of the scriptural Law. Paul, in fact, presents a chain of Scriptural citations in 3:10–18 to show that the very Scriptures the Jews received testify to the fact that no one is righteous. This illustrates the bold claim Paul makes in 3:9 that all people are equally “under the power of sin.” Although “sin” has various nuances of meaning throughout Romans, here and elsewhere in the letter, Paul characterizes it as a force that seeks to dominate people and thus alienates them from God (e.g., Romans 6:12–14; 7:8–11). Rather than freeing people from sin, the Law brings awareness of sin (3:20).

Sunday Morning Audio Message:  

Key Words and Definitions with Reference:

Are We Better . . .? (3:9) - "We" probably refers to the Christians in Rome who would receive this letter.  Christians do not have an intrinsically superior nature to all those Paul has shown to stand under God's condemnation. 

All Under Sin (3:9) - The important passage from Romans 3:9-23 should make it clear to everyone that there is no one who is righteous enough before a holy God to earn his own salvation.  If anyone wishes ever to be saved and to receive eternal life, he must first of all recognize himself as a guilty sinner before God - in fact, dead spiritually, in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1).  Some liberal pastors, counselors and evangelists seem inclined to bypass this essential point in trying to enlist converts, and this is a dangerous, soul-destroying error.

As it is Written (3:10) - The common introduction to Old Testament quotations.  The tense of the Greek verb emphasizes continuity and permanence, and implies its divine authority. 

There are None Righteous (3:10) - Mankind is universally evil. The human dilemma is this: God is holy, and we are not. God is righteous, and we are not. Our righteousness is a myth, but by no means a harmless one. Nothing is more perilous than for an unrighteous person to rest his future hope in an illusion. If God requires perfect righteousness and perfect holiness to survive His perfect judgment, then we are left with a serious problem. Either we rest our hope in our own righteousness, which is altogether inadequate, or we flee to another’s righteousness, an alien righteousness, a righteousness not our own inherently. The only place such perfect righteousness can be found is in Christ—that is the good news of the gospel.

None...Understands (3:10) - Man is unable to comprehend the truth of God or grasp His standard of righteousness (see Psalm s 14:2; 53:3; cf. 1 Corinthians 2:14).  Sadly, his spiritual ignorance does not result from a lake of opportunity (1:19, 20; 2:15), but is an expression of his sinful state, rebellion (Ephesians 4:18).

None...Seeks (3:10) - See Psalm 14:2.   This verse clearly implies that the world's false religions are fallen man's attempts to escape the true God - not to seek Him.  Man's natural tendency is to seek his own interests (cf. Philippians 2:21), but his only hope is for God to seek him (John 6:37, 44).  It is only as a result of god's work in the heart that anyone seeks Him (Psalm 16:8; Matthew 6:33).

Turned Aside (3:12) - See Psalm 14:3.   This word basically means "to lean in the wrong direction."  It was used to describe a soldier's running the wrong way, or deserting.  All people are inclined to leave God's way and purse their own (cf. Isaiah 53:6). 

Open Tomb (3:13) See Psalm 5:9.   Tombs were sealed not only to show respect for the deceased, but to hide the sight and stench of the body's decay.  As an unsealed tomb allows those who pass to see and smell what is inside,  the unregenerate person's open throat - that is, the foul words that come from it - reveal the decay of his heart (cf. Proverbs 10:31, 32; 15:2,, 28; Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 12:34, 35; 15:18; James 3:1-12).

Asps (3:13) - Paul moves from throat to tongue to lips and a quote from Psalm 140:3. There, David referred to evil men with the venom of asps—deadly snakes—under their lips. In other words, words from the mouths of his enemies could quickly poison and kill.

Cursing (3:14) - This is quoted from Psalm 10:7. It refers to wanting the worst for someone and publicly expressing that desire in caustic, derisive language. 

Bitterness (3:14) - The open, public expression of emotional hostility against one's enemy (cf. Psalm 64:3, 4).

Destruction and Misery (3:16) - Man damages and destroys everything he touches, leaving a trail of pain and suffering in his wake.

Way of Peace (3:17) - Not the lack of an inner sense of peace, but man's tendency toward strife and conflict, whether between individuals or nations (cf. Jeremiah 6:14).

Fear of God (3:18) - See Psalm 36:1. Man's true spiritual condition is nowhere more clearly seen than in the absence of a proper submission to and reverence for God.  Biblical fear for God consists of: (1) awe of His greatness and glory, and (2) dread of the results of violating that holy nature.

Those...Under the Law (3:19) - Every unredeemed human being.  Jews received the written law through Moses (3:2), and Gentiles have the works of the law written on their hearts (2:15), so that both groups are accountable to God.

Every Mouth...Stopped...Guilty (3:19) - There is no defense against the guilty verdict God pronounces on the entire human race.

Deeds of the Law (3:20) - Doing perfectly what God's moral law requires is impossible, so that every person is cursed by that inability.

By the Law is the Knowledge of Sin (3:20) - The law makes sin known, but cannot save.