Romans
4
We know from the prophet Ezekiel how concerned God is for His holy name. (Ezekiel 36:20-23) His people are meant to be a good advert and live holy lives. At the close of Romans 2 Paul asks a leading question – Who is a real Jew?
He argues that it is not the cut of a knife that makes a Jew; not the surgical ritual of circumcision. The real Jew is one inwardly. It’s the mark of God on your heart, by the Spirit, not a knife on your skin that makes a man a Jew.
Eugene Peterson puts it this way: “Better to keep God’s law uncircumcised than break it circumcised.” It’s who you are that God recognises. A real Jew is anyone whose heart is right with God.
The Jew stands in the same need of salvation by grace through faith as the non-Jew. He’s broken God’s law and, in the words of John the Baptist, there’s nothing to be gained by responding, “We have Abraham as our father.” That’s just a mantra and it doesn’t fool God.
Romans 3:1 commences with the question, “Then, what’s the value of being a Jew?” The first advantage Paul lists is that the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God. These words revealed promises of grace and warnings of judgement. The unbelief and unfaithfulness of the Jews could not undermine the faithfulness of God. Just because they broke their promises to God doesn’t mean God will break His promises to those who love Him.
God is faithful to His promises and said He would punish Israel for her unbelief. As Paul teaches in 2 Timothy 2:13 “If we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He can not disown Himself.” God’s righteous character never changes. “Let God be true, and every man a liar.” (Romans 3:4). The faithfulness of God is never in question. God is absolutely dependable, but justice demands punishment. God’s righteousness and holiness can only be vindicated by the punishment of sin.
You see, sin is essentially an attack on the holiness of God. God says, “Thou shalt not”. Sin is the rebel saying, “Just try and stop me.” If I haven’t done a particular sin, it’s not because “I’m not like that”, but it’s by the grace of God.
The real trouble with the Jew is that he had accepted the privilege implicit in being entrusted with the oracles of God, but had rejected the corresponding responsibility: consequently he had forfeited the privilege.
The two basic elements in real belief are trust in God’s promise coupled with obedience to God’s law. All sin is against God. As it says it in Psalm 51:4 “Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.”
I like the way “The Living Bible” paraphrases Romans 3:5-8 as: “’But’, some say, ‘our breaking faith with God is good, our sins serve a good purpose, for people will notice how good God is when they see how bad we are. Is it fair, then, for Him to punish us when our sins are helping Him?’ (That is the way some people talk.) God forbid! Then what kind of God would He be, to overlook sin? If you follow through with that idea you come to this; the worse we are, the better God likes it! Some claim that this is what I preach!”
Romans 3:9 is the momentous conclusion of this great lawsuit. All men are sinners. “We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.” Sin is universal. The case is proved. Both Jew and Gentile are in the dock. Paul’s arguments are irrefutable. The defendants’ position has been totally shattered and their guilt has been demonstrated up to the hilt.
There follows a collection of Old Testament quotations that emphasise Paul’s charge that both Jew and Gentile are under the power of sin. The judge sums up ‘As it is written.’ The Word of God is their ultimate judge.
“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12)
The whole world is under the dominion and authority and reign and power of sin.
Romans 3:18 asserts: “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
The verdict is announced. The whole world is guilty. Everybody, everywhere. No exceptions. Jew and Gentile are both guilty under the law. All men are guilty before God.
Romans from 1:1 through to 3:20 has carefully spelt out man’s ruin. He’s a sinner who can do nothing to save himself. Romans 3:20 in “Good News for Modern Man” says this:
“No man is put right in God’s sight by doing what the Law requires; what the Law does is to make man know that he has sinned.” That’s the bad news.
From Romans 3:21 we start to hear the good news, the gospel. “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. (NIV Romans 3:21-22)
Paul explains how sinners can be saved. The theological term for this salvation is ‘justification by faith’. Justification is the act of God whereby He declares the believing sinner righteous in Christ on the basis of the finished work of Christ on the cross.
Listen! What the law imparts is a consciousness of sin. In the words of Galatians 3:24 “The law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ.” It highlights our helplessness because, try as we might, we keep breaking it. The situation is hopeless. Man has no way of getting right with God, unless God, completely, without assistance, puts him right. Here’s the good news. God has provided a righteousness for mankind.
Perhaps you’re saying, “I don’t get it. Romans is really complicated and it’s lost me now.” Maybe “The Living Bible” paraphrase of Romans 3:21-22 will really help. “But now God has shown us a different way to heaven – not by ‘being good enough’ and trying to keep his laws, but by a new way (though not new, really, for the scriptures told about it long ago). Now God says he will accept and acquit us – declare us “not guilty” – if we trust Jesus Christ to take away our sins.”
Here’s the universal fact “There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-24)