Post by arete on Feb 11, 2014 19:46:11 GMT
Introduction:
"This [then] is a life of faith…[that] God will try the truth of our faith, so that the world may see that God has such servants as will depend upon His bare word." —Richard Sibbes. In Romans, Paul levies the charge against man that he suppresses the truth. In Romans 3, we will see Paul’s objection to those that suppress the truth by twisting it. However, we who believe must reject any stance that defies God’s word – for as Sibbes said, God displays his glory by the trials in our lives where we trust in his bare word – that the foundation for saving faith is the absolute truth of God – and that truth cannot be attacked without attacking the person of God – for the Christian knows that the truth is not some flimsy, airy thing to be redefined but the truth of God is in fact a person – for Jesus Christ has said, that he is the way the truth and the life.
Context:
So far in Romans, Paul has taught that the Law cannot save, but still has a role in the lives of believers. Through the Law, we learn how to live to please the one who saved us by his grace. Also, we must take care to avoid the pitfalls of legalism & hypocrisy – otherwise, we may be guilty of causing others to blaspheme God. Now Paul narrows his focus on the righteousness of God as contrasted by the righteousness of man…
Body – Romans 3:1-8 – ESV
God’s Righteousness Upheld
3:1 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. 3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,
“That you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when you are judged.”
5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) 6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world? 7 But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? 8 And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.
Righteousness of God vv. 1-4a
In Romans 2 we found that God’s special relationship with the Jews did not excuse them or permit an automatic ticket to heaven. In fact, the Jews would actually be held to a higher standard because they had the Law
Paul then moves to a natural question – What is so good about being a Jew then? Is there any good coming from circumcision?
A first thought might be – None! But God is not arbitrary – he’s not random, illogical or fickle. There is value in being Jew – much value in so many ways.
The first advantage is personal access to the oracles of God. This is a very Jewish phrase – specifically noting the written oracles. While many groups seek for personal revelations and experience – we find that God says that it is his written word that we must value.
The Jews were given that Word as a trust. They were the guardians in a sense of the OT. However, they were not supposed to hoard it and keep it from outsiders. God’s word is ultimately a message for all people
Yet, we see in biblical history that the Jews were unfaithful to the Word and to the charge God laid on them to be a blessing to all nations.
Paul moves to another understandable question – if God’s chosen people were unfaithful, does that make God unfaithful? Paul then makes a rather intense statement – By no mean!
1. This phrase is one of my favorite expressions in learning Greek. It is so hard to put into English – but the KJV writers chose “God forbid” with the understanding that if God stops something then it is fully stopped.
2. The phrase is made up of two words. The first is the strongest negation in the Greek Paul used. The second is a verb that is written in a negative sense. In some ways we might call this word a triple negative. A double negative (There’s not none left) in English is bad grammar – but it’s good grammar in Greek. A triple negative is even better.
3. What this means is that if anyone uses the faithlessness of any man (Jew or Christian) as a reason to think ill of God – our first response should be “May it never come to be, no not ever.” In a sense we are proclaiming that the very birth of that thought is unacceptable let alone its expression.
Illustration:
God's Word...
1. It is inspired: “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). 2. It is truth: “The sum of Thy word is truth” (Psalms 119:160). It makes free: “...If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). 3. It produces faith: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17, NASB). 4. It judges: “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).
Application:
Like chapter 2, we might breathe a sigh of relief because Paul is speaking to his Jewish brethren. Not so fast. In our age, God has entrusted the Church with his complete oracles. We have the total sum of God’s message for mankind – both OT & NT. This trust does not excuse us from keeping His words – in fact we are held to a higher standard than those who do not have the Word. Further – it should not be acceptable to us that our behavior ever become an excuse for an unbeliever to doubt God. We are oath breakers by fallen nature – forgiven by grace and indwelt by the HS. We still break trust with ourselves, with others and with God. We will not be totally free from such sin until heaven. But we must take steps to keep our faithlessness from impinging on the glory of God. What this looks like is that our repentance and reconciliation must be as public as the sin. When we wrong an unbeliever – we must take steps to admit our wrong and seek their forgiveness so we can model our faith to them and they will not blaspheme God. We should do the same with one another. It is painful at times to eat crow and fess up. But it’s the right thing to do.
Unrighteousness of Man vv. 4b-6a
The unrighteousness of man enters the spotlight. God is always true. God never lies. God’s word is true in every sense. Yet for insomuch as God is true, men are liars.
To prove such a point – Paul quotes from the oracles of God and he quotes Psalm 51. This Psalm immortalizes the fact that repentance and reconciliation must be as public as the sin or even more so in the case of a leader. The Psalm was written by King David for public use based upon his sin concerning Uriah and Bathsheba.
David had sent his armies to war. While his men were at war, David spied on and lusted after Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, a famous and loyal soldier. David's lust gave way to seduction and adultery and Bathsheba became pregnant by David. David brought Uriah back from the frontline in the hope that he would enjoy his wife's company and think the baby his own. Uriah refused the comfort of his marriage bed since his comrades in arms were away from their own. Uriah was upright. David repaid him by ordering his general to put Uriah in the thick of battle and withdraw troops to leave Uriah to be cut down. David took Bathsheba as his wife, the baby was born sickly and died. In the midst of this, God sent the prophet Nathan to speak against David's sin. David felt godly sorrow, repented, and made confession publicly via the publishing of Psalm 51.
In the passage quoted from the Psalm, David admits that God is right to judge him – that justice is required. This is from a covenant Jew who has been promised that someone from his line will reign forever. Even though David might have been tempted to think he was all golden – he understood that his relationship with God required repentance and grace.
This causes Paul to consider another question that might arise: Since God’s greatness is displayed when he extends grace to sin – then God is wrong to punish us at all.
Paul seems almost embarrassed to put this thought to paper and adds the note that he is speaking in a human way
Paul then switches to “May it never come to be, no not ever.” It is not lawful to even consider that God is wrong to punish sin
Illustration:
I love to sin. God loves to forgive. We have a perfect relationship. (I am unsure of the source)
Application:
That superficial and shallow thought above is not worthy of the air it takes to speak the words aloud. People can convince themselves of the acceptableness of sin in many ways. But to imply that God is wrong to punish us and is obligated to forgive us regardless of our heart attitude is hellish. Such a thought is hellish in the sense that it leads to hell and because such a thought belongs there. People today have no true concept of the terribleness awaiting them upon their death if they have not trusted in Christ alone. Hell is not a party where the rabble-rousers get to go and avoid a boring life on a clod with a harp. Sin is serious. It is an affront to God and his holiness and the blood of Christ. Sin is serious – left unatoned for it pays off with hell for the lost. But this is for us as well. We dare not treat sin lightly even when we are saved by grace. If we treat sin lightly – we treat forgiveness lightly and we treat the blood of Christ as a common thing. When we are in sin and need to repent – for guidance as we pray for forgiveness – let us look to Psalm 51 and let God’s word guide us.
Right Judgment from God vv. 6b-8
Paul moves to further questions. If God is unjust then how can he judge the world? God must sit in judgment on sin. His holiness cannot permit sin in his presence. His justice and righteousness demands that every crime be punished. Man’s courts are a poor, poor reflection of God’s. He must judge the world and he will
Yet – Paul looks at another question – this was a common view among some rabbis – and is based on truth, but twisted. From the Scriptures we know that God himself can take evil intent or a bad situation and turn it into good. Like Joseph’s brothers intended to do evil, but God provided for all of Israel through Joseph being sold into Egypt
The question is – if my lying contrasts with God’s truth and makes that truth shine even more – why am I being condemned? I am in fact giving God more opportunity to declare his truth. See this builds on Paul’s earlier charge that men suppress the truth – now he shows how men twist the truth – by claiming that lying contributes to truth
Even further – people claim that their evil is necessary so God can turn it to good. This is a monument to the lengths the human mind can go to rationalize and normalize sin.
Paul finishes by saying that the same justice they mock – that justice is right to condemn both the attitude and the person expressing it.
Illustration:
By way of illustrating this point, “When Judas stood before us and claimed that by betraying Jesus to be crucified, should we excuse him because God turned that death into salvation for many?”
Application:
There is no acceptable excuse for sin. Every attempt to excuse it is really just more sin. And to somehow claim that our sin adds to God is blackest, most evil blasphemy. Yet, Paul is speaking to the believing Jews of his day – and much of this applies to the Church in ours. When we excuse sin in ourselves that we judge in one another or that we judge in unbelievers, we are guilty of this kind of blasphemy. Let’s face it, we all have found ourselves trying to excuse our own sin or make it out to be less than it is. We all have need to repent of those past times and every reason to be vigilant to not excuse sin in ourselves any more and to repent quick. The Church – which means all of us – would do so much better if we sat in judgment over our own sin and keep our account with God clear as much (preferably much more) than we try to sit in judgment on others. So let’s take time to do that now. Take a few moments to confess and repent quietly.
So What? What does this look like in our lives?
Like the Jews Paul addressed, the Church today is entrusted with the oracles of God. So what are we doing (what are you doing) to get those oracles into the hands of the people who need them? People need to know what God has to say about himself, mankind, sin, salvation, death, and the hereafter. Also, what are we doing (what are you doing) to spend time with those oracles in devotion, memorization, and getting them into daily practice of faith? Many answers can be given – but if those answers show we’re not doing much – then we are in sin.
When we sin – not if – then how we respond to our sin can be a testimony. If we take personal sin seriously and seek repentance and reconciliation with those we have sinned against – we proclaim God’s glory by his grace at work in us. Also, when we must call something sin (as we must often do when confronted by it) then what we say carries more weight. This testimony models right behavior for other believers and point unbelievers to God and his grace
Part of the concern with unbelievers and believers is trying to identify who is who. Paul describes some attitudes and questions that seem to indicate that some of the Jews at Rome might not be saved. So is there value in coming to church if a person is not saved – much in every way. In church that person will hear the truth, see a model of prayer, confession, repentance, and fellowship – not limited to the church, but concentrated there. So it is good to have non-Christians come and join us. Also, it is not our job to judge the heart – that is God’s role. Even when dealing with a professed believer who is carnal or even possibly unsaved – there really is no better place for them than with the believers and in church
Finally, we must take a firm stand for God’s word – for truth. Sin cannot be excused, nor can God’s grace be twisted into an excuse to sin. Each of us needs to deal with our response to sin and reject all of our excuses. But also let us remember God’s wonderful grace to us in the following quote
God takes care of poor weak Christians that are struggling with temptations and corruptions; Christ carries them in His arms. All Christ's sheep are diseased, and therefore He will have a tender care of them (based on Isaiah 40:11). Thank you Lord Jesus – Amen!
Benediction
"Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, in truth and love." (2 John 1:3 NRSV)
"This [then] is a life of faith…[that] God will try the truth of our faith, so that the world may see that God has such servants as will depend upon His bare word." —Richard Sibbes. In Romans, Paul levies the charge against man that he suppresses the truth. In Romans 3, we will see Paul’s objection to those that suppress the truth by twisting it. However, we who believe must reject any stance that defies God’s word – for as Sibbes said, God displays his glory by the trials in our lives where we trust in his bare word – that the foundation for saving faith is the absolute truth of God – and that truth cannot be attacked without attacking the person of God – for the Christian knows that the truth is not some flimsy, airy thing to be redefined but the truth of God is in fact a person – for Jesus Christ has said, that he is the way the truth and the life.
Context:
So far in Romans, Paul has taught that the Law cannot save, but still has a role in the lives of believers. Through the Law, we learn how to live to please the one who saved us by his grace. Also, we must take care to avoid the pitfalls of legalism & hypocrisy – otherwise, we may be guilty of causing others to blaspheme God. Now Paul narrows his focus on the righteousness of God as contrasted by the righteousness of man…
Body – Romans 3:1-8 – ESV
God’s Righteousness Upheld
3:1 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. 3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,
“That you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when you are judged.”
5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) 6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world? 7 But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? 8 And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.
Righteousness of God vv. 1-4a
In Romans 2 we found that God’s special relationship with the Jews did not excuse them or permit an automatic ticket to heaven. In fact, the Jews would actually be held to a higher standard because they had the Law
Paul then moves to a natural question – What is so good about being a Jew then? Is there any good coming from circumcision?
A first thought might be – None! But God is not arbitrary – he’s not random, illogical or fickle. There is value in being Jew – much value in so many ways.
The first advantage is personal access to the oracles of God. This is a very Jewish phrase – specifically noting the written oracles. While many groups seek for personal revelations and experience – we find that God says that it is his written word that we must value.
The Jews were given that Word as a trust. They were the guardians in a sense of the OT. However, they were not supposed to hoard it and keep it from outsiders. God’s word is ultimately a message for all people
Yet, we see in biblical history that the Jews were unfaithful to the Word and to the charge God laid on them to be a blessing to all nations.
Paul moves to another understandable question – if God’s chosen people were unfaithful, does that make God unfaithful? Paul then makes a rather intense statement – By no mean!
1. This phrase is one of my favorite expressions in learning Greek. It is so hard to put into English – but the KJV writers chose “God forbid” with the understanding that if God stops something then it is fully stopped.
2. The phrase is made up of two words. The first is the strongest negation in the Greek Paul used. The second is a verb that is written in a negative sense. In some ways we might call this word a triple negative. A double negative (There’s not none left) in English is bad grammar – but it’s good grammar in Greek. A triple negative is even better.
3. What this means is that if anyone uses the faithlessness of any man (Jew or Christian) as a reason to think ill of God – our first response should be “May it never come to be, no not ever.” In a sense we are proclaiming that the very birth of that thought is unacceptable let alone its expression.
Illustration:
God's Word...
1. It is inspired: “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). 2. It is truth: “The sum of Thy word is truth” (Psalms 119:160). It makes free: “...If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). 3. It produces faith: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17, NASB). 4. It judges: “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).
Application:
Like chapter 2, we might breathe a sigh of relief because Paul is speaking to his Jewish brethren. Not so fast. In our age, God has entrusted the Church with his complete oracles. We have the total sum of God’s message for mankind – both OT & NT. This trust does not excuse us from keeping His words – in fact we are held to a higher standard than those who do not have the Word. Further – it should not be acceptable to us that our behavior ever become an excuse for an unbeliever to doubt God. We are oath breakers by fallen nature – forgiven by grace and indwelt by the HS. We still break trust with ourselves, with others and with God. We will not be totally free from such sin until heaven. But we must take steps to keep our faithlessness from impinging on the glory of God. What this looks like is that our repentance and reconciliation must be as public as the sin. When we wrong an unbeliever – we must take steps to admit our wrong and seek their forgiveness so we can model our faith to them and they will not blaspheme God. We should do the same with one another. It is painful at times to eat crow and fess up. But it’s the right thing to do.
Unrighteousness of Man vv. 4b-6a
The unrighteousness of man enters the spotlight. God is always true. God never lies. God’s word is true in every sense. Yet for insomuch as God is true, men are liars.
To prove such a point – Paul quotes from the oracles of God and he quotes Psalm 51. This Psalm immortalizes the fact that repentance and reconciliation must be as public as the sin or even more so in the case of a leader. The Psalm was written by King David for public use based upon his sin concerning Uriah and Bathsheba.
David had sent his armies to war. While his men were at war, David spied on and lusted after Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, a famous and loyal soldier. David's lust gave way to seduction and adultery and Bathsheba became pregnant by David. David brought Uriah back from the frontline in the hope that he would enjoy his wife's company and think the baby his own. Uriah refused the comfort of his marriage bed since his comrades in arms were away from their own. Uriah was upright. David repaid him by ordering his general to put Uriah in the thick of battle and withdraw troops to leave Uriah to be cut down. David took Bathsheba as his wife, the baby was born sickly and died. In the midst of this, God sent the prophet Nathan to speak against David's sin. David felt godly sorrow, repented, and made confession publicly via the publishing of Psalm 51.
In the passage quoted from the Psalm, David admits that God is right to judge him – that justice is required. This is from a covenant Jew who has been promised that someone from his line will reign forever. Even though David might have been tempted to think he was all golden – he understood that his relationship with God required repentance and grace.
This causes Paul to consider another question that might arise: Since God’s greatness is displayed when he extends grace to sin – then God is wrong to punish us at all.
Paul seems almost embarrassed to put this thought to paper and adds the note that he is speaking in a human way
Paul then switches to “May it never come to be, no not ever.” It is not lawful to even consider that God is wrong to punish sin
Illustration:
I love to sin. God loves to forgive. We have a perfect relationship. (I am unsure of the source)
Application:
That superficial and shallow thought above is not worthy of the air it takes to speak the words aloud. People can convince themselves of the acceptableness of sin in many ways. But to imply that God is wrong to punish us and is obligated to forgive us regardless of our heart attitude is hellish. Such a thought is hellish in the sense that it leads to hell and because such a thought belongs there. People today have no true concept of the terribleness awaiting them upon their death if they have not trusted in Christ alone. Hell is not a party where the rabble-rousers get to go and avoid a boring life on a clod with a harp. Sin is serious. It is an affront to God and his holiness and the blood of Christ. Sin is serious – left unatoned for it pays off with hell for the lost. But this is for us as well. We dare not treat sin lightly even when we are saved by grace. If we treat sin lightly – we treat forgiveness lightly and we treat the blood of Christ as a common thing. When we are in sin and need to repent – for guidance as we pray for forgiveness – let us look to Psalm 51 and let God’s word guide us.
Right Judgment from God vv. 6b-8
Paul moves to further questions. If God is unjust then how can he judge the world? God must sit in judgment on sin. His holiness cannot permit sin in his presence. His justice and righteousness demands that every crime be punished. Man’s courts are a poor, poor reflection of God’s. He must judge the world and he will
Yet – Paul looks at another question – this was a common view among some rabbis – and is based on truth, but twisted. From the Scriptures we know that God himself can take evil intent or a bad situation and turn it into good. Like Joseph’s brothers intended to do evil, but God provided for all of Israel through Joseph being sold into Egypt
The question is – if my lying contrasts with God’s truth and makes that truth shine even more – why am I being condemned? I am in fact giving God more opportunity to declare his truth. See this builds on Paul’s earlier charge that men suppress the truth – now he shows how men twist the truth – by claiming that lying contributes to truth
Even further – people claim that their evil is necessary so God can turn it to good. This is a monument to the lengths the human mind can go to rationalize and normalize sin.
Paul finishes by saying that the same justice they mock – that justice is right to condemn both the attitude and the person expressing it.
Illustration:
By way of illustrating this point, “When Judas stood before us and claimed that by betraying Jesus to be crucified, should we excuse him because God turned that death into salvation for many?”
Application:
There is no acceptable excuse for sin. Every attempt to excuse it is really just more sin. And to somehow claim that our sin adds to God is blackest, most evil blasphemy. Yet, Paul is speaking to the believing Jews of his day – and much of this applies to the Church in ours. When we excuse sin in ourselves that we judge in one another or that we judge in unbelievers, we are guilty of this kind of blasphemy. Let’s face it, we all have found ourselves trying to excuse our own sin or make it out to be less than it is. We all have need to repent of those past times and every reason to be vigilant to not excuse sin in ourselves any more and to repent quick. The Church – which means all of us – would do so much better if we sat in judgment over our own sin and keep our account with God clear as much (preferably much more) than we try to sit in judgment on others. So let’s take time to do that now. Take a few moments to confess and repent quietly.
So What? What does this look like in our lives?
Like the Jews Paul addressed, the Church today is entrusted with the oracles of God. So what are we doing (what are you doing) to get those oracles into the hands of the people who need them? People need to know what God has to say about himself, mankind, sin, salvation, death, and the hereafter. Also, what are we doing (what are you doing) to spend time with those oracles in devotion, memorization, and getting them into daily practice of faith? Many answers can be given – but if those answers show we’re not doing much – then we are in sin.
When we sin – not if – then how we respond to our sin can be a testimony. If we take personal sin seriously and seek repentance and reconciliation with those we have sinned against – we proclaim God’s glory by his grace at work in us. Also, when we must call something sin (as we must often do when confronted by it) then what we say carries more weight. This testimony models right behavior for other believers and point unbelievers to God and his grace
Part of the concern with unbelievers and believers is trying to identify who is who. Paul describes some attitudes and questions that seem to indicate that some of the Jews at Rome might not be saved. So is there value in coming to church if a person is not saved – much in every way. In church that person will hear the truth, see a model of prayer, confession, repentance, and fellowship – not limited to the church, but concentrated there. So it is good to have non-Christians come and join us. Also, it is not our job to judge the heart – that is God’s role. Even when dealing with a professed believer who is carnal or even possibly unsaved – there really is no better place for them than with the believers and in church
Finally, we must take a firm stand for God’s word – for truth. Sin cannot be excused, nor can God’s grace be twisted into an excuse to sin. Each of us needs to deal with our response to sin and reject all of our excuses. But also let us remember God’s wonderful grace to us in the following quote
God takes care of poor weak Christians that are struggling with temptations and corruptions; Christ carries them in His arms. All Christ's sheep are diseased, and therefore He will have a tender care of them (based on Isaiah 40:11). Thank you Lord Jesus – Amen!
Benediction
"Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, in truth and love." (2 John 1:3 NRSV)