Romans 3

Romans 3:1-8

ii. THE JEW Romans 2:1-29; Romans 3:1-8 a. A . IS ETHICALRom_2:1-16

1. The Judgment of Man Romans 2:1 Invalid on account of the Practice of Sin
2. The Judgment of God Romans 2:1-16 a. According to Truth Romans 2:2-5 Against the Practice of Sin Romans 2:2-3 After Longsuffering Romans 2:4-5 b. According to Works Romans 2:6-12 The Principle Stated Romans 2:6, Romans 2:11-12 Application Romans 2:7-10 Rewards Romans 2:7, Romans 2:10 Punishments Romans 2:8-9 c. According to Gospel Romans 2:13-16 The Principle Stated Romans 2:13-14 Illustration. The Gentiles Romans 2:14-15 b. THE OF THE JEWRom_2:17-24
3. Intellectual Orthodoxy Romans 2:17-18
4. Relative Complacency Romans 2:19-20
5. Ethical Failure Romans 2:21-23
6. Vocational Sin Romans 2:24 c. A . IS Rom_2:25-29
7. The Test of Ceremony Romans 2:25-28 a. Vitalized by Obedience Romans 2:25 a b. Vitalized by Disobedience Romans 2:25-28
8. The Essential in Religion Romans 2:29 a. Spirituality b. Godliness d. THE Romans 3:1-8
9. The Advantage of the Jew Romans 3:1-2 a. The Questions Asked b. The Answer. Revelation 2. The Faithfulness of God Romans 3:3-4 a. The Questions Asked b. The Answer. Judgment
10. The Wrath of God Romans 3:5-8 a. The Questions Asked Romans 3:5 b. The Answer. Righteousness Romans 3:6-8

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ii. THE JEW It is evident that at this point the apostle turned to the Jew, although he did not immediately name him. The Jew condemned Gentile sins, evidently under the impression that the possession of the law resulted in a closer relationship to God, and ensured some kind of benefit to himself. This view the apostle combated, ruthlessly sweeping away all such false confidence. Again his method was characterized by clearness and skill. In the course of it he enunciated two basic principles of religious life. Between his dealing with these, in a brief passage he showed wherein lay the sin of the Jew, and thus accounted for his condemnation. Knowing that certain difficulties would arise as the result of his argument, he dealt with these in a closing paragraph.

a. A . IS ETHICAL The attitude of the Jew to the Gentile was that of contempt, resulting in the first place from the idea that the possession of knowledge of the things of God was in itself of the essence of religion. The Gentile had received no Divine revelation, and was corrupt in life. The Jew had received the Divine revelation, and therefore arrogated to himself the right to sit in judgment on the Gentile.

Against that view, and its consequent attitude, the apostle’s first statement of principle was directed. He declared that no man was in a position to pass judgment on another man, who himself was guilty of the sins he condemned in the other. He thus inferentially charged upon the Jew the sin of practicing the very evils which he condemned in the Gentiles.

He then proceeded to describe the judgment of God, and in such a way as to demonstrate the fact that the Jew was equally under condemnation with the Gentile. His dealing with this subject of the judgment of God falls into three parts.

In the first he simply declared that it was according to truth, proceeding against the practice of sin after forbearance and longsuffering.

It follows therefore that His judgment is according to works, rewards or punishments being meted out absolutely upon the basis of the kind of life which men live. The Jew, having the law, is not by the fact of that possession freed from obligation as to conduct. Those sinning without the law, perish without the law. What the apostle meant by that, must be gathered from that earlier paragraph in which he had described Gentile sin, and Gentile judgment. Those sinning under the law, perish under the law. The law itself has no virtue save as it is obeyed. Thus the apostle denied the view that religion is essentially intellectual, by declaring that the only expression of it which is of value is ethical.

Thus, at the very beginning of this letter, the master-theme of which is salvation by faith, we have an overwhelming and unanswerable indictment of that particular heresy to which an improper emphasis of the doctrine is liable to give rise. Nothing can be clearer than the apostle’s teaching that works will be the final test of judgment. Faith which does not produce these is declared to be useless. Privilege which does not issue in response to responsibility, is but severer condemnation. God has no people in whom He excuses sin. The privileged soul who sins must die on account of the sin, and in spite of all the privileges.

The Jew is as great a failure as the Gentile in the matter of actual righteousness. Godliness as privileged relationship is of no value except as it produces actual righteousness.

The final statement of the apostle is that judgment will be according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In this statement the light of the Gospel is seen shining with a new glory through the severity of the teaching which had just been advanced. Not for a single moment does it lower the standard of requirement, but it sings the song of hope to the man under condemnation. In reading this paragraph particular notice should be taken of the fact that verses fourteen and fifteen are in parenthesis, and that the main statement of the apostle can only be gained by reading verses thirteen and sixteen in immediate relationship. The basis of judgment is to be the actual condition of man, whether he has lived without the law or under the law; but he is to be judged finally by Jesus Christ. That is to say, the final test of character and of conduct is to be that of man’s attitude to the Saviour. Evidently therefore the presentation of the Gospel is the last opportunity that man has; and equally evident is it, that every man must have this opportunity as the basis of judgment.

b. THE OF THE JEW Turning from his discussion of the first principle, the apostle definitely and directly dealt with the condemnation of the Jew. This he did by first describing his mental attitude. It was that of intellectual godliness. The Jews were proud of their name, were resting upon the fact that they possessed the law. They gloried in the God Whose they were, knowing His will, and approving; that is, they were convinced of the excellencies of excellent things because they were instructed out of the law. Intellectually therefore he admitted that they were orthodox.

He then proceeded to describe their consequent attitude toward the outside nations. They considered that as a nation they were “a guide … a light … a corrector . . . a teacher.” This revealed their sense of superiority over all other peoples, and their consequent confidence in their right to be didactic and dogmatic. Moreover that attitude was in some senses justified, for the apostle recognized that in the law they did actually possess the form of knowledge, and of truth; and it should be remembered that this word “form” (μόρφωσις) indicates far more than an outward formality. It suggests that the law has in it such embodiment of knowledge and of truth as to be equal to the realization of conduct and character when obeyed. As truth itself is a sanctifying power, so the law being a correct revelation, a true form, a full unfolding of a Divine power, does issue in the life of holiness and righteousness in the case of such as observe its commandments to do them.

Having recognized these facts, the apostle charged the Jews with ethical failure. This he did in a series of questions, each one of which inferentially charged them with actual failure in conduct in the very matters which were regulated by the law for which they stood, and which they professed to teach.

Finally, upon the basis of this argument, the apostle charged the Jew with that which was his principal and most terrible sin. Because his mental attitude was correct, his relative position should have been that of a guide to those without revelation; but he had absolutely failed in realization of that at which the law ever aims, and therefore he had become a blasphemer of the name of God among the Gentiles. If it were true that the Gentiles had imperfect light, they ought to have received the more perfect light from these people, who upon their own showing were placed in the position of guide, and light, and corrector, and teacher. But because in the actualities of outward conduct they had committed the very sins which their law condemned, the Gentile had seen no reason to believe through their testimony in the one living God to Whom they professed to be related. Thus therefore His name had been blasphemed as the result of Jewish failure.

c. A . IS Having made this most serious charge, the apostle declared his second principle, namely that religion is spiritual. This was for the correction of their false conception that the true expression of religion was ceremonial. Before dealing with this more particularly, it may be well to notice the apostolic method. He had corrected their view that religion was essentially intellectual by declaring that its expression must be ethical. He now corrected their view that the expression of religion was ceremonial, by declaring that essentially it was spiritual.

In sentences characterized by almost overwhelming force and incisiveness, he swept away the refuge of lies. The boasted privileges were all valueless. The externalities which were the symbols of possession counted for nothing, because the inward condition demonstrated the absence of the essential fact. Then turning to a statement of the case from the other side, he made all this even more emphatic by affirming that where the external symbols are lacking, if there be the inward fulfillment of intention, the lack of the external is of no moment.

Arguing in the clear light of the Divine requirement and purpose, he made the most sweeping and tremendous statement when he announced that a Jew who is one outwardly merely, is not a Jew; but that he who is a Jew inwardly, even though he lack the outward mark, is the true Jew.

Thus again from a new angle, and with new emphasis is the idea that justification is by faith, without regard to its expression in works, declared to be false. The principles underlying this passage are of permanent value, and of searching power. Their unanswerable logic should prepare us for all that is to follow, and thus prevent any disproportionate explanation of the doctrine of justification by faith.

d. THE The apostle then turned to a brief discussion of certain objections which would almost inevitably be raised in consequence of what he had said concerning the true spiritual interpretation of the position of the Jew.

First, “What advantage then hath the Jew?” If circumcision is in itself of no avail, where is the gain? Is this covenant not a Divine covenant? Underneath the question suggested, which the apostle knew would be the question of the Jew, there lurked the idea that there is a profit in the external fact of circumcision. The apostle did not again state his argument on the matter, having done so already; but in a brief sentence declared what he considered to be the advantage of the Jew. He said “Much every way,” and then proceeded to mention only one, which he spoke of as being “first of all,” that is, of supreme importance, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God. By this he referred to the revelations, declarations, and promises of God, which constitute the basis of faith - that is, the Old Testament Scriptures in their entirety.

To these people, separated from other nations. He had committed that great deposit, consisting of utterances and writings in which He was revealed, and His will concerning man made known. Therein lay the supreme advantage of the Jew.

A new question naturally arose. If faith on the part of man fail, will God be unfaithful? Does His faithfulness depend upon man’ s faith? In approaching this question, it is of the utmost importance that we understand what is meant by the Divine faithfulness. The question as here asked was one which demanded to know whether, if a Jew, entrusted with the oracles, did not believe them. God would break His Word as therein revealed?

To this the apostle replied that it is impossible for God to be unfaithful. His exposition of the faithfulness of God is given in his quotation from the penitential psalm, in which David, between his confession of sin and his prayer for purification, based his plea upon the justice of God. The evident deduction of that quotation in this connection is, that the faithfulness of God is demonstrated by His unchanging attitude toward man. If a man sins. He judges him. If he repents.

He forgives him.

Yet another question logically followed. If sin becomes the means of glorifying God, in that it demonstrates His faithfulness, is it righteous to punish the sinner? The question is so terrible that when the apostle stated it, he parenthetically added, “I speak after the manner of men,” and then proceeded to declare that unless God did punish sin, He could have no basis upon which He could judge the world at all.

Romans 3:9-20

iii. THE WHOLE WORLD GUILTY Romans 3:9-20 a. THE OF THE RACE Romans 3:9-11

1. A Common Condemnation Romans 3:9
2. The Condition Described Romans 3:10-11 a. Degraded Will “None righteous.” b. Darkened Intelligence “None that understandeth.” c. Deadened Emotion “None that seeketh after God.” b. THE CONDUCT OF THE RACE Romans 3:12-15
3. The Attitude of Sin Romans 3:12 a
4. The Activities of Sin Romans 3:12-15 c. THE OF THE RACE Romans 3:16-20
5. The Consciousness described Romans 3:16-18 a. The Disaster of degraded Will Romans 3:16 b. The Despair of darkened Intelligence Romans 3:17 c. The Degradation of deadened Emotion Romans 3:18
6. A Common Condemnation Romans 3:19-20

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iii. THE WHOLE WORLD GUILTY Having thus dealt separately with the Gentile and the Jew, the apostle now included both, and uttered the appalling verdict of the condemnation of the whole race in the quotation of a series of passages from the Old Testament.

The first group of quotations sets forth the condition of the race. Men everywhere are seen degraded in the central and majestic citadel of their personality. The master principle of the will is out of the straight, “there is none righteous.” The intellectual faculty through which guiding light should pass to influence choices and decisions is darkened, “there is none that understandeth.’’ The emotional nature which should be for evermore the inspiration of action is deadened toward that which is highest, “there is none that seeketh after God.”

The second group of quotations reveals the general conduct of the race. So far as relationship to that which is higher is concerned the attitude is of the essence of sin, all turned aside and become unprofitable. Consequently all the activities of the life are sinful.

The final group describes the consciousness of the race in the midst of the conditions first described. The degradation of the will issues in disaster, “destruction and misery are in their ways.’’ The darkening of the intelligence results in overwhelming despair, “the way of peace they have not known.” The deadening of emotion is manifest in the degradation of callousness, “there is no fear of God before their eyes.''

This whole description applied equally to the Jew with the Gentile; and indeed, the apostle made special application of it to the Jew. Having quoted from the oracles which they possessed, he declared that the message of the law was pre-eminently for those who were under the law; and indicated that his reason for having made the quotations was that every mouth might be stopped, and all the world brought under the judgment of God. The whole question as to the Gentile was settled in his first section, and he now claimed that the Jew also who had been making excuses, and pronouncing his judgment upon the Gentile, must in honesty be compelled to silence, and to confession of guilt.

Thus ends the first section of the division. It presents a picture of humanity from the Divine view-point. That picture is so terrible as to create in us a sense of utter hopelessness, for whether with, or without law, man has equally and signally failed.

Yet let us at once remind our hearts that this terrible revelation of the condition of the race in its ruin, is the prelude to the proclamation of the glorious Gospel of the grace of God.

Because God is love, this very condition of hopeless and helpless ruin makes demands upon His heart, and calls for His interference in order that out of the experience of utter hopelessness, man may find deliverance and salvation.

Romans 3:21-31

II. . THE GOSPEL MESSAGE, Romans 3:21 - Romans 8 i. . Romans 3:21-25 a. THE . Romans 3:21-31

1. The Scheme declared. Romans 3:21-22 a. “But “… The backward Look The whole World guilty b. “Now.” A Righteousness of God manifest. In Harmony with Law and Prophets. At the Disposal of Faith. Jesus Christ the Object.
2. The Scheme developed. Romans 3:23-31 a. General Statement. Romans 3:23-24 Condemnation. Personal. Justification. Relative. b. Particular Statement. Romans 3:25-31 On the part of God. Romans 3:25-26 Method. Romans 3:25 Propitiation by Blood. Appropriation by Faith. The Activity of Righteousness. Manifestation. Romans 3:26 Of Righteousness. In Justice. In Justification. As to Man. Romans 3:27-31 Method. Romans 3:27-30 Exclusion of Glorying, Exercise of Faith. Inclusion of Jew and Gentile. Manifestation. Romans 3:31 The Establishment of the Law.

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II. . THE GOSPEL MESSAGE We now come to that part of the epistle which contains its supreme message. Having shown the condemnation under which the whole world is lying, the apostle sets forth God’s way of salvation for lost men. His statement falls into three parts, the first dealing with justification; the second with sanctification; and the third with glorification; thus covering the whole of man’s need, past, present, and future; and having regard to his standing before God, his conformity to the will of God, and his ultimate perfecting in fellowship with God.

i. The fundamental subject is that of justification, the section dealing with which may be divided into three parts. In the first of these the provision is announced; in the second the principle is illustrated; and in the third the privileges are described.

a. THE As everything which is to follow in the course of the letter is dependent upon the fundamental fact of justification we look for clearness and conciseness of statement, and I we are not disappointed. In broad and general terms the apostle first declared the scheme of salvation; and then particularly developed it.

1. The Scheme declared The “But” with which the paragraph opens, necessarily recalls the argument of the world. The last finding of that argument was that “every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God.” Thus the world is seen silent, having nothing to say; without righteousness, without excuse; having no ground on which to plead for mercy, and no method to suggest for its own salvation. It is the silence of helplessness and hopelessness.

To this silent and condemned race the evangel comes. “But now” begins the apostle. This “Now’’ is God’s great word, indicating a result following the accomplishment of a work, and suggesting a present and immediate application.

Now, to the silent world there is announced the fact that “a righteousness of God hath been manifested.” This declaration links the commencement of the new section with the fundamental affirmation which announced that in the Gospel “is revealed a righteousness of God.” This manifested righteousness, whatever it may be in itself, and whencesoever it may come, is at the disposal of the silent and condemned race. In this preliminary statement the apostle tabulated great facts concerning the righteousness with which he dealt more fully subsequently. First it is a righteousness witnessed to, by the “law and the prophets.” Secondly, it is a righteousness appropriated by the faith of any, for “there is no distinction.” Finally it is a righteousness resulting from “faith in Jesus Christ.”

2. The Scheme developed In this section the apostle dealt more explicitly with the second of the facts already referred to, as tabulated in the introductory declaration; taking this first because it is the central truth of the whole movement, namely, that this righteousness is at the disposal of those who believe.

This fuller detail he again introduced with a general statement. He repeated his charge against humanity, but in this case in such a way as to bring guilt home to individuals. There is a perpetual tendency in the heart of man to consent to the general statement that men are sinners, while there is a constant reluctance to confess personal guilt. In this summarized charge, therefore, the apostle passed from the thought of the sin of the race to the actual sin of the individual, as he declared that “All have sinned,” rather than that, All are sinners. Not that the second statement is untrue, but that every individual has been guilty of disobedience to light, either with or without law, and that the personal aspect of sin issues in failure to realize the glory of God, and constitutes the ruin of the person.

Having thus repeated his charge in this more particular form, he declared the great provision of grace, by first naming the original source of justification in the words, “by His grace”; then declaring the medium through which that grace has operated in order to justification, in the phrase, “the redemption,” a phrase fraught with infinite meaning, to be more fully unfolded as the argument proceeded; and finally naming the Person, “Christ Jesus,” Who has accomplished that work of redemption, which issues in the justification of the sinner.

How closely these verses stand together revealing need and provision, ruin and redemption! Over against the sin of all is placed the grace of One; and at the disposal of those failing of the glory, is placed the infinite redemption of grace, which, as will be shown, issues at last in fullness of glory.

The apostle next proceeded to more particular dealing with this great subject; showing its method and manifestation both on the part of God and on the part of man. The method of God is that of setting forth, or presenting, Christ Jesus to men, to be a Propitiation. He is God’s provision. Man is guilty, and consequently silent, having no method by which he can cancel his sin, or live the life of righteousness. God provides in the Person of His Son all that man needs. The first work of the Son in fulfillment of the Father’s purpose is that of vindicating righteousness by making it clear that God sacrificed nothing of His requirement when in His forbearance He passed over “sins done aforetime.” The work of the Son is a revelation of the method by which it was possible for God thus to act. This work was accomplished in the mystery of all that is symbolized by “His blood.’’ Thus the work of the Cross is set at the heart of the evangel of salvation, and is seen to be a fulfillment of God’s purpose by God’s Son, for the vindication of God’s righteousness in the activity of God’s forbearance.

This, moreover, was for the demonstration of the righteousness of God, not only with regard to the “sins done aforetime,” but also “at this present season.” The result of the work of Christ is declared in a statement which is as startling as it is gracious, “that He might Himself be just,” or righteous; “and the Justifier,” or the One Who accounts as righteous; “him that hath faith in Jesus.” This is the glorious evangel by the proclamation of which men come to know that a righteousness of God is now at the disposal of unrighteous man on condition of his faith in Jesus. The evangel is founded upon eternal justice, because the righteousness of God has been vindicated in the death of Jesus, and placed at the disposal of man by that death because of the perfection of the life which preceded the death. Here all human reason is baffled, and yet here faith finds foothold upon reason, which nothing can shake.

In the presence of this evangel man is still silent, and boasting is entirely excluded, for the justification of the sinner does not result from the operation of a law of works: it is entirely the act of God in response to faith.

Therefore justification is available to Jews and Gentiles alike, because it is the act of God, Who is the God of all; in answer not to works, but to faith. Here again the apostle was careful to guard himself from misinterpretation. Faith establishes rather than makes void the law. The law cannot produce justification, but justification will issue in the fulfillment of the law.