(8) No matter what we might think, we are all sinners – Romans 3: 1-20

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

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

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

9 Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin.

10  As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one.11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”13 “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.  Their tongues are filled with lies.”  “Snake venom drips from their lips.”14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”15 “They rush to commit murder.16 Destruction and misery always follow them.17 They don’t know where to find peace.”18 “They have no fear of God at all.”

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

Once again, Paul comforts the Jewish believers by reassuring them that no matter what, they are still God’s chosen people.  And that’s OK.  As modern day Christians, it doesn’t change our position of faith in God.  We are still God’s children through our faith is Jesus Christ.  They are no better than us in God’s eyes, they simply have a different purpose in bringing about God’s plan.  They were entrusted with the full revelation of God.  God told Abraham that it would be through his descendents that the world would be saved.  And, God keeps His promises.

Of all of the people in the history of the world, why do you think God chose Abraham?  Abraham, for all practical purposes, was a nobody.  He was a nomad, a man without a nationality.  In our culture, we see the rich and famous exalted.  Movie stars speak up on political topics and everyone listens.  Is it because they possess a deeper understanding of the issues than us non-famous people?  No, we listen because we have this perception that they must somehow be better than us, or at least more influential than us – otherwise they wouldn’t be famous, right?

God chose Abraham because he was a nobody, and that is exactly how God works in all of us.  You see, God chooses the weak and the humble to do His Will so that His glory will be seen.  God could have chosen Alexander the Great to be His instrument of revelation.  He would have swept across the known world, conquered it, and established a nation so powerful that all the world would respect.  And the people wouldn’t have been a bit surprised.  They would have shouted, “Look how great Alexander is!  He is so cool!  We knew a guy like that would be the one that God would use for His purpose!  Look how strong and handsome he is.  Did you see how he wiped out the Medo-persian army?  Alexander is the man!”  And, soon enough, they would have forgotten that Alexander was just an instrument of God.  Alexander would have been given all of the glory – not God.

God chose the most unlikely group of people in the history of the world to be His chosen people – The Israelites.  Both biblical and secular historians will unanimously agree that the nation of Israel is and always will be the most hated nation in the world.  This nation of Israel, that has been established for some 4000 years, has only had 80 years of peace.  Can you imagine that?  80 years out of 4000.  And, those 80 years were consecutive during the reigns of King David and his son King Solomon.

Paul asked his readers if there was any advantage to being Jewish, and specifically if there was an advantage in having the ceremony of circumcision.  His answer was yes.  Why?  Because circumcision was an absolutely, undisputable sign that you were Jewish.  No one else in the world, at that time, would have been circumcised.  It was the ultimate show of faith in God.  This may seem a little odd to us, since we are conditioned to keep ourselves covered at all times.  But, in first century Rome, if you were in need of a bath, you went to the public bathhouse.  Whatever the case may be, everyone knew where everyone stood in this regard.

In verses 5-8, Paul quickly and briefly addresses a concern about God’s Grace, and us living in God’s Grace.  Some actually came up with the notion that the more we sin, the better, because it highlights God’s grace in forgiveness.  He concluded that those who say such things should be condemned.  Doesn’t that sound like something that could be preached today?  It would be like claiming abortion as a tool of evangelism – You kill the child before it comes into this evil world, so that it would go straight to heaven with a pure heart.  Paul said it, and I agree – this line of thinking is absurd.

But now in verse 9, Paul gets into the meat of the letter.  All through the first two chapters, Paul kept comparing the Jews with the Gentiles.  The Gentiles had the benefit of not knowing God before, and now having Jesus Christ as their #1 priority.  The Jews held onto the belief that they are God’s chosen people.  But Paul comes right out and says that neither is any better than the other because we are all under the power of sin.  Paul spells out the human condition by quoting a series of prophetic verses.  In a nutshell, all humans are sinful, no one is good enough to stand before God on their own, we’ve all turned away from God, our speech is foul against God, and we will never know peace without Him. 

In verses 19 & 20, Paul explains the purpose of the law.  The law was given to the Jews when there was no law before, simply because if there was no law, how could anyone be held accountable?  How can you break a law if there is no law to break?  But the law was not just for the Jews, it was for all of mankind.  Paul drives home the point of the hopelessness of humanity, in verse 20, when he said that no one can ever be made right in God’s sight by obeying the law.  Because, the more we try to keep the law, the clearer it becomes that we are breaking it.

But wait!  It’s not hopeless!  God has a better plan… not just another plan, a better plan! 

Study Questions

Are you making excuses for your sin?

“It’s just a little white lie.”  “I know it sounds like gossip, but I think it is important that you know.”  “Of course I was angry, that guy cut me off!”  Call it what it is – sin.  We all do it.  The question is; do you do it as a habit, and follow up with an excuse to justify it?  If so, that’s a problem.  If sin is a part of your lifestyle, then you need to change your lifestyle. 

Do you understand the power of sin in your life?

The first century Jews truly believed that there greatest enemy was the Roman Empire.  Jesus told them that our greatest enemy was sin.  How often do we think about that?  In our day to day life, do we ever consider the power of sin in our life?  How different would our life be if we embraced the power of the Holy Spirit inside us, and turned from our sin?