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I love questions. Some are easy like, “Who made God?” Others are more difficult. Do we believe in infralapsarianism or supralapsarianism? If God is a good God, why does He allow suffering and evil? Do all babies go to heaven? What happens to all the babies in the wombs of unsaved mothers at the rapture of the church? Think about that one. What happened to the dinosaurs? Is there an edge to the universe? And, as promised last week, where did Cain get his wife? A Bible denier once asked me that before I was saved and I thought, “Yeah, where did Cain get his wife? That proves the Bible is wrong.” No, it doesn’t. The answer is simple. He married his sister. I mean, Adam married his own rib, right?
This morning we come to several theological questions that Paul knows the Jews are asking. Paul put his hand in a hornets’ nest when he said that all of their Jewish heritage and ritual and practices, even circumcision, did not make them a child of God. Paul wasn’t afraid to tell the truth, was he? But he had a deep heart concern for his kinsmen.
Paul is writing from Corinth around 56 BC. From the time God saved him on that Damascus Road, Paul became the target of the Jews. They tried to kill him in Damascus. They stoned him in Derbe on his first missionary journey. They vowed not to eat or drink until they could kill him. For his entire twenty or so years of ministry, they hounded him from one city to the next, trying to get rid of him. The amazing thing is that through it all, Paul loved the Jews. In Romans 10 he said, “My heart’s desire and prayer for Israel is that they might be saved.” In Romans 9 he even said he’d be willing to be separated from Christ for the sake of his Jewish kinsmen.
In Romans1-3 Paul’s been showing them their need for Christ. He began in 1:16 declaring that the gospel is for the Jew first and then the Gentiles. Then he gives the bad news that God’s wrath is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress God’s truth in unrighteousness. The Gentiles are guilty and under God’s wrath, but what about the Jews? In chapter two he concluded that just being a Jew or even being circumcised does not save the Jew from God’s wrath. Paul knew the Jews. He knew he touched a sore spot for these Jews, much like an evangelist would tell self-righteous baptized church members that these things will not save. You must be born again. Salvation or justification is by faith alone in Christ alone and not by works of any kind.
Paul has removed every standing ground the Jews thought they had as God’s chosen people in order to bring them to see their lostness and need of Christ. Now in Romans 3:1-8 he imagines a Jew, perhaps a rabbi, saying, “Wait a minute Paul, hold everything. I’ve got some questions.” There are four in this passage, and I’m going to apply them to us as well.
IS THERE NO VALUE IN A RELIGIOUS OR GODLY HERITAGE?
Romans 3:1-2, Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? 2 Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.
The premise is that Israel was God’s specially chosen people, and they are. Deuteronomy 14:2, “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” So, is there no advantage about being a Jew or circumcised?
We expect Paul to answer with a resounding “No!” But Paul says, “Yes, there is great value in your religious heritage.” He would say to us, “There is great value in being part of a Christian home or regular attendee at church.” But none of these external privileges grant grace.
Paul zeros in on the one great advantage of being a Jew: God had entrusted Israel with His word, something He didn’t give to any of the other nations! Psalms 147:19-20, “He declares His words to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel. 20 He has not dealt thus with any nation; And as for His ordinances, they have not known them. Praise the LORD!”
God gave His law to Moses, communicated through inspiration to Israel through many prophets, and had them write it down–they have God’s verbal communication. This is a great advantage. People with the Scriptures are a blessed people. People with the teaching of God’s Word are a blessed people. Many in our day do not have it or are not exposed to it. There are families who expose their children to everything but the Word of God.
Notice how Paul describes God’s Word – the oracles or logia of God. The idea is that the Scriptures are the very communication of God. Not just thoughts about God, but God’s words to Israel and now with the New Testament God’s words to us. Steven used the word logia with living in Acts 7:38 speaking of Moses: “He received living oracles to pass on to you.”
Israel was given a great responsibility. God entrusted His Word to them. It is not Israel’s or the church’s ideas about God. It is not there for us to tweak and mold to our liking, but rather to receive and believe and submit to in obedience. If God gave them His Word, then the Scriptures are inspired, or God-breathed, “God speaking to us” (2 Tim. 3:16). The Scriptures are verbally (words) and plenarily (in every part) inspired and are therefore without error, infallible, authoritative, sufficient, and supreme over all other human writings. Thomas Watson wrote, “The two testaments are the two lips by which God has spoken to us.” They were given for many reasons, but especially to tell us about the Messiah.
All of the promises, the prophecies, the law, the ceremonies, it all finds fulfillment in Jesus Christ. John 5:39, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me.” That’s where the Jews blew it. “He came to His own and His own received Him not” (John 1:11). When Jesus came, they failed to recognize Him as the Messiah. In fact, they fulfilled their very Scriptures by killing Him. However, there were a few Jews who did know the Messiah. When Jesus as a baby was taken to the temple, Simeon and Anna rejoiced when they saw Him. Some knew those promises in Isaiah and Micah and other prophecies about the coming Messiah.
Think of it. Leon Morris writes, “The great supreme privilege of the Jew, [was] being entrusted with God’s revelation to mankind.” The church has an even greater privilege than Israel as we have the entire Scriptures to study and proclaim and hear and believe and obey. Is there value in being in a church if going to church doesn’t save you? Of course! You hear the Word, feed your soul, and fellowship with God’s people. It is a privilege to learn about God and His great works.
Have you thought about God’s mercy in preserving the Scriptures down through the ages? Those monks and scribes in the Middle Ages wrote from dictation and then finally the printing press in 1453 made it possible to mass produce it. William Tyndale in England told a wealthy papist, “If God spares my life, in a few years a farm boy shall know more of the Scriptures than you.” They strangled and burned him at the stake for determining to give the English-speaking world the Bible in our language. Most of the King James Version is straight from Tyndale’s translation. What a privilege to have the Word of God! Calvin rebukes us about our “ingratitude who receive his word with so much negligence or with so much carelessness, not to say disdain.” Do you realize how precious and important and useful God’s Word is for your life? Someone has said the Bible is Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. This was a huge advantage for the Jews.
DOES MAN’S UNBELIEF NEGATE GOD’S FAITHFULNESS?
Romans 3:3-4, What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? 4 May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, “THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS, AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED.”
While the Jews were privileged to be the channel of God’s Word, many Jews didn’t believe their own Scriptures. The fact is that God always has a remnant and will faithfully fulfill all His promises to Israel, regardless of the unbelief of some. God made three unconditional promises to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3: land, seed, and a blessing. And then throughout the prophets He reiterated those promises. God would send that seed, Jesus. God would bring His people Israel back into the land of Palestine. And God’s blessing was given to the whole world by the new covenant through Christ. Many Jews didn’t believe these great and mighty promises. Many did. Regardless, God’s faithfulness to His promises doesn’t depend on man’s believing them. James Montgomery Boice notes how Paul brilliantly reveals in Romans 11 how there will be a future day when God will fulfill His promise and save Israel as a nation.
What if no one believes the Bible today? If a vote is taken and 51% of the people no longer believe the Bible is literally true and without error, that settles it, doesn’t it? Wouldn’t God’s faithfulness to His promises then be nullified? Especially if the scholars all agree to this, right?
I love Paul’s answer in verse 4. First, “me genoita!” Don’t even think about parking there! “Good heavens no!” Then Paul says, LET GOD BE TRUE, THOUGH EVERY MAN A LIAR! What a statement to God’s faithfulness to His Word. God’s truth is not determined by majority vote.
Though the whole world with every human being lined up and collectively voted to rid the universe of God Almighty and all humanity screamed rebellion against God, not a hair of difference would be accomplished. Revelation 17:14 says all the armies of earth will be gathered to make war on the Lamb. I love this passage.
Revelation 17:13-14, “These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast. 14 These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”
In Revelation 19:11 Christ is called “the Faithful and True who comes to judge and wage war.” Who do you think wins? When I see these immoral parades publicly flaunting the worse perversions, these Drag Queen people gyrating and acting like fools and shooting off their mouths about their freedom to be anything they want to be, their “authentic self” who claim to love everybody, I can’t help but think, “Those poor people. They have no idea what they are doing and what lies ahead for them.” They will never overthrow God’s righteous standard. God’s truth stands forever. When men judge God, God always, always, always comes out on top. He is always right, and He always wins. You can impeach God all you want, but He remains true, faithful, and on His throne.
Scripture, the Bible in your hands, is God’s Word whether anyone believes it or not. Man’s criticisms of the Bible are like little corks from cork guns, or peas from pea shooters, doing about as much damage to God’s Word. Foolish words like, “Well, we can’t believe Gen. 1-3 literally happened in view of all the evidence supporting the facts of evolution.” Or “We now know in our scientific age that Christ really didn’t do any miracles at all. The early church just wrote them into the story of Jesus to enhance his prestige.” And on and on it goes. Paul says even if the whole world rejects God and His truth, God’s truth still stands. His truth doesn’t depend on man’s assent.
The Bible stands, like a rock undaunted, ‘midst the raging storms of time.
BUT ISN’T GOD UNFAIR TO JUDGE US?
Romans 3:5-6, But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I am speaking in human terms.) 6 May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world?
Some say, “I mean, we’re doing God a favor! Our sin highlights His righteousness. It’s like, you break a window, dad’s great at fixing windows, so go break some more so Dad can show more of his skill. How could he punish you?” And there we begin to see how ridiculous people become in their arguments as they fight the truth of God. Leon Morris says, “We sinners display incredible ingenuity as we try to justify ourselves.” Someone says, “I can’t help it. I was born this way. I can’t help but sin. God made me this way. Surely, He’s not going to inflict wrath on me for being who He made me to be.” This is foolish talk that leads to a terrible end.
Paul esteems God so highly that he doesn’t even want to go there! God unjust? Me Genoita – “Don’t even think about parking there. Good heavens, no!” While our sin does highlight God’s holiness and righteousness, that doesn’t mean He’s unjust to inflict wrath. That’s ridiculous. All men’s sins rightly deserve God’s judgment, and according to Romans 9:22, do indeed glorify God in his inflicting wrath.
SHOULD WE SIN TO MAGNIFY GOD’S GLORY?
Romans 3:7-8, But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “Let us do evil that good may come”? Their condemnation is just.
Here we are getting desperate, although we have something of it today. It’s known as antinomianism, which means there are no moral laws God expects Christians to obey. Antinomianism says faith does not include repentance. Instead, it teaches we’re saved by grace alone, and not by works, and God’s grace is so much greater than our sin, we may as well sin so God can show us more grace.
Billy Graham’s grandson, Tullian Tchividjian, fell into this error. A couple years ago John MacArthur called him out as a false teacher and accused him of intentionally subscribing to a heresy — antinomianism — in order to accommodate his own sin which included several cases of sexual scandals. He was removed from Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, but recently launched a new church called the Sanctuary in Jupiter, Florida. The church is called a “judgment free zone.”
This is what some are charging Paul with teaching. They said Paul taught justification by faith alone, not by works, so you can be saved and still live a life of sin. They say, “If I lie or sin in any way, God forgives, and I bring God more glory.”
Paul says those accusing him of teaching this are slandering him, he never taught this, and he ends, “Their condemnation is just.” Paul was not a Marvin Milquetoast. This is not the gospel. The gospel is justification by faith alone without works but never justification that doesn’t lead to sanctification, a changed heart, a changed life, a desire to please God. The apostle John put it like this.
1 John 2:3-5, By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him.
How important it is to get our doctrine right. Sinners are always looking for a way to excuse sin and still be okay with God. However, genuine believers are not looking for excuses to sin. They fight their own sin nature, but they don’t say, “Hey, my sin doesn’t matter. It just exalts God’s grace. All I must do is confess it. Anyway, no big deal.”
James Boice concludes with this, “God never justifies a person without regenerating him or her; the person being saved is given a new nature, which must and will hate sin and strive for righteousness.”
SO WHAT?
No matter if you’re a lost person or have been a Christian for 50 years, we have absolutely no standing with God in who we are, how faithful we are to church, or how much we’ve served the Lord, or anything else. Your standing with God depends entirely on God’s grace to you in Jesus Christ. And God is always true, faithful, and righteous, regardless of human response. “Let God be true, even if every man was a liar.”