By
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
In our last study, we looked
at verses 1-12 of chapter 3.
1.1.1. Paul began to ask some thought provoking questions, such as:
1.1.1.1. Does the Jew have any benefit over the Gentile when it comes to
spiritual matters?
1.1.1.2. Does the unrighteousness of some of God’s people cause the forfeiture
of God’s faithfulness to everyone else?
1.1.1.3. Is God unrighteous in inflicting wrath?
1.1.2. Paul also forestalled an objection some might have had if they believed
that he gained some kind of personal advantage by the gospel message that he preached.
1.1.3. Paul began a scathing rebuke of all mankind before God, or should we
say before God in and of their own righteousness. We saw that Paul did not beat
around the bush about mankind’s condition, did not apologize for what he
stated, did not sugar coat what he said, etc.
He merely stated our condition in a matter of fact kind of way. We saw that until a person realizes the truth
about himself, that is, how he stands before God, that he will never see his
need for a Savior in Jesus Christ.
1.1.4. Finally, Paul began to declare all men to be unrighteous and utterly
corrupt throughout and useless to God.
We saw that in this book of Romans that Paul will eventually bring us to
see that because of our sinfulness that we are all in need of a Savior in Jesus
Christ.
1.2.
In our study today, we are
going to look at verses 13-20 of chapter 3.
1.2.1. In this study, Paul will continue the rebuke of sinful mankind which he
began in the last chapter and he will continue that description until it
concludes in his stating that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory
of God and thus by the works of the Law that no man shall ever be justified
before God. Then, Paul will begin to
discuss the salvation that God has provided for us in Christ.
1.2.2. What Paul is describing for us in chapter three of Romans concerning
mankind in his sinfulness has been called “the depravity of man,” and
though there have been many opinions in the mainstream church about this aspect
of our nature as men and women, things which we will not get into at this time,
none-the-less it is a fact that mankind is “depraved” at the deepest
levels of his nature
1.2.2.1. Dwight L. Moody in his “Moody Handbook Of Theology” wrote the following about
the depravity of mankind:
“Total depravity should first be defined negatively:
it does not mean “(1) that depraved people cannot or do not perform
actions that are good in either man’s or God’s sight.…(2) that fallen man has
no conscience which judges between good and evil for him.…(3) that people
indulge in every form of sin or in any sin to the greatest extent possible.”
The word depravity means that because of sin’s
corruption “there is nothing man can do to merit saving favor with God,” while total
means that depravity “has extended to all aspects of man’s nature, to his
entire being.” Calvin defined man’s depraved estate as follows: “All
men are conceived in sin, and born the children of wrath, indisposed to all
saving good, propensed to evil, dead in sin, and the slaves of sin; and without
the regenerating grace of the Holy Spirit, they neither are willing nor able to
return to God, to correct their depraved nature, or to dispose themselves to
the correction of it.”
The Scriptures emphasize the depravity of man
by man’s continual sinning (Gen. 6:5; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 3:10–18). The reason is
that man is born a fallen creature with the pollution of sin (Ps. 51:5).
Depravity also affirms the inability of man to do good (Matt. 7:17–18; John
15:4–5; 1 Cor. 12:3). Depravity further affirms man’s inability to understand
the good (Matt. 13:14; John 1:11; 8:43; Acts 16:14; 1 Cor. 1:18; 2:14; 2 Cor.
3:12–18; Eph. 4:18). Depravity also indicates man cannot desire the good (Matt.
7:18; John 3:3; 6:44; 8:43; 15:4–5; Eph. 2:1).
Total depravity indicates man’s utter
inability to do anything for his salvation. God must initiate the process if a
person is to be saved.”
1.2.3. In that last study, Paul stated the following accusations against
mankind:
1.2.3.1. All are under sin, Jew and Gentile alike (verse 9).
1.2.3.2. None are righteous, not even one (verse 10).
1.2.3.3. None understands (verse 11).
1.2.3.4. None seeks for God (verse 11).
1.2.3.5. All have turned aside (verse 12).
1.2.3.6. All have become useless (verse 12).
1.2.3.7. None does good, not even one (verse 12).
1.2.4. Paul will add considerably to those accusations against mankind in this
study.
1.2.5. In our last study, after announcing the title of the message which
included a brief list of the accusations against mankind that Paul was going to
make, I humorously asked the question, “I don’t know how that might help your
self image?” I then went on to state
that it is only when we see ourselves as we truly are in our sinful state that
we will realize our need for a Savior in Jesus Christ. Well, I would add to that the fact that it is
also only as we see ourselves as we truly are before the Lord in our utterly
sinful state that we can have the self image that God wants His children to
have. That self image is one which is
based not upon that which the world would state that a person’s self image is
to be based, namely upon how good and wonderful we are in and of ourselves, but
rather upon God’s grace and mercy and His choice to dearly love as His children
those whom He in His sovereign selection brings to salvation through Christ,
delivering them from the power and effects of sin. A healthy self-image is not to be derived
from denying the reality of who we are as members of a fallen and sinful race,
rather it is to be derived through realizing the wonders of God’s grace in
choosing to love and bless us in spite of our sinfulness and unworthiness.
1.2.6. I would add also that all of the teachings of the cults have come as a
result of a misunderstanding of the very nature of God. A misunderstanding about God’s nature will
result in a misunderstanding of the essential truths that must be understood in
order to come to salvation through Jesus Christ. Today, I want to emphasize something that I
mentioned in our last study. I stated
that these accusations of Paul against mankind are really the result of a
proper understanding of the nature of God.
God is loving and merciful and doesn’t want to judge us, however He is
also totally holy and just and must punish sin.
The path to receiving salvation through Jesus Christ as outlined by Paul
in this book comes by realizing that Jesus Christ took the wrath of God which we
deserved as He paid for our debt of sin upon
2. VS 3:13 - “13 “Their
throat is an open grave, With their
tongues they keep deceiving,” “The
poison of asps is under their lips” ;” - Paul tells us that unredeemed man has an open
grave for a throat and poisonous lips and a deceiving tongue
2.1.
Here, Paul quotes from Psalm 5:9 which says of mankind
that ‘their throat is an open grave.’
An ‘open grave’ is one that would have the stench of death all
around it since a rotting corpse lies within that grave. The stench of a rotting corpse can itself
sometimes cause death to someone who breathes the air around it.
2.2.
Instead of sinful mankind using their tongues to
proclaim and utter God’s truth, instead Paul writes that they use their tongues
to ‘keep deceiving.’
2.3.
The third accusation that Paul makes about mankind in
this verse comes from Psalm 140:3: ‘the
poison of asps is under their lips.’
A poisonous snake hides its fangs inside of its head until it decides to
strike, and then the fangs extend out, the mouth opens wide around the victim,
and then the fangs penetrate and pump their deadly venom inside of the
victim. Instead of peoples’ mouths being
used to praise God and bless men, they instead are being used to inflict poison
and death to those around them.
2.3.1. We
Christians must be so careful with the use of our tongues, and use them for
good and not for evil. We must realize
how deadly our tongue can be, and also in how many ways and how easy it is, to
use our tongue in a way that is hurtful to others. Words can do just as much as fists to damage
people. Once spoken the effect of our
words will never be completely removed.
3. VS 3:14 - “14 “Whose
mouth is full of cursing and bitterness” ;” - Paul writes here that unbeliever’s mouths are
‘full of cursing and bitterness’
3.1.
Again speaking about the sinful ways in which mankind
uses their tongues, Paul says that their ‘mouth is full of cursing and
bitterness.’ This Greek word
translated ‘cursing’ can mean an “imprecation, curse, or malediction.” The people of this world are consumed with
their bitterness, and thus their mouths are constantly spewing out words of
blasphemy and perversion, and they usually don’t even realize what they have
said nor how what they have said sounds to others. Jesus stated that a person’s mouth speaks out
that which fills his heart:
3.1.1. Matthew
12:34, “34 “You brood of vipers, how can
you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills
the heart.”
3.1.2. Luke 6:45, “45
“The good man out of the good treasure of his
heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure
brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his
heart.”
3.2.
A pastor friend once told me about a man in prison who
was possessed with bitterness and yet he was in prison for killing the man who
molested his son, causing him to become bitter.
Bitterness is all consuming and will destroy our lives, so we must not
allow it to take root in us.
4. VS 3:15 - “15 “Their
feet are swift to shed blood,” - Paul tells us that unbelievers are ‘swift to
shed blood’
4.1.
Mankind have hearts that are full of “murder.”
Paul quotes from Isaiah 59:7, and, he writes in this verse that ‘their feet are
swift to shed blood.’ Hate, anger,
and viciousness are characteristics of mankind, all of which from God’s point
of view show that people have a heart that is full of murder. Murder occurred in the very first family unit
of mankind when Cain murdered his brother Abel.
4.2.
The entirety of what Isaiah 59:18 says is pertinent to
the state of mankind who is in sin separated from God: “59:1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short That it cannot save; Neither is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have made a separation
between you and your God, And your sins
have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear. 3 For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken falsehood, Your tongue mutters wickedness. 4 No one sues righteously and no one pleads
honestly. They trust in confusion, and
speak lies; They conceive mischief, and
bring forth iniquity. 5 They hatch
adders’ eggs and weave the spider’s web;
He who eats of their eggs dies,
And from that which is crushed a snake breaks forth. 6 Their webs will not become clothing, Nor will they cover themselves with their
works; Their works are works of
iniquity, And an act of violence is in
their hands. 7 Their feet run to evil, And they hasten to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity;
Devastation and destruction are in their highways. 8 They do not know the way of peace, And there is no justice in their tracks; They have made their paths crooked; Whoever treads on them does not know peace.”
5. VS 3:16 - “16 Destruction and misery are in
their paths,” - Paul tells
us that destruction and misery are in the path of the unbeliever
5.1.
The history of mankind demonstrates that men are
continually creating ‘destruction’ and ‘misery’ for other people
through wars and personal assaults. This
is the accusation that Paul makes against mankind in this verse, as he again
quotes from Isaiah 59.
5.2.
VS 3:17 - “17 And the path of peace have
they not known.”” - Paul tells us that the ‘path of peace’
unbelievers do not know
5.3.
In this verse, Paul quotes scripture again from Isaiah
59 which accuses mankind of not knowing the ‘path of peace’. There can be no ‘peace’ for men when
they are in their sin. Sin separates men
from God, it also separates men from men and is the primary cause of strife in
our world.
5.4.
I always smile and kind of shake my head when I see
the bumper stickers which say things like “Visualize Peace,” “Make
peace not war,” “Think peace,” etc., because I know that until the
issue of sin is resolved in people’s lives, they will never live in peace with
each other. Paul in one of his epistles
writes that “the mind set on the flesh is death,” and it is also true
that “the mind set on the flesh will never live in peace with other men.”
6. VS 3:18 - “18 “There is no fear of God
before their eyes.”” - Paul tells
us that there is no fear of God in unbeliever’s lives
6.1.
Foolishly, unbelievers do not ‘fear’ God and
being judged by Him. They have somehow
convinced themselves that there is no God or that if He exists that He surely
would not send them to hell come Judgment Day.
This is Paul’s final accusation of mankind from scripture, one that he
makes as he now quotes from Psalm 36:1.
7. VS
3:19-20 - “19 Now we know that
whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, that every
mouth may be closed, and all the world may become accountable to God; 20
because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for
through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.” -
Paul tells us that since all are under the law that every mouth will be
closed and all will become accountable to God because no person will ever be
justified before God based upon the works of the Law
7.1.
The question that we need to first ask from verse 19
is to whom Paul is referring when he asks, “Who is under the Law?” Paul has already answered that question in
this book. The Jews were directly
under the Law since they read and were taught the Law, and their courts
judged according to the letter of the Law.
However, Paul also proved in chapter 2 that the unbelieving Gentiles
showed the work of the Law in their lives through their consciences as well as
their attempts at good works, and that therefore all Gentiles would be “without
excuse” on Judgment Day for not receiving Christ as their Lord and
Savior. So, in verse 19 Paul is saying
that “all mankind is under the Law,” either directly in the case of
Jews, or indirectly in the case of Gentiles.
7.2.
Because Paul has established that all mankind is
really living “under the Law” of Moses, then he can now say that as a
result ‘every mouth may be closed,’ since there shall be no
justification that any person could make for himself on Judgment Day for not
receiving Christ as his Lord and Savior.
Likewise, all mankind shall be ‘accountable to God’ for all of
their sins since every single person who has reached the age of accountability
has no excuse for not pressing on so as to know the Lord personally for
salvation.
7.3.
In summation, Paul writes in verse 20 that ‘no
flesh,’ i.e. no person over the age of accountability, shall be able to be
justified before God based upon his works matching up to God’s perfect standard
of righteousness in the Law, since the Law will reveal to every single
unbeliever at the Great White Throne Judgment of Unbelievers that they have
sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and deserve justly the eternal
fires of hell. The Law has done the work
that God designed for it to do in each person’s life, working either directly
or indirectly upon him, by convicting him of his sin and the fact that he
cannot be saved by any or all of the good things that he may have done in this
life. The Law has revealed men’s sin,
and instead of accepting the many invitations by God to come to Him through His
Son Jesus Christ and thereby receive salvation “by faith through grace,”
they have gone on their own way and rejected God completely. Therefore, every non-believer’s condemnation
to hell shall be justified.
7.4.
People are always trying to reach God through good
works and religion, but to try to reach him through any other way than the way
which He has provided through Jesus Christ is completely futile. You can only reach God through His grace
extended to us through Jesus Christ and
8. VS
3:21-23 - “21 But now apart
from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the
Law and the Prophets, 22 even the
righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe;
for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God.” - Paul tells us the good news
that now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested (that
righteousness found in the gospel of Jesus Christ), the righteousness of God
through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe
8.1.
As I have stated a few times during this study in
Romans, the theme of the book is “The Righteousness of God.” In the previous verse, Paul had just
culminated his arguments which were designed to show and prove that people
cannot be justified before God based upon their works, and so now in this verse
he begins the subject dealing with how it is then that man can be justified
before God.
8.2.
Paul writes that ‘now,’ or since the advent of
Christ, ‘the righteousness of God has been manifested.’ After mankind had sinned and God had not
revealed his justice and wrath upon man, it must have sometimes appeared to man
that God might not be too concerned about man’s rebellion and sin. It may have even appeared to some that God
actually approved of evil and wicked men since God had not destroyed men. Even in our day it certainly is true that
many men do not believe that God will ever judge wickedness and sin. Even in our day people still ask why if there
is a God that the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper? However, in this verse Paul tells us that
when Christ was crucified for the sins of man that ‘the righteousness of God’
was ‘manifested.’ God had His Son
placed upon a cross in full public view and for all the ages to know about, in
order to show that in fact He is a God of justice and wrath. God poured out His wrath against sin upon His
Son on the cross, so that His ‘righteousness’ might be satisfied.
8.3.
Every sin is a sin that is deserving of death, as Paul
writes in Rom. 6:23, “23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of
God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” However, thankfully Jesus satisfied God’s
justice and righteousness in His sacrifice upon the cross for men’s sins.
8.4.
Not only was God’s righteousness manifested in having
His Son crucified to pay the debt for our sins, this act of the Messiah dying for
the sins of the world was written about and prophesied in the Old Testament Law
and Prophets hundreds of years before Christ came. Isaiah 53:4-6 is a scripture prophetic about
his dying on the cross for the sins of mankind, “4 Surely our griefs He Himself
bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we
ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our
transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon
Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his
own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”
8.5.
We need to be encouraged by the fact that sinful
people such as us can come into relationship with God on the basis of faith in
Christ. We are not excluded from knowing
God because we have gone too far in our sin, and therefore God cannot forgive
us. Simply by placing our faith in Jesus
Christ as our Lord and our Savior, and surrendering our life completely over to
Him can we know that we have eternal life.
Our confident assurance of salvation is based not upon what we have or
have not done for the Lord, but upon that perfect sacrifice of His Son for us.
8.6.
Notice here how after reciting his scathing rebuke of
mankind in its sinfulness that it is then that Paul tells us that ‘all have
sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.’ Every single man, woman and child is already
disqualified from ever being righteous before God based upon his/her own
righteousness.
8.7.
The Greek word here translated ‘fallen short’ is in the present tense and thus it indicates continuous action. Paul is saying then that all people are
continuously falling short of the glory of God, continually disqualifying themselves
from meeting God’s perfect standard of righteousness.
8.8.
The Bible Knowledge
Commentary states the following, “God’s glory is His splendor, the
outward manifestation of His attributes. God desires that humans share that splendor,
that they become like Him, that is, Christlike (cf. “glory” in 5:2; 2 Cor. 3:18;
Col. 1:27; 2 Thes. 2:14). Yet their sin keeps them from sharing it.”
8.9.
Then, Paul states that ‘the righteousness of God’
is revealed to all who will place their ‘faith’ in Jesus Christ for
salvation. Everyone who trusts in Christ
and His work upon Calvary in dying for their sins and paying their debt of sin
alone for his/her salvation is now found to be ‘righteous’ and
acceptable before God because of the imputed righteousness of Christ on his/her
behalf.
8.10.
The ‘faith’ that Paul refers to here is “saving
faith,” which is a transfer of our trust in ourselves and our own works and
goodness to make us right with God to trusting in Jesus and His righteousness
and work on Calvary’s cross on our behalf to save us.
8.11.
Paul states that this offer to believe in Jesus Christ
is open to all, Jew and Gentile alike, for ‘there is no distinction.’ Many stumble over the gospel message as
presented in the scriptures because it just seems too simple or too easy for
them to be justified before God and saved for eternity. However, this is what God’s word promises to
all of us. We simply place our faith and
trust in Jesus Christ as our substitute, our sin bearer, as we yield our lives
to His lordship and control, and we receive eternal salvation that very
moment. That is what it means for a
person to be saved.
8.12.
We as Christians must come to grips with the fact that
though from the scriptures we realize that we are utterly sinful Apart from
Jesus Christ, that it is also the case that the scriptures teach us that after
coming to salvation that we can become “overwhelming conquerors” through
Christ of the sin that exists within our hearts. Charles Spurgeon, the great English preach of
a century and a half ago once wrote in his Mornings and Evenings Devotional
book the following encouragement to us who are under the condemnation of our
sin, “Mourning Christian! why weepest thou? Art thou mourning over thine own
corruptions? Look to thy perfect Lord, and remember, thou art complete in him;
thou art in God’s sight as perfect as if thou hadst never sinned; nay, more
than that, the Lord our Righteousness hath put a divine garment upon thee, so
that thou hast more than the righteousness of man—thou hast the righteousness
of God. O thou who art mourning by reason of inbred sin and depravity,
remember, none of thy sins can condemn thee. Thou hast learned to hate sin; but
thou hast learned also to know that sin is not thine—it was laid upon Christ’s
head. Thy standing is not in thyself—it is in Christ; thine acceptance is not
in thyself, but in thy Lord; thou art as much accepted of God to-day, with all
thy sinfulness, as thou wilt be when thou standest before his throne, free from
all corruption. O, I beseech thee, lay hold on this precious thought, perfection
in Christ! For thou art “complete in him.” With thy Saviour’s garment on,
thou art holy as the Holy one. “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that
died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God,
who also maketh intercession for us.” Christian, let thy heart rejoice, for
thou art “accepted in the beloved”—what hast thou to fear? Let thy face ever
wear a smile; live near thy Master; live in the suburbs of the Celestial City;
for soon, when thy time has come, thou shalt rise up where thy Jesus sits, and
reign at his right hand; and all this because the divine Lord “was made to be
sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in
him.””
9. CONCLUSIONS€:
9.1.
As we consider this study and how to apply the truths
we have looked at to our own lives, we need to learn what God’s grace is. Do you understand now how that salvation is
through the grace of God? Do the
scriptures and the description of sinful mankind given by Paul make you realize
how incredible the grace of God and salvation through His grace is?
9.2.
Have you completely given up any hope of being
accepted by a holy and righteous God based upon your own righteousness and
works? Have you trusted in Jesus Christ and Him alone to save you? Perhaps its time to do so today, for the
scriptures tell us not to wait until tomorrow to make such a decision for today
is the day of salvation.