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Romans: From Guilt to GloryLesson 19 -- 01/13/19

OBJECTIONS OVERRULED (Part 2)

Text: Romans 3:5-8

Introduction: If you have your Bibles, I would invite you to turn to Romans 3:5, as we continue working through the book of Romans together. Let me remind you that in Romans 1, verses 1-17, the apostle introduces us to the theme of his book. He focuses on the Lord Jesus Christ. In Romans 1:3-4, he gives us a synopsis of his theme of the gospel. Then beginning in verse 16 to the end of chapter 1, he explains why the Gentiles need the gospel. The gospel is not just something that is for the Old Covenant people of God, it’s not just something for those who are the natural descendants of Abraham. It’s not just for the Jews it’s for everyone -- including the Gentiles.

Then, in Romans 2, Paul shows why the Jews need the gospel. It’s not just something for the Gentiles, it’s for the Jews. They must embrace the Messiah who was promised in God’s covenant with Abraham, if they are to enjoy the blessings and fulfillment of that covenant. So, throughout chapter 2 we have seen that Paul undermines all the wrong things the Jewish people of his day had been resting upon for the assurance of their saving relationship with God. You remember their arguments: “Well, look, we possess the law of Moses.” Paul says, “That’s right. You do possess the law of Moses, but you don’t follow it. You’re just as guilty as the Gentiles are of disobedience.” Then they say, “Yes, but we have a divine calling, given by God to be a light to the nations.” And Paul says, “That’s true, you do; but, because of your disobedience, God is actually blasphemed among the nations.” Then they reminded Paul that they had the covenant of circumcision, and he says, “Yes, that’s true, you do have the covenant of circumcision,” but in the final verses of Romans 2, he tells them, “What you really need is circumcision of the heart, not just the flesh.”

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Then in the closing verses of chapter 2, Paul distinguishes for them the difference between inward righteousness and outward righteousness. Those who have real righteousness, which is brought about by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit in the heart, transforms our attitudes, our actions, and our lives, as contrasted with a merely ritualistic, superficial obedience of God.

This enlightenment evoked some strong objections by the Jews, which we looked at last time in Romans 3:1-4. You will recall that there were two objections. The first was: “Paul, if what you are saying is true. If a person needs to have inward righteousness rather than outward righteousness in order to have a saving relationship with God, then all of the privileges God gave to us in the Old Testament as His chosen people are worthless.” And Paul’s response is, “They are not worthless at all! You’re missing my point.” Then, he goes to the central, supreme blessing of the children of God – being the custodians of the oracles of God; God’s revelation of Himself to mankind in His written word. He says, “This, in and of itself, proves the value of the blessings that God has extended to you in the Old Covenant.”

Paul presses on: “You must not reject the promise on which all of our hopes are based – the Messiah, Jesus Christ.” Then, the Jews raise another objection: “Doesn’t it call God’s faithfulness into question when you say that some, even many, of the Jewish people have rejected the Messiah and refused to believe in Him? You say that because of our unbelief, we have not received the promises which God made to us in His Covenant with Abraham.” Once again Paul’s response is: “Hardly, because God’s faithfulness can be manifested in two ways. It can be manifested in blessings on those who embrace His promises, or God can faithfully judge and punish those who reject His promises. God is faithful either way. The question is, will you enjoy His faithfulness in blessing, or will you endure His faithfulness in cursing?”

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Dr. Ralph Davis describes Paul’s point very succinctly: “Paul’s point is to say, ‘Great is Thy faithfulness, and it will kill you.’ That is, God, when we reject His promises, will be faithful to judge. He promises us that He will be faithful to judge if we reject His overtures of mercy. And that’s exactly what Paul says to these who are objecting to his teaching.”

Paul continues to hear objections to his teaching in today’s passage as well. Let’s turn to Romans 3:5-8 and hear God’s word reverently and attentively.

[READ Rom. 3:5-8]

5 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man) 6 God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world? 7 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto His glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner? 8 And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.

Thus ends this reading of God’s holy and inspired word. May He add His blessings to it. Let’s pray.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we praise You for Your word and thank You that it uncovers the secrets of our hearts. As painful as it is sometimes to see our sin, we know that You expose it to us with the intention that we would receive Your mercy. Having seen our sin and having given up any thought of saving ourselves, we flee to Christ for grace. In mercy You receive us as the father received the prodigal. Reveal our hearts to us today, through Your word. Enable us to see Your truth, understand it, and respond in such a way that You are glorified. We ask it in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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So, in today’s passage, Paul receives two more objections to his teaching. KEY 1: You have probably noticed that as these objections in Romans 3 proceed, they get weaker and weaker. In fact, these objections don’t even argue against Paul’s main point any more. I don’t know whether you have ever watched debates, but if one team is being beaten really badly, good debaters have all sorts of techniques they use to try to obscure the fact that they are being beaten. They will try to change the subject, they will try to discuss something which totally befuddles the judges and those on the other side. Maybe, you’ve seen a lawyer whose case is falling apart use their closing argument to bring up things that are utterly irrelevant to the case, in the vane hope that the jury will be distracted by them. This is what we often do when we are confronted with our sin. We want to talk about anything else but that issue. We want to talk about the weather, or we want to talk about something that the person who is confronting us has done wrong. We want to change the subject. And that’s exactly what is happening here. KEY 2: Paul’s answers to their objections have convicted them, and their response is to try to change the subject. “Let’s talk about something else, Paul. Let’s talk about the theological problem with your view.” Why? Because the truth is hitting very close to home. It’s convicting their hearts. The last thing an unbeliever wants to do is to deal with his or her sin.

So, in the course of responding to their two objections in this section, Paul is going to teach us two very important truths. Let’s look at the first objection in verse 5.

I. GOD IS RIGHTEOUS IN HIS JUDGMENT (Rom. 3:5-6)

[READ Rom. 3:5]

5 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man).

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The Jew’s objection runs something like this. “Paul, if God’s justice is magnified by the wickedness of human beings, is it really right for God to pour out His wrath on them?” Paul has just pointed out in Romans 3:1-4, that God’s righteousness becomes even more obvious against the backdrop of human sin. And it’s that assertion which brings this objection. Let me state the objection in another way that includes us: “If God glorifies Himself through my sin, isn’t it unfair for Him to judge me for that sin?” I mean, if God is using the unbelief of the Jews (and us) in order to magnify His faithfulness, isn’t it unfair for Him to judge and punish them and/or us for our unbelief? Shouldn’t the Almighty be happy about people’s unbelief? After all, He is being glorified in His faithfulness by mankind’s unfaithfulness. The bottom line is that Paul is dealing with people who would rather rationalize their sin than repent of it. Paul’s words (God’s words) are convicting them of their sins. He is pressing them about their sin. And they’d rather talk about anything else in the world. They would rather find some theological point to nitpick with the apostle, rather than deal with the charge he’s making against them.

But Paul emphatically rejects their rationalization. Let’s look at verse 6.

[READ Rom. 3:6]

6 God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?

Paul says two things in response to their flawed objection. First of all, he gives us an emphatic negation. As I told you last time, Paul uses this phrase “” several times in Romans. It means “not at all, God forbid.” Paul says, “That’s hardly what I am doing.” He outright rejects their suggestion that it is unjust for God to judge those who have sinned, even though in His judgment, His faithfulness is magnified.

Secondly, Paul gives a positive argument based upon God’s judgment. While the ultimate point of his argument can be understood in a couple of different ways, his basic point is crystal clear. Paul says that

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the one true God of the Bible is beyond questioning in the righteousness of His just judgment. Now, for his ultimate point, let’s consider the options:

(1) Remember, he is speaking to Jewish people who believe in God’s judgment, and they believe in a final judgment. Perhaps he’s saying to them, “Look, if you think that God is unjust in His judgment now, how can you think that He’s going to be just in His final judgment, which we all agree is going to occur?”

(2) Or Paul may be saying something like this, “If you are saying that sin ceases to be sin and ceases to require judgment, because God overrules it for His glory, then there’s no sin that can be punished, because God overrules every sin for His glory. That doesn’t make it any less punishable though. It doesn’t reduce the requirement for God to bring justice upon that sin. And if you argue this way, then no sin can be judged.”

But Paul’s primary point, over and over again, has been that the God of the Bible is beyond questioning as to the righteousness of His judgment. Do you see how when faced with the judgment of God for their sin, these people immediately want to ask an abstract question, “Is it right for God to judge?” rather than asking the obvious concrete question, “Okay, I’m a sinner; I deserve God’s judgment; so how do I deal with that?” They would rather ask an abstract theological question which is quite frankly preposterous; the idea that God’s judgment is unjust, than to deal with the fact that they are sinners in need of God’s divine mercy.

So often when we’re in gospel conversations, we run into the same thing. When you have taken months to screw up the courage to go and talk with an unsaved friend, or perhaps a friend who has made a profession of faith, but is living in sin, and you try to lovingly confront that brother or sister with their sin, then suddenly that person has all of these intricate theological questions they want you to answer. “Well, before we get to that, I’ve got some questions about angels that I need

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you to straighten out for me.” Or, “Help me with predestination, because I don’t understand how that works.” Or, “What about the existence of God?” Suddenly, they have great interest in various speculative theological issues. Why? Because, you are hitting close to home. While you want to deal with sin, sin is willing to accept anything else other than repentance. It will do anything to stay alive. So the favorite strategy for the unrepentant believer or unbeliever is to run away from the question at hand (their sin), and hide behind some abstract theological question.

By the way, this is done in various ways in our world today. One way is when Paul hits a little too close to home in his epistles, which especially comes out in an expository series like we’re doing through Romans, people will say, “Well, that’s Paul, it’s not Jesus. Paul said that, not Jesus,” as if somehow that gets you off the hook. “Well, Paul may be wrong; but not Jesus. You know it’s only the red-letter stuff in the Bible that really counts.” This argument blows my mind!

Let’s pull over here for a minute, because I want to give you eight reasons why this kind of thinking is all wrong.

1) This is a “no-man’s-land” kind of argument. Liberals aren’t going to be satisfied with this kind of argument because they don’t care what Jesus says either, quite frankly. They aren’t even sure whether Jesus ever said the things attributed to Him in the gospels or not. So, trying to make this kind of distinction between what Jesus said and Paul said isn’t going to help you with a real liberal. Nor is it going to help you with an honest to goodness conservative, because the conservative believes that the entire Bible is inspired. So, it doesn’t matter who said it -- whether Isaiah said it, or Moses said it, or David said it, or whether Peter or Paul said it, or Jesus said it, it is all the inspired Word of the living God. Nor will it help you with an unbeliever, because all you will do is confuse them even more than they already are. So, if you are trying to discount something you don’t like in Paul’s teaching by saying that it is not Jesus’

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teaching, it does not get you off the hook with either liberals or conservatives. You are left in no-man’s-land all by yourself.

2) The second problem with this argument is that it ignores Paul’s own unshakeable beliefs. Let’s think for a moment about some of these. In 1 Corinthians 1:1, Paul says that he is an apostle, not by the will of man, but by the will of God. Over in 1 Corinthians 7:12, he has the audacity to say, “I say, not the Lord.” In other words, the Lord Jesus didn’t speak to this issue, but this is the way I say you need to deal with it. Later in this same chapter in verse 17 he says, “Thus I ordain (direct) in all the churches.” In other words, the way Paul said it ought to be done was the way it should be done in every church. Then in 1 Corinthians 14, near the end of the chapter in verses 37 and 38 where he is teaching on prophesy and tongues, he basically says, “Listen, if anyone who hears this thinks that he is a prophet, then he needs to recognize that these are the words of a prophet. They are the words of God and they are authoritative. If they do not recognize this word, then they themselves are not recognized.”

Then over in 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Paul commends the Thessalonians, “I thank God that you received our words for what they were, not the words of men, but the words of God.” Later in 2 Thessalonians 3:14, he says: “If anyone does not obey the instruction of this letter, let him be put out of the church.” The apostle Paul had no thought whatsoever that his words were on a lower level of inspiration than the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. Why? because he was inspired by the third Person of the Trinity when he spoke them. Paul’s words were God’s words. That is the second reason why this argument will not fly.

3) Thirdly, this kind of reasoning ignores the claims of Scripture about itself and about the nature of inspiration. For instance, Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:14-17 that all Scripture is given by inspiration from God. And yes, he was especially talking about the Old Testament in this statement, but by extension, his words apply to all of Scripture, both Old and New Testaments. It is all inspired by God and it is all God-

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breathed. Peter tells us what this means in 2 Peter 1:19-21. It means that holy men chosen by God were directed by the Holy Spirit to write down exactly what God intended, not their own private interpretation. Therefore, the author of Hebrews says in 4:12, that the Word of God is powerful and active, and sharper than a two-edged sword. That’s what the word of God is. So any teaching which says, “Well Paul said that, or Job said that, or Jonah said that,” as if Jesus didn’t say it so it doesn’t count, ignores what the Bibles says about itself.

4) Fourthly, when people make this kind of statement, “Paul said it, not Jesus,” they are contradicting what Jesus taught about the Bible.

[READ Matt. 5:17-18]

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Furthermore, Jesus says in John 10:35 that Scripture cannot be broken. And in John 17:17, He reminded His disciples as He was praying that God’s Word is truth, and through it we are sanctified. We grow in grace by the Word of God. So for us, as independent, fundamental Baptists, our view of the Bible is in itself an act of devotion; we reverence the Word of God. We believe in the authority, the inspiration, and the inerrancy of God’s Word because Jesus believed it.

5) Fifthly, this type of argument creates an enormous, unsolvable problem. It’s what you could call “the pick and choose dilemma.” If some parts of the Bible are inspired and authoritative and others are not, who gets to choose? Who determines which parts are right and which parts are wrong? The danger of this view is that we all become our own little authorities on the Bible. Today we can excise this part, and tomorrow we can mark out that part if we don’t agree with it.

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6) Sixthly, this view negates the historic view of the canon of Scripture, held by the apostles, the early church fathers, and all biblical Christians in favor of an arbitrary green-letter edition of Scripture. Christians have always recognized that the books of the Bible bear the marks of inspiration by the Holy Spirit, that they are authoritative for faith and practice, that they are prophetic, and apostolic.

7) Seven, this argument fails to appreciate the correlation between Jesus’ and Paul’s teaching. We have certainly noticed as we have worked our way through Romans that Paul’s arguments are very closely tied to the teachings of Jesus. Even his teaching style is similar to that of the Lord Jesus.

8) Finally, number 8, this argument plays right into the hands of liberal theologians who have been trying to “de-mythologize” Christianity, because they say that Paul, not Jesus, invented Christianity. They claim that it was Paul who came up with the ideas of the virgin birth, the deity of Christ, and substitutionary atonement. They claim that all of these ideas, these doctrines, were not around before Paul. You need to understand that when people make a distinction between Jesus and Paul, they are actually falling into a trap which was set for them by the German rationalists over a century ago.

So for all these reasons, when someone says, “But Paul said that, not Jesus,” you need to immediately recognize that you are dealing with someone who has become uncomfortable with a particular Scriptural teaching and are trying to obscure it.

The point of this passage is that God is the Judge and He is guiltless in His justice. Do you take God’s judgment seriously? Well, we better, because it’s certain, and it will be spot on. Paul is reminding us that those who do not deliver themselves into God’s hand for mercy cannot be delivered from His hand of justice. It’s one way or the other, God’s mercy or God’s justice. Also, God’s judgment is not arbitrary vengeance. It is the due process of moral providence. It is absolutely

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just. That’s why we need the gospel, because God will judge. Over and over people said to Paul that they did not need the gospel; that they didn’t need the grace of God; that they were in and of themselves perfectly ready to face God in their own righteousness. And over and over Paul told them, “If you think you can face God’s judgment, apart from Christ and His grace and mercy in your own righteousness, then go ahead and try it; because God is just, and if you are righteous, I promise you He will acquit you.” The problem is, as he is going to point out later in this chapter, no one is righteous. The problem isn’t with the kind of justice God is going to mete out. The problem rests with us and our unrighteousness. Yet over and over, the sinner wants to call God’s righteousness, God’s justice, and God’s judgment into question rather than deal with his own sin.

II. JUST BECAUSE GOD IS FAIR & JUST, DOESN’T MEAN WE CAN CONTINUE TO SIN & HE MUST FORGIVE US (Rom. 3:7-8)

[READ Rom. 3:7-8]

7 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto His glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner? 8 And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.

The second objection Paul receives is even weaker than the previous one. It goes something like this: “If our lying, if our unfaithfulness highlights God’s truthfulness, then why should we be condemned? Why not do evil so that good may come of it?” Paul actually faces this objection in several places throughout the book of Romans. In Romans 6:1, he gets this objection to the doctrine of justification by grace through faith. In Romans 9:19, he gets this same objection to the doctrine of election. Let me rephrase the objection another way: “Paul, your teaching leads us to the idea that we ought to do evil in order that good might come from it.” Or, “Your view of salvation

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means we should go ahead and sin till our heart’s content, so that grace may have the opportunity to do its work.”

Here again we find the habitual tendency of the depraved heart to do anything other than repent. The unbelieving heart will question doctrine, God’s fairness, God’s existence; anything, just as long it does not have to repent. Paul considers even the suggestion that we do evil in order that grace may have a chance to do its work, blasphemous. And he announces the justice of condemning those who would dare say such a thing.

Jesus ran into this kind of thing with the woman at the well, didn’t He? He was carrying on a conversation with this woman; as He did, He began to talk with her about a sin that was very, very close to her heart when he said to her, “Go get your husband.” “Well, I don’t have a husband.” “You’re right. The man that you’re currently living with is not your husband, but you have previously had five husbands.” Then immediately she becomes interested in having a theological discussion about worship. “Well, let’s talk about the theories of appropriate worship. Are we to worship here in Samaria or should we go to Jerusalem?” All of a sudden, she wants to talk about something else.

Have you had this experience? You were in a conversation with an unbeliever about a spiritual issue, then suddenly they want to talk with you about angels, or where Cain got his wife, or if Jonah was really swallowed by a whale, or the crusades, or whatever else under the sun, just so long as you change the conversation. But Paul wouldn’t let them off the hook because there’s no excuse for sin; and there’s no escape from its guilt, its power, or its penalty except through the gospel. The most ridiculously absurd dumb thing that anyone has ever done was to think that they could gain anything by sinning. In fact, our sin is doubled when we attempt to rationalize it, or excuse ourselves from it. Paul reminds us here that God’s grace, His promises, His faithfulness, and His ability to overrule sin in judgment to His glory, cannot excuse sin.

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When the sinner tries to run anywhere else other than to the gospel to find relief from sin, he’s running in the wrong direction. At every turn, Paul has cut off all false assurances, securities, and saviors from the religious Jews and from us, because he loves us so.

If you were running to a place that you thought was a place of safety and refuge, but in fact it was going to be the means of your destruction, a true friend would tell you, “Don’t go there!” That’s exactly what Paul is doing. As hard as Paul’s words may seem to us, these are the faithful wounds of a friend. He’s telling us don’t flee anywhere else for safety, refuge, or salvation except to the gospel. The only way you’ll experience forgiveness is by embracing the Lord Jesus Christ. May God bless the message of His word to our hearts. Let’s pray. Black Slide

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we pray that You would break down any barriers and cast down any foolish imaginations that are deceiving our hearts today. Please, build us up in the truth of the gospel. Keep us from ever running anywhere else for relief from the guilt and power of our sin except to the Lord Jesus Christ. If any of us here today have become skeptical or aloof from Christ, we pray that You would burden our hearts, convict us, show us the truth about ourselves, and the greater truth about our Savior. Enable us by Your grace to run to Him, to trust in Him alone, and believe on Him for eternal life. We ask these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Invitation # 438: “Cleanse Me” (vs. 1 & 3)

Benediction: Beloved, may you be confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Phil. 1:6, NKJV).