The Gospel in Romans, part 9

I was extremely excited to share this wonderful passage of Scripture to study with my small group in West Philly. May God use this study to reach whomever He wills, however He wills, for His glory and praise. There really is no better news in the world than the news that Jesus Christ came to give! May God bless those of you who read this study.

Romans 4:1-8

Romans 4:1-8 ESV:

What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." [Gen. 15:6]. 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

7 "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,

and whose sins are covered;

8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin."

Study Notes:

Intorduction:

We are still talking about justification by faith. In Romans 1:17, Paul said that the gospel reveals the righteousness of God from faith to faith, "as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith [Habakkuk 2:4]." Before we could get on this topic about justification, we had to learn what Paul taught in the first three chapters about righteousness and judgment. Remember Romans 1:18, "For the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unright eousness suppress the truth." So God's righteous wrath is revealed from heaven against people who are unrighteous and suppress the truth about Him. That is what unrighteousness is, it is suppressing the truth about God, and turning instead to lies for satisfaction and worship. We are created to worship God, and if we do not worship Him, we worship other things besides Him. Therefore, God's wrath (His righteous anger and judgment) is revealed from heaven against people who turn away from Him as the source of their life and joy and satisfaction to lesser and more unworthy things which will not satisfy us, but cause death in the end.

We also learned that religion does not help anyone avoid this wrath and judgment, but actually makes it worse, because Romans 2:4-5 says to the self-righteous hypocrites, "Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent [unchanging] heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed." And in chapter three, we read about how we are all guilty, the whole world is condemned before God, because every one of us has turned aside and become worthless as far as making ourselves right. God's law shows us what sin is and reveals that we are sinners, and we all are under the righteous judgment and wrath of God. Being guilty before God of sin ultimately leads to an eternity of suffering and torment in hell, unless we are forgiven and made righteous before Him. Now, the way for anyone to be forgiven and stand righteous before God is not by our works (obedience to the law, religious ceremonies, prayers, confession, baptism, making ourselves feel bad, trying to do better, or anything else we do), but rather we are given a righteousness from God through faith in the Person and life, death and resurrection of God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This righteousness is God's righteousness for us, and it is a free gift. Since He died as a propitiation for those who believe, God can forgive those who trust in Him and still be righteous in condemning their sin on the cross.

At the end of chapter three, Paul said this eliminates all boasting in what we have done. Nobody can say, "I did what I was supposed to do, now God is going to accept me and save me." No one can say that, because no one has the right to be forgiven or justified. However, through faith in Christ, we can now be completely (and I mean completely, totally) forgiven and justified because of who He is and what He has done for us if we believe (trust) in Him as our only hope.

Verse 1
What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh?

To understand why Paul is writing this verse, we need to remember what he wrote in the previous verses about boasting, and what kind of people he had in mind when he wrote it. Paul wrote to Jews about how they cannot be justified by the law (3:1,9,20). He said that righteousness is actually a free gift of God given to those who trust in Christ (3:24). this eliminates all forms of boasting in what they do (3:27). Now, he mentions Abraham as an example from the Old Testament to back up the things he just taught them. Who was Abraham? Abraham was the first father of the nation of Israel. He was the one God called out of his homeland, and promised that he would be a father of many nations, "And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Genesis 12:2-3).

Verse 2

For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

Why could Abraham have something to boast about if he was justified by works? Why not before God?

Abraham could boast if he was justified by works, because he would have something good that he had done, so all he would have to do is point to those good things he did, and boast. But not before God, because no one stands justified before God who has not kept every part of the law (Galatians 3:10).

Verse 3

But what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness."

Paul again goes back to the Bible, "What does the Bible say about this?" We would label someone like that "a Bible thumper" or something else, but there is an important reason for that. The Bible contains exactly what God has spoken to all people for all time in every place. When we want to know what God says or thinks, we can go to the Bible and find out exactly. So, what does it say? What does it say Abraham did? What was counted to Abraham as righteousness [being right before God]? By saying this, Paul showed the Jews that God has always justified His people by faith, rather than by works they performed.

Verses 4-5

Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

If you went to work someplace for $8 an hour, and at the end of the week you get paid for all that you had done, could the person paying you say, "I'm giving this to you as a gift"? No way! Why not? Because you worked for it, you earned it! Nobody earns a gift. Nobody deserves a gift. A gift is something a person gives out of love for the person they give to, not because of anything the person has done to get it, but to show them how much the giver loves. In the case with God, God is not glorified if you deserve forgiveness and justification, and heaven and eternal life. No, rather, God is glorified when He gives those things freely to people who don't deserve them. (That is the whole reason why chapter three made it so clear we are all no good sinners, who are worthless and unrighteous and deserving of damnation from God. It is to show how great His grace and love is to freely give us forgiveness and righteousness through Jesus Christ).

In what way does verse 5 describe God? How does it describe the person who believes in Him?

Verse 6

just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

Here again is another example of an Old Testament person trusting in God to be justified. Who was David? What part of the Bible did David write? Who does Paul say David was writing about in these next veses?

Verses 7-8

"Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,

and whose sins are covered;

blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin."

Have you heard of people talking a lot about blessings? What kinds of blessings do they refer to most? Well, this blessing is the greatest blessing in the world! How are the people in these verses blessed? What are "lawless deeds"? What does it mean to have your "sins covered"? What does it mean for the Lord to count your sin? Notice about that those who are trusting, resting, relying on, satisfied with, Jesus Christ as their only hope and treasure and Lord and Savior, that the Lord will not count their sin against them.

Conclusion:

If you have understood what I've been teaching you, you should then be able to see how this is "good news only for bad people." Have you realized that you are totally guilty of breaking God's righteous and holy Laws, rejecting His rules and following after your own will, and that this makes you totally worthy of eternal damnation in hell from God? If you can humbly, and honestly acknowledge such things about yourself, then Jesus Christ is the best news in the world to you! Why? Because for those who do not work, but rely on Him, Jesus Christ becomes our righteuosness before God, and He will never, ever count your sin against you. Why not? Because He already counted it against His perfectly righteous and holy Son, when He was crucified for hell-deserving sinners. God raised Him from the dead, so there is hope for the unrighteous. There is hope, because there is a real, living Savior who really saves all who come to God through Him. Praise God!

The Gospel in Romans, part 8

This is the long anticipated study on the rest of the third chapter of Romans. Enjoy the Good News!

Romans 3:19-31

Text
Romans 3:19-31 ESV:

Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no flesh will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart form the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it - the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart form works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one - who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

Study Notes:

Verses 19-20
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since thorugh the law comes knowledge of sin.
These verses conclude everything that has been said from Romans 1:18-3:18. Which is that since the law proves everyone to be under sin, the law can never, ever, make anyone righteous or good before God. It says, "For by the works of the law no human being will be justified in [God's] sight." Do you remember what it means to be justified? From verses 19-20, what did we learn about the purpose of the law?
In those two verses, Paul effectively set aside the law as our hope for righteousness and shows us in the next verses where true salvation, justification and righteousness really can be found for guilty sinners. Hebrews 10:9 says that the law must be done away with in order to establish the second (or new covenant). That is what is going on here. The law cannot save anyone, therefore the new covenant is the only way to be justified before God (Hebrews 9:13-15; 2 Corinthians 3:4-11).

Verses 21-22
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it - the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:...
What does it mean when we say something has been manifested? In verse 20, what has been manifested? What does it mean to bear witness to something? Who bears witness? What has the righteousness of God been manifested through, and for whom is it manifested? Why?
Well, the verses tell us that God's righteousness has been manifested apart from the law. It is the Scriptures (the Law and the Prophets) that bear witness to it. God's righteousness does not come through the law, by works or by doing good. (But the law points to it and talks about it). Rather, God's righteousness is through faith in Jesus Christ, and it is for all who believe, because their is no distinction [no difference, everyone is the same in this regard]. So nobody can be saved by the law, or by being a good person (because there is none good - Rom. 3:12), but there is another way. That way is by the righteousness of God apart from works through faith in Jesus. It is the only way (John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.").


Verse 23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,...
Here is the proof that nobody stands right with God by the law, since all have sinned and do not glorify God. How do we fall short of the glory of God? Do you remember what Romans 1:18-32 was teaching us about that? Let's look at Romans 1:21-25 again:

"For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in thier thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God [YHWH - I AM] for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts ot impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen."

From those verses, what did we learn about how people fall short of the glory of God? How did they sin?

Verse 24
and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,...
Who are justified by God's grace as a gift? Verse 23 said "all have sinned," so those who are justified are sinners, but that's not all, they are also believers (v22). How are they justified? It says, "through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." What does the word redemption mean? Those who are justified by God's grace as a gift, are justified by the salvation and deliverance that is in Christ Jesus. They have been bought back, recovered and freed from their previous condition.

Verses 25-26
whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Here's how the redemption in Christ was provided. God put forward the Lord Jesus as a propitiation by his blood. Do you remember what the word propitiation means? Propitiation comes from the idea of the Mercy Seat in the Old Testament. The blood was to be sprinkled on the Mercy Seat where God would meet with the Priest when he made atonement for the sins of the people. Propitiation is a wrath appeasing sacrifice. It is a sacrifice that satisfies God's righteous wrath and also pleases Him on behalf of those for whom the sacrifice is made. It pleases God. How is this sacrifice to be received? It is not received by works, or by praying certain types of prayers, or by participating in certain ceremonies (like baptism or the mass). It is not received by all the religious inventions of man. How then is it received? The answer is, "by faith." By simple, childlike trust in God, that Jesus is the propitiation for my sins. Jesus is my Lamb, that makes atonement for my wicked, evil, vile, rebellious and hateful sinfuness. Jesus satisfied the wrath of God for me by taking it upon Himself. Believing, trusting, being satisfied with Jesus as your redeemer, is how it is received.
What does this show about God? It shows God's righteousness. Why does God's righteousness have to be shown? Because He passed over former sins and did not punish them justly. How can God be just and also justify someone who is trusting in Jesus? The only way for God to be just and also the justifier of the one who is trusting in Jesus, is by putting Jesus forward as a propitiation by his blood (so that God's justice is satisfied by the bloodshed and death of Jesus).

Verses 27-31
Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one - who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
Here Paul does the question and answer thing again. What are the questions? What are the answers? 1. What of boasting? Ans: Excluded. 2. By what law? Works? Ans: Not by works, but by faith. 3. Is God the Jew's God only? Is He also God of Gentiles? Ans: He is God of both Jews and Gentiles. Yes, even Gentiles! God is one and He justifies Jews and Gentiles one way only - through faith. 3. Do we get rid of the law then by this faith? Ans: No way! Rather, we uphold (establish, set up) the law (put the law in its rightful place. Not as something that justifies, but as something that locks us under the condemnation of sin, so that we may be justified by faith in Jesus Christ instead of by law - Gal. 3:21-26). This is not a license to keep living a sinful lifestyle, but freedom from both the curse of the law and bondage to sin, so that we may live to please God.

Conclusion:
Romans chapter three contains such a powerful and clear message on the good news of the gospel. It really is "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes." (Rom. 1:16). What about justification by faith have you had a hard time grasping? Does the word propitiation have an especially dear and precious ring to you now when you hear it? If not, check your heart to see if you understand how far you have gone away from God into sin, and then look more closely on what Jesus did to save you by His death if you are resting in Him as your righteousness from God. What does it mean to have faith in the blood of Jesus? Do the words resting, trusting, relying, being satisfied with, treasuring, looking to Jesus help you define what it means to believe in Christ as your propitiation?

Do you pray for the saints?

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:16-20 ESV).

I was praying for my dearly beloved Singapore brother, who by the grace of God leads an evangelistic team somewhere in Singapore. And I was thinking of how I do not pray often enough for them and also for all the saints. There are believers I know personally, who I pray for. But I also sometimes pray in general for all the saints around the world who are undergoing trials, temptations, difficulties, persecutions, and the list could go on. If you have come to the end of yourself, and have cast yourself completely on the Rock of Christ Jesus, and feel the need of the hour, then would you join me in praying for all the saints, especially those who like Paul, need words and boldness to proclaim the eternal gospel of God's grace?

Grace be with you.

Have you believed?

FIRST we looked at how Jesus said we must repent. Second, Jesus said you must believe. "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:14-15 ESV). Actually, repentance and faith go together. You cannot believe unto salvation if you have not repented, and you cannot repent without faith. Both of these acts are a result of the work of God's gracious Holy Spirit in the heart. After Jesus performed many miracles, preached sermon after sermon, warned, rebuked, invited people to believe, the Scripture then said, "Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him... Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them." (See John 12:36-43). Why did they not believe? It says, because "they could not believe."

Photo: courtesy of Maria Tomassetti

John the Baptist said, "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven." (John 3:27). Jesus said, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." (John 6:44). Paul said, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God..." (Ephesians 2:8). James said, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights..." (James 1:17). Peter said, "To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ..." and "...you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God." (1 Peter 1:1; 1 Peter 1:21). John said, "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God..." (1 John 5:1). Jude said, "...contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints." (Jude 3).

It is clear from the Bible that faith is a gift from God. But the question is, have you received faith? Have you believed?

You may ask, "Believed what?" Have you believed in the good news of the gospel? Have you believed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, who came into the world? (John 11:27). That He is God manifested in the flesh? (John 1:1,14). That He is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world? (John 1:29). That He is the light of the world, so that whoever follows Him will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life? (John 8:12). That Jesus is the only way to God the Father? (John 14:6). That He came from the Father and has gone back to Him? (John 16:28,30,31; 17:8). Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal I AM, the Living One, Jehovah, YHWH, Adonai, the Lord GOD, the First and the Last? (John 8:58; Revelation 1:17-18; 21:6; 22:13). Do you believe that He is the propitiation for your all your sins? (1 John 1:7; 2:2). Do you believe He rose from the dead? (Romans 4:25; 1 Corinthians 15:4).

How do you know that you truly believe? Jesus said to those who believed in Him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32). He also said, "Abide in me, and I in you." (John 15:4). Paul said that in Christ Jesus, faith works through love. (Galatians 5:6). Hebrews chapter eleven says faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen. (Hebrews 11:1). Chapter twelve says that faith is looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2). James said that faith without works is dead, useless and cannot save you. (James 2:14,17,26). Peter said that you are being guarded by faith for salvation and rejoice in it. (1 Peter 1:5-6). Peter also said that genuine faith is tested by various trials. (1 Peter 1:6-7). Peter again describes faith as waiting according to God's promise for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:13). John describes the results of faith as walking in the light; having fellowship with God and Christians; confessing sins; keeping His commandments; walking as Jesus walked; loving other believers; doing the will of God and not loving the world; abiding in Christ and His teaching; doing righteousness; quitting sinful practices; giving to needy Christians; listening to His apostles; not fearing judgment; believing God's testimony about His Son; receiving answered prayers; keeping away from idols. (1 John).

My dearly loved friends, are these marks of faith showing in you? Have you truly believed in Jesus? Have you repented from trusting your own works, your own goodness, your own righteousness, your own faith, your own efforts, your own prayers, decisions, knowledge, self? Have you been "looking to Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of our faith"? (Hebrews 12:2). Do you trust Him who never sinned, who obeyed every commandment, resisted every temptation, believed every word of God, carried every sorrow, was stricken for every transgression, crucified for all your sin, died for your pardon, was buried for you, rose from the dead for your justification, lives so you can have life, removed the wrath of God, went back to the Father, will come again to save, to judge and to rule as King of kings and Lord of lords? Do you believe Him, trust Him, rely on Him, rest in Him? Is He your righteousness? Is He your God, your all in all?

Looking to Jesus,
Penn

Have you repented?

First of all, Jesus taught that repentance and faith are both necessary to be saved. "Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:14-15 ESV). "No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." (See Luke 13:1-5). He also commanded that this should be preached to all nations (not only Jews), "Thus it is written, that Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations,..." (Luke 24:46-47).

If you believe you are a Christian, but have not truly repented, then Scripture testifies that you are still lost (not saved, unforgiven). "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart [repent] from iniquity." (2 Timothy 2:19). "And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:24).

The Bible is clear that repentance is more than important, it is necessary. The question I am asking every reader of this post is, "Have you repented?" How do you know if you have?

Here are some test questions:
1) Do you have a deep desire to be finished with sin, because it is the plague and sorrow of your heart?
2) Do you have a passion to abstain from sinful lusts and desires, which war against the soul?
3) Do you have a desire to fight the good fight of faith, even to the death?
4) Do you have a deep desire to never turn back to self-will and self-pleasing ways, but to declare the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light?
5) Do you have a sincere passion to follow the Lord in a path of holiness all the days of your life?
6) Do you have a deep desire to please Him in all of your ways?
7) Do you desire to judge yourself before God every day and live at His feet with a broken heart and a contrite spirit?*

These questions represent only a few of the fruits of Biblical repentance. The important thing is to examine yourself in light of the Scriptures (2 Cor. 13:5), ask God to show you if you have come to Him on His terms, and seek to be found in Christ alone as your righteousness and all in all (Phil. 3:9). If you fail at this point (repentance), then you fail at every other point of salvation and it is good for you to be warned.

*(Questions adapted from Biblical Repentance by L. R. Shelton Jr., pg. 31, printed by Chapel Library)

The Gospel in Romans part 7

Romans 3:9-20

Scripture Text:

Romans 3:9-20 ESV:
What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written:

"None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they
have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one."
"Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive."
"The venom of asps is under their lips."
"Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness."
"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known."
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."

Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.


Study Notes:

Verses 9
What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,
Well, what do you think Paul has been saying all along? Are Jews any better off than Gentiles? If not, then why not? The reason given for why Jews are not better off than Gentiles, was that both are under sin (v9). The Jews thought that because they had the outward sign of circumcision and the covenant, the Law (the O.T. Bible), that they were better than all the other people of the nations. They thought the Gentiles were the trash of the world fit only for hell, but they themselves were the elect and destined for heaven because they were Jews and had the Law. Paul tells them, "No way; think again. Both Jews and Gentiles are under sin (both are sinners)." That would cause a gasp of terror for any self-righteous Jew to be called a "sinner." Yet that is what Paul said. They are sinners just like the Gentiles. "Under sin," that is, under the power and control of its evil influence; under the guilt of sin; and worst of all, under the condemnation and wrath of God against sin.

Verse 10
"None is righteous, no, not one;
How many are righteous? What does it mean to be righteous? To be righteous is to be morally good; doing right; you cannot be accused of sin or guilt, because you do whatever the Law commands. It says no one is like that. Ecclesiastes 7:20 says, "Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins."

Verse 11-12
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they
have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one."
(This is why no one is righteous).
What do you think they don't understand? What are they supposed to understand?
What about seeking God, why does it say no one seeks for Him? How should someone seek for God?
What does it mean to "turn aside"?
How have they become "worthless"?
What does it mean to "do good"? Why do you think it says no one does good, when we could look around and say, "I think people do good all the time, just look at the hospitals and charities and releif workers... Of course people do good!"?

No one understands. Romans chapter 1 said that there are certain things people are supposed to understand about God (1:19 ). They should understand, but they don't. The reason is because sin corrupts the mind (Titus 1:15). Their understanding has been darkened because of sin (Eph. 4:17-19).
No one seeks for God. It also says that "no one seeks for God." To seek God has to do with humbling yourself to His authority and seeking Him on His own terms (2 Chron. 7:14). No one does that. We all would rather seek God on our own terms (if we seek Him at all). Our hearts have become so self-serving, that we even approach God in whatever way we feel is best, rather than in humble repentance, forsaking our sin and hypocrisy, hating ourselves and turning to God in whole-hearted obedience to whatever He commands. Our proud and self-sufficient natural hearts cannot submit to such humbling terms. That is why it says, "no one seeks for God." Jesus said He came to "seek and save the lost." God seeks sinners.

All have turned aside. Instead of staying on the right path and going toward God, everyone has turned aside and gone their own way. No one walks the right way. (See Isaiah 53:6).
Together they have become worthless. Isaiah 64:6 says, "We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment." A polluted garment is good for nothing, "worthless." Together everyone has become worthless as far as doing anything good or upright or righteous before God. Even the "good" things we do are sin - they are not good at all, because Romans 14:23 says, "whatever does not come from faith is sin." And Hebrews 11:6 says, "without faith it is impossible to please [God],..."

No one does good, not even one. Plain and simple. Man testifies about himself/herself that they are good and do as much good as they can. God testifies about man saying, "Not even one of them does good."

Verses 13-18
"Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive."
"The venom of asps is under their lips."
"Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness."
"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known."
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."
These verses describe 1) their speech, 2) their deeds, and 3) what they lack. 1) They speak deceitful, deadly, poisonous words with curses and bitterness. 2) They are quick to kill, and to cause harm and misery. 3) They don't know how to have peace, and they don't fear [honor, respect, tremble before] God. They may "outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness" (Matthew 23:27). Jesus said that about the scribes and Pharisees who were very outwardly religious; he said, "So you outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." (v28). So we see that even the people who appear to be good are not.

This leads us to the conclusion of why no one can be saved by keeping the law, or by being a good person (which is the point of all that has been said so far).

Verses 19-20
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
1. Why was the law given?
2. What does the law do (what is the purpose of the law)?
First, the law was given "so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God." Since God's standard of righteousness is perfect, and His justice is right and fair, then do you think anyone standing before Him according to the law could object to His judgment? Or could anyone say they didn't know, when God has made it known to them (Romans 1:19,21)?
Second, the reason for the law is not to justify anyone, but to give the knowledge of sin. Anyone who hopes to be justified because of the good things they have done, or because they have obeyed part of the law will be condemned, since the law can only expose how far short they have fallen. And when they stand before God, it will be clear as day that they have never once obeyed the law from the heart out of sincerity, since the law demands absolute and perfect obedience with love and joy (Deuteronomy 5:29,32-33; 6:5; 28:45,47,58; Galatians 3:10).

Conclusion:
Knowing the Law makes it easy to look at other people as void of all righteousness, but it is much more difficult to receive the "knowledge of sin" and view ourselves as totally depraved of all goodness. How hard is it to honestly acknowledge that the best deeds you have ever done are sin, and that they only amount to "a polluted garment," nothing more than filthy rags (see Isaiah 64:6)? What do you think it takes to bring us to the point where we can acknowledge and agree with God that we are not good people? The gospel is only good news to those who have no righteousness of their own and no goodness in themselves. The reason is that Jesus came into the world not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32). Are you a guilty, hell-deserving, unrighteous, no-good, worthless, straying, lost and condemned sinner? If you consider yourself to be such, then the rest of Romans three contains GOOD NEWS for you! There is pardon, there is forgiveness, there is righteousness for those who believe in God's Son, Jesus Christ. Will you repent (turn) from trusting in yourself and all that you do, and trust in the only Savior of sinners? Jesus says to those who are weary of their own ragged righteousness, "Come unto me..." (Matt. 11:28; 1 Tim. 1:15).

Genesis is not boring... not even the geneologies!

Last night, I read Genesis 1-12 straight through. I was exhausted from lack of sleep, my eyes were red and sore from the attacking plant material (allergies), and my mind was captivated with the amazing drama of creation, Adam and Eve, the fall, God's curse on the serpent and His promise about the Seed of the woman, their exodus from the paradise garden, the children born to them, Abel's righteous sacrifices and Cain's envy and murder, Seth's name and Eve's hope, the corruption of the world, the polygamy-adultery of the mighty men of renown, God's grace toward Noah, the judgment of the flood, the rescue of the animals on the ark, the hope for the promised Seed (Noah was thought to be the One, but turned out only to be a shadow), the covenant of the rainbow, the hope of a new creation without sin, the disappointment of Noah's youngest son, the dispersion of the nations, the meanings of their names, the tower of babel, still looking for the promised Seed (not Seth, not Enoch, not Methuselah, not Noah, not Shem, not Peleg, not Reu, not Serug or Nahor nor Terah), God called Abram and promised to bless the world through him (could Abram be the One?)... to find out what happens next, you'll have to read it for yourself. It's worth it!

"Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Genesis 12:1-3 ESV).

"Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad... Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." (John 8:56,58 ESV).