No Good Peoples

We took a break from Romans for the month of December to look at the Christmas nativity. This morning we pick up back in the book of Romans chapter 3. If you read this morning’s passage and were a bit confused you are not alone! Let’s read it together and I’ll try to help us work through it.

Romans 3:1–8 CJB
1 Then what advantage has the Jew? What is the value of being circumcised? 2 Much in every way! In the first place, the Jews were entrusted with the very words of God. 3 If some of them were unfaithful, so what? Does their faithlessness cancel God’s faithfulness? 4 Heaven forbid! God would be true even if everyone were a liar!—as the Tanakh says, “so that you, God, may be proved right in your words and win the verdict when you are put on trial.” 5 Now if our unrighteousness highlights God’s righteousness, what should we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict his anger on us? (I am speaking here the way people commonly do.) 6 Heaven forbid! Else, how could God judge the world? 7 “But,” you say, “if, through my lie, God’s truth is enhanced and brings him greater glory, why am I still judged merely for being a sinner?” 8 Indeed! Why not say (as some people slander us by claiming we do say), “Let us do evil, so that good may come of it”? Against them the judgment is a just one!

Paul previously shared that being a descendant of Abraham is NOT a guarantee that you will spend an eternity with God. We are not physically born into a faith like we are a family.

He also went on to say that just because they were circumcised according to the command of God does not mean they will be accepted by God. Religious rights and mere obedience to laws does not make us good enough in God’s eyes.

So, if that is the case, is there any value in being circumcised? Is there any benefit in being born a Jew?

Romans 3:1 NIV
1 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision?

If Paul was teaching that anyone who as faith is the new Jew, as we studied in the last chapter, and that inward circumcision is what really matters – not physical circumcision, then the obvious question is, “What difference does it make?!”. Why should I bother doing these things?

HIGH SCHOOL -> some years ago I was invited to the HS to sit in on a class discussion. The students were discussing a book they read and the lessons learned. Then they talked about other topics they learned over the year. The young lady next to me remarked on on topic that she believes we need more workfare and less welfare – where people should have responsibility in order to get assistance. I was impressed. 10 minutes later, this same young lady mentioned that there are a lot of empty homes and properties and we should just give them to the homeless to live in.

Can you tell me what the problem is? No consistency – we have a generation that is compartmentalizing issues and not understanding the value or applying a set of values in a holistic way. You cannot have one set of standards for one group of people and another set of standards for the other group.

THEOLOGY PERSPECTIVE -> One danger we must always avoid is “fragmented theology” where we have one set of beliefs about one thing and a different set about another. To form a holistic theology we need to follow our theological thoughts through to completion and see where the road might lead. Let’s play this out: if circumcision was commanded by God for the Jews, but all of the sudden it does not matter, then what other things that God commanded might not matter? All of them! If the only thing that matters is faith, then why be baptized? God said not to lie. God said not to kill. God said I needed to honor him with my finances. If THE ONLY THING that matters is faith in God, then I don’t need to be obedient to any of the commands, right? WRONG of course!

This view is called, “antinomianism”.

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Antinomianism
ANTINOMIANISM (Ăn tĭ nōʹ mĭ ăn ĭsm) [Gk. antí—‘against’ + nómos—‘law’] False teaching that since faith alone is necessary for salvation, one is free from the moral obligations of the law. The word “antinomianism” is not used in the Bible, but the idea is spoken of. Paul appears to have been accused of being an antinomian (Rom. 3:8). The word was first coined by Martin Luther.

The argument might sound something like this, “If it is only faith that saves, and not works, then it doesn’t matter how I live or what I do. as long as I have faith I am good with God.” Paul anticipated that people will misunderstand what he is saying a twist is to be something it was not intended to be. So he asks the question that this listeners might be thinking and then he comes back with this answer:

Romans 3:1–2 NIV
1 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2 Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.

Paul refuted the antinomian sentiment – or being labeled one himself – by stating the greatest significance of being a Jew is that they have been entrusted with God’s Words – something Jews took great pride in.

For Paul’s listeners, the words of God would have consisted of the Tanakh: the Law (Torah), the Prophets (Nevi’im) and the Writings (Ketuvim). Jesus referred to the words of God this way:

Luke 24:44 “He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.””

Many people view the OT as just a book of rules and stories. A lot of churches even refuse to preach from the OT saying it no longer applies. Both of those views are not right, and they miss the point. The OT (Tanakh) is a revelation of the person and nature of the God who made us.

The Bible, even the OT that Paul would have been referring to, are the WORDS of God. WORDS reveal the nature, priorities, character, and expectations of the one who spoke them.

Benjamin Franklin said, “Well done is better than well said.” What does that quote tell you about Ben?
How about this quote, ““Pardoning the Bad, is injuring the Good.”?

When you have the words of another person you have an understanding into their priorities, character, and thoughts.

The words of God, including the OT, give us a similar glimpse into the nature, character, priorities and thoughts of God. If you only view the Tanakh as a set of rules to be followed, then it is quite possible you will feel it has no place in your life now that Jesus came. But when you understand that it is the revelation of God then you will see that the introduction of grace is not an introduction at all, but a continuance of the gracefulness of God and in no way does it nullify the rest of what God has said previously.

The Jews were the ones who were commanded to “write these things down” and the ones who were given the words from God about himself. That is why Paul said they had every advantage:

Romans 3:2 “Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God.”

While people who do not have the Law are without excuse because they can learn about God by finding him in his creation (Rom 1:19-20), the Jews had the very revelation of God through his word. They did not have to search all of nature to try to understand God, they had the scriptures. What does the scripture say about God? Here is what is most often quoted about who God is:

Ps 116:5 – The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is compassionate.

Ps 145:8 – The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and great in faithful love.

Ps 111:4 – He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and compassionate.

Ps 86:15 – But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth.

Ps 112:4 – Light shines in the darkness for the upright. He is gracious, compassionate, and righteous.

All of those Psalms are looking back at the time when God introduced himself to Moses. God is gracious, merciful and full of love. But that is not the complete picture. That is the part we like to read. Here is how God wanted Moses to know him:

Exodus 34:6–7 NIV
6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”

You will notice that God is both gracious, and righteous. He is full of grace, but he is true and just, and because of that he still will judge people for sin. “Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished”. That is the point Paul wants to get across in this section. Salvation through faith and the sacrifice of Jesus does NOT nullify the requirement of being obedient to God. Paul never stopped being obedient to the Law.

So Paul says, the advantage of being a Jew is that you have the privilege of knowing about the character and nature of God. You have his words that teach you these things.

Jeremiah 9:24 NIV
24 but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD.

Paul then brings up two misunderstandings people might have about God. They appear in verse 3 and verse 7.

Romans 3:3–4 NIV
3 What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? 4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.”

Just because the words and actions of some that represent God are unfaithful, it does not nullify the faithfulness of God and his words.

If we posit that God is true [as we must], then this remains true even if every human being is a liar.

People may perceive something different about the character of God based upon the way that we talk, but that does not change the nature and character of God. No human action could ever be so powerful as to change who God is.

This is one of the reasons God’s word is so important. People will always try to redefine God based upon the inappropriate actions of others. OR they will try to shape God into being something/someone they are comfortable with, and in the process distort who He really is.

I think this is a great reminder of the importance of how we live. If I call myself a Christian, if I follow God, then we must remember that we bear his name where ever we go and our words and actions reflect God. We should be careful to live in such a way that our lives are not the excuse people are looking for to create a false image of God.

But I know what you are thinking -> none of us is perfect, right? “Be patient with me, God isn’t finished with me yet!” That is certainly true, right? We are all sinners and we all make mistakes. But if God make me (and he doesn’t make mistakes) and he is still working on me, and none of us is perfect, then is it fair for him to judge us?

Romans 3:5–8 NIV
5 But if our unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness more clearly, what shall we say? That God is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) 6 Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world? 7 Someone might argue, “If my falsehood enhances God’s truthfulness and so increases his glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?” 8 Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is just!

So here is the faulty theology Paul wants to address:

If human wickedness and deceit somehow promote God’s reputation as righteous and truthful, then God should not punish the unrighteous. It is a short step from this sort of reasoning to the claim that one should intentionally do bad things in order to achieve good results, which is where is goes next:

• if my depravity makes God’s goodness stand out
• if my sinfulness highlights god’s holiness

THEN why would God want to punish me since I am making him look good by me being bad.

Teens, imagine your mom saying, “Clean your room” and you reply, “But mom, by me being a slob I am making your cleanliness look really good, so it is probably best that I NOT clean my room”. How do you think mom might respond? I would imagine that would not bode well for you. 😁 Mom, what are YOU thinking?

It’s a pretty lame argument, right? So what if we took it one step further and said, “As a matter of fact, if I ignore you and don’t clean my room, not only will it show how much better you are than me, but when you punish me people will see how you are a just mom. So, I think it is in your best interest for me to keep ignoring you and NOT doing what you say so that other people can see how good and just you are as a parent.” At this point mom is thinking, “How about I help you meet Jesus at an early age?” 😏

This kind of crazy logic is apparently something that some in the early church either believed, or thought that Paul was teaching.

Romans 3:8 NIV
8 Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—“Let us do evil that good may result”? Their condemnation is just!

Does a good result justify an evil action?

IDIOM: “the ends justifies the means”. —used to say that a desired result is so good or important that any method, even a morally bad one, may be used to achieve it

There is a big difference between the ends justifying the means, and the means justifying the ends. The former focuses on the desired results regardless of how it is achieved. The later focuses on how we live and lets the results be what they may.

You will not honor God with the first. But you may well honor God continually with the second.

Paul assumes that his readers will be appropriately horrified at such a conclusion, and he frames the rhetorical question that articulates it so that it expects a resounding “no!” in answer.

Romans 3:6 NIV
Certainly not! If that were so, how could God judge the world?

I think most of us get this. We understand that bad things need to be punished. And the argument that our badness is there to make God’s goodness shine is so lame that Paul does not take much time addressing it. We certainly would not expect things to work like this in our everyday life, so why would we think God would be this way?

I’m driving down the highway and the speed limit is 70mph. I am going, lets say 120mph. I pass a police officer and she pulls me over. She walks up to my window and says, “license and registration”. I say, “Officer, you were right in pulling me over, but you should not give me a ticket! My excessively speeding gave you the opportunity to prove that you are THE authority and that you need to be obeyed. Therefore, my actions validate who you are and your right to punish and I have done you a FAVOR by speeding today, so just thank me and forget about the ticket.” I am going to then have a prison ministry! lol from the inside!

While you might think this kind of thinking is absurd, and it really is, I want so show you how people get there so you can avoid going there. In a theologically twisted perspective it might sound like this:

› how many of you believe all things were created by God through Jesus?

› how many of you believe that God is sovereign over all creation and that nothing happens apart from his plan?

› how many of you believe that the chief end/goal of man is to bring glory to God?

› how many of you believe evil exists?

“If evil exists, and all things that exist are created by God, then God created evil. And if I am born evil and do evil things, it is because of the evil God created. And if God is sovereign over all creation, then my doing evil things was part of his plan from the beginning. And if the purpose of all of creation is to bring glory to God, then my evil actions, which were part of his plan, and because of the evil he created, were designed to bring him glory – which would certainly happen by showing how HOLY he is compared to me, his sinful creation. If that is all true, why would God punish me, or how could he do so justly, if he created evil, he directs my steps and my steps are evil, and even my evil actions point to his holiness and bring him honor?

That my friends is terrible theology!

While it is true that we are born sinful, and we can be forgiven of all our sins by surrendering our lives to Jesus, it is not an excuse to live any way that we want. Our knowledge of God surely reminds us that we are sinful, but the words of God also remind us that we are to be holy, as he is holy. That means obeying him. If anything, having faith in Jesus ought to be even more motivation to keep all the commands of God, not less:

1 John 2:3–6 NIV
3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

John really gets it – and I think he talks about it more than any other NT author:

1 John 5:2–4 NIV
2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

So, going back to the original question from 3:1 :

• Being born a Jew does not get you into god’s family.
• Keeping the OT laws (such as circumcision) will not get someone into heaven.

While it is true that obedience to the law will never earn salvation for anyone, it is equally true that those who are saved are expected to live a life full of good works.

Ephesians 2:8–10 NIV
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

We have been freed from the dominion of sin through faith in Jesus, we have also been freed to practice the righteousness demanded by God – which Paul will talk about later in this letter.

The gospel brings freedom from sin not freedom to sin.

We started with the concept, “Jews have an advantage because they have God’s law”. That law just shows that we are sinners and need a savior. It shows that we have to live according to God’s commands and we cannot do that perfectly. It shows that if the Gentiles are without excuse because they can see God in creation, how much more are the Jews without excuse when they have the very revelation of God.

Circumcision was a sign of the Abrahamic covenant -> which was that the whole earth would be blessed through the line of Abraham. That was true in Jesus! The Abrahamic covenant, and circumcision, were NOT a means of salvation!

The Jews did retain important advantages over Gentiles, but not regarding salvation. The gift of God’s law, together with the responsibility of sharing that gift with the nations, is one of those advantages.

Which leads Paul to a conclusion in 3:9 that I will only hint at since Justin will be sharing on it next week:

Romans 3:9 NIV
9 What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin.

Application

Really, we have no advantage just because we have the word of God. It just shows us how holy God is and how sinful we are.

We are the new Jews, as Justin reminded us in Chapter 2.

• We have the oracles of God, so we can know God.
• We also have God’s spirit in us, so we can live in a way that is pleasing to our Creator.
• We have the mission of being a light to the nations:

Matthew 28:19–20 NIV
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The beginning of a new year is a time when people assess their priorities and make goals for the year to come.

Rather than making excuses to justify bad behavior, let’s make 2026 the year we remove excuses and commit to holiness. A year where we value God’s word and set a goal to use it to get to know him better. A year where we choose to live by the MEANS of the Spirit and trust God with the ENDS. And let us be faithful to our calling to be a light to the nations.