Romans,
Chapter 3
© Copyright 1998 Darroll Evans-all rights
reserved
Romans 3:1-2
1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles
of God.
We should understand that Jews are special to
God. The coming of Paul marks a pause in
God’s plan for the ages. God did not discard the Jews. He just took a pause.
Romans
11:11 I say then, Have they stumbled
that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is
come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
The Gentile pause is designed to provoke the
Jews to make them desire the benefits of Christ. The pause is temporary!
Romans
11:25 For I would not, brethren, that
ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own
conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
We will discuss that further in Chapter 11.
Romans 3:3-4
3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in
thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art
judged.
Shall their unbelief invalidate the faith of
God? Will God's promises to the Jews be
nullified by unbelief?
The answer to both questions is,
"Absolutely No!"
We might also ask, "Do the actions of
some of those within the Church nullify God's love for us?" Again, the
answer to that is also, "No!" God's
love is infinite. That is difficult for
us to understand.
We, Christians all know that we are saved by
grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9). Faith’s object is Christ Jesus. Man without
Christ cannot be faithful! Love and
faith originate within God the Father. Man without God cannot love! A Man without Christ may lust, but he cannot
love!
Let’s look at the faith of the Son of God, God the Son, our Lord Christ Jesus.
Most Christians are
completely ignorant concerning the faith of Christ Jesus. Here are some verses for your study. Read an learn that we operate because of and through the faith OF Christ Jesus.
Rom 3:22
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for
there is no difference:
Rom 3:26 To
declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the
justifier of him which believeth in [of]
Jesus (Gr. Ieesou-Ihsou).
Gal 2:16
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have
believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works
of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Gal 3:22 But
the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given
to them that believe.
Eph 3:12 In
whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
Phil 3:9 And
be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but
that which is through the faith of
Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Rev 14:12
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of
God, and the faith of Jesus.
I pray that this will be your
start on the road to understanding our true relationship with Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:5-6
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?
What if our sinful deeds serve to highlight
the correct actions of God? Can we then
say that God was wrong when He punished us?
Absolutely not! The one thing we do not want
is justice. We want and need His mercy!
God is sovereign. We are not! In all that God does, He acts
righteously. We may not understand His actions, but they are always
correct. We are living out His plan for
the ages. All creation was made for a purpose.
Romans 3:7 For if
the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I
also judged as a sinner?
Salvation is by grace. It is not by works. Only the deceived think that good works can
bring them to God. One of the things God has done is to hide the truth from all
but the chosen. In due time, the Jewish
nation will proclaim Christ Jesus, because their eyes will be opened. In that day, they will rejoice in God’s
grace.
Romans 3:8 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.
If evil can give birth to good, the world
would be better by being more evil. Do you believe that? I hope not!
“Damnation” means—to exercise legal judgment.
In this case a negative judgment. Even God’s negative judgment is correct. Do
you slander the grace of God by trusting in “salvation by works.”
Martin Luther led the Reformation by
understanding something the Popes cannot grasp because they were not chosen to
understand. Romans 1:17b---The just shall live by faith.
Do you understand that truth?
Romans 3:9 What then? are
we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and
Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
All, Jews and Gentiles, live in sin, until
called out of sin by Christ. When our
eyes are opened and we come to Jesus as the only sacrifice able to bring us
salvation.
Romans 3:10 As it
is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Paul restates the charge against humanity.
None is righteous! The unrighteous do not
seek righteousness until the Light has been given to them via the Holy Spirit.
1 Cor 12:3b no man
can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
Romans 3:11 There
is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
The fact is that Christianity is God in
search of man and not man in search of God!
Luke
19:10 For the Son of man is come to
seek and to save that which was lost.
God is not lost---We are!
Until you understand this simple concept, you
will always attempt good works as a way to gain or maintain salvation. Humanity
says, “We can do it!” God says, “Christ
Jesus already did it!”
Learn to rest in Jesus.
Romans 3:12 They are all gone out of the
way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no,
not one.
"Become unprofitable" indicates
that all mankind has been rendered totally useless. Why would God want to redeem a bunch of
useless rebels? Because He loves
us! God is Love (1 John 4:8, 16), and Love
never ever fails (I Corinthians 13:8)!
God has a vested interest in your salvation. If
His creation fails, He has failed. And, God does not fail! We may fail to
understand, but He does not fail!
Romans 3:13-18
13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their
tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:
17 And the way of peace have they not known:
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
This section seems extremely negative. It is!
Let’s look at it in the NASB.
Romans 3:13-18
13 "Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they keep
deceiving," "the poison of asps is under their lips";
14 "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness";
15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood,
16 Destruction and misery are in their paths,
17 And the path of peace have they not known."
18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes." (NASB)
This describes men who teach salvation by
works. To spiritually blind eyes, sin looks good.
Romans 3:19 Now we
know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are
under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become
guilty before God.
The Law is for
those under the Law. None of us can
perform the Law. The law has one purpose. That purpose is to bring us to Christ. Christians are not “under” the Law. Christians are led by the Spirit of God.
Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit
of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by
the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Romans 3:20 Therefore
by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by
the law is the knowledge of sin.
"Shall not be justified" means
"shall not be declared legally innocent." However, the use of this
negative is not absolute.
In Hebrews 13:5 we find another use of the
negative. It literally says, "I will never-never (Gr. ou mee-ou mh) leave thee, never-never
forsake thee." That is a double negative.
In Romans 3:20, the negative leaves room for
innocence to be declared under certain circumstances. In Hebrews 13:5 the
negative eliminates all conditions, under which Christ might forsake us.
Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of
God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
“Without” means "aside
from."
In Christ, God’s righteousness apart from the
Law has come to light. It had been previously proclaimed by the Law and the
Prophets of the Old Covenant, but rejected by most men.
Abram’s story is based on pure grace.
Romans 3:22 Even the righteousness of God
which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that
believe: for there is no difference:
Now, the righteousness of God, which is
through the faith OF Jesus Christ has
come to all that believe, and there is no variation in its effect on Jews and
Gentiles.
Galatians
2:16 Knowing that a man is not
justified by the works of the law, but by
the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that
we might be justified by the faith of
Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law
shall no flesh be justified.
Galatians
2:20 I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in
me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself
for me.
“Our” righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah
64:6). But, His righteousness, and His
justification comes only through His faith!
We do not live by our faith. We
live by His faith!
Romans 3:23 For
all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
“For” may be better understood when we read
it as "because."
There is no variation is the effect of grace
and faith "because" all, Jew and Gentile, have sinned, and come short
of the glory of God.
Let me put verses 22 and 32 together and
re-translated one word putting into modern English.
Rom
3:22-23
22-23 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all
and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: because all have sinned, and
come short of the glory of God;
That adds clarity.
Romans 3:25 Whom
God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare
his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the
forbearance of God;
“Propitiation” speaks of a placating
sacrifice. Christ Jesus, and Christ Jesus alone, has been appointed as the
only sacrifice that will placate God in reference to man’s sin. Through Christ’s sacrifice we are declared
righteous. Christ does not just cover
our sins, He disinfects us!
Romans 3:26 To
declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
First, there is one portion of this verse
that is mistranslated. It should read, “has the belief [faith] OF Jesus.”
Most Christians are
completely ignorant concerning the faith of Christ Jesus. Here are some verses for your study. Read an learn that we operate because of and through the faith OF Christ Jesus.
Rom 3:22
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for
there is no difference:
Gal 2:16
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have
believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works
of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Gal 3:22 But
the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given
to them that believe.
Eph 3:12 In
whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
Phil 3:9 And
be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but
that which is through the faith of
Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Rev 14:12
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of
God, and the faith of Jesus.
God provided the faith of Christ, so we might
declare, or demonstrate His righteousness mercy. We demonstrate that God is
just and the Justifier of those that trust Christ Jesus. We, being carnal by nature, would never have done it on our own.
Think with me. God does not justify only good
people. He justifies the really rotten apples in this barrel called society.
God so loved the sinful world that He
gave. There are no prerequisites to the
receiving of God’s love. God loved us
prior to the crucifixion. And, the only prerequisite to receiving the benefits
of that love is to believe in, trust Jesus.
John 3:16-17
16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 "For God did not send His Son into the world to
condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (NKJV)
Did Christ Jesus succeed?
Romans 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is
excluded. By what law? of
works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
If we are saved by grace, why do we boast
about the Law? Or, why do we boast about works, if they will not save us? It is
wasted effort!
But, what if we boast about the law of Faith?
Romans 8:2---“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath
made me free from the law of sin and death.”
The Law of he Spirit does what the law of works cannot do! And, Love
cannot fail!
Romans
3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man
is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
Because of that---we reason that a man---any
man---is justified, declared innocent by the faith of Christ Jesus, and not due
to any works of the Law.
Romans 3:29 Is he
the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the
Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
Is God the God of Jews alone? Or is He also
the God of Gentiles? God is the God of
all!
The resurrection of Christ Jesus did not
alter His status. It changed OUR status! Jesus was the Christ prior to His birth or resurrection!
Jesus was the Christ prior to the creation of creation!
Romans 3:30-31
30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the
circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish
the law.
We are all justified by faith. Does faith invalidate the Law? Absolutely no!
Through faith we establish, confirm, or bring the Law into balance! That is the
job of the Christian community.
The Law was never meant to “save” anyone. It cannot save. But, it can point out sins, spiritual
deficiencies. Then, we come to Christ to
correct the deficiencies.
Gal 3:24
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might
be justified by faith.