Gospel Accusation-Romans 3:1-20

Romans 3:1-20, 9, 19-20

“For we have already accused everyone, both Jews and Greeks, of being under the power of sin” (Rom 3:9b, ISV). “…so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law…” (Rom 3:19b-20a, NIV).

Theme: The gospel charges and accuses all people of being under the power of sin, so that through the gospel we might come to discover the righteousness of God that comes through faith.

“Good,” moral, religious people–including professing Christians–will have an uncomfotable time reading Romans chapter 2-3. It may not be obvious, but in Rom 2:1-3:20 Paul is essentially addressing the good, moral, religious person that may include church going Christians today. Like the Jew, they think: “I am not like the horrible, wicked, immoral people of the world (Rom 1:18-32). I am not like them. I don’t curse and swear. I don’t lie and cheat. I am moral and religious. So I am surely NOT under God’s judgment” (Rom 2:3). But in Rom 2:1 when Paul says, “YOU have no excuse,” he is pouring a bucket of ice cold water to the relgious person. It is a masterstroke of genius. Paul is showing that moral religious people need Jesus and the gospel just as much as immoral unreligious people. This is surely rather counter-intuitive.

Why being moral does not make us any better than being immoral. The fatal weakness of moralism is that it cannot protect or prevent the heart from sinning. All moralism and “good Christian behavior” does is to hide and not address the sins in one’s heart. Being moral and religious has no answer and no power to change or transform any person. It is powerless to stop any person or any Christian from being selfish, lustful, jealous, envious, greedy, proud, arrogant, condescending, self-righteous, sanctimonious, anxious and full of fear and worry about the future.

The problem with Christianity is that it declares all people as being no good sinners, when there are clearly many good people in the world. How would you respond appealingly and reasonably to those who say this?

In our sermons so far we have considered Gospel of Grace (Rom 1:1-6), Gospel Enthusiasm (Rom 1:7-15), Gospel Faith and Gospel Power (Rom 1:16-17), Gospel Suppression or Idolatry (Rom 1:18-2:5), and Gospel Impartiality (Rom 2:6-29).

Today’s sermon, Gospel Accusation, is not to condemn us of our unrighteousness but to help us know that God has provided a way out through the gospel, which reveals the righteousness of God (Rom 1:16-17). The three parts of this sermon are:

1. Objections (Rom 3:1-8). Paul’s refutation of four objections raised.
2. Facts (Rom 3:10-18). Seven indictments of how sin affects all of human life.
3. Conclusion (Rom 3:9, 19-20). Humanity is helpless and silenced by our sin.

I. Objections to Paul’s Bible Teaching (Rom 3:1-8)

Four objections raised and refuted (Rom 3:1-8)

1. God did not help his people (Rom 3:1-2).
2. God is not faithful to his people (Rom 3:3-4).
3. God is not fair or just (Rom 3:5-6).
4. God does not mind sin because sin increases God’s glory (Rom 3:7-8).

“Paul utilizes here, and sporadically throughout the letter, a literary genre called the diatribe. In this genre, an author gets his point across by engaging in an imaginary discussion or debate with a student or opponent. Elements of this style include frequent questions, posed by the author himself to his conversation partner or by the conversation partner, emphatic rejections of possible objections to a line of argument using “May it never be!” (me genoito), and the direct address of one’s conversation partner or opponent. Rom 3:1-8 is a particularly clear example of this dialogical style; and chap. 2, while not containing any true dialogue, is similar to those parts of the diatribe in which the ‘teacher’ rebukes his conversation partner by exposing his presumption and inconsistency (cf. Rom 2:1: ‘you have no excuse, O man’; Rom 2:3: ‘Do you suppose, O man’; Rom 2:17: ‘If you call yourself a Jew,’ etc.).” Douglas Moo.

“We note from Rom 3:1-8 that Paul was not content only to proclaim and expound the gospel. He also argued its truth and reasonableness, and defended it against misunderstanding and misrepresentation. Whether these Jewish objections were genuine (because he had actually heard them advanced) or imaginary (because he had made them up), he took them seriously and responded to them. He saw that the character of God was at stake. So he reaffirmed God’s covenant as having abiding value, God’s faithfulness to his promises, God’s justice as judge, and God’s true glory which is promoted only by good, never by evil.

We too in our day must include apologetics in our evangelism. We need to anticipate people’s objections to the gospel, listen carefully to their problems, respond to them with due seriousness, and proclaim the gospel in such a way as to affirm God’s goodness, and further his glory. Such dialogical preaching has a powerful apostolic precedent in this passage.” John Stott, The Message of Romans, 98.

II. Facts about Sinful Humanity (Rom 3:10-18)

Sin affects every aspect of our human life. Note the structure of this list in Rom 3:10-18. Rom 3:10-12 describe the universality of sin similar to Rom 1:18-23. Rom 3:13-14 focus on sins of speech. Rom 3:15-17 focus on sins in society at large. Rom 3:18 identifies the ground and root cause of all the sins just noted: the failure to fear God.

Seven effects of sin that affects all people (Rom 3:10-18):

1. Our legal standing (Rom 3:10): No one is righteous.
2. Our minds (Rom 3:11a): No one understands.
3. Our motives (Rom 3:11b): No one seeks God.
4. Our wills (Rom 3:12): No one does good. All have turned away.
5. Our tongues (Rom 3:13-14): They lie and practice deceit with their speech.
6. Our relationship with others (Rom 3:15-17): They hurt and wound others.
7. Our relationship with God (Rom 3:18): They don’t fear God.

Paul’s emphasis on the universality of sin. No fewer than 8 times in the first 3 verses he uses words like “none”, “all”, “no, not even one” in order to make his point. These are what can be called emphatic universal negatives, i.e., no exceptions allowed! Here we encounter the supreme irony in human life.

“The supreme irony of the human situation in every age is that the one thing, and only thing, in which all mankind is concretely at one issin. And the irrational paradox of it is that it makes any other sort of unity impossible. The unity for which men strive in various ways is always being negated by the unity for which they never need to strive — their unity in sin.” D. R. Davies.

NO ONE SEEKS GOD

Aren’t there people who appear to be seeking God? But Paul says, “there is no one who seeks God” (Rom 3:11). How do we explain this?

Seeking God or seeking the benefits God can give. “We see people searching desperately for peace of mind, relief from guilt, meaning and purpose to their lives, and loving acceptance. We know that ultimately these things can only be found in God. Therefore we conclude that since people are seeking these things they must be seeking after God. [But] people do not seek God. They seek after the benefits that only God can give them. The sin of fallen man is this: Man seeks the benefits of God while at the same time fleeing from God himself. We are, by nature, fugitives.” R. C. Sproul.

Seeking God or seeking God’s gifts. Jonathan Edwards says something similar. In The Religious Affections, he points out that people do seek the things that God can give, but only a heart regenerated and purified by the Spirit can seek God for who he is in himself. In other words, the natural (unaided) human nature might seek God’s gifts, but never God. Sin is self-centeredness (Rom 2:8). This self-centeredness is connected to all we do. In true seeking of God (something that can only be done with the Spirit’s help), a person appreciates God for who he is in himself. A person loves and appreciates the glory of God and the Word of God and not only when he or she directly benefits from them. Edwards says that a person without the Holy Spirit (who is still motivated by self-centeredness) can be attracted to the power and love of God–because we may need them! But true seekers are attracted to God’s holiness and glory, because they seek God for who he is in himself.

What it means to seek God. “Seeking [God] is much more active than asking [God] for things’. Prayers do not mean that we are seeking God. Seeking God means you are trying to find God, and to get into His presence… To seek God means to desire God above everything and everybody, to seek His glory, to be anxious to promote his glory. To seek God in the biblical sense means that God is the center of our thinking.” Martyn Lloyd-Jones.

How do you know that you are seeking God? Romans teaches us that everything about our salvation comes from God, from first to last (Rom 1:17). Our salvation did not begin with us decided to seek God, but with God choosing to seek us. Then we know that everything we have and are is by sheer grace.

Tis not that I did choose thee, for Lord that could not beThis heart would still refuse thee, hadst thou not chosen meMy heart owns none before thee, for thy rich grace I thirst —This knowing: if I love thee, thou must have loved me first.

(Tis Not That I Did Choose Thee, Josiah Conder [1789-1855]; John B. Calkin [1827-1905])

NO ONE DOES GOOD

When it comes to God, no one does good deeds, because a “good deed” is one done for God’s glory and not our own (I Cor 10:31). The following account by Charles Spurgeon shows how impossible it is to do good deeds until the gospel changes your heart. It is called

The King, The Carrot and The Horse: Once in a kingdom long ago, a gardener grew a huge carrot, and decided to give it to his prince, because he loved his sovereign. When he gave it, the prince discerned his love and devotion, and that he expected nothing in return. So as the gardener turned to leave, he said, “Here, my son, I want to give you some of my land so you can produce an even greater crop. It is yours.” And the gardener went home rejoicing.

A nobleman heard of this incident and thought, “If that is what the prince gives in response to the gift of a carrot, what would he give to me if I gave him a fine horse?” So the nobleman came and presented the prince with a fine steed as a gift. But the prince discerned his heart and said, “You expect me to give to you as I did to the gardener. I will not. You are very different. The gardener gave ME the carrot. But you were giving yourself the horse.”

Do you repent when you do “good deeds“? It is necessary to understand this to be a Christian. The main difference between a real Christian and a religious person is not so much their attitudes toward their sins, but toward their “good” deeds. Both Christians and Pharisees repent of their sins, but only Christians also repent (admit the inadequacy) of their “righteousness” and “good deeds”!

III. Conclusion (Rom 3:9, 19-20)

Why does Paul answer the same question with opposite responses? Paul asks the same question within the span of a few verses and then proceeds to provide contradictory answers. To the question in Rom 3:1, “what advantage has the Jew?” he answered, “great in every respect” (Rom 3:2). But to the question in Rom 3:9a, “Are we (Jews) better than they (Gentiles)?” he answers, “not at all” (Rom 3:9b). How can we avoid this discrepancy?

“Only by clarifying what benefit or ‘advantage’ he has in mind. If he means privilege and responsibility, then the Jews have much because God has entrusted his revelation to them. But if he means favouritism, then the Jews have none, because God will not exempt them from judgment.” John Stott.

Is your mouth silenced (Rom 3:19) when you have truly done good deeds?Do you think that you can save yourself through your good deeds? According to Paul, ultimately our good deeds cannot do anything to save us. In fact, they can leave us further from, not closer to, righteousness and to Jesus. Why?

The Bible sees a truly good deed as being good both in form and in motive . Helping and serving others, and teaching others the Bible may conform to God’s will for our life and behavior. It is good in form and performance and outward appearance. But what is our inner heart’s motive in doing so? Because we want others to like us? Respect us as a Christian and as a great servant of God? Because we are driven and ambitious? Because we want to feel good about ourselves? If this is so, then our good deeds arises from a selfish heart and selfish motives (Rom 2:8). Unfortunately, selfishness is our sinful default, which causes even our righteous acts to be faulty, even filthy (Isa 64:6). But a good deed in God’s sight is one done for his glory, not our own (1 Cor 10:31). It is who we are serving in our hearts that matters, not how we are serving with our hands, or how good we look to others. Without faith in Jesus, good deeds are not truly done for God, but for ourselves–and thus are not truly good.

When doing good deeds become sour. If we do good to gain God’s favor, blessing and salavation, and do well, we will be smug, superior and complacent. If we do badly, we will be disappointed, self-pitying, anxious and angry.

The difference between a Christian and a church going religious person. The main difference is not so much their attitudes to their sins, but toward their “good deeds.” Both Christians and religious church going people will repent of their sins. But only Christians will repent of wrongly-motivated good works, while the religious person will rely on them.

Self-righteousness is the last idol. “Our best duties are (just like) so many splendid sins … you must not only be sick of your … sin, but you must be sick of your righteousness, of all your duties and performances. There must be a deep conviction before you can be brought out of your self-righteousness; it is the last idol taken out of your heart.” George Whitfield.

Our good deeds block us from Jesus. “The way to God is wide open. There is nothing standing between the sinner and his God. He has immediate and unimpeded access to the Savior. There is nothing to hinder. No sin can hold [you] back, because God offers justification to the ungodly (Rom 4:5). Nothing now stands between the sinner and God but the sinner’s “good works.” Nothing can keep him from Christ but his delusion… that he has good works of his own that can satisfy God… All they need is nothing… But alas, sinners cannot part with their “virtues.” …they are real to them. So grace becomes unreal. The real grace of God they spurn (shun/avoid) in order to hold on to the illusory virtues of their own. Their eyes fixed on a mirage, they will not drink real water. They die of thirst with water all about them.” John Gershner.

How good do you think your good deeds are? Gerstner shows that what keeps people from Christ is not their sins, but the imagined value of their “virtues” and good works. It is not so much refusal to repent of their sins that damns them, but the refusal to repent of their “righteousness” and “good deeds” that cannot save them. Only when they repent of both sin and righteousness can they be said to have had their “mouths silenced.”

Frustrating, incredulous and indignant. It may be quite frustrating to think or hear that our “good deeds” and “good works” are worth nothing in God’s sight. It may be even more frustrating to think that they may even block us from truly knowing Jesus and the gospel. How? Why? It is because we think that our good works should count for something and that God owes us by blessing us and answering our prayers for doing good deeds. When the religious person and the good Jew heard Paul, they likely responded with a mixture of incredulity and indignation. They may have felt like the religious leaders when Jesus said to them point blank that “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you” (Mt 21:31). But until we humans know who we truly are, we will be unable to truly know the righteousness of God (Rom 3:21ff).

Questions:

1. Twice, Paul answers the same question differently (Rom 3:1,9). How would you explain the apparent contradiction?
2. Rom 3:1-8 are four objections that Paul has likely heard during his evangelism. Can you identify them? How did Paul answer and refute each objection? What can you learn here about apologetics in evangelism?
3. Why would his objectors and detractors slanderously accuse Paul of antinomianism (Rom 3:8; 6:1, 15)?
4. What is Paul’s conclusion (Rom 3:9)? How do you feel about Paul’s claim about sin’s influence on your life?
5. What evidence does Paul give for such a bleak conclusion (Rom 3:10-18)? Can you list and identify all the ways that sin affects all of life? How do you see the effects of sin on your life, thoughts, speech and relationships?
6. What is the right response of those who those who know the law (Rom 3:19; Isa 64:6)? The wrong response?
7. Rom 3:19-20 is Paul’s conclusion of Rom 1:18-3:18. Why did Paul take two chapters to reach this conclusion?

Reference:

1. Douglas Moo —The Epistle to the Romans (New International Commentary on the New Testament, 1996).
2. Douglas Moo —Exegetical examination of Romans. This course was recorded during a D.Min. seminar at the Carolina Graduate School of Divinity in May 2012.
3. John Stott —The Message of Romans (The Bible Speaks Today, 1994).
4. Tim Keller —Romans 1-7 For You (The Good Book Company, 2014).
5. Romans 2:1-3:20. Sam Storms.
6. No One Seeks God (Rom 3:9-20). Tim Keller.

The argument from Rom 2:1ff is that the possession of the law by Israel, although an advantage in some respects, ensures only that Israel will be judged because of their failure to obey it (Rom 2:12-16, 17-24, 25-29).