So far in our study of Romans we have seen that the wrath of God is revealed against two different ways of unrighteousness. First, there is the way of willful darkness, in which people exchange the truth that God reveals in nature for a lie. Second, there is the way of self-righteousness, where people follow the law of God outwardly, but inwardly their hearts are corrupt. You might have noticed that Paul has not left anyone out in his condemnation of the unrighteousness of Man. In our text from Rom. 3:1-20, Paul concludes the point he began in chapter 1. Let’s read that together. From this passage, I want you to see two points: The Indictment of the Law and the Total Inability of Man.
First, let’s consider the Indictment of the Law from v. 1-8. Here, Paul seeks to answer a very important question: if God gave the people of Israel his Law to set them apart, but obedience to the Law doesn’t save them, what advantage is there to being a Jew? Consider the level of sacrifice the Jew gave to follow the Old Testament Law. He couldn’t eat pork, shellfish, or even certain parts of animals that were considered clean. He couldn’t work on the Sabbath (not even to cook). He had hundreds of rules on cleanliness. If all those restrictions could not make him acceptable before God, then why would God command them in the first place?
Paul answers this question by pointing out that there are two purposes for the Law. Yes, it does reveal the righteous character of God. But, by contrast, it also reveals our sinfulness. Paul explains, in v. 3-4, that even if the Jewish people were faithless in their obedience to the Law, God is still proven to be faithful. And then he quotes from Psalm 5:3-4. This Psalm clarifies his point. It says, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.” The Psalmist confesses that his sins are great and that he has done what is evil. As a result, he confesses that God is justified in what he says about that sin and blameless in his judgment of it. You see, the Jews thought that because they had the Law, it automatically meant they were righteous. They could look at the rest of the world and scoff at the ways the pagans walked in darkness, all because they did not have the Law to reveal to them the true way to live. Yet, what they missed was the corruption of their own hearts. The whole time, the Law was shining a bright light on all the ways that they were truly sinning against God, and instead of confessing it and repenting, they condemned the rest of the world and boasted in their own righteousness.
Second, I want you to see the total inability of man from v. 9-20. Paul asks the question again: Is the Jew better off? In verses 1-8, Paul answered that in some sense they are because they have the Law to reveal their sin. But, now, Paul’s second answer is an emphatic “No, not at all!” Then Paul declares something shocking: “Every person - regardless of their race, religion, or heritage – is under sin.” When Paul says that we are “under sin”, the Greek there is “hypo hamartia”. We use the prefix “hypo” all the time, as in “hypodermic” – a shot that is under the skin. So, when Paul says that we are “under sin”, he means that everyone in this world is under the influence and oppression of sin. I emphasize this point because I think we tend to think of sin wrongly. We can be guilty of thinking of sin as something we do rather than a condition we are under. So, we might think, if I can just stop sinning, then I can get right with God. WRONG! Even if you were to stop sinning today, you would never be right with God because you are under the authority of sin. So, imagine that you are stuck in quicksand, and with every move your make, you sink deeper and deeper. You may realize that your movements are causing you to sink but deciding that you will stop moving isn’t going to change the fact that you are still in quicksand. In a similar way, all of humanity was plunged into the mire of sin through the rebellion of Adam and Eve, and every sin we commit carries us deeper and deeper. But whether we commit one sin, or ten thousand, we are still under sin.
But, the problem of sin is not just a condition into which we are born. The problem also involves our willful acts against God. In verses 10-18, Paul strings together several Psalms to show how corrupt mankind is. There are three ways in which mankind willfully sins against God. First, in vs. 10-12, we find that we sin in our direction. The Psalmist says that no one has understanding, no one seeks God, and everyone has turned aside. As Paul has already said in chapter 1, mankind can see the truth about God revealed in nature, and yet we have chosen the path of lies.
Second, from vs. 13-14, we sin in our deceptions. One of the clearest ways that you can see the total sinfulness of mankind is to set out to raise a child to be a good, moral person. Anyone naïve enough to believe that humans are basically good will quickly have his beliefs shaken by a two-year-old. Have you ever noticed, parents do not have to teach their children how to lie, cheat, or abuse other people? No, instead we must teach them to tell the truth, play fair, and be kind. From the time we are little until old age, we deceive one another in what we say, how we act, and the ways we treat others.
Lastly, from v. 15-18, we sin in our destruction. Violence and destruction are such a normal part of human existence, that we entertain our children with cartoons and video games full of it. We foster destruction in our own personal lives, whether it is a feud between family members, a hostile work environment, or an abusive relationship. We also bring down destruction on our communities and nation. Even as I speak, the world is bracing for yet another war among super-powers.
Sin is a condition under which we live, but it is also a way of life that we actively choose. That choice may be something no one else sees. It may be nothing more than a picture you play around with in your mind. It may be a wellspring of anger you mask with a smile. It may be the harshness with which you treat others. And, you may try to mask all of that by an outward appearance of morality. You may be an upstanding citizen, faithful to pay your debts, honest to a fault. Yet, God’s Word reveals that you are under sin and your heart is set against God. No amount of moral law-keeping will make that sinfulness better.
Friend, the solution sin isn’t found in “doing better” or “getting your life right.” You don’t just need to stop moving in the quicksand of your sin. You need to be rescued from it. Jesus Christ came down into the mire of our sinful world so that he might rescue us from it. He died and rose again so that you might be lifted out of that sin. Won’t you trust in him today?
Brothers and sisters, often we can believe the right things about the Gospel while expecting people to “clean up” before coming to Christ. With those expectations, we can place unbiblical requirements on those who do not know Jesus. We should be careful about how we present the Gospel, avoiding the idea that someone must stop sinning before coming to Jesus. Instead, may we speak plainly about the fact that the problem isn’t just an issue of our personal sins, but the bondage that every human is under because of the condition of sin. May we live redeemed lives that testify to God’s grace on us while we were yet sinners, and may we tell others of that same grace.
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