THE BOOK OF ROMANS, Chapter 3, All the World Guilty, Justification by Faith

 

THE BOOK OF ROMANS,

Chapter 3

All the World Guilty, Justification by Faith

The Book of Romans – that is, Paul’s letters to the Church in Rome, has been called “The Constitution of Christianity,” “The Christian Manifesto,” and “The Cathedral of the Christian Faith.” It is noteworthy for being the most complete compendium of Christian doctrine. The King James Study Bible says the apostle Paul had three objectives in writing this epistle: (1) to teach the fundamental doctrine of salvation to fortify believers against their enemies; (2) to explain the unbelief of Israel and vindicate the faithfulness of God in his dealings with Israel; and (3) to give practical instruction concerning Christian living in the society of his day. Romans, rich in theology and teaching, communicates the details of how a person is redeemed, transformed, sealed, and sanctified for that day when we will all stand before the Lord. It explains that salvation is received by grace through faith. It articulates the foundation of Christian belief, explaining how the good news of salvation has been made available through Jesus’ death on the cross and is actualized through the Holy Spirit’s work in us.

The Apostle Paul’s style of preaching and teaching is characterized by a profound commitment to Christ, a structured approach to instruction, reliance on the Holy Spirit, and a pastoral heart aimed at guiding believers in their faith journey. His epistles serve as both theological foundations and practical guides for Christian living. I will try to explain the theological but I will focus on the practical.

(NOTE: Because of Paul’s extensive knowledge and nuance of the Jewish law, history, culture, politics and societal development, it can be difficult to grasp the entire of the meaning of his words and phrases. So I will restate some of the verses and give some context for clarity)

Verse one of this chapter is a continuation of chapter 2 verses 25 through 29, paraphrased, “The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God’s law. But if you don’t obey God’s law, you are no better off than an uncircumcised Gentile. And if the Gentiles obey God’s law, won’t God declare them to be his own people? In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God’s law will condemn you Jews who are circumcised and possess God’s law but don’t obey it”.

 Romans 3:1, Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Verse 2. Great in every respect. First, that they were entrusted with the actual words of God.

(Commentary Break): Paul asks what sounds like a rhetorical question about the advantage of being a Jew and of circumcision in what some might consider a mocking tone. He then answers his question with great clarity and in all seriousness: “They were entrusted with the actual words of God”. And that, dear ones, is the ultimate advantage of being a Jew and the sign or mark of circumcision (the visible mark that a male belonged to the covenant people of God, for the descendants of Abraham through whom God promised blessing, land, and ultimately redemption).

(1). We, Christians, now have also been entrusted with the actual words of God.

 Paul raises this idea most directly in Romans 3:1–2, where he says the Jews were “entrusted with the oracles of God.” In the Old Testament era, Israel uniquely received God’s covenant, Law, prophets, promises, and written revelation.

But Christians also become entrusted with the words of God in several connected ways.

1. Christians receive and preserve God’s revealed Word

Jesus entrusted His teaching to the apostles:

• • • “The words that You gave Me I have given to them” (John 17:8)
    • The apostles then preached and wrote the New Testament under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

So the church became the steward of:

• • • the gospel,
    • apostolic doctrine,
    • and the completed Scriptures.

Paul describes the church as:

“the pillar and support of the truth”
in 1 Timothy 3:15.

That does not mean the church created truth, but that it was entrusted to guard, proclaim, and preserve it.

2. Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit to understand and proclaim God’s Word

Under the New Covenant, God’s Word is not merely external law written on stone, but internalized.

Jeremiah prophesied: “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it.”

This is fulfilled in Christ through the Spirit:

• • • Hebrews 8
    • 2 Corinthians 3

Christians therefore become:

• • • hearers of the Word,
    • carriers of the gospel,
    • and ambassadors of divine truth.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:19:

God “has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

3. The church inherits the prophetic Scriptures through union with Christ

The early Christians did not discard the Hebrew Scriptures. They believed:

• • • the Law,
    • the Prophets,
    • and the Psalms

all pointed ultimately to Christ.

Jesus said in Luke 24:27:

beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

So Christians became stewards not only of the New Testament writings, but also of the Old Testament revelation fulfilled in Christ.

4. Christians are commanded to faithfully transmit God’s Word to future generations

Just as Israel was commanded to teach God’s words diligently to their children (Deuteronomy 6), Christians are also charged to preserve and pass on sound doctrine.

Paul told Timothy:

“The things which you have heard from me… entrust these to faithful men.”

(2 Timothy 2:2)

This stewardship includes:

• • • teaching,
    • guarding against false doctrine,
    • preserving Scripture,
    • preaching the gospel,
    • and living obediently under God’s Word.

Through Christ, Gentile believers are “grafted in” (Romans 11) and become fellow heirs of God’s promises.

So Christians do not replace Israel as if Israel never mattered; rather, believing Jews and Gentiles together become custodians of God’s revealed truth in the New Covenant community.

In that sense, Christians — like the Jew before them — are entrusted with the words of God:

• • • to preserve them,
    • believe them,
    • obey them,
    • and proclaim them to the nations.

(2). The sign of circumcision was given to Abraham in Genesis 17 as:

• • • the sign of the Abrahamic covenant,
    • marking entrance into the covenant people Israel,
    • applied to male infants on the eighth day.

It symbolized:

• • • covenant membership,
    • separation unto God,
    • and ultimately the need for inner heart cleansing.

Even the Old Testament said physical circumcision alone was insufficient:

• • • “Circumcise your heart” (Deut. 10:16)
    • “The LORD will circumcise your heart” (Deut. 30:6)

So physical circumcision pointed toward a deeper spiritual reality.

(3). Baptism, under the New Covenant:

• • • entry is through faith in Christ,
    • union with Christ,
    • and regeneration by the Spirit.

Baptism outwardly signifies:

• • • cleansing from sin,
    • union with Christ in death and resurrection,
    • entrance into the visible covenant community.

Paul ties baptism to participation in Christ:

• • • buried with Him,
    • raised with Him,
    • identified with Him.

So, many theologians see baptism functioning covenantally where circumcision once did. (Calvinist/Reformed churches hold that baptism replaced the sign of circumcision).

The New Testament ultimately shifts attention away from physical circumcision altogether: Paul says, “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but a new creation.” (Galatians 6:15). And: “We are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God.” (Philippians 3:3). So the deepest fulfillment is not merely exchanging one ritual for another, but:

• • • moving from external sign to inward transformation,
    • from ethnic covenant marker to union with Christ,
    • from the flesh to the Spirit.

Baptism therefore symbolizes:

• • • participation in Christ’s death and resurrection,
    • cleansing,
    • covenant belonging,
    • and life in the New Covenant community. (End Commentary Break).

Verse 3. What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? Verse 4. Far from it! Rather, God must prove to be true, though every person be found a liar, as it is written:

“SO THAT YOU ARE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS,

AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED.” Verse 5. But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I am speaking from a human viewpoint.) Verse 6. Far from it! For otherwise, how will God judge the world? Verse 7. But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner? Verse 8. And why not say (just as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), “Let’s do evil that good may come of it”? Their condemnation is deserved.

(Commentary Break): Paul is dealing with illogical questions that are circulating in the Church in Rome. (It is hard to believe that so many would twist the word of God to conform to their former life and belief systems). So, once again, Paul answers another question saying, “What then? It is true that some were unfaithful; but just because some were unfaithful does that mean God will be unfaithful? Of course not! Even if everyone else (Jews and Gentiles alike) is a liar, God is true!

And yet another question answered: “But,” some might say, “our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn’t it unfair, then, for him to punish us?” (This is merely a human point of view.) Of course not! If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge the world?

 “But,” someone might still argue, “how can God condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights his truthfulness and brings him more glory?” And some people even slander us by claiming that we say, “The more we sin, the better it is!” Paul concludes here saying, “Those who say such things deserve to be condemned”.

Why is any of this important for us to know since it concerned the Church in Rome about 2,000 years ago? It is important for us because some of these same questions (and other similar questions) persist in the Church and among Christians to this day.

Please read and consider God’s words and as it is said, ‘be Berean’ on these matters. (End Commentary Break).

Verse 9. What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; verse 10, as it is written:

“THERE IS NO RIGHTEOUS PERSON, NOT EVEN ONE;

verse 11, THERE IS NO ONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,

THERE IS NO ONE WHO SEEKS OUT GOD;

verse 12, THEY HAVE ALL TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME CORRUPT;

THERE IS NO ONE WHO DOES GOOD,

THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

Verse 13. “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE,

WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,”

“THE VENOM OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”;

verse 14, “THEIR MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”;

verse 15, “THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,

verse 16, DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS,

verse 17, AND THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN THE WAY OF PEACE.”

18“THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”

Verse 19. Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; verse 20, because by the works of the Law none of mankind will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes knowledge of sin.

(Commentary Break): The verse “THERE IS NO RIGHTEOUS PERSON, NOT EVEN ONE” has been popularized and used in a plethora of ways and meanings. The context, however, is that neither the Jew (i.e., the Law) nor the Greek (nor the Gentile with their own religious views and systems) are righteous (dikaios – moral uprightness, judicial equity, covenant fidelity) in character and in standing with God. This verse can be said to describe the total depravity of humankind; 

(1). THERE IS NO RIGHTEOUS PERSON, NOT EVEN ONE;

(2). THERE IS NO ONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,

(3). THERE IS NO ONE WHO SEEKS OUT GOD;

(4). THEY HAVE ALL TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME CORRUPT;

(5). THERE IS NO ONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

(6). “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE,

(7). WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,”

(8). “THE VENOM OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”;

(9).  “THEIR MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”;

(10). “THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,

(11). DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS,

(12). AND THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN THE WAY OF PEACE.”

(13). THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”

This is our condition before Christ, and sadly, as Paul laments (in Chapter seven and eight) that “sin is (still) present within me, waging war against the law of my mind” making me a prisoner and a wretch”; but joyfully and thankfully there is no longer any condemnation for us who are in Christ Jesus, for the law of the Spirit of life sin and death has set me free from the law (the sentence and the penalty) of sin and death! (End Commentary Break).

Justification by Faith

Verse 21. But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, verse 22, but it is the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction, verse 23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, verse 24, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, verse 25, whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in God’s merciful restraint He let the sins previously committed go unpunished; verse 26, for the demonstration, that is, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Verse 27. Where then is boasting? It has been excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. Verse 28. For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Verse 29. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, verse 30, since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.

Verse 31. Do we then nullify the Law through faith? Far from it! On the contrary, we establish the Law.

(Commentary Break): Verses 21 through 30 speak clearly. But verse 31 may need some clarification.

“The Law and the Prophets bear witness” to God’s righteousness. The Law was never merely a list of rules; it anticipated:

• • • sacrifice,
    • atonement,
    • holiness,
    • and ultimately the Messiah.

Christ fulfills:

• • • the sacrificial system,
    • the righteous demands of the Law,
    • and the prophetic expectations of the covenant.

So faith in Christ confirms the true purpose of the Law rather than abolishing it.

Jesus similarly said in Matthew 5:17:

“I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”

Romans 3:31 means:

• • • the gospel does not overthrow God’s Law,
    • faith does not make holiness irrelevant,
    • and Christ fulfills what the Law pointed toward.

Faith establishes the Law because:

• • • the Law reveals humanity’s need for Christ,
    • Christ fulfills the Law’s demands,
    • and believers, transformed by the Spirit, begin to live out the righteousness the Law intended. (End Commentary Break).

(End Chapter 3).

Romans 3 declares that humanity cannot save itself; religious privilege cannot justify us; good works cannot erase guilt or provide salvation; but God has provided His righteousness to us through Jesus Christ.

You and I have stood before God, guilty of sin, worthy of eternal separation from Him, and of becoming a perpetual prisoner of darkness and the torment of an eternal fire, and the sentence of eternal spiritual death. However, because of God’s great mercies, His amazing grace and unending and indescribable love toward us, He removed the curse and the penalty of sin from us who receive and believe in His Son as our savior and redeemer – The One Who paid the awful price in our stead. Praise, praise, and praise to God.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young.

PS: I am honestly humbled by this study and realize how short I come of providing the best commentaries possible. But God has place this and similar matters on my heart as my mission in life. So, please accept what I offer knowing that I fall short. If this does nothing more than encourage you to seek God and study His Word on your own, then that at least would be some comfort to me).

Next: (Coming Soon), The Book of Romans, Chapter 4, Abraham’s Justification by Faith.

(Previous): The Book of Romans, Chapter 2, The Impartiality of God, The Jews Under the Law.

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