Romans 3

Chapter 3 starts out answering objections to the universal guilt of both Jews and Gentiles under God's law. If the Jews were God's chosen people and they were just as guilty as the Gentiles, then why would God choose them in the first place? The answer is that God raised up the Jewish nation as guardians of his revealed word. But since the Jews did not even believe the words they were guardians of, does that mean that God failed? Not at all. God is faithful to preserve his word even if the trusted guardians don't keep it. The fact that God keeps his word even though the Jews failed to do so, demonstrates how faithful He is. The Jew would then argue that if their unfaithfulness serves to highlight how faithful God is, does that mean that He is is wrong to judge the guilty, unbelieving Jew? Of course not. All who sin under the law will perish under the law if judged by the law.

Paul summarizes this by saying that no one is righteous under God's law because all people sin by break His law. Paul is not picking on the Jews. He was a Jew and he includes himself and all Christians as also being guilty under the law as well. "There is no one righteous, not even one" (verse 10). Everyone is under sin (verse 9). The point of Chapter 3 is that there is no hope under God's law.

All this leads up to the good news of a new way of being righteous before God apart from having to perfectly obey God's law. The new way is that God gives right-standing to the one who believes in His Son Jesus Christ. And this right-standing is given as gift, received by faith. In verse 21 and 22, it says "But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known...through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." It is not a righteousness that is of us or by us. Those who receive it are "justified freely by His grace" (verse 24).

In verses 23-26 it says: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." (verse 23-26)

This passage instroduces the atonement. Jesus shed his blood and died on the cross as "a sacrifice of atonement." To atone for sin means to make amends for it. Jesus' atonement and our being freely justified are strongly related. The second can not happen without the first. God does not give us the gift of righteousness apart from this atonement. Otherwise God would be unjust for not punishing sin. And he would be unfaithful to his word in which he promised that sin would result in death. Since God can not lie and can not be unjust, he had to provide a suitable sacrifice for sin. And Jesus was the perfect sacrifice. He was so pure and holy, his life so precious and his obedience so pleasing that it made up for the sin of all mankind.

The atonement answers the question of how God can pronounce someone not guilty who is guilty. It answers the dilemma of how God can be just and the justifier of sinners at the same time. It preserves God's purity yet demonstrates his loving mercy. It vindicates his holiness in forgiving sinners. It is a marvelous truth that God can freely pardon our guilt and remove our shame yet remain pure and holy! Therefore Jesus, God incarnate, laying down his life on our behalf glorifies God's grace. It takes away any grounds for us boasting of righteousness and it upholds the law by not ignoring our sin.

Questons for Romans 4

1. What does it mean that faith is credited as righteousness?

2. Why does the promise come by faith instead of works?

3. Describe Abrahams faith.

4. Describe a Christians faith that is like Abrahams.

5. Elaborate on how this statement in verse 17 applies to believers in Jesus: "God...calls things that are not as though they were".

Questions for Romans 3

1. How does Paul summarize the last half of chapter 1 and chapter herein chapter 3?

2. If Jews are under sin like Gentiles, what was the advantage of being a Jew then?

3. In Chapter 2, we read how the Jews boasted that they knew andunderstood God's law. What does this chapter teach is the realpurpose of the law?

4. What is the hope that is offered to sinners in this chapter?

5. Compare and contrast the two types of righteousness discussed in Chapter 3.

Romans 2

Romans 2 is a continuation of the last half of Romans 1. Paul is in the middle of describing humanity's great need of the hope that is proclaimed in the gospel. At the time that Paul wrote Romans, chapter 1:18-32 would mainly apply to the "Gentiles". These were the non-Jews who were ignorant of God's law as revealed through Moses. In our day, this might apply to irreligious people who don't know much of faith. Paul points out that although they do not have a knowledge of Scripture and God's law, they are without excuse because God has made himself plainly known to all people in nature.

Chapter 2 is written for the religious person who would sit in judgment of the irreligious sinner described in chapter 1. This would be the Jew in Paul's day. He anticipates their prideful response and refutes their belief that they are better and holier because of their religious heritage, their observances and their abstenance from the outward immorality of the pagan. Instead of agreeing their evaluation, Paul refutes their self-righteousness and points out that they are also guilty and condemned under God's law.

The person Paul describes in Chapter 2 is self-deceived because they believe they are good and acceptable simply for knowing God's moral laws. The believe they are righteous in and of themselves because of their religious observances. Yet Paul points out that like the Gentile sinner, they too fail to obey God's law. They have secret sins they hide. They harbor self-centered selfishness and are deficient in love for their fellow man and for God. Yet they are unwilling to repent of their sin and therefore are storing up wrath against themselves for the day of God's judgment.

Sin is not just an outward action but a matter of the heart. True righteousness requires a pure heart full of goodness, love and humility and the actions to back it up.

Romans 1

The Author of the book of Romans is Paul. It is important that we realize Paul was an apostle of Christ. An apostle was one who was selected by the Lord and given authority to establish the church. Paul starts his letter by reminding his readers of his calling to be an apostle. The previous book in the Bible, Acts, describes how Jesus appeared to Paul directly (Chapter 9) and how Paul was given powers to do signs, wonder and miracles from the Lord to prove that he had the Lord’s authority. Because of this, we treat Paul’s teachings as not from man but from the Lord. So the book of Romans is God’s word.

The book of Roman was written to all the Christians at Rome. It was not written to just super-Christians but to all believers: “to all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints” (verse 7). This applies not only to the Christians at Rome, but to us as well. Paul’s purpose in writing this letter is to encourage the believers at Rome in the faith. He is excited and thankful for their faith. He longs to see them and strengthen them in the faith but has been prevented from doing so. So he is writing them a letter.

The faith Paul is talking about is the faith of the gospel. Paul was “set apart for the gospel of God” (verse 1) whom he serves with his “whole heart in preaching the gospel of His Son” (verse 9). It is his obligation to preach the gospel to all (verses 14-15). This gospel was promised by the prophets of old and was now being declared. The gospel, which means “good news”, regards Jesus Christ, who was proved to be more than a man but the very Son of God through his resurrection from the dead.

For many chapters to come, Paul will be explaining this gospel. The book of Romans is one of the more difficult books because it touches on deep truths which are sometimes hard to understand at first. He begins explaining the gospel in verses 16 and 17. These are the key verses of chapter 1 and the foundation for the rest of the book of Roman. It says that the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes because the gospel proclaims a righteousness from God that people receive by faith.

Let’s look at each part of this statement. First it says that the gospel is “the power of God”. This means that God exerts power through this message of good news. Wherever this gospel is preached, heard, understood and believed, there you will find God’s life transforming power! Secondly, it is “for the salvation of everyone who believes”. This gospel of Christ is about salvation. The word salvation means rescue or deliverance from imminent danger. As we will soon see it is salvation from sin, its penalties and power. Third, it concerns a righteousness from God. This righteousness is from God not from us. And so it is a righteousness that is given to us, not one that we earn. Finally, this salvation and righteousness come to us by faith. It is by believing the gospel that we freely receive its benefits.

Starting in verse 18, Paul is going to describe why we need salvation. He will continue this discussion up to the middle of chapter 3. His discussion will help the Roman Christians (and us) to understand why the gospel is truly good news! In verse 18 he says, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.” So this is the situation, God is very angry, at something. In fact he is so angry that he is wrathful. What is he angry about? He is angry about the wickedness of mankind. But it is not just any wickedness that God is mad about. It is the wickedness of people suppressing the truth. What truth? It is the truth about Him. Why is God angry about this? Because the truth about Him is made plainly known to all people by God Himself (verses 19-20). God’s divine nature and power are clearly seen in creation. We know that God is Creator, that he created us, that he has loved us and been good to us. We know that He is eternal and all powerful. And as such it should be natural for mankind to acknowledge and honor Him as God and be thankful to Him.

Instead it says “they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to Him.” Instead of worshipping him, they denied him and made up their own gods. They worshipped created thing rather than the Creator. They suppressed the truth and believe a lie instead.

In God’s anger, it says “he gave them over.” In other words, he let them go their own way to become more and more sinful. Verses 24 through 32 list many of the sins that resulted. And not only that, they were not ashamed of their wickedness but approved of it!

What Paul has just described is called by different names throughout Scripture such as the “dominion of darkness”. It is called being lost, dead in sin, under condemnation and many such names. God and man are separated and estranged because of sin. What we see in our world what Paul describes. It is in this context that Paul is proclaiming the good news. It is the message of hope proclaimed that is bringing people out of darkness into His marvelous light!

Why is God Holy?

If there is anything revealed from heaven to men, it is that God is holy. To be holy means to be set apart for special honor. With respect to the Creator and ruler of creation, it refers to the tremendous obligation of all God's creation to render him the highest honor. Conversely, not doing so is the highest possible moral failure.

There are three reasons to reserve special honor for somone. First is because of who they are. When somone has character that exceeds what is common, that person is regarded with great dignity. When somone has more integrity than myself, it natural that I should regard that person with honor. Not only is it natural to do so, it is right to do so. Any impartial third party would judge that way. When we see a person of disrepute discredit an honorable person, we feel a sense of injustice.

God's character is perfect. He never does anything wrong. He never fails to do what is right. He loves perfectly. He is long-suffering and exceedingly patient when he is wronged. His motives are alway pure. He is generous unlike any other. He is extravagant in his goodness. He is quick to forgive even the greatest of wrongs. He is the perfectly just judge. He never condemns the innocent nor is he ever tempted or bribed to look the other way from evil. Every part of his character far exceeds that of any of his creatures. Not only is He holy in his character but in his very being. He is the highest being, the only eternal, infinite, limitless, self-existent being. And so it is natural that we should honor him above everything else.

The second reason we give someone special honor is because of their position. People in high and honorable positions deserve special respect. Our parents deserve special honor because they served us as caregivers when we were young. Our employers deserve respect since their leadership means that we continue to have employment and thus provide for ourselves and our dependents. Our civil and military leaders allow us to live in freedom and safety and pursue happiness. In regards to God, he holds the highest and greatest positions. He is the Giver and Sustainer of life. He is the Ruler of all creation, the great Provider, the loving Father, the faithful Savior and Helper, the strong Protector, the impartial Judge and the Executor of justice. Because of these high and honorable positions, we owe him unique honor.

The third reason we reserve high honor for someone is because of how they treat us personally. Someone who is good to us beyond others inherently deserves special honor from us. God has created us. He is our creator. We gave us all existence. He is the one who has ultimately given us everything we need for life. Every good gift we have received can be traced back to his own divine decision to bless us individually and personally. Family, friends, loved one, emotional happiness, material blessing--it has all come from Him. He has provided for us the way to be forgiven of all our sin in dishonoring him through His Son Jesus Christ. He sent his eternal Son into the world to become our Savior and pay the penalty of our sin. Even as God's enemies, Christ died for us, the ungodly. He has opened up his arms with the offer of salvation to all who believe--even those who hate him.

That is why even the angels in heaven cry out, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty!"