Romans Chapter 3

Studies in the Book of Romans  Chapter 3

Ron Thomas, Highway Church of Christ, Sullivan, IL

             Each one of the following questions (objections) is being offered as a reasonable reply to what Paul has said. Paul is a man of experience; he has dealt with objections many times. In this chapter, Paul anticipates the objections that would be offered him. While the Jew thought his response to Paul’s argument was reasonable, Paul says it is not. Why? Note what our Lord said to the Sadducees in Matthew 22:29. What He said to them, applies here.

First Question and Answer (Romans 3:1-2)

What is the advantage of being a Jew? Earlier (chapter 2) Paul spoke of the Jews and their position before God. The position (or standing) of the Jews before God will compare in the same way that the Gentiles stand before God. It will not be because of the physical act of circumcision that they stand approved by God, but as a result of faith (he will develop this). The question being asked assumes a negative answer (in light of what Paul has been saying). In other words, after the question was asked, one might assume the answer would be: NONE – there is no advantage, then, to being a Jew. But that is not how Paul answers. There was a great advantage to being a Jew and receiving the sign of circumcision. That advantage was in being entrusted with the Oracles of God. How was this so great? Read Exodus 19:5-6 and Deuteronomy 4:5-8.

Second Question and Answer (Romans 3:3-4)

Does Israel’s unfaithfulness make God unfaithful? The Israelites were entrusted with the Word, but failed to live up to the standards of that Word. They were unfaithful. Will God be unfaithful then? He promised to Israel many things, but Israel failed to live up to his word, will God then “back out”? The answer is no; God is faithful in all that He does. God does not lie about what He promises (Titus 1:2). The promise of the coming Savior that He gave to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, would be fulfilled. God was always faithful to that which He promised. 

Third Question and Answer (3:5-8)

If Israel’s unrighteousness brings out God’s righteousness (in a much clearer way), why the rejection by God? Said differently, in the form of a statement: “Our unrighteousness has made God look good so it is unfair what the Lord is doing!” Paul says that is hardly the case. Man’s unrighteousness can never make God “look good.” This implies that sin advances the purposes of God. This is not so. Sin brings shame upon the Lord name (not because the Lord is guilty, but because man operates in the name of the Lord, cf. Romans 2:24). God uses His standard of righteousness to judge. If He did not, guess who would complain the loudest? Paul shows the hypocrisy of the charge against God in asking this question (verses 7 and 8). The Jews thought that God would overlook their sin because of circumcision. Paul turned around the argument and applied it to himself. He was a circumcised Jew preaching the Gospel of Jesus, a message that almost no Jew wanted to hear. Consequently, they condemned him as a sinner and sought judgment against him. But, if the Jews were correct (as argued in verses 5 & 6), it would be that Paul’s “sinfulness” (in preaching the Gospel) was also bringing out God’s glory. There should have been no persecution (opposition) from the Jews. The Jews, however, would not accept that, and thus, again, Paul shows their hypocrisy.

Fourth Question and Answer (Romans 3:9-20)

The first three objections having been handled (as a reasonable person can see), Paul now assumes another objection that would be offered to him – are the Jews better than others? Is there any advantage to being a Jew? In one respect, certainly there is and Paul said so in verse 2. The Jew had the Oracles of God and that placed him at an advantage. What was the advantage? The Jews could know of God’s plan to save man. In Romans 1:17, Paul made clear that God’s righteousness is revealed in the Gospel message, but there was an understanding God revealed to the Jews that many Gentiles would not be privy to. Now, with God’s plan to save man before the Jew, the reasonable Jew should see that he, too, is lost. In this, God made it known that man is unable to save himself and even the Law of Moses shows that man (the Jew) needs salvation. Paul cites Scripture to show how the Law has made it clear that all are under sin. Man is not righteous in and of himself.

While in one respect there is an advantage to being a Jew, in another respect (verse 9) Paul says there is not. The Jews are not any better off than the Gentiles and the Scriptures point this out. While the Gentile has sin that must be dealt with, so does the Jew. Paul cites Scripture from Psalms and Isaiah both. In verses Romans 3:10-18, these verses might be broken in to two sections: man’s approach to God (Romans 3:10-12), and man’s approach to man (Romans 3:13-18). In man’s approach to God, since sin entered into the world, it is not man’s inclination to seek after God (cf. Genesis 6:5). Though it is not man’s inclination to seek after God, we do not mean to say that man can’t seek after God – only that he is not inclined to. This approach of man to God means that none is righteous, no not one. In man’s approach to man, this is made all the more evident. “This list [3:13-18] serves to affirm what theologians speak of as total depravity, i.e., not that man in his natural state is as bad as he can possible be, rather that his entire being is adversely affected by sin” (Harrison, p. 39). Paul brings verses Romans 3:10-18 to a conclusion when he tells us that God’s highest law to man (the Law of Moses) made it abundantly clear that man is under the power of sin (Romans 3:19-20). Moreover, it is impossible for the law to justify man because it was not designed to do so (Acts 13:39).  It was designed to bring the knowledge of sin to one’s understanding.

Fifth Question and Answer (Romans 3:21-30)

How then does God save?  He saves by that which Jesus did and our response to Him. Paul has completely “debunked” the Jewish idea of being saved on account of one’s status in connection with the Law. Simply because one is “circumcised,” putting the person in covenant relation to God, in no way establishes the fact of salvation to that person. The reason for this is because God had a covenant relation with Israel, the nation, as represented through the male. That the Jew would recognize the “lost” status of the Gentile is easy enough, but Paul makes clear that the Jew is not any better off.  The question is asked, and in verses 21 and 22 it is answered. Our Lord was faithful in that which He did (John 7:17) and when we put our trust in Him, faithfully obedient to His will (Romans 1:5), we too will be saved.

In this section is a heavy dose of theological ideas. I will attempt to make it concise but thorough (if that is possible). The Law had a purpose – it was to show that man could not live perfectly (or sin free). The Law demonstrated that man had sinned against God. God could have rendered, if He would have chosen to do so, His verdict and carried out the punishment that man rightly deserved (cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:5-9). However, God chose not to do this; but He did choose to show His righteousness by bringing about a plan that would save any and all men who chose to accept His gift (cf. 2 Peter 3:9). That plan was seen in the Man Jesus Christ.

The blood (death) of Jesus Christ was the perfect sacrifice to redeem man from the sins that stood against him. It was perfect in that Jesus was a willing, free moral agent who was sinless. The sinlessness of Jesus meant that the blood He offered was not tainted, figuratively speaking, with sin. The perfect sacrifice was in two ways: first, He was a man who could sin (Hebrews 4:15), but did not. Second, His blood was not at all tainted with sin. Thus, since life is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11), He offered His life as a sacrifice to cover the sins of man.

Man had to have his sins removed before he could be in the presence of God. The reason Jesus had to shed His blood was because the blood of animals that God had man use was not adequate (by design) to take away sins. The Jewish man was to recognize that with the continual offering of animal blood as a substitute there was no real remission, but a reminder (Hebrews 10:1-4). With Jesus, however, the blood He offered (His own) was perfect and it did remove sin in the ultimate respect.

Because of what Jesus did, man has no right to boast of what he has done. It was done by Jesus. People have a tendency to take pride in things accomplished. When it comes to salvation, there is nothing to take pride in for man has done nothing to warrant salvation. It is strictly because of God’s love that we are saved.

Sixth Question and Answer (Romans 3:31)

Does faith nullify Law? The answer is no; the law was never designed to justify anyone. “God’s plan for man’s justification is apart from (is not based upon) a law system” (Deaver, p. 107). The Law of Moses was designed to make clear what sin is and that man is guilty of it (Romans 3:19-23; Romans 4:15). It was the Law that made this clear and it was the Law that brought Jesus to the cross (cf. Galatians 3:24-27; Galatians 4:4). “Since because of human weaknesses no man could keep law perfectly, a plan for man’s righteousness had to be based upon God’s love, rather than upon law” (Deaver, p. 107).

Additional words on justification. Many Calvinists will refer to Romans 3:28 to negate man’s role in salvation. What they will say, in effect, is that what Christ did must be fused or transferred to us before we can be saved. In other words, man can do nothing to be saved, he cannot even believe. So, it is up to God (Jesus) to give man faith. Once God gives us faith, then we are saved. This false teaching takes away man’s free will. Either man can chose to be saved or he cannot. If he cannot choose to be saved, then he has no free will. Note what Jesus says of man’s will in John 6:26-29. You decide who is right: our Lord or Calvinist theology?