3:1ffIn this chapter Paul contends that everyone stands guilty before God. Pau! has dismantled the common excuses of people who refuse to admit they are sinners: (1) “There is no God” or “I follow my conscience” (1:18-32); (2) “I’m not as bad as other people” (2:1-16); (3) “I’m a church member” or “I'm a religious person” (2:17-29). No one wilt be exempt from God's judgment of sin. Every person must accept the fact that he or she is sinful and condemned before God and receive God’s wonderful gift of salvation.
Life Application Study BibleRomansChapter 3
Romans 3
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1898, 1899, 1900
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3Romans 3
God Remains Faithful
1Then what's the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value in the ceremony of circumcision? 2Yes, there are great benefits! First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God.* 3True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful?
4Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. Asthe Scriptures say about him,“You will be proved right in what you say,and you will win your case in court.”*
5“But,” some might say, “our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for ithelps people see how righteous God is. Isn't it unfair, then, for him to punish us?” (This is merely a human point of view.) 6Of course not! If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge the world? 7“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!” Those who say such things deserve to be condemned.
All People Are Sinners
99Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles,* are under the power of sin. 10As the Scriptures say,
“No one is righteous—not even one.
11No one is truly wise;no one is seeking God.
12All have turned away;all have become useless.No one does good,not a single one.”*
13“Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.Their tongues are filled with ties.”“Snake venom drips from their lips.”*
14“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.
15“They rush to commit murder.
16Destruction and misery always follow them.7 They don’t know where to find peace.”*
18“They have no fear of God at all.”*or
19Qbviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. 2. Forgiveness of sin through Christ
Christ Took Our Punishment
2121But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses* and the prophets long ago. 22We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 3:10-12 Pss 14:1-3; 53:1-3 (Greek version). 3:13 Pss 5:9 (Greek version); 140:3. 3:14 Ps 10:7 (Greek version). 3:15-17 Isa 59:7-8. 3:18 Ps 36:1. 3:21 Greek in the law. 23For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. 27Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. 29After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn't he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. 30There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.* 31Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.
Textual footnotes
Life Application Notes 9 notes
3:1ffWhat a depressing picture Paul is painting! All of us— pagan Gentiles, humanitarians, and religious people—are condemned by our own actions. The law, which God gave to show the way to live, holds up our evil deeds to public view. Is there any hope for us? Yes, says Paul. The law condemns us, it is true, but the law is not the basis of our hope. God himself is. He, in his righteousness and wonderful Jove, offers us eternal tife. We receive our salvation not through law but through faith in Jesus Christ. We do not—cannot—eanrn it; we accept it as a gift from our loving heavenly Father.
3:2The Jewish nation had great benefits. (1) They were entrusted with God’s laws (“the whole revelation of God,” Exodus 19-20; Deuteronomy 4:8). (2) They were the race through whom the Messiah came to earth (Isaiah 11:1-10; Matthew 1:1-17). (3) They were the beneficiaries of covenants with God himself (Genesis 17:1-16; Exodus 19:3-6). But these privileges cid not make them better than anyone else (see 3:9). In fact, because of them the Jews were even more responsible to live up to God’s requirements.
3:5-8Some may think they don’t have to worry about sin because (1) it’s God’s job to forgive; (2) God is so loving that he won't judge; (3) sin isn’t so bad—it teaches valuable lessons; or (4) we need to stay in touch with the culture around us. It is far too easy to take God's grace for granted. But God cannot overlook sin. No matter how many excuses they make, sinners will have to answer to God for their sin.
3:10-12Paul is referring to Psalm 14:1-3. “No one is righteous” means “no one is innocent.” Every person is valuable in God’s eyes because God created us in his image, and he loves us. But no one is good enough (that is, no one can earn right standing with God). Though we are valuable, we have fallen into sin. But God, through Jesus his Son, has redeemed us and offers to forgive us if we turn to him in faith.
3:10-18Paul uses these Old Testament references to show that humanity in general, in its present sinful condition, is unacceptable before God. Have you ever thought to yourself, “Well, t'm not too bad. I’m a pretty good person”? Look at these verses and see if any of them apply to you. Have you ever lied? Have you ever hurt someone's feelings by your words or tone of voice? Are you bitter toward anyone? Do you become angry with those who strongly disagree with you? In thought, word, and deed, you, like everyone else in the world, stand guilty before God. We must remember who we are in his sight—alienated sinners. Don't deny that you are a sinner. Instead, allow your desperate need to point you toward Christ.
3:19The last time someone accused you of wrongdoing, what was your reaction? Denial, argument, and defensiveness? The entire world will be silent before God. No excuses or arguments will remain. Have you reached the point with God where you are ready to hang up your defenses and await his decision? If you haven't, stop now and admit your sin to him. If you have, the following verses are truly good news for you!
3:20,31In these verses we see two functions of God’s law. First, it shows us where we go wrong. Because of the law, we know that we are helpless sinners and that we must come to Jesus Christ for mercy. Second, the moral code revealed in the {aw can serve to guide our actions by holding up God’s morat standards. We do not earn salvation by keeping the law (no one except Christ ever kept or coutd keep God's law perfectly), but we do please God when our life conforms to his revealed wilt for us.
3:21-29After all this bad news about our sinfulness and God's condemnation, Paul gives the wonderful news. There is a way to be declared not guilty—by trusting Jesus Christ to take away our sins. Trusting means putting our confidence in Christ to forgive our sins, to make us right with God, and to empower us to live the way he taught us. God's solution is available to all of us regardless of our background or past behavior.
Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages
Study feature · page 1899
CRUCIAL CONCEPTS IN ROMANS
ELECTION.............-. God's choice of an individual or group for a specific purpose Romans 9:10-13 or destiny.
JUSTIFICATION.......... God's act of declaring us “not guilty” for our sins, making Romans 4:25; 5:18 us “right” with him.
PROPITIATION........... The removal of God’s punishment for sin through the perfect Romans 3:25 sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
REDEMPTION...........- Jesus Christ has paid the price so we can go free. The price Romans 3:24; 8:23 of sin is death; Jesus paid the price.
SANCTIFICATION........- Becoming more and more like Jesus Christ through the work Romans 5:2; 15:16 of the Holy Spirit. GLORIFICATION The ultimate state of the believer after death when he or she Romans 8:18, 19, 30 becomes like Christ (1 John 3:2).
Study feature · page 1900
3:23 Some sins seem bigger than others because their obvious consequences are much more serious. Murder, for example, seems to us to be worse than hatred, and adultery seems worse than pride. But this does not mean that because we only commit “little” sins we deserve eternal life. All sins make us sinners, and all sins cut us off from our holy God. All sins, therefore, lead to death (because they disqualify us from living with God), regardless of how great of small they seem. Don’t minimize “little” sins or overrate “big” sins. They all separate us from God, but they all can be forgiven. 3:24 Paul explains that God declares that we are righteous. When a judge in a court of law declares the defendant not guilty, all the charges are removed from his record. Legally, it is as if the person had never been accused. When God forgives our sins, our record is wiped Clean. From his perspective, it is as though we had never sinned. He could do this because Jesus took the penalty that we deserved. Christ purchased our freedom from sin, and the price was his life. 3:25 Christ died in our place, for our sins. God is justifiably angry at sinners. They have rebelled against him and cut themselves off from his life-giving power. But God declares Christ's death to be the appropriate, designated sacrifice for our sin. Christ then stands in our place, having paid the penalty of death for our sin, and he completely satisfies God’s demands. His sacrifice brings pardon, deliverance, and freedom. 3:25, 26 What happened to people who lived before Christ came and died for sin? If God condemned sinners, was he being unfair? Ifhe saved the righteous, was Christ's sacrifice unnecessary? Paul shows that God forgave all human sin at the cross of Jesus. Old Testament believers looked forward in faith to Christ's coming and were saved, evel though they did not know Jesus’ name or the details of his earthly life. Unlike the Old Testament believers, you know about the God who loved the world so much that he gave his own Son (John 3:16). Have you put your trust in him? 3:27, 28 Most religions require specific duties that must be performed to make 4 person acceptable to a god. Christianity is unique in that no good deed that we do will make us right with God. No amount of human achievement or personal goodness
will close the gap between God’s moral perfection and our imperfect daily performance. Good deeds are important, but they will not earn us eternal life. We are saved only by trusting in what God has done for us (see Ephesians 2:8-10). 3:28 Why does God save us by faith alone? (1) Faith eliminates the pride of human effort, because faith is not a deed that we do. (2) Faith exalts what God has done, not what we do. (3) Faith admits that we can't keep the law or measure up to God’s standards—-we need help. (4) Faith is based on our relationship with God, not our performance for God. 3:31 There were some misunderstandings between the Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome. Worried Jewish Christians were asking Paul, “Does faith wipe out everything Judaism stands for? Does it cancel our Scriptures, put an end to our customs, declare that God is no longer working through us?” (This is essentially the question used to open chapter 3.) “Of course not!” says Paul. When we understand the way of salvation through faith, we understand the Jewish religion better. We know why Abraham was chosen, why the law was given, and why God worked patiently with Israel for centuries. Faith does not wipe out the Old Testament. Rather, it makes God’s dealings with the Jewish people understandable. in chapter 4, Paul will expand on this theme (see also 5:20, 21; 8:3, 4; 13:9, 10; Galatians 3:24-29; and 1 Timothy 1:8 for more on this concept). 4:1-3 The Jews were proud to be descendants of Abraham. Paul uses Abraham as a good example of someone who was saved by faith. By emphasizing faith, Paul is not saying that God's iaw is unimportant (4:13) but that it is impossible to be saved simply by obeying it. For more about Abraham, see his Profile in Genesis 18, p. 33. 4:5 When some people learn that they are saved by God through faith, they start to worry. “Do I have enough faith?” they wonder. “Is my faith strong enough to save me?” These people miss the point. It is Jesus Christ who saves us, not our feelings or actions, and he is strong enough to save us no matter how weak our faith is. Jesus offers us salvation as a gift because he loves us, not because we have earned it through our powerful faith. What, then, is the role of faith? Faith is believing and trusting in Jesus Christ and reaching out to accept his wonderful gift of salvation.
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