Lesson 8 – Romans Chapter 2:26 – Chapter 3:21
So far, in chapter 2 of Romans, we’ve been discussing God’s Judgment of sin and also about the Jews and the Law.
We’ve also learned that when it comes to having a relationship with God, He sees all of us as the same, there isn’t one group of people better than another group.
Rom. 2:26
“So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will his uncircumcision not be regarded as circumcision?”
“And if the Gentiles obey God’s law, won’t God declare them to be his own people?” (NLT)
The uncircumcised man, is referring to the Gentiles, everyone who isn’t a Jew. The Jews called them “uncircumcised dogs.”
Circumcision was an identification of the Jews, it was an outward sign of what was to be an inward reality. Over time the Jews had lost focus to the true meaning of what it meant to be circumcised. Like the baptism we believe in today, it was to be an outward sign of an inward condition of the heart.
Pastor Jon Courson makes a very good point here; he says, “Paul is making a very important point concerning outward signs and religion. “I’ve been baptized,” people say. “I’ve gone through Confirmation. I’ve had Communion.” And many people think that, because they’ve gone through a baptismal ceremony, been christened as an infant, or come to the Lord’s table, they will be especially blessed. Not so. Outward expression means nothing if not accompanied by inward experience.”
In other words, as I like to say, “It’s always about the heart, when it comes to the things of God.”
The Jews were circumcised, but it didn’t reflect what was going on the inside.
I say all of this to say, if a Gentile was keeping the Law, circumcision would not matter. God judges a person according to the state of his or her heart, not according to external appearances.
F.Y.I. – For some reason Moses forgot to circumcise his son…
Exo 4:24-26
“On the way to Egypt, at a place where Moses and his family had stopped for the night, the LORD confronted him and was about to kill him. But Moses’ wife, Zipporah, took a flint knife and circumcised her son. She touched his feet with the foreskin and said, “Now you are a bridegroom of blood to me.” (When she said “a bridegroom of blood,” she was referring to the circumcision.) After that, the LORD left him alone.” (NLT)
I guess we can all make mistakes!
Rom. 2:27
“And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a violator of the Law?”
“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.” (NLT)
What good is it if you have the Law, but you don’t obey the Law? The Jews Paul is addressing here think to themselves that they are God’s chosen one’s, so they would escape any judgment…
that God’s judgment would only come down on the Gentiles. Paul confronts their hypocrisy and basically says, a Gentile who kept the Law would be able to judge a Jew who broke the Law.
Rom. 2:28-29
“For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from people, but from God.”
Paul is saying, just because you were born from Jewish parents and on the 8th day you were circumcised, this doesn’t make you a true Jew.
Verse 29 breaks it down for us…
“No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.” (NLT)
We can say this about the Christian believer as well.
Rom. 10:9-10
“That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
• Why do the scriptures question a person’s heart?
An outward act will not save you, it has to come from the heart… God is not fooled by our little games that we play. Salvation is always a matter of the heart. Being baptized, partaking of the Lord’s Supper, or even a church membership will not save you… you must believe in your heart that Jesus is the one who saves you!
Chapter 3
Rom. 3:1-2
“Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First, that they were entrusted with the actual words of God.”
Verse 1 seems like two rhetorical questions, but the answer to the two questions is: Yes, there are great benefits! First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God.
Today if you ask a Jew on the street these questions he might say, “Oy Vey!”
A little side note:
“Anti-Semitism is a venomous condition of the heart of man and not just prejudice, hatred or discrimination. Jealousy and envy of the Jew more than anything else seems to be the main root of this condition. It is a spiritual problem. But Jeremiah said it best and it is truth from God’s Word… “The heart is deceitful, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” Anti-Semitism engages man in a conduct that is: inconceivable, unbelievable, shocking, grotesque, incomprehensible, unthinkable, inhumane and intolerable.” (gleaned from Alan Lazerte’s course on anti-Semitism 1983)
The Jews history has been a story of slavery, hardships, wars, persecution, captivity, murders, and shame over the millennia.
To answer Paul’s question… it is good to be a Jew.
Although throughout history the Jews missed the reason for the Law, they were the ones God chose to deliver the law to.
Deut. 7:6
“For you are a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. Of all the people on earth, the LORD your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.”
Deut. 14:2
“For you are a holy people to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for His personal possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”
It was through the Jews that God introduced His covenants, it is through the Jews that God’s prophets came, and declared the coming of His Son… to save the world. There are countless benefits to being a Jew.
The rub was, they missed the Messiah, when He was standing right in front of them.
Rom. 3:3
“What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?”
“True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful?” (NLT)
God has always made promises, and no matter how man responds to His promises, God is absolutely faithful to keep His word.
God’s salvation will come to Israel someday, and no, the Church has not replaced Israel.
Psalm 89:30-37
“But if his descendants forsake my instructions and fail to obey my regulations, if they do not obey my decrees and fail then I will punish their sin with the rod, and their disobedience with beating. But I will never stop loving him nor fail to keep my promise to him. No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said. I have sworn an oath to David, and in my holiness I cannot lie: His dynasty will go on forever; his kingdom will endure as the sun. It will be as eternal as the moon, my faithful witness in the sky!”
Paul refutes his rhetorical question immediately in verse 4.
Rom. 3:4
“Far from it! (or, “of course not” or “may it never be”) 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.”
“Far from it! ( “of course not” or “may it never be” )
Paul is using the strongest “negative” Greek expression he could.
God cannot and will not ever be unfaithful in His words or His promises, and we saw this in Psalm 89.
“God must prove to be true, though every person be found a liar.”
“Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true” (NLT)
Even if your favorite liberal politician, such as Nancy Pelosi or Joe Biden came out and declared that, “God is faithless, He never keeps His word, you can’t trust God.” GOD WOULD STILL BE TRUE!
If every human that ever lived said the same exact thing about God, GOD WOULD STILL BE TRUE!
“SO THAT YOU ARE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS, AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED.”
King David says in Psalm 51;
Psalm 51:4
“Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge.”
John MacArthur; “Because God is perfect and is Himself the measure of goodness and truth, His Word is its own verification and His judgment its own justification. It is utter folly to suppose that the Lord of heaven and earth might not prevail against the sinful, perverted judgment that either man or satan could make against Him.”
Deut. 32:4
“He is the Rock; His deeds are perfect. Everything He does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright He is!”
Rom. 3:5
“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.)”
“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.)” (NLT)
Human logic is saying, it’s okay to sin, because when God forgives us, it will just highlight God’s righteousness.
That’s just unrighteous thinking.
Rom. 5:20
“God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.” (NLT)
God’s grace out trumps any sin, but God’s grace never justifies any sin.
Rom. 6:1-2
“Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?”
Again, to think it’s okay to sin just so God’s grace may increase is unrighteous thinking. Leave it to mankind to try and think of ways to get away with sinning.
Paul further makes his point in verses 6 thru 8.
Rom. 3:6-8
“Far from it! For otherwise, how will God judge the world? But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner? 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.”
Paul starts out by answering the question from verse 5 and says, “Far from it!” “May it never be!” “No way, Jose!”
Their argument against Paul is, “If God can bring good out of the evil I have done, then why should God judge me, isn’t good coming out of evil?”
The argument is flawed and ridiculous. I can just see Paul with his face beet-red, throwing up his hands and saying; “Their condemnation is deserved.” Or “Those who say such things deserve to be condemned.”
All People Are Sinners…
Rom. 3:9
“What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin;”
We are all equally under the weight of sin.
We have seen in these first three chapters of Romans the sinful condition of man, his paganism, his judgmental attitude, and his hypocrisy. But, God has spoken very clearly to every generation throughout history… leaving all without an excuse.
Rom. 3:10-18
“As it is written:
“THERE IS NO RIGHTEOUS PERSON, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NO ONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NO ONE WHO SEEKS OUT GOD; THEY HAVE ALL TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME CORRUPT; THERE IS NO ONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”
“THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,”
“THE VENOM OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”;
“THEIR MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”;
“THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD, DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS, AND THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN THE WAY OF PEACE.”
“THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”
Paul is quoting from Psalms 14, 53, 5, 140, 10, Is.59, and Ps.36
I like what Jon Courson has to say about these verses;
“The Great Physician’s diagnosis of the condition of humanity is bleak: All are sinners without exception. This description is not just of the “bad guys”…but of you and me as well. Now, if I forget this divine diagnosis and start to think, He’s a pretty good person, I’m setting myself up for disappointment and disillusionment. Therefore, instead of being surprised when someone does something bad, I should be amazed when someone does something good because the divine diagnosis is that we are depraved. “But what about the guy in the Philippines,” you ask, “who flagellates his body and is hung on a cross every Easter? Yes, his theology might be askew, but surely he is seeking God.” No, he’s not. Paul says none seeks after God. “What about the Tibetan monks who live their entire lives in simplicity and celibacy? Surely they’re seeking after God.” No, they’re not. The Bible says none seeks after God. “Then what’s the guy in the Philippines seeking?” you ask. Perhaps he’s seeking alleviation from his guilt, perhaps recognition from his peers, perhaps exaltation of his soul. But he’s not seeking God. “What about the monks in Tibet? What are they seeking?” Perhaps they’re seeking peace, perhaps some kind of transcendent emotional experience, perhaps a higher consciousness… but they’re not seeking God. The Bible says none seeks after God, no not one. Every believer was chosen solely by grace, completely because of God’s unmerited, undeserved, unearned favor.”
Rom. 3:19-20
“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; because by the works of the Law none of mankind will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes knowledge of sin.”
“Obviously, 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. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.” (NLT)
Let’s go back to Jesus preaching the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus addressed the people saying, “But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt. 5:28)
Jesus was pointing out that it wasn’t enough to try and keep the letter of the Law (which is the external), but God looks within us, the internal… which makes us lawbreakers, in need of a Savior. The law does simply show us how sinful we are.
There isn’t anyone who can keep the Law, no one, except Jesus.
Justification by Faith…
Rom. 3:21
“But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,”
“But 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.” (NLT)
Here in this context, we see the righteousness of God, this isn’t referring to one of God’s attributes, but to an act of God, where He declares a sinner righteous. There is a righteousness of God apart from the law.
II Cor. 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Acts 10:43
“He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”
Job asks the big question in Job 9:2b “But how can a person be declared innocent in God’s sight?”
Job wondered how a person could ever hope to approach God, much less become right and acceptable before Him. Can a lowly human have any hope of having a right relationship with God, the One who is Holy, Righteous, and True?
• How do we become the righteousness of God?
Acts 3:16
“Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.”
• Is there any other way to reach the righteousness of God?
Acts 4:12
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (ESV)
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.