ROMANS 7
We will begin this lesson in Romans 3:1 "What advantage then hath
the Jew? or what profit [is there] of circumcision?"
Paul asks this question as if another Jew is asking. It seems
that the covenant that God made with Abraham (circumcision) is no
advantage at all. Paul asks, what is the reason for circumcision, if
it does not benefit the Jew?
Romans 3:2 "Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were
committed the oracles of God."
The non-Jew up until the time of Jesus had no chance of learning
of the true God. The law was revealed to the natural Jew only at that
time. The promises made were for the physical house of Israel until
Jesus tore the middle wall of partition down in the temple when He
gave His body on the cross for all mankind. The promise of the Messiah
was to the physical house of Israel. The physical house of Israel
(Jew) was the one taught in the temple the laws of God. They were the
privileged few.
Romans 3:3 "For what if some did not believe? shall their
unbelief make the faith of God without effect?"
The fact that some reject the Truth does not make it any less the
Truth. Some have not the faith. Without faith it is impossible to
please God. Romans 10:9 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the
Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Romans 10:10 "For with the heart
man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation." We see in these Scriptures just what it takes to
be saved.
Romans 3:4 "God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a
liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy
sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged."
Psalms 116:11 "I said in my haste, All men [are] liars." Hebrews
6:17 "Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of
promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed [it] by an oath:"
Hebrews 6:18 "That by two immutable things, in which [it was]
impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who
have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:"
Immutable means unchangeable or always the same. We see above that men
are liars, but it is impossible for God to lie, since He is the Truth.
Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Every man and woman (one at
a time) shall stand before this absolute Truth and be judged. We will
be justified by Jesus Christ when we Christians stand before Him.
Those who rejected Jesus as their personal Saviour will be without
excuse.
Romans 3:5 "But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness
of God, what shall we say? [Is] God unrighteous who taketh vengeance?
(I speak as a man)"
We have no righteousness except that purchased for us by the Lord
Jesus Christ. Because we are unrighteous, do we presume to judge God
for taking vengeance on our unrighteousness? As I said before, those
who do not accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour and take on His
righteousness are without excuse and deserve God's vengeance.
Romans 3:6 "God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?"
One thing we can surely depend on is that God is just. God has
made a way out for the unrighteous. They must accept Jesus as Saviour
and Lord and then they will be judged righteous, because they have
taken on Jesus' righteousness. There are only 2 types of people as
far as God is concerned (those who accept Jesus and those who do not
accept Jesus).
Romans 3:7 "For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my
lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?"
We might try to justify our sin before God, telling God that our
lie makes His Truth even greater, but He will not go for that flimsy
excuse.
Romans 3:8 "And not [rather], (as we be slanderously reported,
and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come?
whose damnation is just."
Paul is saying, here, that some liars are going around saying,
that He says do evil so that God's good will be greater. Paul just
simply says they are lying. They not only lie, but their condemnation
is just.
Romans 3:9 "What then? are we better [than they]? No, in no wise:
for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all
under sin;" Romans 3:10 "As it is written, There is none righteous,
no, not one:"
In the 23rd verse of this chapter Paul makes it very clear that
all have sinned. Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of
the glory of God;" Psalms 14:1 "{To the chief Musician, [A Psalm] of
David.} The fool hath said in his heart, [There is] no God. They are
corrupt, they have done abominable works, [there is] none that doeth
good." The Jews could not and did not keep the law and the heathen did
not even have a law to keep. All have sinned, but praise God, He sent
a Saviour named Jesus Christ. His righteousness is what we must have.
Our righteousness is but filthy rags.
Romans 3:11 "There is none that understandeth, there is none that
seeketh after God."
This describes our generation perfectly. It seems there is no one
seeking after God; or at least very few. If we seek God we will find
Him. Matthew 7:7 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall
find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:"
Romans 3:12 "They are all gone out of the way, they are together
become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one."
Even the Jews who had the law were not keeping it. The priests
were twisting the law around and carrying their own customs out in the
temple rather than carrying out God's law. Jesus came to save the lost
world. Just as this Scripture says, no one truly deserves to be saved.
God sent His Son because He loved us, not because we deserved that
love.
Romans 3:13 "Their throat [is] an open sepulchre; with their
tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps [is] under their
lips:"
There is a similar Scripture in Psalms. Psalms 140:3 "They have
sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison [is] under
their lips. Selah." We see from this that the tongue can be a very
evil and hurtful instrument when it speaks from an evil heart. I
believe that is what is meant by the throat being an open sepulchre.
Look with me in the book of James to see some of this. James 3:6 " And
the tongue [is] a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among
our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the
course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell." James 3:7 "For every
kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the
sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:" James 3:8 "But the
tongue can no man tame; [it is] an unruly evil, full of deadly
poison." When we receive Jesus as our Saviour, the very first member
of our body that we should turn over to Jesus is our tongue. The
natural tongue is very evil, if not controlled by the Spirit.
Romans 3:14 "Whose mouth [is] full of cursing and bitterness:"
What generation in all of history has been more guilty of cursing
than the present? Every movie, or at least the vast majority of them,
contain terrible cursing. Bitterness and strife are on every hand.
Bitterness against parents is perhaps #1 on the list. Study these
Scriptures in Ephesians to learn more. Ephesians 4:30 "And grieve not
the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of
redemption." Ephesians 4:31 "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger,
and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all
malice:" Ephesians 4:32 "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven
you."
Notes
Questions 7
1. The question in verse 1 is what?
2. What way was the physical Jew advantaged?
3. When did the Gentile first have an opportunity to know God?
4. Who was the promise of Messiah made to?
5. Does the fact that some did not believe affect the Truth?
6. Let God be ____ but every man a ____.
7. Where, in Psalms, does it say all men are liars?
8. How had God verified His promise?
9. What does immutable mean?
10. Jesus is the ____,the____,and the ____.
11. Is God____who taketh vengeance?
12. How was Paul speaking in verse 5?
13. Who shall judge the world?
14. What 2 types of people are there as far as God is concerned?
15. What had been slanderously reported that Paul said?
16. Who are under sin?
17. There is ____ righteous no ____ ____.
18. Quote chapter 3 of Romans verse 23.
19. In the 14th chapter of Psalms verse 1, who says there is no God?
20. We have all sinned, but what can we praise God for in this?
21. In verse 11, who seeketh after God?
22. Verse 12 says, who does good?
23. Their ____ is an open sepulchre.
24. What is said to be under the lips in verse 13?
25. What is meant by an open sepulchre?
26. What is impossible to tame other than with God's help?
27. Which generation in all of history has been more guilty of cursing
than any other?
28. Ephesians chapter 4 verses 30 through 32 tell us what?
Home