Sunday
7th June 2015 – Romans 3:19-31 “The law of works vs the law of faith”
Last
week we looked at God’s glory being emphasized by ‘evil’, that the contrast of ‘evil’
with ‘good’ makes ‘good’ stand out even more so. But ‘evil’ doesn’t only make ‘good’
stand out; ‘good’ also makes ‘evil’ stand out.
John 3:20
– For every one that doeth evil hateth
the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Those
practising evil do not like the truth because it exposes their lies. Anything that
opposes the truth logically has to be a lie. For instance, calvinists hate too
much scrutiny of their beliefs because it reveals too much inconsistency in
their thinking. Therefore those who consider
themselves to be the protectors of the calvinist truth will often, when
questioned, either say that it is a mystery of God not revealed to us, or else
they ‘know’ the answers and we who question such are more ignorant than they. (How
is it that calvinists ‘know’ more, yet have more ‘mysteries’?) It’s a far cry
from Paul who openly encouraged those with questions to seek answers in the
Scriptures for themselves. Far too often we find those with lies in their
doctrines will vigorously seek to suppress anything that exposes their lies.
And
it’s not only calvinists who do this; it even includes those who feel that the
truth exposes too much for them to deal with, so they would rather cover up the
truth and remain comfortable. As the saying goes, “Ignorance is bliss!”
Today’s
message focuses upon the condemnation of the law being on all people, not just
the Jews. All are guilty, both Jew and Gentile. Usually the key verse of this
passage is taken to be 3:23 where all have sinned, but leaving out the next
verse which says that all (the same ‘all’ as in Vs 23) have been freely
justified by God’s grace through Jesus Christ. So, while the law of
condemnation is upon all, the law is established by faith (Vs 31). All people
are condemned alike, but also all people may partake of God’s grace by faith to
remove that condemnation, as noted in
Romans 8:1
– [There is] therefore
now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit.
Romans
3:19 –
Now we know that what things soever the law saith,
it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and
all the world may become guilty before God.
Firstly, the law
applies to all those who are under the law. Vs 3:9 says that all (both Jew and Gentile)
are under the condemnation of sin. In 3:10-18 we see that man is totally
condemned by his absolute unwillingness to seek after God, that God has
to intervene in some way before man can see enough truth to be able to seek,
that the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ has to shine into that man’s life
before he can see some of the truth that he will then be asked to have faith in
(Romans 10:17). So, if all are subject to the law, then what the law
says will be applied to all. And how is the law applied to all.
Following on from Vs 10-18, it is clear that all are condemned by the law, that
no-one has any reasonable answer to give to God’s demand for righteousness
according to the law.
Note Job’s reply when
God challenged him concerning His (God’s) right to proclaim judgment as He
(God) alone should choose.
Job 40:1-5 – 1 Moreover
the Lord answered Job, and said, 2Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct [him]? he that
reproveth God, let him answer it. 3Then
Job answered the Lord, and said, 4Behold, I am vile; what
shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. 5Once
have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no
further.
In other words, Job is
saying that he has already said too much, and from now on he’ll just shut his
mouth and listen as he should have in the first place. He was subject to God’s
law just like everyone else.
In God’s presence, all
unclean mouths are stopped, and all must keep quiet and listen to the One who
has all authority. Isaiah in his vision of God on the throne noted that, when
he came face-to-face with Almighty God, he was immediately challenged with an
inability to defend himself in any way. He was guilty and he knew it.
Isaiah 6:5 – Then said I, Woe [is] me! for I am
undone; because I [am] a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst
of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of
hosts.
He was unable to excuse
anything in his life as holy, and was also to say that nothing in his life was
worth anything at all before a holy God.
Isaiah 64:6a – But we are all as an unclean [thing], and
all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags;
And Paul echoed this when
he said in Philippians 3 that he counted all things as rubbish or dung that he
might gain Christ. Also note the effect on the tax collector in Jesus’ parable
coming face-to-face with a holy God.
Luke 18:13 – And the publican, standing afar off, would
not lift up so much as [his] eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his
breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.’
All the world is guilty
before a holy God and one day all the world will be judged. Some in faith will
believe in their salvation in Jesus Christ, but many more will trust in their
works which will be insufficient to save them (see Romans 4:4-5). All the world
will surely become guilty before God (that is, subject to God’s punishment),
and those without salvation in Jesus Christ will stand condemned to hell for
eternity.
So, in order to apply
guilt, there must be (a) a law, and (b) a violation of that law, and in this
case, (c) a lack of pardon through salvation in Christ per God’s grace.
guilty – applied to a person who has been unable to justify
his acquittal by any means, and therefore is subject to the punishment. Barnes
says – It is never used to denote simply an
obligation to punishment, but with reference to the fact that the punishment is
personally deserved.
Romans 3:20 – Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall
no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law [is] the knowledge of
sin.
No-one can hope to be
judged ‘not guilty’ if they desire to defend themselves based on their own
righteousness. God as judge will justify absolutely no-one who demands justice
according to the law.
What does justify mean?
To be able to back up your claims in a legal sense. If I am asked to justify my
statement to a court of law, I need to back it up such that I can convince the
judge of its truthfulness or accuracy. I need certain proofs. Or, if I send an
account for work done and it asks for more money than might be considered reasonable,
I might be asked to justify why I should ask for so much more. James says our
faith is justified by our works – that is, the realness of our faith is
supported by the works that demonstrate such faith.
Even a lack of
knowledge of the law is no defence against the guilt of the gentile. They are
still considered by Paul to have the law written in their hearts in spite of
not knowing the written law given to the Jews. The Jews were supposed to be God’s
priesthood to the nations by teaching them the law, but they failed. Nevertheless,
this can never be used as an excuse by the Gentiles claiming that they couldn’t
have known. Paul has concluded already that they do know enough law to accuse
or excuse them.
Romans 2:14-15 – 14 For when
the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the
law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15Which
shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing
witness, and [their] thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one
another;)
And because all are
considered to have a knowledge of the law, both Jew and gentile, then all by
that law have a knowledge of sin sufficient to convict them. In other words,
the law cannot save anyone from condemnation. Man’s works when judged by the
law will always declare him guilty, never innocent!
Romans 3:21 – But now the righteousness of God without the
law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Until now Paul has
demonstrated that no-one, neither Jew nor gentile, can be justified by the law.
That’s very definitely a dead-end street. No-one can be saved by works of the
law, end of story! Unless another way can be found, all mankind is doomed
without a hope. So Paul now having demonstrated that
there is no hope for mankind, announces that God has revealed a righteousness
independent of the law, that even the law and prophets (Old Testament) bore
witness to this.
Jesus said:-
John 5:39 – Search the scriptures; for in them ye think
ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
The Scriptures that
they had at that time, the Old Testament, testified of Jesus.
without the law – (or “apart from the law”) This doesn’t mean that
the law is thrown away, abandoned by God. It simply means that this new
righteousness is the fulfillment of the law.
Matthew 5:17-18 – 17 Think not
that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy,
but to fulfil. 18For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in
no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Romans 3:22 – Even the righteousness of God [which is] by
faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no
difference:
the righteousness of
God – This doesn’t refer to God’s righteousness
but to the righteousness which God can bestow upon those who claim it through
faith in Jesus Christ. God’s own righteousness is never under any question. God
is holy!
No-one can be justified
by the law, because there is no way anyone can provide proof of righteousness
using the law (that is, cannot be justified). All the law can do is condemn us.
Paul tells us that the
righteousness of God that is apart from the law (Vs 21), that is witnessed by
the law and the prophets, is by faith in Jesus Christ. It is available for all
who believe, not just the Jew but also for the Gentile, for there is no
difference. Paul is connecting this argument to his original statement of
argument in Romans 1.
Romans 1:16-17 – 16 For I am
not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation
to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and
also to the Greek. 17For therein is the righteousness of God
revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The
just shall live by faith.
Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned, and come short of the glory
of God;
For as a result of the
law which condemns all mankind, and especially noted in Romans 3, all have
sinned, all fall short of the glory of God. How can sin increase the glory of
God when sinning causes man to fall short of God’s glory?
sinned – missed the mark – old English terminology, your
arrow misses the target.
all – pas = all
men, everyone, each, every, any, all, the whole, all things, everything.
Romans 3:24-25 – 24
Being
justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25Whom
God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation through faith in his blood, to
declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the
forbearance of God;
Note – It is very
important to note that the ones being discussed in Vs 24 are the same group
that were discussed in Vs 23 – all men, everyone etc. The ones who are
justified freely (Vs 24) through Jesus Christ’s redemption are the same ones
who have sinned and come short of the glory of God in Vs 23. If only a limited
atonement requires that only a limited number are justified freely, then by
logic, only that same limited number could have sinned and fallen short of the
glory of God. Justification was provided for all who were sinners! Justification
is available for all who call upon the name of the Lord (Romans 10:13). If all
sin, all are able to be justified! All who sin have access to the
justification in Jesus Christ. The penalty was paid in full for all people; it
only awaits each person’s acceptance of such. (But calvinists refuse to allow
their God to permit man to have free will in this matter!)
justified freely – the cost (for all) has already been paid on the
cross. Thus it is a gift of God as per Romans
6:23. A gift must be paid for in full before it may be offered.
his grace – being saved by grace is the gift of God in –
Ephesians 2:8-9 – 8 For by
grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the
gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast.
redemption – the action of regaining or gaining possession
of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt. The debt was paid
when Jesus cried out, “It is finished!”
The payment was made for the whole world….
1 John 2:2 – And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only,
but also for [the sins of] the whole world.
……allowing all those who would believe to be justified by their
faith in Jesus Christ.
propitiation – that by which God is rendered propitious,
i.e., by which it becomes consistent with his character and government to
pardon and bless the sinner. The propitiation does not procure his love or make
him loving; it only renders it consistent for him to exercise his love towards
sinners. In Romans 3:25 and Hebrews 9:5 (A.V., "mercy-seat") the
Greek word hilasterion is used. It is the word
(relating to) the Hebrew kapporeth , which means
"covering," and is used of the lid of the ark of the covenant ( Exodus 25:21 ; 30:6 ). This Greek word (hilasterion)
came to denote not only the mercy-seat or lid of the ark, but also propitation or reconciliation by blood. On the great day of
atonement the high priest carried the blood of the
sacrifice he offered for all the people within the veil and sprinkled with it
the "mercy-seat," and so made propitiation. (Eastons
Bible Dictionary)
It was the blood of
Jesus that made propitiation for our sins and thus redeemed us (bought us back,
regained us by the payment of the debt).
set forth – placed in public view, making a public statement
concerning this propitiation, thus demonstrating His righteousness (Vs 25).
through faith – the offering (thus the payment) has been made for
all but it will not be applied to anyone except through the faith of that person
in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. That is, all can be
justified, but only those who claim by faith the gift of salvation offered to
them will have that justification applied to them.
forbearance – God could have punished for sin committed when it
happened, but has been patient and not immediately punished, not willing that
any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
Romans 3:26 – To declare, [I say], at this time his
righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth
in Jesus.
at this time – or “at the present time”; now is the time for
salvation according to Paul.
2 Corinthians 6:2b – behold, now [is] the accepted time;
behold, now [is] the day of salvation.
God is just in that He
will not forgive sinners without any atonement for their sins. God as the
justifier of the one who believes in Jesus means simply that in doing so, God
violated no law, didn’t push sin to one side, but dealt with it all on the
cross.
Thus God is just, righteous, absolutely holy, and remains
so, even though all sinners in the world might be forgiven if they all
had faith in Jesus. God didn’t disregard His law; He fulfilled the law and all
its requirements on our behalf. (Matthew 5:17-18)
Romans 3:27 – Where [is] boasting then? It is
excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
Because not one is
justified by his/her obedience to the law, because all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God, then no boasting in self can be accepted. As per Ephesians 2:9 – Not of works, lest any man should boast.
If they could obey the law, they could indeed boast,
though not one would succeed. The law of works didn’t forbid them from
boasting; it prevented them entirely. But the law of faith which could
save them also forbade them from boasting concerning their salvation. Salvation
by faith was entirely separated from any works of merit. Thus
accepting salvation by faith also required that the person be required to not
boast of anything of their goodness (rather, their lack of it!) in the
transaction.
Romans 3:28 – Therefore we conclude that a man is justified
by faith without the deeds of the law.
The law cannot justify
any man (because it cannot be completely obeyed by any man). So
the argument continues that the only means by which we might be justified is by
faith in Jesus Christ. The deeds of the law cannot help us at all.
Romans 3:29 – [Is he] the God of the Jews only? [is
he] not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:
And this not only
applies to those whom God has called His people, the Jews, but also to the Gentiles.
For He is the God of the Jews as well as of the Gentiles. As Paul continues to
note in his argument in Romans, there is no difference.
Romans 3:30 – Seeing [it is] one God, which shall
justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
The one God will
justify both the circumcised and the uncircumcised but only on the grounds of
faith in each case. Once again, we have the argument that there is no
difference; God will treat all people the same when it comes to the judgment,
too.
Romans 3:31 – Do we then make void the law through faith?
God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
So does faith
render the law out of date or even of no use at all? Absolutely not. “God forbid.”
The law is established for the following reasons:-
1/. At no time did God break the law or show any relaxing of His
holy requirements according to the law. Even in establishing salvation by faith
in Jesus by His grace, He followed every requirement of the law in doing so.
What mankind couldn’t do to satisfy the law, God caused His Son Jesus to
satisfy it fully on our behalf.
2/. Jesus came to fulfil the law in every way, even its
requirements for punishment, paying the full penalty Himself, demonstrating
that God was determined to inflict the full amount of penalty required by the
law.
Matthew 5:17-18 – 17 Think not
that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy,
but to fulfil. 18For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in
no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
3/. God’s demonstration of His just actions in fully acknowledging
the right of the law to condemn, and His payment in full of those requirements,
leads to an observance of the law. The sinner sees God’s respect for the law,
and this establishes the right of the law in that sinner’s life to condemn him.
Being justly condemned, the sinner is then free, through faith, to be
subject to that law that God shows such respect for.
As Barnes says – The fact
that Christ endured such sufferings to show the evil of violating the law, is
one of the strongest motives prompting to obedience.
So the law is
established through faith and all its just requirements are satisfied through
faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
However, once the law (of sin and its penalty) is established,
through faith in Christ, we become dead to that law so that we may live for
God.
Galatians 2:19 – For I through the law am dead to
the law, that I might live unto God.
A major problem of most churches today is that they do not preach the cross of Jesus. They preach spiritual manifestations, tongues, being of the elect, doing the works of salvation (not necessarily as a result of salvation), etc. Today we have a new generation of Christians who are so attuned to the world that they can readily communicate with those in the world. But they appear to have lost the desire to suffer for the sake of Jesus their Saviour. They want their creature comforts and cannot see why suffering has to be a part of their Christian walk. After all, we have matured as Christians these days. We can now pick and choose what we want to believe and what we feel uncomfortable with we can dismiss as being old-fashioned or unnecessary. But the Bible is uncompromising in its requirements for those who would be genuine Christians. These in general require a turning away from the world and a taking up of our crosses and following Jesus. The world behind me, the cross before me, as the song goes. But today we want the world before me and the cross somewhere perhaps not too obvious or else we might lose our acceptability with the world.
Hoppers Crossing
Christian Church homepage