Romans Part 13

In Romans 3:5, Paul raises another objection: 

"But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath?" 

In other words, if my sin somehow highlights God's righteousness, is God wrong to punish me? Paul's answer is immediate: 

"Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world?" (Romans 3:6)

Paul carries this faulty reasoning to its logical conclusion: 

"And why not say, 'Let us do evil that good may come'?" (Romans 3:8)

Paul explains that some had slanderously accused him of teaching this very idea. Yet this was never Paul's message. He did not teach people to sin so that God could forgive more, nor did he teach people to reject the covenant so God could receive greater glory by bringing them back from an even greater distance.

God has every right to judge the world. Human unrighteousness does not make God unjust. Good does not come from our evil; rather, God brings good in spite of our evil. While God can bring good out of evil, that never justifies the evil itself. Paul completely rejects the idea that grace gives permission to sin.

This also serves as a warning against willful sin. We cannot continue breaking God's law carelessly while expecting His grace to cover us if we are not even trying to repent or overcome. Grace is not a license for willful sin. God can transform sinners, but He is transforming those who desire to be made whole. The Christian life is not "do evil and expect grace." It is a life of repentance, faith, obedience, and transformation through God's mercy.

In verse 9, Paul summarizes the argument he has been building since the opening chapter of Romans: 

"What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin." (Romans 3:9)

Gentiles are under sin. Jews are under sin. No one has lived righteously on his own.

To support this conclusion, Paul strings together a series of quotations from the Old Testament: 

"There is none righteous, no, not one." (Romans 3:10)

"There is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God." (Romans 3:11)

"They have all turned aside." (Romans 3:12)

"There is none who does good, no, not one." (Romans 3:12)

"There is no fear of God before their eyes." (Romans 3:18)

The point is that there is no such thing as a naturally good person by God's standard. Jesus Christ is the only human being who lived without sin. Every other person has fallen short and needs repentance, forgiveness, and the sacrifice of Christ. Apart from God's Spirit, every person is led by the carnal mind. Paul will develop this further in Romans 8, where he explains that the carnal mind is enmity against God.

This means we cannot come into the Church simply thinking, "I am a good person who finally found a group of good people." That misses Paul's point entirely. We must come face to face with our own sin. Baptism, forgiveness, and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ are not optional additions to an otherwise good life. They are necessary because all have sinned.

Paul continues,

"Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." (Romans 3:19)

The phrase "under the law" can sound confusing, but Paul immediately explains its meaning in this context. Every mouth is stopped, and all the world becomes guilty before God. Here, being "under the law" includes being under its judgment and penalty because the whole world has broken God's law.

This connects with Romans 2:12: 

"As many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law." 

The law of God is the objective standard. Whether a person knew the law and broke it or did not know it clearly and still broke it, sin brings guilt before God.

Paul then makes one of the foundational statements of the book: 

"Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin." (Romans 3:20)

The law defines sin, reveals sin, exposes guilt, shows the standard of righteousness, and points a person to the need for Jesus Christ. What the law cannot do is forgive sin, remove the penalty of sin, justify a sinner by his own obedience after the fact, or save a person from the death penalty already earned by sin.

No amount of keeping the law after we have sinned can erase the sins already committed. The law tells us what sin is and shows us why we need the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Epistles of Paul is a course taught at ABC by Mr. Steve Myers. Recordings from the 2023–2024 class year are available on the ABC website.

UYA Team | uya@ucg.org  

United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.