You will take your Bibles and
turn with me to Romans chapter 3. Romans chapter 3, this will serve
as my text this morning. I want to pick up the last two
verses in our reading from chapter 2 of Romans. And then I want
to read you several verses out of Romans chapter 3. Now Paul's
dealing here in his letter to the Romans, he's dealing with
this thing of Gentiles and Jews. The saints at Rome were mostly
Gentile believers. And he's dealing with this thing
of Gentiles and their base knowledge of God and their conscience and
so on and how they've thrown aside, that light will be judged
by that light. And then the Jews who had greater
light will be judged by that light. And then he comes down
to the end of chapter 2 and he said, for he is not a Jew, verse
28. Romans chapter 2, verse 28. He is not a Jew which is one
outwardly. Neither is that circumcision,
which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew, which is one
inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit,
and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of
God. What advantage then hath the
Jew, the natural Jew? Or what profit is there in circumcision? much, every way, chiefly because
that unto them were committed the oracles of God, the spoken
word of God. For what if some did not believe?
Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
He's talking about unbelieving Jews. God forbid. Yea, let God be true in every
man's life, as it is written, that thou mightest be justified
in thy saves, that thou mightest overcome when thou art judged.
That is, a man replies against God, brings charges against God. But if our unrighteousness commend
the righteousness of God, what's he talking about there? Yvonne
asked me that this morning. Here's what he's talking about.
If our righteousness All our righteousnesses are as filthy
rags. The only way our righteousnesses
can commend the righteousness of God is by showing to us our
need of it. Showing us our lack of it and
his bounty in it. If our righteousness commend
the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous
who also taketh vengeance? I speak as a man, God forbid. For then how shall God judge
the world? For if the truth of God hath
more abounded through my lie, that is, the lies that he was
accused of, unto his glory, why yet am I also judged as a sinner? And not rather, as we be slanderously
reported, And if some affirm that we say, let us do evil,
that God may come, whose damnation is just. What then? What are we going to say to this?
The condemnation of the Gentiles, the condemnation of the Jews. What are we going to say about
all this? Are we better than they? No, and no wise. For we have
before proved, both Jews and Gentiles, that they're all under
sin. As it is written, there's none
righteous, no, not one, none that understandeth, there's none
that seeketh after God. They're all gone out of the way,
they are together become unprofitable, there's none that doeth good,
no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre,
a grave. With their tongues they've used
deceit, the poison of asps is under their lips. That thing's
folded up, you don't see them, but you'll feel them when they
strike. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness, whose
feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in
their ways, and the way of peace they've not known, no fear of
God before their eyes. Now we know that what thing 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. 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. You run to the law, and the law
says you're a sinner. You're a sinner. The righteousness of God without
the law is manifested being witnessed by the law in the province. 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, that
is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, advantaged and
unadvantaged. For all have sinned. and come
short of the glory of God. They're all sinners. Being justified freely by His
grace through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus, whom
God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood to
declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are
passed through the forbearance of God and to declare, I say
at this time, His righteousness that he might be just in the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? Huh? Put your thumbs in your
lapel and say one thing I could say. No. No, where's boasting? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay, but by the law
of faith. the fixed principle of faith,
saved by grace. Therefore, we conclude that a
man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. I invite you to turn again with
me to Paul's epistle to the Romans. a small portion of Chapter 2
and what I read to you from Chapter 3, especially in verses 19 through
22. Romans 3 is a very sweet and
instructive chapter that shows what we are in truth. Shows us where we are, how we
are, and why we are. shows us what we are in truth
and our only hope before God in the person and work of Jesus
Christ. And as a preacher, I could not
hope for anything better. Where will I preach from in the
Word of God? I couldn't hope for anything
any better than that. It's laid out where even a child
could understand it. And as a sinner, I could not
ask for a more excellent hope, a righteousness without the law. In Romans 2 and 3, Paul deals
with three great mysteries. My phone call yesterday reminded
me that these things are still mysteries in the minds of people. That's why they say the things
they say. They don't understand the mysteries. He deals with
three great mysteries. The mystery, first, of the Gentiles. He's not a Jew, which is a joke. He's not a Jew because he says
he's a Jew. There's a mystery involved in
this thing of salvation to the Gentiles. And then, secondly,
is the mystery of iniquity. Sin is a mystery. People don't
know they're sinners. That's why you can't talk to
them. That's why when you talk to them about Christ laying down
His life or being slain for their hope, it
doesn't mean anything to them because they're not sinners. When a man understands he's a
sinner, his mouth shuts. He's got nothing else to say.
He's not going to argue with God. He understands what he is. He don't want to say anything.
Everything he's ever said incriminated him. He's not going to open his
mouth now. And I tell you, you find any
man who defends man against God, there's a man who don't know
God. Who art thou, old man? Huh? You going to put God on trial? You don't know God. You don't
know God. And the third mystery is the
mystery of imputed righteousness. Ha! Them old hypocrites down
at the church, yeah. That's what they are in themselves.
But in Christ, they're righteous. They're righteous. May God the
Holy Spirit be our teacher this morning and cause these simple
yet profound things to become a part of our reasoning. Now
let's begin with the mystery of the Gentiles. When God began
to set forth the redemption of Christ, he did so through a people
that he called the children of Israel. The children of Israel. Israel is the name that God gave
to Jacob. Thou shalt no more be called
Jacob, The heel grasper. But I'm going to call you Israel.
A prince. A prince. Israel is the name
God gave to Jacob. In Romans chapter 9, Paul tells
us that when Rebekah, his mother, had conceived by one, even our
father Isaac, and before these two twins in her womb were ever
born or ever did any good or evil, Now listen, that the purpose
of God according to election might stand, it was said unto
her, the elder is going to serve the younger. Now that's not the way it was.
The younger always served the elder. The elder was the head
of the house. The elder was the focal point.
He was the one in whom provision was given. But he said, it's
not going to be so with you. The elder is going to serve the
younger. Now watch this, verse 13. As it is written, Jacob have
I loved, Esau have I hated. God's purpose in calling out
the Jews was to typify the elect of God and those for whom Christ
would come and suffer and die. In Romans 9.4, the apostle tells
us that his kinsmen were Israelites, to whom pertaineth the adoption.
Everything that the Old Testament said about adoption, it applied
to Israel. And the glory. All the glory
that God demonstrated was to Israel. You want to see God work? Follow Israel. Who else did he
split a sea to allow to pass over? Huh? Can you imagine the
Jordan River at flood stage? I've seen the Ohio River at flood
stage right up within a foot of just destroying the cities.
And I'm telling you, it's an awesome thing to see, one of
these big rivers like the Mississippi or the Ohio or one of those big
rivers. You see that thing up? This was
a huge river. And there's rivers that flood
states. And that breeze goes down there and that water begins
to back up. Jordan back up. And on dry ground,
the Israel fashion. The glory pertained to Israel. That's where the glory was. Who
else had a fiery cloud that followed them? Who else had a rock that
provided water and that rock followed them everywhere they
went? Who else was delivered from the greatest nation on the
earth, Egypt? Who else could possibly be delivered
without so much as having a sling in your hand? His deliverance
was so thorough that not even a dog barked in protest when
they walked out. They were so happy to see them
men leave, they gave them all their treasures. Here, take all
of them. Get out of here. You see what he's saying? To
them pertaineth the glory and the covenants. God made a covenant
with Abraham. To Abraham and thy seed were
the promises made. Everything God did, said, and
gave throughout the Old Testament was to Israel, right down to
and including the parents of the Messiah. And yet, as a nation,
the overwhelming majority rejected Jesus as the Christ and were
the principal cause of his death, you have with wicked hands crucified
and slain in the Son of God. Romans 9, 6. Now watch this. Not as though the Word of God
was of no effect. Don't this contradict the Word
of God? No. No, it don't. For they are not
all Israel, the nation, which are of Israel, the man. Neither because they are the
seed of Abraham are they all children. We have Abraham, thy
father, so what? I don't mean anything. But in Isaac shall thy seed be
called, the promised seed. Now watch this, verse eight,
Romans chapter nine. That is, they which are the children
of the flesh, these are not the children of God. I read that to a man one time
and he told me, he said, well just in case you're wrong, he
said, I'm still going to hold out favor for Israel. I'm reading to you what God said.
These are not The children of God, but the children of the
promise are counted for the seed. Everything God promised was to
Abraham and his seed. Now listen to this. Just turn
over there with me to Galatians chapter 3. I want you to see
it for yourself. Everything God promised was to
Abraham and his seed. Paul uses this as an argument.
Galatians 3 verse 16. Now to Abraham and his seed were
the promises made. He saith not, and to seeds as
of many, but of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ. Israel, the nation, was set apart
by God as a typical people to show us and teach us about the
purpose of God according to election. God chose the people and His
Son, He made full provision for them, and Christ our Redeemer.
And He tells us in Galatians 3 verse 26, You are all the children
of God by faith in Christ Jesus. How do I know if I'm a child
of God? By faith in Christ Jesus. That's the only way you know.
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, buried
with Him, have put on Christ. There. What's that talking about? That's talking about a place.
There. That is in Christ. There is neither
Jew nor Greek. Listen to how many times he uses
that word. There is neither bond nor free. There is neither male nor female. Are you listening? For you are
all one in Christ Jesus. And if you be Christ, then are
you Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. In
Ephesians 3, 8, Paul said unto me, who am less than the least
of all saints, is this grace given that I should preach among
the Gentiles? the unsearchable riches of Christ. I'm going to talk to them, I'm
going to talk to these heathens, bowing down before statues. I'm
going to talk to these heathens and I'm going to tell them that
these promises is unto them. and to make all men see what
is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the
world has been hidden in God who created all things by Christ
Jesus to the intent that now under principalities and powers
and heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold
wisdom of God according to the eternal purpose which is purposed
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Well, he's saying preachers.
I'm saying that I'm not in any way, shape, or form trying to
teach or preach or declare some kind of universal salvation. There's no such thing in the
Scripture. The only information we have
about God and about salvation is the Scripture. The Scripture
never talks about a universal salvation. If God intended to save every
man, He'd save every man. Isn't that what the scripture
said? He does according to His will in the armies of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth. He rules. He's not trying to rule. He's
not trying to get you to elect Him to be Lord. He's Lord. Always
has been, always will be. God chose a people in Christ.
He chose them to manifest His glory and the salvation of their
souls. And God loved them and sent His
Son to be the propitiation for their sins. And His Son willingly
came and assumed their likeness and lived and died in their place
at substitution and representation. In fact, by way of this eternal
union, Ephesians 2.6, we're said to be seated with Him right now
in glory. The scope of His salvation is
only universal in three senses. Three senses. To those to whom
we're sent to preach. I'm to preach this salvation
to every creature. You want to talk about the universality
of something in the preaching of the gospel. Why? Why, if God
only intends to save His elect, am I sent to preach to every
creature? Because I can't tell who's His elect and who ain't.
That's why. And I'm forbidden to do so. I'm to preach to every man. So it's universal as to those
we're sent to preach to. It's universal to those responsible
to believe. He that believeth not is condemned
already. Because he won't believe on me,
Christ said. And it's universal in the place
out of which his elect shall be taken. Every nation, tribe,
kindred, people, and tongue under heaven. So what does this mystery
of the Gentiles have to do with what he's talking about in Romans
chapter 3? Why even bring it up in the preaching
of the gospel? Because it lays the foundation
of the free grace of God in his justifying righteousness through
the accomplished redemption of Christ. Christ died for somebody
and by his resurrection he justified somebody. It wasn't an attempt
to justify, he justified. He didn't come here trying to
save somebody, William. He came and saved us. There is no acceptance with God
based on anything that the sinner has done, is doing, or might
do in some future time. It's unto all and upon all that
believe, and here's why. There is no difference. Ain't
no difference. Ain't no difference between a
religious pretender and a pagan dancing around a totem pole.
Ain't no difference. Isn't that what he said? Oh, my soul. You take that deacon down to
First Baptist Church. Ain't no difference between him
and that heathen over in Africa. Not a bit. Not a bit. No difference. Alright, here's the second mystery
set forth in Romans chapter 3. The mystery of iniquity. Having stated the great advantages
given to the Jews above the Gentiles. They had the profits the Gentiles
didn't. They had the giving of the law.
God gave them the law. He read it to them, gave it to
them. He gave them the types, the covenants, and on and on
the list goes. And chiefly, he said he gave
to them the oracles of God. He sent his ambassadors to them,
and everything they said was the Word of God, and it was penned
and preserved in this book. Now watch this, Romans 3 verse
9. What then? Here's this people
who are bandaged so far above the Gentiles it ain't funny.
They had it all. The Gentiles had nothing. Nothing. Left to live in the
vanity of their minds. Are we better than that? Here's a man raised by heathen
parents. He don't go to church. He's ignorant
of the word of God. He's left to the ideas of the
other heathens like himself and more than likely overtaken in
some form of worldly addiction, whatever it is, be it sex or
alcohol or drugs or whatever else the world offers. And here's
another man, he's raised by religious parents, familiar with the Word
of God, goes to church every week, qualified, ordained ministers
teach him, got a plaque on the wall telling you that they've
been through school and they're qualified to teach. Is he better
than that heathen? Hear what the Holy Ghost says
on the subject. I love simplicity. Huh? Don't you love that? Don't take an hour-long definition. No. That's what Paul said. No. Yeah, but Paul meant in no wise. Put it any way you want to put
it, they're not one iota better than that guy out there dancing
naked around Totem Point. No. That's what Paul said, no. For we have before proved both
Jews and Gentiles, they're all under sin. Now if there's one
mystery that's been hid that's still prominent throughout time,
it is the mystery of iniquity. Who and what is a sinner, and
why is he the way he is? Sin is a mysterious work. On
the surface, it seems obvious enough, sin is the transgression
of the law. That's what the book says. Murderers,
adulterers, thieves, liars, truth breakers, and on and on the list
goes. Everybody knows that. We have courts down here. You
don't believe me, go down there. They've got laws. They bring
men in, they're transgressors, they prove them to be transgressors,
and they're punished. Anybody can see and recognize
the transgressors of the law. But man's sinnerhood goes deeper
than what everybody sees. Sin has to do with motive. The rich young ruler came to
Christ. He said, good master. And then the Lord straightened
him out on that word good. There's nothing good but God.
Why callest thou me good? He said, what must I do to be
saved? Do you want to know what you have to do to be saved? Where
it possible? Keep the law. Keep the law. Oh, he said, all these
have I done from my youth up. He did outwardly. He didn't steal. He didn't do any of those things. That's what Paul said, touching
the righteousness which is of the law of blameless. Outwardly. But sin has to do with motive
and thought. It has to do with lust and desire. Or the lack of it. over Matthew
15 when telling his hearers what defiles a man. Ain't that what
we're talking about? Iniquity. What is it that defiles
a man? He points to the heart. And listen to what he says. The
first word out of his mouth was evil thoughts. What's that? I can think of a thousand scenarios.
I can think of a thousand things that we call evil thoughts. But
what is an evil thought? It's anything contrary to the
character of God. Evil thoughts. Anything contrary to the law
of God, or the word of God, or the purpose of God. And he tells
us that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately
wishes truth and knowledge. But the real mystery of iniquity
is when sin is disguised under the pretense of religion. Paul
wrote to the saints at Thessalonica and he told them that the Lord,
somebody told them the Lord's coming back next week. How many
times have we been told that? Somebody arrives up, people get
some confidence in him. He said, no, no, the Lord's coming
back on the 19th of January, you know. And that's what somebody
come in, they had some confidence in him, they said, the Lord's
coming back. Gonna come back right away. And Paul said, no. He's not coming back until there's
first a great falling away. Now listen, and that man of sin
be revealed. the son of perdition. Both religion
in general and Hollywood in particular picture a man filled with the
spirit of Satan. As Christ is the God-man, the
son of perdition would be a Satan-man. He's equal to God except in the
opposite direction. And there's more truth in that
than you really know. Now listen to this, Paul said
in Ephesians 2, you had the quickened who were dead in trespasses and
sins. Where in time past you walked
according to the course of this world, now listen, according
to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now worketh
in the children of disobedience. Satan's work is in the realm
of religion, murder, fornication, drunkenness, all these things
that we talk about being sin, these all come from within. There's
nothing satanic about it. Satan moves in the realm of religion. Religion, false religion, antichrist
religion is an influence. And that man of sin can be any
man, it can be any assembly, it can be any denomination that
promotes a religion contrary to Christ. That's why it's called
Antichrist. And Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians
2, 7, for the mystery of iniquity doth already work. It was already
active in the days of the apostles. In 2 Corinthians 11, 13, he said,
for such are false apostles. What's that? That's the Pope
in Rome. He's a false apostle. He claims
to be an apostle. A man who has the ability to
change the Word of God. To determine what it means. Such
are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves
into the apostles of Christ and no marvel. For Satan himself
is transformed into an angel of light, therefore it's no great
thing if his ministers be transformed into ministers of what? Righteousness. Our Lord said, if the light that
be in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness? If
what we think is goodness and light, knowledge and wisdom,
but that's darkness. Oh, my soul, how great then is
that darkness. Are you with me so far? 2 Thessalonians
2, 9 said, Even him and whose coming is after the working of
Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders. And the him
he's talking about is that inner man of the heart in religion. When I was in religion, actively
engaged in it, I saw nearly miraculous reformations of men. Men whose lives were upside down,
making a complete turnaround. But it's never in harmony with
God and with salvation in Christ the Lord. And it's never in harmony
with the Word of God. He calls it, 2 Thessalonians
2.10, as coming with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that
perish or who are perishing. The deceivableness of unrighteousness
is to make you believe that what you're doing in the name of religion
is honoring to God and a righteous act. A prime example of that
was the death of Stephen. Paul thought he was doing God
a favor. All them people he sought papers
for, locked into prisons, persecuted those believers. He thought he
was doing God a favor. He thought he was doing a righteous
thing. The Pharisees and the scribes
said to the Lord, we'd be not born of fornication. We have
one Father, even God, to which the Lord said, if God was your
Father, you'd love me. If God be your Father, you love
me, for I proceeded forth and came from God. You're of your
Father the devil, and the lust of your Father you will do. That's
what false religion does. And then with these things in
mind, let's examine the mystery of imputed righteousness. Romans
2 ends with these words, He's a Jew which is one inwardly,
and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit, not in the
letter. whose praise is of God and not
of men. And the law, Romans chapter 3
verse 19, when understood aright stops every mouth and leaves
those who hear it guilty before God. Boy, I tell you, when you get
shut up by the law, and as a young rebel I've been there, And you
get in that courthouse and that judge shuts you up to the law,
you got nothing else to say. You already wish you hadn't said
what you said. And you ain't gonna say no more. Now here's the situation. That
man convicted of sin now knows he's a sinner. And no hope in
him, no hope in the deceived world around him. By the deeds
of the law, verse 20, there shall no flesh be justified in his
sight. I don't care what you do. Well, I did this. I made this
promise. I made a deal with God. Yeah,
I know. I have too. I'm telling you something, by
the deeds of the law, no flesh is going to be justified in His
sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. That's all
the law will ever say to you is you're guilty. You're guilty,
you're guilty, you're guilty. Joseph Hart wrote this hymn,
and one of the verses goes like this. He said, to understand
these things are right, This grand distinction should be made
known. Though all are sinners in God's
sight, there are but few so in their own. To such as these our
Lord was sent, there are only sinners who repent. What comfort can a Savior bring
to those who never felt their woe? Now listen to this. A sinner is a sacred thing. The Holy Ghost has made him so. New life from him we must receive,
before for sin we rightly grieve. You have to understand these
mysteries to understand who Christ is. why he came, what he did,
and where he's at, and to receive anything from it. Men and women are helpless, hopeless
sinners, and everyone shut up to the mercy and grace of God
and Christ, and when God draws such a one to himself, he strips
him of all hope in himself and hope in the world. But there's
hope for such as these, and only for such as these. Romans 3.21. But now, now, having understood
these things, having seen these things, but now the righteousness
of God without the law is manifested being witnessed by the law and
the prophet. Even the righteousness of God
which is by faith of Jesus Christ. Now that can mean two things.
One is it's of his righteous obedience. It's of his righteousness
and not ours. And the second thing is it's
of faith. His faith. The faith that he
gives. even the righteousness of God,
which is by faith of Jesus Christ. And it's unto all and upon all
them that believe, for there is no difference, no difference
in men, for all is sin, and comes short of the glory of God. There
is a righteousness manifested for hopeless, helpless sinners,
and it's called in the Scripture the righteousness of God. It's
in perfect harmony with the character of God, and of the provision
that He made for us in Christ. And it is by way of representation. There's no way you can earn it,
merit it, have it. It's in Him. To have this righteousness,
you must have the person who is righteous. Because there's
none righteous here. And He's the Son of God. He's
the righteous one. It's by way of representation.
He said, Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came
upon all men the condemnation, even so by the righteousness
of one the free gift came upon all men the justification of
life. All those represented in Adam fell in the garden, were
cursed of God. All those represented in Christ
are recipients of His justifying righteousness. He goes on and says, For as by
one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience
of one many shall be made righteous. Now wait a minute, you mean by
his obedience I'm made righteous? That's exactly what Scripture
says. Paul said to his kinsmen, the
Jews, over in Romans 10-2, I bear them record, they have a seal
of God, but it's not according They don't understand. They don't
know what they're doing. They're religious, they're active,
they're engaged, they're going door to door, knocking on doors.
I bear them record, they have a zeal of God, but it's not according
to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's
righteousness, they're ignorant of it. And they're going about to establish
their own righteousness. and have not submitted themselves
unto the righteousness of God." Well, how can you say such a
thing? Because Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believes in Him. The highest goal, the loftiest
expectation of the law is manifested in Christ. In Isaiah 42, 21,
he said, the Lord is well pleased for His Righteousness sake, His
righteousness. He will magnify the law and make
it honorable. He manifested a full, free, perfect
righteousness for chosen sinners of God in Him who made unto us
wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. I'm saying that
Christ Jesus came into this world on behalf of the chosen people
and in their place did for them what they could never do for
themselves. He obeyed the law of God, fulfilled
all the demands of God, and manifested a love for his Father. And by
that love for his Father, obeyed that law in every jot and tittle.
And the crowning work of that obedience was his death on the
cross. He satisfied God. And now the righteousness of
God without the law is manifested, brought into view, brought to
tuition, manifested for his people. And here he gives the example,
the old father of faith, Abraham. And here's what he says about
Abraham. There's a lot to be said about the man, but listen
to what Paul says about him. Abraham believed God, and it
was counted to him for righteousness. And it wasn't just written for
his sake alone that it was counted to him, but for us also who shall
believe. God counted that man righteous. Oh, my soul. Through the gospel of Christ,
God declares his righteousness for the remission of sins, both
past and present. that he might be just and the
justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. And every poor sinner
for whom Christ lived and died is righteous before God. He righteous. So what's the conclusion? Romans
3 28. Therefore we conclude a man is
justified by faith without the deeds of the law. I want you
to hear this and I'll quit. You cannot manifest God's righteousness
more than you do when you walk before this world resting in
the imputed righteousness of Christ. How are they going to know I'm
righteous? They'll know when you quit trusting
in everything else and trust in Him. I don't know.