Romans chapter 3. Romans chapter
3. I'm going to begin at verse 6,
and hopefully end up in verse 18. I know that's a lot of verses,
but many of these verses here, especially verse 10, down through
verse 18, really need no explanation so much, because one reason we
are most familiar Not overly so, but we're most
familiar with these verses that describes what we are. Now, we always use reference
to our total depravity and our sin before God, and we always
make sure to include ourselves and not use language such as
those people and them. No, it's us. It's us. We are
the ones that have sinned against God. Paul uses this statement
here found in verse 4. God forbid, yea, let God be true
in every man a liar, as it is written. Again in verse 6 he
uses that same statement. Now, he uses it as a statement
of rebuke when he would state something most obvious, and then
he would follow up with, God forbid, for then how shall God
judge the world? Again, he uses this same statement. Look at verse 31, the last verse
in this third chapter. Do we make void the law, talking
about the law of God through faith, God forbid. God forbid
we establish the law. And he uses that same statement
again in Romans chapter 6, and we'll see that many times. It
is a statement of rebuke. God is absolutely true in everything
He does, He does right. And everything that He does is
absolutely right. The Lord our God cannot act contrary
to His holy nature. For example, the Scripture said
it is impossible for God to lie. Why cannot He lie? Why can't
He lie? Because it's contrary to His
holy nature. God, our Lord Jesus Christ, God
our Savior, is full of grace and truth. Man is just the exact
opposite. The songwriter put it, full of
sin and unbelief, false and full of sin, I am come now fount of
every blessing. Do you remember that song? This reply of opposition to the
gospel, Paul says here in verse 6, God forbid, if our unrighteousness
commend our sin and unbelief, commend the righteousness of
God, what shall we say? Is the Lord unrighteous to judge
our sin? God forbid, God forbid. For then how shall God judge
the world? You see, it is the truth that
sets us free, and no lie is of the truth. The Lord does not
use falsehood to teach men the truth of sin, of salvation in
the Lord Jesus Christ. He doesn't use lies, He uses
the truth. Let God be true in every man
a liar. The Lord always acts in a way
that is true to His character. When He judges, He judges in
absolute truth. Does He not? Notice over in chapter
2, in chapter 2, verse 2, but we are sure that the judgment
of God is according to truth. Absolute truth. God's judgments
are true and righteous all together. Now, beginning at verse 7 of
Romans 3, notice this word here, if. For if the truth of God hath
more abounded through my lie unto his glory, why yet am I
also judged as a sinner?" Paul presents his argument to those
who would oppose his preaching, the preaching of sovereign grace
by Christ alone, in verses seven and verse eight. Now, nothing
is more opposite to the truth than a lie. A lie can never be
an advantage to the truth. For if, now notice the word,
if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto
his glory. Now, those who oppose the gospel
accused Paul of being a blasphemer, accused him of being a liar,
Why am I yet also judged as a sinner? The truth of God can never abound
through a lie. We know that Satan is called
the father of lies. Adam in the garden, unfallen,
believed Satan's lie and we know the sad consequences of that. Adam's sin against God in his
ruin and ours in him. The truth of God preached by
the apostles Even though they were accused of being liars and
blasphemers against God, the self-righteous Jews accused Paul
of heresy and judged him to be a vile sinner. I can show you
that if you turn just over a few pages to the book of Acts chapter
24. They accused him of being a liar
and a sinful man in Acts 24 verse 14. Paul makes his defense here
against those who had accused him of lying and blasphemy against
God. But this I confess unto thee
that the way which they call heresy, Now they accused him
of being a heretic. Heresy, so worship I the God
of my father, believing all things which are written in the law
and in the prophet, and have hope toward God, which they themselves
also allow, speaking of the self-righteous Jews, that there shall be a resurrection
of the dead, both of the just and of the unjust. Now, look at verse 8. Why am
I judged a sinner? If the truth of God abounds whom
I lie, why do you call me a sinner? Now look at verse 8, and not
rather as we slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say,
now here's what the accusation was against Paul, and Paul never
preached anything like this and neither did any of the apostles,
nor the Lord, let us do evil that good may come." Now, whose
damnation is just? Well, those who do evil. Their damnation is just. Paul never preached the doctrine
of, let us do that which is contrary to the word of the Lord. Let
us rebel against the word of the Lord and sin against the
Lord our God. in order to magnify the grace
of God, and he uses that same statement, God forbid. Paul preached, and here's the
reason that they accused him of being a liar and a heretic,
Paul preached grace so strong and so free that the self-righteous
Jews often accused him of being an enemy to obedience and faith
unto the Lord." Now, we're going to see this same argument again
that's brought up over in chapter 6 of Romans. Turn there for just
a moment. Romans chapter 6 verse 1. What
shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that
grace may abound? Now that's what those who are
opposed to the gospel of God's free grace would accuse us of
saying and of preaching. Paul said, God forbid! How shall
we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? In the same
chapter, Romans 6, look at verse 14. For sin shall not have dominion
over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace. What
then? Shall we sin because we are not
under the law, but under grace? God forbid. The salvation by
the grace of God never gives us an excuse to sin against God. I want to, if I could in this
flesh, I would stop sin altogether, but it's impossible. It's impossible
to do so. That's why the gospel of God's
free grace teaches us that we only have continual forgiveness
of our sins through the blood and righteousness of the Lord
Jesus Christ alone. It is only and always salvation
by the will of God and the purpose of God and the faithfulness of
the Lord Jesus Christ, by the sovereign purpose and grace of
God that any sinner is saved. All who reject salvation in Christ
alone Grace alone, their damnation as it says there, will be just. Just. Now, verse 9 of Romans
3, what then? What then? What now? Are we better? Are we better? Are we better
than they? He's making an argument here.
The Jews would say, well, we're better than those Gentiles. I
mean, we're just better. Remember that man in the temple,
But Pharisee who prayed, Lord, I thank you I'm not like that
publican over there, that vile low sinner. What then? Are we
better than they? No. No. God saves every sinner He saves
by the grace of God alone. Now remember that argument? Don't
turn, let me just read it to you. Found in Acts 15 verse 11
where they were debating whether circumcision played any part
in salvation. Remember? And Peter stood up
and said, we believe through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
that we, that us Jews, We shall be saved even as they by the
grace of our God alone and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul having clearly presented
that salvation is by Christ alone, not the law and Christ, not circumcision
and Christ, he shows us the reason why salvation must be only by
Christ alone, grace alone, faith alone, in the blood and righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Are we better than they? No,
in no wise, in no case, for we have before both proved, both,
both proved or charged both Jew and Gentile that they are All,
underscore that word, all under sin. Now how do we get that way?
How did we get that way? There is a false notion among
many people, religious people especially, that when we're born
into this life, we're born in an innocent state with no sin,
and then we eventually grow up to what they call an age of accountability,
and then we become sinners. That is not taught in the Word
of God, nowhere. David said, I was born in sin,
shapen in iniquity, that I came forth from the womb speaking
lies. You see, we have a sinful nature. Even when we are conceived in
our mother's womb, we are conceived with sin. Now, I'm not saying
that that acts. of creation is sinful. That relationship
between a man, a husband, and a wife is ordained of God for
the furtherance and the multiplying of our race. But he is saying
here that we are conceived in sin. We are sinners from the
day one even before we come forth from the womb. We are sinful. We are all descended sinners. Sinners can only produce Sinners. I mean horses only produce horses. Cows only produce cows. And sinners only produce sinners. And that's how we are born. In Adam, we're going to see in
chapter 5, and this is so important. If you don't understand something
of sin and our total depravity, you'll never have an understanding
of salvation and how it must be by the grace of God alone. The grace of God alone and always. Are we better than they? No and
no wise. We have before proved or charged
Jews and Gentiles that they're all under sin, all guilty before
God. As it says down in verse 23 of
Romans 3, all have sinned. Does that include you? Yes, all means all have sin. All, therefore, are guilty before
God. That's why salvation must be
by grace and grace alone. We are not better than anyone
else. We're all guilty, guilty, guilty
in Adam. In Adam we die. What he did,
we did. What he sinned, we sinned. We
stand guilty before God in Adam and in our own rebellion against
God. Now, he's going to prove the
point that we are all sinners by going back to the Scriptures
as it is written. As it is written. Now he goes
back through all the Word of God, as it is written, there
is none righteous, no, not one. Now we can go back all the way
to Genesis chapter 6, when the Lord describes the sinfulness
of the human race all the way back those thousands of years.
God saw that every imagination of the thoughts of every heart
was only evil, and that continually. As it is written, there is none,
none, none. Now he uses this word four times. Someone called these four nones
here, the four nones. There is none righteous, no,
not one. The best deeds we have, the Scriptures
teach that all of our righteousnesses before God are as filthy rags
in his sight." That's Isaiah chapter 6, isn't it? Isaiah,
excuse me, chapter 64. There is none, there is none
righteous, no, not one. And he also makes reference to
And this is actually taken from Psalm 14, where there is none
righteous, no, not one. And then the second none we find
in verse 11, there is none that understandeth. Our understanding
is darkened. The carnal mind receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God. Our understanding... In other
words, what he's saying is this, by nature we're ignorant. We're
ignorant. We don't have any right understanding.
We're ignorant of our own sinful nature, and we're ignorant of
the righteousness of God, and we're ignorant of the Lord Jesus
Christ and what He has accomplished for us. There is none that understandeth,
no, not one. You see, He must give us an understanding. He must make us righteous. He must, it's something that
He must do. It's all of grace. I'm thinking
about a statement that I heard on the radio this morning. Salvation,
and here's what the man said. He said, salvation's all up to
you. Well, if that be the case, then why did Christ come? I mean,
salvation's all up to you. Just push Him out of the way.
You see, It has to be, he's making the argument here, that salvation
has to be by the grace of God alone, because there's none righteous,
no not one. Among men, there's none righteous. Now, how do sinners become righteous? By something we do? No. We're gonna see in chapter four,
blessed is a man to whom the Lord imputeth righteousness with
how works. The Lord Jesus Christ, He is
our righteousness. He is our wisdom and our understanding. There is none that understand
it. And then the third thing He says there in verse 11, the
third none there, there is none that seeketh after God. Now that's also found in Isaiah
64 verse 7 and 8 where it says, No man stirs up himself to seek
after the Lord. And then you're very familiar
with the scripture in John 6, 44, where it says that, No man
can come unto me, except the Father which sent me draw him. You see, that shuts us up to
Christ alone, grace alone. There is none that understandeth,
there is none that seeketh after God. They're all They are all,
he keeps using that word, all gone out of the way. There is a way that seems right
unto men, but the end thereof is death. All we like sheep have
gone astray, verse 12. They're all gone out of the way,
they are together become, together now, collectively, collectively,
all humanity, put all humanity together collectively, and they're
altogether unprofitable. Boy, that's a grim estimation. You mean all the doctors and
lawyers and presidents and all the important rich financial
people, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, put them all together, all their
wealth together, and the Lord says they are nothing but unprofitable. Unprofitable. Do they add anything
to God Almighty? Absolutely not. The nations are
gathered together, Isaiah 40, at the drop of a bucket. Vanity,
he says, yea, less than vanity and nothing. There is none, verse
12, that doeth good, no, not one. There is none good but God. None good but God. You're not
good. Not in the sense that he is good. Now when we compare
worms among worms, I guess there are some better worms than other
worms, but we're still worms. But when you compare a worm to
God, there's none. There's no good worms. There's
no good worms. There's none good but God. We read in Ecclesiastes 7 verse
20, There is not a just man upon the earth that doeth good, that
doeth good in the sense that God does with a perfect motive
for His glory only, and sinneth not. I was preaching years ago
off somewhere before I came here. This is years ago. And I stayed
with a young couple and the young man asked me, he said, Have you
ever done anything alone and always to the glory of God, exclusively
and alone?" And I said, no. There's always that element of
self in there, and that's just being honest. You see, the Lord
Jesus Christ must have all the honor and glory. The Lord is
good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. We read
that in Psalm 145 on Thursday. The Lord is good, but among men
there is none that doeth good, no, not. We can't find one. We can't find one good person.
Now this is God's estimation of the whole human race. This
is God's estimation of the whole human race. Now, from verse 13
down to verse 18, we have a vivid description of our total depravity. Total depravity. We are all under
sin. None righteous. There is none
that understand. There is none that seeketh after
God. There is none that doeth good. No, not one. Now, in verse 13 and 14, He talks
about our words. The words and all the faculties
of our heart are to pray. He says, their throat is an open
grave, a sepulcher. With their tongues, they've used
deceit. Every man is a liar. Does that offend you? Every man
is a liar. We lie to our own selves, don't
we? We do, all the time. Their throat is an open sepulcher. Their tongues, they have used
deceit. The poison of a snake is under
their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Now,
I've often said to you over the years, what's in the well of
the heart, what's in the well of the heart, usually comes out
through the bucket of the mouth. And that's so. And the reason
being is that our Lord said, out of the abundance of the heart,
the mouth speaketh, and our heart, our sinful, totally depraved
heart, it can only produce that which is awful in God's sight. whose mouth is full of cursing
and bitterness because their heart is full of sin. Now, not
only our words are totally sinful, but our actions too. Verse 15
and 16, their feet are swift to shed blood. Now, it really
doesn't surprise me that these mass murders go on. And you hear
people say, well, how can a person do that? How can a man be so
regard human life with such little respect and just take a gun and
mow everybody down? Well, the answer is this, their
feet are swift to shed blood. It's because we have a totally
sinful heart. You do the same thing. Say, I'd
never do that. Now wait a minute, never? God lets you go to run the full
course of your depraved nature, and I've often said this, if
the Lord just took the restraints off humanity for an hour, by
the end of that hour, everyone would be dead. We'd all kill
each other. I mean we would. The Lord has
to restrain us, because our feet are swift to shed blood. Cain
rose up and killed his brother, and that battle is still going
on. It's still going on. Destruction
and misery are the ways of humanity. I mean, unless you got your head
stuck in the sand somewhere, and crawled off in a cave somewhere
and isolated yourself, just turn on the news. It is quite depressing. And I
have watched way too much news. But that's about the only thing
I watch is the news. I don't watch, sometimes I have
to flip and watch Mayberry RFD and Barney and those guys. Down near Mayberry, when we were
going down through North Carolina, headed toward Spring Lake, North
Carolina, we went through a place called, it was Pilot Mountain. And a place where, I can't remember
the name of that other town, but it's where some of the scenes
and stories of that Mayberry RFT came from in that area. Mount Airy, that's the name of
the town, Mount Airy. I think they have a recreation
of that little town of Mayberry. But sometimes I just have to
switch off the news and go here and watch Barney and Andy. I mean, life. It just seems like as we get
on in this human race, it's a course not upward. It's down, down,
down, down until we have final destruction. And we're all going
to just murder each other eventually. I mean, we'll just bomb each
other or shoot each other or something until the Lord is pleased
to come and end this mess. Actions, eager to kill, shed
blood, destruction and misery are in their ways. Sin always destroys. And then,
verse 17 and 18, the way of peace. The way of peace, they don't
know. Now, if you study human history, you know what you study?
Wars, wars, and more wars, all the way back. Wars and wars and
wars and wars. Why is that? Men are totally
depraved. The United Nations may put a
sign up in front of their building and say we're going to beat all
of our swords into plowshares and we're all just going to love
each other. Never going to happen. Never going to happen. Not in
this life. There it is. Now here's the bottom line. There's
no fear of God. No fear of God. No fear of God
before their eyes. No reverence and no respect for
the true and living God. The fool has said in his heart,
there is no God. Holy and reverent is His name.
Now, it's a good thing to fear the Lord. Did you know that?
It's a good thing. Do you know why? The fear of
the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Oh, may God give us reverence
in our heart. By mercy and truth, iniquity
is purged. Psalm 16, 6. And by the fear
of the Lord, men depart from evil.