ROMANS Study Guide

Chapter Three

Justification (being made acceptable to God)

“If my belonging to God and my circumcision is of no profit to me… then what advantage is there in being a Jew?” This was an argument that Paul had to face in synagogue after synagogue that he preached in. The Jews accused Paul of presenting God as a “covenant breaking God” (God not keeping his promise to Abraham) in response to his saying that God had rejected the Jewish way of keeping the law to be righteous before God. If the gospel has discarded the law saying all you have to do is just believe in Jesus to be righteous before God, then God has broken covenant with his people. For the listening Jew Paul was simply discarding any value in being a Jew at all. Here in this Chapter Paul clarifies what being a Jew really means befor e God and what it is to be justified in God’s eyes and why Jesus is the end (fulfillment) of the law.” (Rom.10:4) Rom 3:1 Then what is the superiority of the Jew? Or what is the profit of circumcision? Rom 3:2 Much, by every way! Chiefly, indeed, because they were entrusted with the oracles of God. Rom 3:3 For what? If some did not believe, will not their unbelief nullify the faith of God? Rom 3:4 Let it not be! But let God be true, and every man a liar; as it is written, "That You might be justified in Your sayings, and will overcome when You are judged."

1. What benefit is there then of being a Jew? (vs.1-2)

a. Paul’s answer to the question of “what value was there in being a

Jew?” by saying th at the Jew had been chosen of all people to receive

the Law directly from God and to bring it to the world. (Exodus 20)

b. They had an amazing advantage over the Gentile…(their light

was so much greater in knowing God and his ways)

2. Let’s look closer at the two arguments Paul had to deal with in his

Witness to his own people.

Jewish Argument One (vss. 3-4)

Paul begins here dealing with two arguments from the Jewish perspective that he feels needs to be

dealt with: