ROMANS Study Guide

“… if the Jewish failure to believe provides a public “courtroom” for God to demonstrate his grace and mercy… then the sinning Jews are doing God a favor and in fact are helping to highlight God’s grace and mercy. If the more sinful I become demonstrates the greater grace of God…the n my unrighteousness glorifies God.

(1) Paul answers this argument with the understanding that if this were true then God could never judge any sin…because

the more one sins the more God’s grace is demonstrated and God is glorified (i.e. Rom.3:8). This seems to have been an ongoing accusation by the Jews towards Paul, that he was teaching lawlessness… “the more we sin the greater we demonstrate God’s gracious and forgiveness…so feel free to break the law and sin.” (Rom.6:1) Paul will deal with this argument more fully in chapter 6:2-4 but here Paul simply presents the accusation.

The Evidence of the Sin Nature of Man

Rom 3:9 What then? Do we excel? No, in no way; for we have before charged both Jews and Greeks all with being under sin, Rom 3:10 as it is written: "There is none righteous, no not one. Rom 3:11 there is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God." Rom 3:12 “ They are all gone out of the way, they have together become unprofitable, there is none that does good, no, not one." Rom 3:13 “ Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they have used deceit, the poison of asps is under their lips. Rom 3:14 whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness;" Rom 3:15 “ their feet are swift to shed blood. Rom 3:16 destruction and misery are in their way, Rom 3:17 and the way of peace they did not know." Rom 3:18 “ There is no fear of God before their eyes." Rom 3:19 But we know that whatever things the Law says, it says to those who are under the Law; so that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be under judgment before God, Rom 3:20 because by the works of the Law none of all flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law is the knowledge of sin.

a. Review of Man’s Sin Nature

Vs.10 “None righteous”: The standard of righteousness is God himself. Vs. 11a “None understands”: Our thought process is distorted by sin – we cannot fully know and understand God from reason alone. Vs. 11b “None that seeks after God”: Men search for God int ellectually