Romans 3:1-8
Paul ends chapter 2 by saying that circumcision and hence just knowing the Law and not following are of no value against God’s judgment, he then predicts the readers natural response as being, “So if being a Jew is of no value, what was the point of God choosing the Jews?” Paul answers either with the first of a list (which he completes in ch9:4,5) or his first of all is actually a “most importantly”. What he’s getting at is that, the Jews have such an advantage in that they were given the sacred writings of God.
So then, the question comes up, “ok, so if they were given the promises of God and you’re saying that some are unbelieving and hence will suffer judgment just like the gentile….doesn’t that nullify the faithfulness of God? Doesn’t that mean that God promised them something that He is now taking away???” Basically, God promised the Jews that He would save them and Paul’s Gospel is saying they won’t be saved so hence the Gospel is wrong because God’s Word can’t contradict itself. To which Paul answers, never! God’s Word will never contradict itself, God will never be unfaithful to His promises, don’t play word games with The Bible, don’t throw out one truth because another truth seems to contradict the first, but rather, God WILL be found true even if every man seems to think oppositely as David says when confessing his adultery to God in Ps 51. He doesn’t dive into how God is faithful in both promises yet, but rather only says so simply that man should never try and compromise with God’s Word, that God cannot contradict Himself so either God tells us and explains to us these mysteries or we simply say some things belong to the Lord only.
Then Paul anticipates the next question, which is, “if for God to be known as righteous and Holy, He needs us to be unrighteous and unclean and sinners to show how opposite He is, isn’t God unrighteous by His wrath (and he even trembles at the very thought of writing it)? Shouldn’t God have mercy on EVERYONE because he needs sinners to make known Himself?” And Paul answers, never! You just said about that God will judge the world and you know that He judges because He is righteous and good and Holy, how is He going to judge other than by judging the guilty?? Ch 2 says that He won’t judge based on outward appearances . He judges their deeds, don’t try and justify the bad ones by saying that God needs the bad ones to show He is good!
Then the last question comes up which is like the second, “Paul, if you’re saying that I’m lying when I say that I am a Jew and you’re not, I keep the Law and you don’t therefore I’m going to heaven and you’re not, if that is a lie and from that, just like the second question, God’s truth is made known as in Ch 2, why am I still being judged a sinner? God needs me to lie so that His truth is made known, so, let’s even commit to do evil so that good will come.” Paul so simply and plainly states, their condemnation is just. They have called God a liar, and someone who doesn’t keep his promises, and someone who is unjust. They have replaced the Glory of God with the idol of their religion of works and their religion of genealogies and just as in Ch 1 Paul says God gave them over to their depraved minds, he says here that God is JUST in condemning them for such falsehood and twisting of the Words of God.
Four Questions:
Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision?
If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?
But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He?
But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner? And why not say “Let us do evil that good may come”?
It should be noted that Paul probably is rhetorically asking these questions because this is the exact same discussion he has had over and over in the temples with Jews.
Discuss each question to figure out what the question really is, don’t discuss answers yet.
Why doesn’t Paul give more developed answers to these really tough questions?
What seems to be the underlying way these Pharasies try to weasel their way into heaven using God’s Word?
What is/are the implication(s) of v4? Luke 20, parable of vine-grower, Pharasies are astonished because Jesus said that salvation would be given to the Gentiles.
Next two questions are similar. Question similar to 6:1, but different. After asking question 3, why would someone ask question 4? What is the motivation behind asking 3 and then, after 3 fails, asking 4?
What is question 4 then? Does it sound like a futile question, someone grasping for a last breath?
Why is Paul’s answer to this so powerful (in light of what he says in Chapter 1)?
In essence, what has Paul shown if you look at the flow of questions 1-4?
