Romans 3:9-18

Romans 3:9-18

9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave; They use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” 14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:14

Hello. This is Dr. Bill Brink's author of Love the Word. Our text for today is Romans 3 verses 9 to 18. What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written, none is righteous, no, not one, no one understands, no one seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have become worthless, no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave. They use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood, and their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. I was an average sized kid in junior high, maybe a little too short and chubby. I got picked on a lot until the end of seventh grade when I started growing. I grew seven inches by the time I finished eighth grade. As a sophomore, I was six foot two inches and two hundred pounds. It was fun to meet my old bullying friends as they, in disbelief, literally looked up at me for the first time. I found being a big guy had its advantages, and I finished high school in peace. We all value an advantage, whether we earn it, inherit it, or receive it as a gift. Advantages bring benefits but also responsibilities. They can be misused, leading to arrogance and a sense of entitlement, yet they also come with limitations. Through Paul's teaching, the Jews saw that being chosen by God to possess his word and be his people offered limited honor and identity. In today's text, he quickly points out that they are not better off. There's something else that matters much more. No matter the culture, ethnicity, or selection, no human or worldly advantage can undo the curse of sin. All people, without exception, are under sin's power. Everyone is under sin's authority, control, influence, burden, guilt, and condemnation. We are under sin in every sense of the word. All people, every one of us, why? There is none righteous, no not one. This righteousness is not human goodness, it is God's standard of righteousness, which is the only standard that matters, and the only one acceptable for admission to heaven. Without the advantage of salvation, we are without hope because not only do we not accept the gospel, we don't even want it. We stumble over it time and time again throughout our lives, never stopping to see or understand, and open ourselves to the saving truth. We follow our human conscience and turn our backs on Jesus, leaving us in a worthless and unrighteous state. As if a general characterization of the not at all better off isn't distressing enough, Paul calls out the ways all of us are under sin. Verse thirteen Their throat is an open grave, they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Without Christ, we are bound by sin and loathsome speech. We tend to tell lies both big and small. We deceive ourselves into thinking our words are justified so we can deceive others. Deceitful words carry the stench of death, and our words are poisonous to others and ultimately to ourselves. Without Christ, we are under the influence of sin and tempted to speak hateful, profane, and bitter words to retaliate for real or perceived offenses. Without Christ, our uncontrolled anger can burn intensely and explode. As finite, imperfect beings, we are capable of being dominated by sin and expressing the most offensive words and unspoken thoughts. Without Christ, we are under the power of sin and capable of the worst violence. The same people who shouted, Hosanna to the Son of David, as they celebrated Christ's triumphant entry, called for his crucifixion and death just five days later. If we ever think there is some sin we could never commit, we reveal a significant weakness in our defense against sin. And their paths are ruin and misery. Without Christ, we are under sin that paves our way to destruction. In a sense, willful sin traps us in the future. Today's sin can affect us more tomorrow than today. Today's sin is paying forward, but not in a good way. We pay a high price when the effects of our sins lay a dangerous path before us. A path of ruin and mystery. And the way of peace they have not known. Without Christ, we are stuck in sin, like a one way, one lane road. There is no room for a peaceful, righteous path. We trade peace and contentment for misery and often can't get them back. With or without Christ, we can lose blessings because of our sinful choices. eighteen There is no fear of God before their eyes. Without Christ, we are under sin that deprives us of common sense and prompts a holy and righteous fear of God. A fear that inspires worship, love, and obedience. Rebellion in the heart may seem like courage to the unredeemed, but it is foolish, dangerous pride. To their own ruin, they are blind to the evidence before their eyes. How wonderful it is that God sees us exactly as we are, sinners, nothing more, nothing less. Incapable of goodness, we have all turned aside, become worthless, no one doing good, but everything changes when we simply trust in Christ. Salvation changes everything. We are now beneficiaries of Christ's righteousness, we have understanding of the Word, we seek God with all our hearts, we turn and pursue Him. The poison, the violence, the ruin, and misery are all set aside. Our hearts are transformed, and we find true deep meaningful peace in Christ.