He is Faithful and Righteous
Two Attacks on God’s Character (and Our Absolute Need for Christ)
Aaron Lee | Romans 3:1-8 | FCBCW Youth Worship | November 17, 2024
Introduction
Can God handle hard questions? In Sunday School, we just finished our series on TULIP - the doctrines of grace. These doctrines deal with hard questions concerning sin, election, atonement, grace, and perseverance. To be honest, these doctrines are not necessarily easy for me to teach. I feel inadequate at times. But I want to do my best to be truthful to God’s word.
When you ask God hard questions, he might give you some hard answers. They might be difficult to understand. That is our case with our text today. Our text today is Romans 3:1-8. Pastors and scholars have considered this to be one of the most difficult passages in the Bible, and I think it has to do with the fact that it’s asking some hard questions. But we believe all of the Bible is inspired, so we’ll do our best to pay attention to what God has to say to us today.
Context
Paul is writing his letter to the church in Rome. There were Jews and Gentiles there. Jews were people who were of the Jewish race. They were the people of the Old Testament. They were God’s chosen, special people. But when Jesus came on the scene, who was Jewish by the way, his death and resurrection provided salvation for anyone who would believe in him. Gentiles, anyone who was not a Jew, could be grafted into the family of God. This showed that Jews and Gentiles were actually in the same boat. Whether Jew or Gentile – you were under God’s judgment because of your sin and in need of a Savior. True sons of God, true children of God, were made sons by the Spirit – not by ethnic heritage like being Jewish or outward appearances like circumcision. Here is the key verse:
But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. (Romans 2:29)
Again, Paul is saying that the true Jew – a true person of God, someone who is really a part of God’s people, God’s family – is not seen on the outside, but on the inside. And it comes by the Spirit circumcising your heart. It comes from God giving you a new heart. And God does this for Jews and for Gentiles. True sons of God are made by the Spirit, not by ethnic heritage or outward appearances. This was still something hard for the Jewish people to understand.
Sermon Preview
In our text today, Paul presents two objections to this new paradigm. He starts asking hard questions. The first objection is this: If both Jews and Gentiles are under judgment for sin, then what good is it to be a Jew anyways? What’s the point of God’s covenant people? This puts the entire Old Testament and the Jewish people in jeopardy. This objection is actually an attack on God’s character. It’s an attack on God’s faithfulness. The second objection is this: Is it fair for God to judge us for the sin that we do if he is ultimately responsible for our salvation? This puts God’s goodness and integrity on the line. This objection is actually an attack on God’s character. It’s an attack on his righteousness.
Paul is a really good teacher. He is aware of these objections. He anticipates these attacks. He’s going to defend God’s character not because God needs to be defended, but because he’s proving that his main point in this section of Scripture still stands: True sons of God are made by the Spirit, not by ethnic heritage or outward appearances. Let’s get started.
1. An Attack on God’s Faithfulness
The first attack we see is an attack on God’s faithfulness. To be faithful is to do what you say. It’s to be true to your word. We can compare it to being loyal. This attack is to say that God is not being loyal.
1 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? 2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. 3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.” (Romans 3:1-4)
This section objects that “God is not faithful to his people.” This is a sneaky attack. Remember, our premise is that true Jews believe in Jesus. The true people of God put their trust in the Son. And so the objector says: Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? In other words, what’s the point of God’s people then? If God can just choose who he wants as his children, why did God want to use the Jewish people at all? Paul knows his Old Testament. It is clear that the Jews had a special place as God’s people. And Paul does not deny this. So the objectors are saying that if faith in the Son is what saves, then is God’s faithfulness to the Jewish people all a lie? Was it all fake? What’s the point of God singling out the Jewish people? Paul answers by saying there is much advantage and value to being a Jew. Paul has an entire list that he’ll lay out later in Romans 9. For now, he says, well, to begin with, first of all, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. The Jews had the revelation and promises of God in his Word. This is a huge privilege – having access and knowledge of God’s Word. Paul will have more to say about the advantages and values to being a Jew – but this will be enough for now to keep his objectors at bay. Because Paul knows what people are really arguing about – they’re arguing about the faithfulness of God. This is the heart of the question.
Paul anticipates the objector going on to say: Wait a minute, first you said that it doesn’t really matter if you’re Jew or Gentile - God is the one who determines who is really a part of his people. Now you’re saying that Jews still had the advantage of the laws and the covenants and the Old Testament! And here is the real question: So if they had such an advantage, but some still are not made into God’s children, isn’t God being unfaithful to them? Didn’t God say that he would bless the Jewish people? So does that make God a liar? Paul says no. He upholds God’s honor by saying that even if all men proved to be unfaithful, false, liars – God is always true. This is the correct viewpoint – that of God being the main character. Whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, God is always fair to judge sinners. Paul goes on to quote Psalm 51:4. Psalm 51 was written by David, and it’s a famous Psalm because it’s about David’s sin in the story of David and Bathsheba. In this story, David commits the sins of adultery and murder. He lusts after a woman, he sleeps with her, and he even has her husband killed. David would face consequences for his sins, pain and tragedy and death and danger. And David would say that because of his sin, because he is a sinner, this is what he deserves. In Psalm 51, David does not excuse his sin, and accepts God’s judgments. He does not claim the special status of being the king so he can do whatever he wants. Even if he is the king of Israel, God’s chosen, blessed people – God is justified in his words and blameless in his judgment against his sin. And if this is true for David – the king of the Jews, it must be true for all Jewish people. Even though they have advantages – they are still equal to others in terms of their sin.
If you think your status in the world or in the church somehow makes you special and spares you from judgment for your sin, you are mistaken. You fail to truly see yourself on equal grounds with sinners everywhere, and you will falsely think that God is being unfaithful to you when he judges you for your sin. In reality, God is being faithful to himself as the true and holy judge.
Application
So, will you renounce your special status? Will you renounce any special status in the world or in the church that you think makes you special and spares you from judgment for your sin?
I’ll give you an example from my own life. I am the firstborn at church. This has always been a special status for me. It would be silly for me to think that I am excused from my sin because of this special status. Let me give you something more serious. I don’t take it for granted that I get to preach and teach God’s word. But preachers and teachers are not exempt from being judged for their sin. In fact, the Bible says in James 3:1 that "Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly."
There are many different status levels we can have here at church. Maybe your parents are leaders in the church. Maybe you are a student leader in youth worship or at Friday night fellowship. You could even claim special status as being the youth in the church. In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul tells Timothy: "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."
I read an article titled Heaven Has One Celebrity: A Dream at the Gates of Paradise. It’s by Natalie Brand over at DesiringGod. She writes an imaginative story about getting to the gates of heaven, and asking where the VIPs go, acknowledging that your gifts and talents are wanted but not needed in heaven, and realizing that you cannot take your trophies, accomplishments, followers, and accolades with you. Fame on earth and fame in heaven are two very different things. The quote that got me the most was that there are no evangelical celebrities in heaven – only doorkeepers. She takes this from Psalm 84:10, and it means that there are only humble servants in heaven. No special statuses – just humble servants.
This is a warning for anyone who sees their status in anything other than the Savior. Whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, God is always faithful to judge sinners. Whether you are on stage or sitting in the pews, God is always faithful to judge sinners. Whether you are a Bible scholar or just know the basics, God is always faithful to judge sinners. Christians who claim superiority over others climb upon the cross of Christ to look down on everyone. Come down and renounce your special status, confess any pride due to privilege, and see yourself as a sinner in need of grace.
2. An Attack on God’s Righteousness
The second attack we see is an attack on God’s righteousness. To be righteous means to be correct and just. You can compare it to being fair. This attack says that God is not fair.
5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) 6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world? 7 But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? 8 And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just. (Romans 3:5-8)
Paul continues his objector’s train of thought: So Paul, you’re saying that God is faithful to judge sinners. But if our sin, our unrighteousness, serves to show the righteousness of God – doesn’t our sin actually make God look good? What do you have to say about that? Is God wrong to punish us if we’re actually making God look good? There is obviously something wrong with this logic, so Paul puts in parentheses that he’s speaking in a human way, and he responds with an emphatic by no means! Of course God is not wrong to punish sin, even if you say it makes God look good. The false logic continues: But if my lies lead to God’s truth and give him glory, why do I still need to be condemned as a sinner? And this is the kicker: And why not do evil that good may come? These are real arguments that people are trying to make in front of Paul, and Paul even says that some people have slanderously charged him with saying this. Paul says that people will find ways to justify their sin. And if that is the case, then they deserve their condemnation.
These are all excuses for sin. And any excuse will not stand when you stand before the throne. God will look at you and say that you were blinded by your sin. You loved your sin more than you love God’s law. This is idolatry. It is putting yourself above God’s Word. You are twisting it for your own agenda, and using it to justify your sin.
Application
So, will you resolve to keep your Scripture straight? Resolve to never twist the truth. Resolve to never bend the Bible. I want to speak to those who are older in age and in faith. Those of us who are familiar with the Word, it’s possible to find ways to manipulate it. We can justify our sins. Do not fall into this danger.
Let me give you an example for my own life. Sometimes I speak out of anger towards my children, and this is not right. But I might try to justify my actions. God, my child disobeyed me. That’s wrong, right? They’re supposed to honor me! But that does not excuse my anger. That does not excuse my impatience. I need to say sorry and apologize to my children.
You might say to yourself: I’m just so tired on Sundays. God, you want me to steward my education, right? It’s good to be a good witness and to be salt and light? I can skip out on going to church for a little bit. I can spend some time studying and sleeping and I can get back to you later.” You might be able to spit out some quasi-biblical truth towards God, but you also forget the verses in Hebrews 10:24-25, that say: "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
Some practical ways you can prevent this is by knowing all of Scripture. Don’t just pick and choose your favorite verses in the Bible that fit your agenda. See what God has to say, and listen to all of it. And you can also study Scripture together with others. Studying Scripture with others helps us see when we’re jumping to wrong conclusions. This happens a lot to me when I’m with my small group. You need to be open and transparent about your life with them. They help us see our blindspots in our own lives and when we might be rationalizing sin.
There are many types of sin that you might be justifying in your life. I was tired. I was busy. I’m still just a kid. Paul says no – judgment day is coming. Your excuses will not save you. Your condemnation will be just. You cannot argue or excuse your way out of God’s judgment. Do not have the wrong attitude towards God. Those who twist the truth to justify sin are similar to the serpent who tricked and deceived Adam and Eve in the garden to sin against God. Don’t cut corners with God and his word. Resolve to keep your Scriptures straight.
Big Idea
Attacks on God’s character will not stand. All are under the condemnation of sin and in need of a Savior.
The Gospel
Look one more time at how our passage ends. It says “their condemnation is just.” What is it exactly that condemns them? Is it simply the fact that they’re asking questions? I don’t think so. It’s okay to ask questions. God wants us to ask questions. Every good father wants his children to be curious and learn. That’s how we study the Bible. So what is it exactly that condemns?
I purposefully labeled our main points as attacks on God’s character. The reason I find these to be more than innocent questions and harmless objections is because of the attitude behind these attacks. There’s a prideful attitude that says God is not faithful. God is not just. I think Paul knows that these attacks come from a place of identity being undermined and idols being exposed. It hurts, and there is anger. Notice how the statements go from attacking God’s people (being a Jew) – to attacking God’s person (is God right). This is not “wrestling with your faith” or a shorter period of doubting. These questions have a mocking attitude towards our maker, acting smarter and superior. There’s an attitude that will not confess that you are wrong. There’s an attitude that says I am excused from my sin and God is the one who is wrong. We see this same attitude in Matthew 27:43, where the religious leaders mock Jesus: He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” It’s an incredible statement, because the beauty is that in Christ, on the cross, this is where God’s faithfulness and justness are displayed for us to see. And because of the cross, we can proclaim:
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9, CSB, NASB95, LSB)
This is the gospel. Yes, God is faithful and righteous and just to condemn if you do not confess your sins. You cannot shake your fist at God. But if you confess your sins, he is faithful and righteous and just to forgive. Open your hands to him.
Conclusion
Let’s go back to the beginning again for our conclusion. I asked you: Can God handle hard questions? The answer is yes. When you ask God hard questions, he might give you some hard answers. Hard in the sense that they’re difficult to understand, but I think they might also be hard in the sense that they’re difficult to accept.
The more I think about it, and after studying this passage, not only does God handle our hard questions, but he handles our hard hearts. As a teacher, I want to do my best to be truthful to God’s word. I might be able to change minds, but God is the only one that can change our hearts. And God has given us a teacher, the Holy Spirit, who illuminates God’s truth in our hearts, not only so we can see – but so that we can believe:
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." (John 14:26)
Your Grace is All My Life
In humble adoration
I bow my head and knees,
Surrendering my heart
To Jesus Christ the King.
And when I doubt his goodness
And wonder why things are —
I’ll look into your love,
Remembering the cross.
You’re faithful and you’re righteous.
Your character intact.
In holiness you help me
And take me by the hand
To trust your kind intentions.
Repenting of my pride,
I cling to you, my Savior —
Your grace is all my life.
References
Heaven Has One Celebrity: A Dream at the Gates of Paradise by Natalie Brand
Let God Be True Though Every Man a Liar by John Piper
Romans: Reformed Expository Commentary by Daniel M. Doriani
The Advantage of Being Jewish, Part 1 and Part 2 by John MacArthur
The ESV Study Bible by Crossway
The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary on Romans by Donny Ray Mathis II
Reflection Questions
What are some hard questions that you have for God? Have you approached him with respect and as your loving heavenly father?
How can we as a church foster a culture of humility and grace, where everyone acknowledges their need for God’s mercy?
In your own life, how might you be tempted to justify certain sins? What are some ways you can be more intentional in confessing and turning away from sin?
Do you see your life as all of grace? In what areas are you tempted towards pride?
What areas in your heart can you ask the Holy Spirit to help soften?