The Book of Romans ~ Lesson Six

"Level Playing Ground"


Romans 3:1-8 (NLT) Then what’s the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value in the ceremony of circumcision? Yes, there are great benefits! First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God.
   True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful? Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him,
“You will be proved right in what you say, and you will win your case in court.”
   “But,” some might say, “our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn’t it unfair, then, for him to punish us?” (This is merely a human point of view.) Of course not! If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge the world? “But,” someone might still argue, “how can God condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights his truthfulness and brings him more glory?” And some people even slander us by claiming that we say, “The more we sin, the better it is!” Those who say such things deserve to be condemned.

First, some folks think that the Jews lost their "Chosen" status when they didn't believe in Jesus as Messiah. That is NOT true. God remains faithful to His covenant with them. We, Gentiles, are grafted in because of our belief in His Son. We will look at this more later, but for right now look at the following promise made to Abram (later known as Abraham):

Genesis 12:1-3 (NLT) The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”


So, we must respect their position as the "Chosen" people of God. He entrusted them with His Word and they have faithfully passed it down to us now. Our Savior was also Jewish and came from Abraham's seed. We leave the redemption plan of the Jews up to God. Our role is to support them and pray for them.

Paul then addresses another topic. People say and do the craziest things. We all try and justify our actions. All of us. In this portion of Romans Paul is answering the notion that sinful behavior and lies bring out God's righteousness better. They thought that it was ok to keep on sinning because God's glory would be shown better in the forgiveness. Wow, now that's crazy!

What's crazy is I've justified my behavior with, "I can ask God for forgiveness later..." How about you? 

Ephesians 5:15-17 (NLT) So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

We only get one shot at this thing called life. There are no do-overs.  It should make sense that we would want to be careful with our decisions but so often we don't. How can we make wise and thoughtful decisions? As believers we must totally seek God on everything we do. It may sound stifling but it is actually freeing. Let's move on to the next portion of Romans 3.

Romans 3:9-20 (NLT) Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. As the Scriptures say “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips from their lips.” “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” “They rush to commit murder. Destruction and misery always follow them.  They don’t know where to find peace.” “They have no fear of God at all.”
   Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

God has made the playing ground level. The Law, or the commandments for behavior, was put into place to show people what it means to go against God and sin. No one has an excuse. The only Righteous One is Jesus and He has made a way for us to come to God through forgiveness of sins. Just knowing right from wrong isn't enough because we all mess up and we need a Savior. Jesus is that Savior, He completes the Law by bridging the gap between us and God.

Look at the illustration. It really allows us to see the chasm that separates us from God. We live in death without Jesus. He is our Hope. Once we come to Him we have life and the gap is bridged to God through Him. He is a wonderful Savior. He loves us beyond what we deserve. He's astounded by us and wants to be part of all we do. We don't have an impersonal God who likes to watch us jump through hoops. He walks with us and lives life among us.

"But to all who believed him and accepted him, 

he gave the right to become children of God." 

John 1:12 (NLT)