Romans Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of Romans picks up where chapter 2 left off. What is the profit of circumcision? It marked the Jews as the priests of God.

3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?

4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

It then asks if unbelief can effect the faith of God, and it says no, God is always faithful and true even amongst dishonest men.

7 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?

8 And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.

9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Paul put the righteousness of the Jews into question and that most of them live a lie. He says that their damnation is just. He makes a profound statement that both the Jews and Gentiles are all under sin. Verse 10 shatters works based salvation by saying: there is none righteous, no, not one. This flies in the face of people who are earning their way to heaven. It goes on to say none seek after God and it lists the sinful plight of humanity. Seen below.

13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:

16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:

17 And the way of peace have they not known:

18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.

We then start to dig deeper into the true plan of salvation after exploring the hopeless sinful nature of mankind.

19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

It says that all the law gave us was the knowledge of sin, and not a way to stop it. It says all the world is guilty before God. This really was flying in the faces of the self righteous Jews.

22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Paul then gives the Gospel. Salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ alone. We are all justified and redeemed by God's free grace. It is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that pays for everyone's sins and is the way to heaven for anyone who believes.

25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Verses 22-26 are the whole point of the Bible, too bring people to the knowledge of saving power of Jesus Christ and his shed blood. Saving from what? From an eternity in hell! Verse 25 says he is a propitiation or appeasing to God for us. Through his shed blood he exchanged his righteousness for our unrighteousness. All anyone has to do is believe.

27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

These two verses rebuke salvation by works so clearly. No one can boast about how they got to heaven.

29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:

30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

Paul then merges the Jews and Gentiles together saying it is one God that shall justify them by faith.

31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

The last verse asks if we should not practice the law because of faith. It states that are faith is the law. That is all God ever wanted. He wants us to be obedient and keep his statutes and commandments by all means. His first and foremost law is that everyone believes in the redeeming power of Jesus. The people who break this law will be without excuse.

I hope this was a blessing to you. Thank you for reading my blog.