Excerpt from book in progress

I am working on a book called, "The Joy of Insigificance."

Here is one of the drafts of one of the chapters.


Chapter 2—He Must Increase, I Must Decrease

Reading: John 3:23-4:3
Text 3:30

George Washington is one of the most amazing men in history—not just American History, but all history. He was the leader of the first revolution that succeeded in setting up the first fully functioning republican democracy. Washington formed an army from a bunch of plowboys, workers, and ruffians. He kept them together, and in spite of unbelievable odds, succeeded in defeating the sole superpower of his day. Later, he became the leader of the Constitutional Convention and then served two terms as the first President of the United States; he virtually invented our government from the basic framework of the Constitution. We could go on and on about his courage, his steadfastness, his calm in the face of disaster, but the greatest thing he ever did was not a military nor a political victory. The greatest thing he ever did was to give up power, and to give it up twice. As the head of the victorious Continental Army, he could have been president for life, dictator, even the first American king, yet he gave it all up, twice. As a general, when the Treaty of Paris was signed granting our independence, Washington, without fanfare and without even an honor guard of soldiers, stood before the Congress of the U.S. resigned his commission, returned to them his sword, and went home to Virginia. Upon hearing of this act, King George III of England exclaimed, “If that is true, he is the greatest man in the world!” People usually don’t give up anything, especially power and authority, willingly. Washington did, twice. The second time came when President Washington refused to run for a third term, but instead retired again to Mount Vernon. Again, he gave up all that power. Had Washington not set that example for both civilian and military leaders, our nation might have become a “banana republic,” with generalissimos, presidents-for-life, and coups and counter-coups. Instead, each leader following in his path has had to learn to give up power to someone else peacefully and completely.

For the most part, we humans don’t give up anything voluntarily, and this is doubly so in the areas of power, prestige, authority, or celebrity. It takes an amazing amount of character to so do. There was one man, however, who gave up something more than mere fame; there was one man in the Bible who came to briefly shine, like a comet crossing the skies, or like a meteorite flashing to the horizon on a darn night, and then to give up his place and position forever. That man was John, the son of Zacarias and Elizabeth, the cousin of Jesus, usually referred to as John the Baptist.

John 3:26-30 "And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified; behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!" 27 John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28 "You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.' 29 "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. 30 "He must increase, but I must decrease."

Who is speaking in this verse? It is John the Baptist. Who Was John the Baptist? He was the last and greatest prophet of the Old Covenant, the herald of the Messiah, about whom Isaiah and Malachi wrote:

Isa 40:3 "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God."

Mal 4:5-6 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. 6 And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.""

Jesus confirmed John’s identify:

Mat 11:9-14 "… 9 "But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. 10 "For this is he of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.' 11 "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; …13 "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 "And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.

John was the Forerunner of the Son of God, the one who prepared the way for Jesus’ ministry. In John 3:30, of Whom does John speak? Who is the One whose way is being prepared by John? Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God and God the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity our Savior and Lord.

What does John say of Him? “He must increase, and I must decrease.”

He Must Increase. By this we see the Person Who must increase. He is The Son of God, God the Son, the God-Man, The Good Shepherd, etc., the Lord and Savior of all. By this statement we see the certainty of this simple sentence. He MUST increase, of this there can be no doubt. But here we must ask the question: “Why MUST He increase?”

First, He MUST increase because of the Plan and Purpose of God. This plan and purpose were contemplated and written before the world was made. God determined to create a world and a race, to allow the Fall of man, and to redeem fallen man.

Titus 1:2 "in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,"

2 Tim 1:9 "who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,"

Eph 1:4-5 "just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,"

1 Pet 1:18-21 "knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you 21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God."

Acts 15:18 ""Known to God from eternity are all His works."

Unlike human beings, God’s plans cannot be thwarted; His purposes will always stand.

Job 42:1-6 "Then Job answered the LORD and said: 2 "I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You….”

Isa 46:8-11 ""… I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, 'My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,' 11 Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it."

Acts 4:26 “…The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the LORD and against His Christ.' 27 "For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28 "to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done."

Acts 2:23 ""Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;"

This plan of God will culminate with universal glorification of the Son, followed by universal allegiance to the Father.

Phil 2:9-11 "Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

1 Cor 15:28 "Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all."

Therefore, since this is the plan of God, Jesus will increase, no matter what men may say or do.

Second, Jesus MUST increase because of His Person.

He is the beloved of the Father, the Only-Begotten, the only True Son. “Monogenes,” the Greek word translated “only begotten,” does not mean that Christ was created or that He is of a separate essence from the Father; it means that He is the only and Unique Son of God. We who are believers become sons of God by adoption, but He is the Natural Son, the Only True Son, and through Him, God accomplishes His purpose.

John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

John 1:18 "No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him."

John 3:16 ""For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

John 3:18 ""He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

1 John 4:9 "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him."

He is the One who always pleases the Father, Who never disobeys or challenges the Father.

In John chapter 5:17-32, a rich panorama of doctrine emphasizes the unity of the Godhead in action. In this passage, we see that the Father and Son always work together, for our redemption, and for God’s glory.

John 5:17 But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."

John 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

John 5:21 "For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.

John 5:22 "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 "that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

John 5:25 "Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. 26 "For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, 27 "and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.

John 5:28 "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 "and come forth; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

John 5:30 "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment isrighteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

John 5:31 "If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.

John 5:32 "There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.

Jesus, in His Person, is superior to John in every way; Jesus, in His ministry is superior to John in every way.

Jesus is God (Jn 1:1-3), John is man (Jn 1:6)

Jesus has all authority, John had none—Mt 7:29, Mat 28:18, Mk 1:27, Jn 5:27.

Jesus is all-powerful, John is not—Mt 9:6, Lu 8:25, Jn 10:18, 17:2, Heb 1:3.

Jesus is all-knowing, John is not—Jn 2:24, Mt 12:25, 22:18, Jn 6:6, 16:30.

Jesus is, in Himself, immutable and eternal, John is not—Heb 13:8, Mic 5:2.

Jesus is Messiah, John is not—John 1:19-26

Third, He MUST increase, because that is the will of God to Glorify the Father and the Son in the ministry of the Son—Jn 17:1, Phil 2:5-11.

Fourth, He MUST increase because the salvation of God’s people depends on Christ fulfilling His ministry on Earth.

Fifth, He MUST increase so that God’s people might enjoy blessed communion with the Father, Son, and Spirit throughout all eternity, world without end, amen.

Why MUST John (or I, or we) decrease? First, it is God’s plan and purpose for John to decrease. The entire story of John’s life, from his miraculous conception to his death by execution, is centered around a period of perhaps no more than six months, when he preached in the wilderness and called Israel to repentance and preparation for the Messiah.

Second, John MUST decrease, because of who he is; though he is the greatest of the prophets, and though he has the exalted privilege to be the prophesied forerunner, yet he is just a man, a mere man, a sinner, saved by Grace in his mother’s womb. He even has, at the last, a temporary crisis of faith, and after his passing, some of his disciples attempted to perpetuate a ministry that was limited from the start.

Third, John MUST decrease, because the glory of man is nothing, it is, as John Piper would say, “sand, sinking sand…”. God’s glory consists in the visible outworking of His attributes; we, literally have nothing to show off about.

Fourth, John MUST decrease, for his call to repentance and baptism for repentance, are not a way of salvation in and of themselves, but are fleeting and temporary, a herald of the Messiah’s coming to His offices.

Fifth, John MUST decrease, for his own Savior and Lord to complete the work so that John himself may be saved eternally.

Christ MUST increase, and I must decrease—if that Truth does not burn in our lives, we miss the greatest blessing of all, to be found In Him and In Him alone, to discover real significance in Him and surrender the wood, hay, and stubble of our own supposed significance to the fire of Truth which is its proper place of destruction.

What is Righteousness?

1. Review
a. WE NEED righteousness—Mat 5:20
(1) You and I are not righteous in ourselves, not in any sense of the word.
(2) Rom 3:10-11—all are sinners, Ps 58:3—we are sinners from birth
(3) We are, in and of ourselves, unholy, unclean, unrighteous creatures. We are really fit for neither heaven nor earth.
(4) Our sin offends the Holy God we serve, and our rebellion spits in His face, even as He makes His offers of Love.
(5) WE have no righteousness, our accounts in heaven are overdrawn, overdue, overloaded, and impossible for us to pay.

b. Not only are we loaded down with sin, we are completely destitute of merit—we have none of the holiness which is required for us to see God. We don’t just owe a lot, we have no assets. We are like the guy who was so in debt, that the only asset he could list on a financial statement was the unused portion of his credit card limit.
(1) God, in His infinite love, desires to save us, but in order to save us, He has to find some way to pay for our sin, and supply our missing holiness, otherwise His own sense of justice would be corrupted.
(2) If God were like us, we would say He had an impossible dilemma—but nothing is impossible with God! Mat 19:26, Mark 10:27, Luke 1:37 ""For with God nothing will be impossible.""
(3) God, indeed, had a plan worked out before the world was made, as we have seen, and that plan included paying for sin and supplying righteousness—1 Pet 1:18-21

c. On the other side of the coin, there are believers in Christ who have been saved, who have had their sins paid for, and these believers are overcome with guilt about sins that are already done away with and gone
d. If you are a believer in Christ, if you have been born again, if you have put all of your faith and trust in Christ for salvation, then the Law, Sin, Guilt, etc., these have no hold on you.


2. 3:21 “…the righteousness of God …”
a. Author of God’s Righteousness imputed to our account—God is the author of Righteousness—Phil 3:9, Isa 45:8, 2 Cor 5:21
(1) This is not some plan hatched in a theological seminary.
(2) Calvin, Luther, and Knox did not sit down one day over a pot of coffee and say, “Imputed Righteousness—that’s it!”
(3) This is the plan and mystery of God from before the foundation of the world, manifested and brought forth in our time—Mat 25:34

b. Nature of God’s Righteousness imputed to our account—this is IMPUTED Righteousness.
(1) Imputation is one of the most important words in the New Testament—the entire fourth chapter of Romans is dedicated to expositing the concept of imputed righteousness.
(2) Imputed Righteousness is righteousness which we did not earn
(3) Imputed Righteousness is not naturally ours
(4) Imputed Righteousness is God’s righteousness put to our account
(5) Once righteousness is imputed, the account is forever closed.
(6) The Source of the Righteousness of God— Righteousness that God wrought on our behalf through the righteous life and infinite being of our Savior.
(a) Here is the problem for man—we have two choices, and only two, on our ownè Perfection, Perdition, We can only do one of those, and since we are born sinners and rebels against God, our only viable choice is Perdition.
(b) Here is the Glory of the Person of Jesus Christ—He is NOT a CREATURE ! He can live a perfect life and still undergo the penalty of the broken Law. He can withstand the punishment due sin and still come out alive!--
(c) Christ fulfilled every precept of the Law—He lived a life of perfect conformity to God’s will.
(d) Rom 3:28-31—The Law is upheld and recognized as Holy and True—Isa 42:21,
(e) Heb 4:14-15—He had no sin, He knew no sin, He did no sin, yet Christ suffered the penalty of the Law.
(i) By His infinite Being
(ii) By His absolute power and righteousness

c. Extent of God’s Righteousness imputed to our account—it is total!
(1) The righteousness of God is infinite, as the One who wrought it on our behalf is infinite.
(2) This is not some righteousness wrought for a temporary fix, the blood of Christ covers all our sins—Heb 7:25, Jn 10:27-28

d. Duration of God’s Righteousness imputed to our account—There is no end to the Righteousness of God. ‘everlasting righteousness,’ Daniel 9:24, Psa 119:142, Isa 51:6-8, Heb 9:12
e. Influence of God’s Righteousness imputed to our account
(1) God’s imputed righteousness destroys the guilt of Sin—Heb 9:26
(2) God’s imputed righteousness is the basis of our fellowship and relationship with Him—Eph 2:13
(3) This righteousness has eternal consequences —Heb 9:27-28
(4) This righteousness enables us to live for Christ—Col 1:13-14 , Eph 5:8

How could such an idea as that of a vicarious everlasting righteousness, to meet all the demands of a BROKEN LAW, have ever entered into the conception of men and angels? If it could have suggested itself to the highest created intelligence, and had the question been asked of all the host of heaven standing around the throne of God, ‘on His right hand and His left,’ Who shall work this righteousness? what answer could have been given?

All must have stood silent before their Maker. As no one in heaven, nor on earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book with the seven seals, neither to look thereon, —

so no one, neither man nor angel, nor all the elect angels together, could have wrought the righteousness necessary for the justification of a sinner.

He alone who is Emmanuel, God with us, who alone could open that book and loose the seals thereof, could ‘bring in this everlasting righteousness,’ of which it may be truly said that eye had not seen it, nor ear heard it, neither had it entered into the heart of man, till God revealed it by His Spirit. (Haldane)


3. Application
a. If you are saved, you are saved by grace alone through the Holy Life and blood sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ—
(1) There are no hoops for you to jump through.
(2) Anyone trying to make you jump through hoops is fooling himself, and trying to deceive you.
(3) If you are saved, you are not living a life based on acceptance through performance—you are accepted in the Beloved, and you are sealed and safe.
(4) God wants you to live for Him, but the relationship is changed—you are not the criminal in the courtroom, you are the judge’s son in the Living Room!
b. If you are lost, you are in desperate shape!
(1) You have no righteousness
(2) You can get no righteousness by any natural means at your disposal.
(3) If you will not believe in Christ, there is no hope for you.

But Now

Salvation by Grace—1
“But, Now…”
Reading: Rom 3:21-31

Introductory Thoughts

v We have come through a long series looking at the Law—this was not pleasant, for preacher or for congregation, but it was necessary.

v We cannot appreciate and understand Grace unless we understand the impact of the Law.

v And we cannot understand God’s revealed will for moral and ethical behavior unless we understand the Law.

v Now, however, we begin to look at Grace—we begin to look at the most precious of teachings in the Bible, the doctrines that explain the nature of our great salvation. Introductory Thoughts—WE NEED righteousness.

v Mat 5:20—You and I are not righteous in ourselves, not in any sense of the word.
v Rom 3:10-11—all are sinners
v Ps 58:3—we are sinners from birth, we are, in and of ourselves, unholy, unclean, unrighteous creatures. We are really fit for neither heaven nor earth.
v Our sin offends the Holy God we serve, and our rebellion spits in His face, even as He makes His offers of Love.
v WE have no righteousness, our accounts in heaven are overdrawn, overdue, overloaded, and impossible for us to pay.
v Not only are we loaded down with sin, we are completely destitute of merit—we have none of the holiness which is required for us to see God. We don’t just owe a lot, we have no assets. We are like the guy who was so in debt, that the only asset he could list on a financial statement was the unused portion of his credit card limit.
v God, in His infinite love, desires to save us, but in order to save us, He has to find some way to pay for our sin, and supply our missing holiness, otherwise His own sense of justice would be corrupted.

v If God were like us, we would say He had an impossible dilemma—but nothing is impossible with God!

v God, indeed, had a plan worked out before the world was made, as we have seen, and that plan included paying for sin and supplying righteousness.

v On the other side of the coin, there are believers in Christ who have been saved, who have had their sins paid for, and these believers are overcome with guilt about sins that are already done away with and gone.

v If you are a believer in Christ, if you have been born again, if you have put all of your faith and trust in Christ for salvation, then the Law, Sin, Guilt, etc., these have no hold on you.

v The Judge Illustration—the criminal in the courtroom vs the son in the living room

1. 3:21 But now

a. But Now---“two words upon which all of history rests.”

(1) What Paul has been talking about is the inability of man to save himself, and Paul finished by talking about the fact that the Law could not save us, only make us aware of our sinfulness.

(2) Now, Paul begins to talk about the Gospel, and he begins with these two ominous words, “But now……”


b. “But now…” These two words bridge the gap between the Old Testament and the New, and the Bible has many passages that help us understand how big that gap really is….

(1) Acts 17:30 "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,

(a) What “times of ignorance…” ?
(b) The times of the Gentiles
(c) The times of idolatrous paganism
(d) The times of willful ignorance of God.

(2) In the old times, men were still considered guilty of sin…Paul tells us in Romans 1 that they are without excuse…


(3) But God was patient, and had not destroyed the human race and judged it for its rebellion against a Sovereign and Holy God.

(4) But now…..Acts 17:30-31

(5) God’s patience has gone on since the beginning of the human race, but now the time of the end has begun, as God will give the human race space to accept or reject His Son.

(6) But God’s patience will not last forever, because He has appointed a day--Acts 17:31

2. But Now, The Plan of God

a. We don’t have a clue, but God has a plan.

(1) Every element of God’s plan was determined before the foundation of the world, and was manifested in God’s time…..
(a) God had a Redeemer—the Lamb Foreordained—
(b) 1 Pet 1:18-20
(c) He is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world—Rev 13:8, 17:8
(d) God Promised redemption before time began—Titus 1:1-2
(e) Before time began, God the Father promised God the Son, “If you will be their Redeemer, I will give you a people, I will give them eternal life!”

(2) God’s plan is a mystery to us, revealed a piece at a time—Rom 16:25-27
(3) The Mystery—Paul often refers to the Gospel as a mystery—1 Cor 2:7, Col 1:26-7, 1 Tim 3:16
(4) But now, the secret is out….
(5) The Gentile nations were cut off, but now…Eph 2:11-13
(6) The old covenant was good, but now there is a new covenant…..Heb 8:5-6—
(7) The old sacrifices never paid for sin, only put off the reckoning from year to year—but now—Heb 9:24-28

(8) Once you and I were lost, but now….1 Pet 2:9-10

b. God’s plan will come to full fruition
(1) God has made an appointment and God will keep it—He raised His Son from the dead so everyone would know He will keep it.
(a) God made an appointment before the flood, and the rains began on the day appointed.
(b) God made an appointment to visit and deliver His people Israel from bondage, and He showed up when He said He would.
(c) God made an appointment for His Son to come into the world, and Jesus arrived right on time. Gal 4:4-6
(2) But Now…. Two words upon which the entirety of the history of the universe rest.
(3) But now…. Just as the Savior hung between heaven and earth, He also hung between two ages, for everything before the Cross was one way, everything after the Cross was another.
(4) Salvation was once no better than a dim possibility for the Gentile nations, But now……
(5) Even the Jewish believers were under bondage to the Law, but now………
(6) And in the life of every believer, once you were lost, but now you are found…..

3. But now, How About You?

a. Salvation—Eph 2:1-5
(1) Was there a time when you can say, “then I was lost, now I am found…” ?

(2) Has Christ been made real in your life, have you really been born again?

b. Living For Christ

(1) We can’t do it on our own, but God….1 Cor 10:13, Rom 6:21-22
(2) If we have been to the Cross, however, we are to walk in the new life, not the old. Rom 7:6, Eph 5:8
(3) Ministry—in ourselves, we are nobodies, but God…1 Cor 1:27, Cor 3:6-7
(4) Church—we are just sinners, saved by Grace, it is a wonder that anyone in church gets along at all. We need to appropriate for ourselves what God says about the church—1 Cor 12:18-20

Rom 3:1-20

1. A history of suffering
a. 400 years of bondage in Egypt
b. In 40 years of wilderness wanderings, all those who were adults at the Exodus died in the desert
c. They had to fight for the promised land, to get it and keep it
d. They sinned time and time again
e. One civil war after another
f. The Northern Kingdom was destroyed
g. The Southern Kingdom had 70 years of slavery
h. The Greeks under Antiochus ravaged the temple and the Maccabees had to fight to keep it.
i. Rome put them in bondage
j. Roman legions destroyed Jerusalem and killed a million Jewish civilians in 70
k. In 115, the Jews revolted and Rome killed 600,000 of them
l. In Christian Europe, they were declared to be an inferior race of creature, and were persecuted and driven from place to place for 1500 years
m. They were oppressed in Russia
n. They were nearly annihilated by Hitler
o. They have faced 60 years of struggle in Palestine
p. And even now, the President of Iran and other Islamist leaders call for the annihilation of the Jews.

2. First Charge—no advantage for Jews—Rom 3:1-2
a. The implication of the charge here is that God was unfaithful in protecting His peopleèThe Truth is, God preserved Israel in spite of these attacks
b. The advantages of Israel
(1) The Advantage of better opportunity.
(a) As a nation, the Jews were Chosen by God—Deu 7:6, Deu 14:2, Psa 33:12, Ex 19:6, Deu 10:14-15, Ps 135:4, Is 43:21
(b) While most of the Gentile world was cut off from the Truth, the Jews had access to teaching that could lead to salvation—Eph 2:11-12
(c) They had other privileges Rom 9:4-5
(i) The (national) adoption
(ii) The Shekinah Glory
(iii) The Covenants
(iv) The Law
(v) The worship of the temple
(vi) The promises of God
(vii) And, most importantly, the Messiah had risen from their nation.
(2) The Advantage of the Word
(a) The Jews, and through them the church, were given the great gift of having God’s Word—
(b) Dt 4:1ff, 6:1ff

3. The Second Charge—that God was unfaithful to His people—Rom 3:3-4

a. The mistake the Jews made was to assume that being born into Israel guaranteed their salvation
(1) Application—many professing Christians believe that sort of thing today—but God has only children, no grandchildren.
(2) Salvation is and has always been through faith in God’s workèeither the work He was going to do (OT faith), or the work He has done (NT Faith). We cannot claim salvation based on family ties, nor could the Jews of OT times.
b. Some of the people of Israel did not believe—because the election of national Israel was not to salvation, but to be God’s representative nation.
(1) Some were true believers, even in the worst of times.
(2) There is a distinction between election for service and election for salvation.
(a) Cyrus was elected for service—Is 44:28, 45:1
(b) Israel was elected nationally
(c) But there is a distinction in dealing with the election of Grace—Rom 11:1-7
c. What if some did not believe? So what! Their unbelief was not a result of God not fulfilling a plan or a promise, because a remnant did believe for salvation.
(1) Just because the children of the covenant did not all believe savingly, that does not negate God’s promises.
(2) There will come a future day when “all Israel” will be saved (Romans 11)
(3) But in the current dispensation, not all Israel is of Israel—Rom 9:5-9
(4) There was always a remnant who believed in OT days, and even in the NT dispensation, there have been “completed Jews.”
(5) As in the ministry of Jesus, there was a remnant given by the Father to the Son.

d. The ultimate Judge
(1) Was God faithless? Paul’s reaction was definite—certainly not! This receives the strongest condemnation possible in Greek.
(2) Let God Be True—if we, at any time, think our way is better, our truth more truthful, or our view more accurate—we are a liar
(3) The Quote from Psalm 51—God is the One against Whom all sin is committed, and no one can judge Him—He is, by definition, right in all things.

4. The 3rd Charge—God’s unjust to condemn our sins since our sin makes Him look better—Rom 3:5-8.
a. Paul was obviously taking this line of thought because these things had been mentioned by some in opposition to his teachings.
b. This charge is also invalid

5. We Are All The Same—Rom 3:9, Rom 3:23, 6:23

a. The Previous Charge – “..they are all under sin.”
(1) I am a sinner
(2) You are a sinner
(3) If you are human, and if you are within the sound of my voice, you are a sinner.
(4) You may be a redeemed sinner, you may be a saved sinner, growing in the Grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, but you and I are sinners.
b. And this should not have been any news to the Hebrews of Paul’s day, because he commences to quote Old Testament passages to establish the fact that all of us are sinners

6. No One Is Righteous—3:10-12

a. To those who worship her—Mary is not righteous—except by substitution—Even she recognized God as her Savior—Luke 1:47
b. To those who believe in works righteousness, you are not righteous, except by substitution
c. To the self-satisfied and self-righteous, you are not righteous except by substitution—1 Cor 4:6-7
d. To the ones who believe they have achieved perfection—the same is true: we cannot be righteous on our own.

7. The details of the charges summarized

a. Man is unable and unwilling to seek God on his own—Rom 3:11, Isaiah 64:6-7, John 6:44-47, 3-65, 1 Cor 2:14, 2 Cor 4:3-4, Eph 2:1-3
b. Man has turned from God—3:12 è
(1) This is also from Ps 53—Psa 53:3
(2) The word “unprofitable” in the Greek, corresponds to the Hebrew word for “corrupt”, and it means “useless, like soured milk….”
c. Man cannot really even talk the game—3:13-14
d. Man is a killer—3:15-16
e. Man hates peace—3:17
f. Man does NOT fear God—3:18

8. The Law’s verdict—3:19-20

a. Whatever the law says—“let God be true, and every man a liar…..” Rom 3:4
b. Those under the law—this is everyone!
(1) The Jews had the law written on tablets of stone—Exodus 20
(2) The Gentiles had the law engraved on their hearts—they had the conscience that God gave them—(Romans 2) they had the witness of the book of nature (Ps 19)

c. The Law of God tells us to shut up
(1) Man says, “Well, I don’t think it’s anybody’s business who I sleep with…” 1 Cor 6:9-20— God says, Shut Up!
(2) Man says, “I have an alternative lifestyle, there is nothing wrong with what I do…” Rom 1:18-32, 1 Cor 6:9-11—God says—Shut up!
(3) Man says, “I am a good Missionary Southern Baptist, there is nothing wrong with me…” Mat 7:21-23—God says—Shut up!
(4) Man says, “A woman can do what she wants to with her body, there is nothing wrong with abortion—“God says—shut up! Luke 1:39-45, Ps 139
(5) Man says, “I don’t feel guilty about anything……….” God says—shut up! Rom 3:23, 6:23
(6) God says, shut up, and admit our guilt!

d. And finally, the statement toward which Paul has been heading since the beginning of Romans—3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
e. No one can fix their own problem
f. The Law and Grace-- “Christian” Legalism is a false doctrine!

(1) The Law and salvation—19-20
(2) The witness of other scriptures as to Law and grace
(a) The Law Cannot Justify/ Works Cannot Save è Only Faith can justify—Gal 2:16-21, 3:1-2
(b) Only Grace can save—Eph 2:8-9
Legalism is heresy—Col 2:16-23, Gal 1:6