Romans 2:25 - 3:8 "Circumcision of the Heart"

Good morning Calvary Chapel Lake City!

Well it’s been a big week…

Nationally… the voices of the people have been heard… and Donald Trump has been elected as the 47th President of the United States.

Pray for Trump… his policies are much better… not perfect, but more biblically aligned.

It won’t be until Jesus Christ comes that perfect leadership and policies reign over the land.

So until then… we have much work to do to occupy until He comes.

But, we are thankful for the election results… and the stay of evil policies.

Well… let’s now continue in our study of Romans. Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 2. Rom 2:25 to 3:8 today.

In Paul’s epistle to the Romans… he builds a legal case against all mankind… that all Gentiles (whether obviously immoral… or those who seemingly live a moral life)… and Jews…

ALL mankind is guilty before God…

And, God is a just judge for His wrath on sin.

This is the “bad news” section of Paul’s epistle. He starts with the “bad news” condemning all mankind first.

The bad news helps us appreciate the “good news”… the gospel which is the theme of this epistle (Rom 1:16-17)…

And just hang on… we are coming to the end of the bad news section… at Rom 3:21 Paul shifts to the good news…

focusing on justification through faith in Jesus.

Last week, we looked at Rom 2:12-16 which testified the conscience was a law to the Gentiles…

… and they would be judged by adhering to or dismissing their conscience…

and that the conscience testifies of God…

… moral values are implanted into the mind of every person…

… which speaks of a designer.

The Jews had their conscience, PLUS the advantage of the Law of Moses… God’s written law.

And, they arrogantly rested on their knowledge of the law and boasted in their national identity as God’s chosen people…

But in vv 17-24, Paul indicted them for their hypocrisy in not living up to the standard they preached.

There was a discrepancy between their talk and their walk…

And hypocrisy in God’s chosen people of old… or today results in V24 “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you...”

Because people watch how we live our lives… and if there is a discrepancy between what we preach and what we practice…

Unbelievers say, “If that’s what it means to be a Christian, I want no part in it.”

Today… we continue looking at Paul’s indictment against unfaithful Jews…

Now shifting to their rituals. They were guilty for trusting in their knowledge, their identity… and their rituals… specifically circumcision.

And, as we’ll see in vv 1-8 of Chapter 3… the issue was even deeper… they had a heart issue of unbelief.

Thus they were justly condemned because God requires faith and full dedication to Him in love… which is reflected in the title of today’s message “Circumcision of the Heart.”

Let’s pray!

In reverence for God’s word, please stand as I read our passage.

Romans 2:25 to 3:8 “For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? 27 And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? 28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.”

3:1-8 “What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? 2 Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. 3 For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? 4 Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written:

“That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.”

5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) 6 Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world?

7 For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just.”

Praise God for His word. Please be seated.

For a Jew… shifting into Romans 2:18 and to our passage today would be painful.

It would be easy for them to look at the immoral person of Romans 1 and say, “they deserve judgment.”

They could look at the moral person of Romans 2:1-16 and say, “They’re trying, but still guilty before God for hypocrisy in judging others while practicing their own secret sins and violating the law of conscience.”

But, once we turned that corner and Paul focused on the Jews entirely… boy that must have been an uncomfortable read.

God’s chosen people… condemned? The sons of Abraham.... condemned? The keepers of the Law…

Jews… who’s very name stems from “Judah” which means “praise.” Condemned?

Paul resounding says… and even more PROVES that the religious person who has the Law… is in fact the worst offender and truly without excuse.

One time, Jesus told the Parable of the Faithful Steward… also the unfaithful…

Both had been entrusted to be watchful over the Lord’s household… and to feed His people until He returned.

And, at the end of that Parable, Jesus said in Luke 12:48 “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.”

And, the fundamental principle set forth here is relevant to our passage in Romans… and relevant to our lives today…

The greater the privilege… the greater the responsibility.

Service to the Lord is evaluated… there will be an eternal review.

You think the annual review is tough at work… those are nothing…

Everything will be laid bare and all the secrets will be exposed at the Bema Seat judgement for believers… and the Great White Throne judgment for unbelievers…

We are covered by the blood… our salvation will not be in question, but the works we did in this lifetime… and our service will be judged.

The Jews were entrusted much… and thus there was a greater expectation for them to be faithful.

And, Paul justly condemns them… for they were not faithful.

Paul first points out that they were just going through the motions of adhering to the religious ritual of circumcision… but they missed the true intention behind the ritual.

Circumcision was a big deal for the Jews… and for us to fully appreciate what Paul says in our passage today…

… we need to take a moment and look back to the origins of this ritual…

Circumcision is first mentioned in the bible in Genesis 17… and it was a sign of the covenant between Abraham and God…

All males were to be circumcised… the foreskins of the male were removed… were cut off.

And… pardon me as I digress… but, might I just say… couldn’t there have been a more publically appropriate way to show the sign of the covenant?

Like in Rev 7… the 144,000 Jews will have a seal on their foreheads… why not that?

I mean literally… there was only one way to truly prove your were circumcised.

I’m not trying to be juvenile here… but, can you imagine how awkward that must have been?

“Are you a Jew?” “Why yes I am.” “Prove it.”

Terribly awkward.

Now…some interesting history… Romans and Greeks, of course, did NOT circumcise, and thought of the practice as barbaric…

And, during the silent years… between Malachi and John the Baptist… Alexander the Great rose to power… and when he died… his kingdom was divided… and popular culture was Hellenistic / Greek.

Some Jews greatly desired for their sons to train at the Greek Gymnasiums and compete in the Olympics…

But, there was a problem- circumcision.

Jews were shunned socially because of circumcision.

And, people would know… because the Greeks trained and competed… all nude…

As a tribute to Zeus… they displayed every inch of their muscular physique.

They had no tan lines.

So all the sports… javelin, discus, running, boxing… even wrestling… and pankration (which is similar to MMA)… all in the buff.

Talk about dedication to your sport.

I wrestled 5 years in middle school and High School.

And, I hated wearing that tight singlet. SOO glad I wasn’t Greek.

Now… some of you are familiar with the Maccabean writings… not the inspired word of God… but for sure historic.

The first book (and this is all free information)… the first book accounts how after Alexander died… and his kingdom was divided… from them came a sinful root… the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes…

And some renegade Jews made a covenant with the Gentiles and built a gymnasium and…

1 Macc 1:15 records “… and removed the marks of circumcision, and abandoned the holy covenant. They joined with the Gentiles and sold themselves to do evil.”

Not sure how they pulled that off… reversing circumcision… I’m not that smart, but I think that’s kind of permanent… especially B.C., but somehow…

In wickedness they broke from their covenant with God to assimilate with the world.

Can you imagine a Christian today… breaking from their faith and assimilating with the world?

I was grieved to learn this past week that a friend from early in my walk… has deconstructed his faith.

Nothing new under the son.

Anyhow… I encourage you to read those historical books… multiple verses account for how the Jews were persecuted… even brutally killed if they practiced circumcised… as it was outlawed by Antiochus.

(c.f. 1 Macc 1:48; 60-61; 2 Macc 6:10; 4 Macc 4:25).

All of this… and more led to the Maccabean Revolt… and from that was birthed the celebration of Hanukkah. Interesting history.

Now… in Gen 17 when God first enacted the rite of circumcision… Abraham was an old man… 99 years old when he was circumcised…

Ismael was 13… and when Moses got the command from God… that day every male servant of Abraham was also circumcised.

That’s what you call a “bad day at work.”

Isaac had yet to be born, but God commanded every male child to be circumcised on the eighth day…

Which is fascinating because Vitamin K which helps form blood clots and stops bleeding is lowest at days 2-3 of life…

But on the eighth day, my understanding is Vit K spikes and the protein prothrombin also spikes to over 100% of normal… and blood coagulation occurs.

I’m not a medical practitioner, so do your own research, but this testifies of a designer who knows His design.

Circumcision was also a serious statute.

God said the covenant or agreement between Him and the Jews “shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.” (Gen 17:13)

Any uncircumcised Israelite was to be “cut off” from his people for breaking the covenant (Gen 17:14)

No uncircumcised male could participate in the Passover. (Exo 12:48)

Being uncircumcised was used as a smear by Israelites often against their enemies.

David in reference to Goliath asked, “who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

Jews considered “the uncircumcised” as godless and wicked. The enemies of God.

And, Metaphorically… circumcision carried a deep symbolic meaning for the Israelites.

In Deut 10, it is written that God’s desire for His people was for them to revere Him… to obey Him and His commandments… to love Him… and to serve Him with all their heart and soul.

And the Israelites are reminded that they are God’s chosen people…

And, as a result of all this… Deut 10:16 reads, “Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer.”

Obviously, they could not literally remove skin from their heart… so what an uncircumcised heart represented was a heart that was hardened against God’s commands.

A rebellious and stubborn person who walked in the ways of the world and not in the ways of God.

They pursued passions of the flesh and idols of the heart…

… forsaking holiness… love… and obedience to God.

Jeremiah prophesied judgment upon Judah for having hearts just as wicked as Gentile nations…

Jer 9:25-26 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “that I will punish all who are circumcised with the uncircumcised—26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the people of Ammon, Moab, and all who are in the farthest corners, who dwell in the wilderness. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.”

There were many evil nations on the brink of judgment… and Judah was lumped in with them…

Circumcision was just physical to them… they were no different in the life, love and worship than any of the surrounding Gentile nations…

God saw that their hearts were just as wicked.

Deut 30… describes blessings promised to Israel upon them repenting…

Which included being restored to the promised land…

And, in Deut 30:6 we read, “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.”

So often the Great Physician must perform heart surgery on His people.

In our fallen nature, “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”

And, so… when God’s people demonstrate spiritual callousness… circumcision of the heart is needed for them to truly love God and be fully committed to Him… and to live… and experience blessings now and eternally.

The Greek Septuagint (the Greek translation of the OT)… reads “And the Lord will cleanse your heart...”

Instead of “circumcise your heart” … the Greek version reads “the Lord will cleanse your heart...”

This word “cleanse” is a verb associated with purification… which was a Jewish practice associated with being in a proper relationship with God.

And, so… the intent of circumcision was always deeper then just physically removing the flesh…

The male… who was the spiritual leader of the home… daily would have a reminder that they had “cut off” the flesh…

That they were to be “set apart” from the flesh… to put to death the flesh… to not live for sensation… to be “set apart” from the world… to put aside evil and corruption… and to be wholly dedicated to God.

Godly Character is far more important than our qualifications.

Circumcision was not a ritual for women… and I imagine this is because God designated male leadership for the home (1 Cor11:3; Eph:23)…

Not as a dictator, but lovingly leading.

Of course, if you’re a single mom, that leadership falls on you.

Today, we have an epidemic of weak male spiritual leadership in homes.

And, leading is not complicated… I know one man in our congregation reads scripture over his wife… and she in turn reads it back over him.

That’s leading.

Daily, I make a point to pray over my family as they enter the world.

That’s leading.

Our focus… what is it? Does our driving passion include God… and does our family know it?

What do we model to our spouses and to our kids?

We all lead our families toward God… or towards something else.

As Christians, our circumcision of the heart is best represented in some of our own rituals…

And yes… we have rituals… just as the Jew did.

Baptism is an ordinance which we perform outwardly, but symbolically represents putting to death the old man… living anew spiritually…

Identifying with the death of Jesus as we go into the water… and identifying with the resurrection of Jesus as we come out of the water.

We see this picture when Paul wrote combatting legalism in Col 2.

Col 2:11-14 reads “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”

Christ died… so we may live…

… and living is NOT being a slave to the old ways of the flesh.

That’s as true for us today… as it was for Jews getting circumcised.

But, going through the ritual with no heart dedicated to God… is meaningless.

If you get baptized and there is no change afterwards… all that happened was you got wet.

And, you can apply the same principle to church attendance…

If you just sit in a pew, but your heart is far from God… there’s a discrepancy… that’s a problem.

If you ‘pay tithe[s] of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith.’ …

Jesus called the scribes and Pharisees ‘hypocrites’, ‘blind’, and pronounced woes upon them for doing so.

Jesus also saw how people put money into the treasury simply out of their surplus, but the poor widow who gave two mites gave everything she had to live on.

Her sacrifice was great… and her trust in Him excelled them all.

With that… we’re going to have a special offering today… ushers can you pass the plates?

Wouldn’t that just be a mockery of all we just read?

I do hope you see… and understand… and apply what this all means for us today…

It has been God’s desire since days of old that His people then… and His people now…

… not simple adhere to and conform to rules and rites… purely externally…

… but if our heart was exposed for ALL the world to see… people would see a heart that loves and reveres God… and obeys Him and His word… and serves Him completely… with all their heart and soul.

And, that the leader in the home… is leading their family towards the Lord… NOT towards the world.

Now… with these principles laid… and the intent of circumcision established… Let’s now go through this passage… it should be much richer… V25… “For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.”

We will see in the verses today that Paul knows his audience and seems to anticipates the objections they are thinking…

Regarding salvation, Jews thought, “I’m a child of Abraham. God made a special covenant with the Jews. Our circumcision is a sign of the covenant!”

Essentially… I’m saved because of my nationality and my religious rite is proof.

It’s still the same today, some think, “I’m going to heaven because my family is Catholic or Orthodox or Christian… and I’m a member of my church… and I was confirmed.”

All of that is irrelevant to justification. No ritual or membership saves.

Ishmael was circumcised, but he wasn’t a son of the covenant.

Even ancient Egyptians circumcised… and many ancient cultures (Aborigines, Sumatrans, Incas, Aztecs, and Mayans)… and they certainly were not saved.

So, Paul begins to break this thought process down… starting with the sign of the covenant…

This ritual of cutting off the life of the flesh was profitable… it had value IF (notice the conditional clause “IF”)…

If they kept the law…

But… in the previous verses Paul already established they did not.

In V23 Paul asked the rhetorical question “… do you dishonor God through breaking the law?” Yes they did. Guilty.

Therefore, their “circumcision has become uncircumcision”… meaning you’re no better off than an uncircumcised Gentile.

You’re circumcision is meaningless.

That would make a Jew’s blood boil.

Continuing in V26 “Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law [which was a hypothetical impossibility… only Jesus perfectly kept the law), will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision?”

If a Gentile who lacked the ritual of circumcision kept the law perfectly…

Are they saved? Are they God’s people?

A Jew would want to say “No” because of uncircumcision…

And, Paul’s point is they are putting too much weight of importance on the ritual…

Of greater importance is obedience.

In other words… which is better?

To be circumcised physically, and live a life totally incongruent to the intent of God’s people?

Or to not be circumcised, and to live as God intended… in reverence, love, obedience…

The latter is more important.

And then in V28… Paul would really anger the Jews…

“And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law?”

The thought of a Gentile judging a Jew would be maddening.

But, it would be proper for the Gentile to judge… if done so righteously (Jn 7:24), and without hypocrisy (Matt 7:5), and gently (Matt 7:2).

It would be proper for a Gentile to judge and point out to the Jew, “Hey you’re a Jew and I see this in your life. Those two don’t seem to go together.”

The words you never want to hear after acting in the flesh. “Aren’t you a Christian?”

Man that’s convicting!

So, I’ve heard… I wouldn’t know personally.

Someone at another church told me that… no one here.

People are watching

I do wonder if Paul also had in mind the believer’s role of judging in the millennial kingdom as well?

In 1 Cor 6 Paul exhorts the Corinthians that they should be able to resolve minor disputes between one another and he rhetorically asks…

… in 1 Cor 6:2-3 “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?”

Believers will have a role of judging in the future Millennial kingdom of Christ… therefore we should be able to handle small matters now.

In V27, I wonder if there is a ‘near and a far’ in Paul’s mind of righteous Gentiles judging matters of the Jews in the Millennium?

vv 28-29 “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.”

A Jew in this context supercedes the definition of a “son of Abraham.”

Paul here is looking at the idea of God’s chosen people… who live out loving the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength.

They are not ritualistic white-washed tombs set on the praise of men… to be seen by men… with hearts far from God. That’s not a Jew.

Jesus called them hypocrites and pronounced woes upon them.

Even if you were born in Jerusalem with two Jewish parents… went through all the motions of circumcision, bar mitvah, and so forth…

… a true Jew is one inward and outward…

The same goes for Christians…

… a true Christian is one inward and outward…

Not just a church goer or of Christian stock… and baptized…

But, one who manifests a godly life.

The external rituals are good, but there must be an inward reality or it all means nothing.

In V29 Paul says, “… circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter...”

True circumcision is not strict external adherence to the letter of the Mosaic law… to be circumcised on the 8th day.

True circumcision produces a change of heart which only happens by a work of the Holy Spirit.

If you need heart change… you need a heart surgeon.

Try to perform physical heart surgery on yourself and see how that goes.

Why is the spiritual any different?

It may be easier for you to perform a quadruple bypass on yourself than for you to radically change your heart.

I know when my heart changed it came not by my own works, but by the power of a praying wife… and the power of a praying church…

And, a radical moment when I internally heard the still small voice of God…

He did heart surgery… and in many ways He still is… minor procedures… sanctification…

“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” (Jn 17:17)

Conforming me… conforming you into the image of His Son.

It’s a work of the Spirit.

And, the Spirit filled believer… the true Jew seeks not praise “from men but from God.”

“Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.” Pro 16:18

Many have been cited in Scripture for allowing pride to be their downfall.

Those who built the Tower of Babel…

Several bad kings, but even good kings Hezekiah… Uzziah… it’s recorded their hearts were “lifted up” (2 Chr 26:16 & 32:25)

Of course Lucifer… the anointed cherub… perfect in his ways from the day he was created until iniquity was found in him.

“Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty.” (Ezk 28:17)

Ananias and Sapphira… lying to god to look good before men. (Acts 5).

Scribes & Pharisees… so many indictments against them.

So many examples of mankind and angels falling into this trap.

Stay humble church. “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” (Pro 3:34 and quoted twice in the NT)

Now that Paul has thoroughly condemned the Jews… in Chapter 2…

… for their hypocrisy and their trust in rites…

… Paul seems to again anticipate further questions and objections…

Like “Well what good is it to be a Jew at all then?”

So, he will address this… and then lay out one final condemnation against the Jews for their unbelief.

Rom 3:1-2 “What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? 2 Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God.”

So… we clearly see the object in V1… “what’s the advantage of being a Jew?” and “Is there any value in the ritual of circumcision?”

Imagine being a devout Jew… toiling to maintain all that is required in Judaism… and to read the words of Paul.

Paul wasn’t saying there was no profit… no advantage to Judaism, but if religion is all you got… and there is no reality of relationship with God.

No fruits of the Spirit reflected in your life…

Then there’s a problem… and that’s the point.

But, to hear and address the objections… Paul in V2 brings up the chief advantage.

“Chief” in Gk is “prōton” meaning “first… in order of importance” in this context.

And, the foremost reason it was an advantage of being a Jew…

“… to them were committed the oracles of God.”

From the lips of God to the ears of Moses… the oracles or the “sayings”… the Gk logion of of God… were recorded on scrolls… and passed down generation after generation…

When the Jews would enter the promised land… God wanted His people to love Him with the entirety of their being and to teach and keep the law…

Deut 6:6-9 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

The actions of their hands, the desires of their eyes… what happens in their home… all of it should reflect a love for God… and as they entered the promised land… it would be a witness to the world.

And, when we live that way as well… and when we engage our children on topics of scripture as part of natural topics of conversation in our homes or out and about…

… with a “morning and evening” commitment…

… there are great advantages in our lives as well.

And, the world needs to see an authentic light of God loving… scripture following… uncompromised Christians.

Because eyes are veiled and in darkness…

And, when the eyes dilute adjusting to the darkness… initially a bright light is offensive.

But the eyes do not lie… in waking moments… they prefer light over darkness.

Back to the Jews and Romans… a chief advantage of Judaism was their rich history of being entrusted with God’s word…

Which praise God they stewarded well over the years.

And a modern example of their great stewardship… in Jerusalem… there is what’s known as “The Shrine of the Book”…

… which is a repository for the ancient Qumran cave scrolls…

And, one of the most fascinating displays is a model of the Book of Isaiah.

The original is the oldest complete copy of the Book of Isaiah, … about 24 feet long…

Quite the display…

And, we should feel indebted to the Jews for faithfully stewarding the oracles of God for thousands of years.

It’s our Old Testament… which is still fresh and relevant with lessons for life today… and packed with prophecy we long to be fulfilled.

They testify of Jesus.

And, beyond the oracles of God… later in Rom 9:4-5, Paul will expand the list of the Jewish advantage writing his countrymen “… who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; 5 of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, the eternally blessed God. Amen."

A clear affirmation of the deity of Jesus. Who said, ‘the bible never calls Jesus God?”

Rom 9:5 just did.

And, it spelled out many advantages for the Jew.

And then in vv 3-4 he writes, “For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? 4 Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.”

Another anticipated objection is that not all the Jews historically have believed… not all Jews have been faithful… which was historically true.

Regardless… just because of their unbelief (which is another condemnation against them),

Does their unbelief mean God will be unfaithful to keep His covenants (His promises… of which some were not conditional upon man, but only based on God)?…

… to bring forth a Messiah… to save and prosper His people?

To restore national faith to Israel during the Tribulation…

The answer. Will God be unfaithful: V4 “Certainly not!”

This is a favorite expression of Paul’s. 13x in Pauline literature he writes “Certainly not!”

10x in Romans alone. It would be a good side study to see all the reasons Paul says “Certainly not!”

It’s probably difficult to read, but I have a slide of a screenshot of Logos Bible Software and those verses.

Paul like to ask obvious questions and then answer them with very strong language.

And, both “Certainly not!” … “let God be true but every man a liar”… are both strong statements.

Spurgeon on the latter statement said, “It is a strange, strong expression; but it is none too strong. If God says one thing, and every man in the world says another, God is true, and all men are false. God speaks the truth, and cannot lie. God cannot change; his word, like himself, is immutable. We are to believe God’s truth if nobody else believes it. The general consensus of opinion is nothing to a Christian. He believes God’s word, and he thinks more of that than of the universal opinion of men.”

That’s a good word for today when so many Christians have compromised holding the word of God as true.

And, I love how Paul… not only expresses his opinion, but then backs it with Scripture quoting David in his psalm of repentance after his sin with Bathsheba…

Ps 51:4 “Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.”

Even David… one of the best in Jewish history… a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14)… whom Jews held deep respect for…

Even he admitted that admitted that he was wrong and God was right. And, he had enough humility to admit his fault and declare God as just and blameless in judging.

And keep in mind this was after David lost a child as a result of his sin and God’s judgment.

And Paul weaves that in for any Jew who in error thinks that God is not just.

And, I would suggest we should weave that into society today, because many arrogant people on this earth cast accusations against God as unjust…

… when our sins only confirm the truth of God’s word…

… regardless when they are knowingly guilty… they hate God for holding them accountable… because they love darkness rather than light.

“… let God be true but every man a liar...”

vv 5-6 “But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) 6 Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world?”

Another objection… Paul speaking as a man… meaning raising a human argument…

Proposing the thought that sinfulness serves a good purpose as it helps people behold the righteousness of God.

Therefore, it would be unfair for God to inflict wrath… to punish.

Have you ever been in an argument… and at some point logic fails? Either you or the other person is just grasping as straws?

That where I feel like we are.

One commentator wrote, “Such an argument is unworthy of serious consideration.”

Paul responds again “Certainly not!”

If God were unfair, how would He be just… how would He be fit… in judging the world?

But God is fair and fit and a just judge.

And, closing out the condemnation of the Jews… final objections vv 7-8 “For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just.”

Two more questions or objections arise vv 7-8…

Why am I judged as a sinner if I lie? Doesn’t that just highlight that God is true and bring Him glory?

This is like a Charlie Kirk debate.

God often in scripture has used evil for good… look at the case of Joseph and his brothers… or Judas Iscariot…

The good… or the fulfillment of scripture doesn’t excuse the sin.

What kind of legal system would that be if an evil motive was excused because of an unintended good result? That’s not justice.

V8… truly whack-a-doo “why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?

“The more we sin, the better it is!”

And as stupid as that sounds people justify sin taking advantage of the grace of God…

“It’s covered by the blood. I’m saved by faith in Christ.”

And that’s true, but it doesn’t justify sin.

A day comes when God judges the secrets of men (Rom 2:16).

Paul doesn’t even answer this objection except to say “Their condemnation is just.” or well deserved.

And, Paul points out that Christians were sadly being slandered… claiming they spoke these words in V8… which they did not.

Slander is Gk blasphēmĕō to speak light of sacred things; to blaspheme.

Can you imagine a society where unbelievers put words in Christian’s mouths and slandered them?

I look forward to the day Jesus returns… and all mouths are stopped…

… until then… occupy until He comes.

Read ahead. Next week we will conclude the Bad News section… and we may even start the Good News… which will be refreshing.

Let’s pray!

Our prayer team is available to pray with you if you need prayer for anything.

As you enter into the week ahead… be sincere in your walk.

You are God’s people… let it be seen externally… and let it be true internally.

God bless you as you go!