Week 2 | The Problem of Sin

Soap was actually a Celtic invention – that’s right, those barbarians knew how to keep clean! The Roman’s favoured a different method -they would cover themselves in olive oil, and then scrape it all off again! The scraping would take lots of dirt, sweat and other gross things off with the oil, leaving you clean! But a bit greasy.

Hook:

Let me tell you a story.

A few years ago, a man in his 30s went to the doctor because he’d been feeling tired. Not exhausted—just run-down, a little more than usual. He thought maybe he had low iron or needed to take a break. The doctor ran some tests just to be safe, and they called him back in.

When he got there, the doctor looked serious.

“Your tests show that you have a form of leukemia.”

It was aggressive. And if they hadn’t caught it, he would’ve had months to live.

But here’s the thing: there was a treatment. And it was effective. But it wasn’t easy. Chemotherapy, pain, time away from work, changes to his life—he would have to take the diagnosis seriously in order to be saved.

Now imagine if he had said,

“Eh, I don’t feel that bad. I think I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing.”

That’d be insane, right? But a lot of us do the exact same thing spiritually.

We ignore the warning signs. We minimize the problem.

We say, “I’m not perfect, but I’m doing alright.”

Meanwhile, something deeper is going on—something deadly.

Here’s the hard truth:

You won’t treasure the cure until you understand the disease.

You won’t cling to the Savior until you realize what you’re being saved from.

And you won’t see the beauty of the gospel until you understand the seriousness of sin.

That’s what Paul does in this next section of Romans.

Before he tells us how Jesus saves us, he shows us what we need saving from.

It’s not light. It’s not easy. But it is necessary.

So tonight, I want you to hang with me—not because it’s fun, but because it’s real.

Because we can’t understand the good news until we understand the bad news.

Tension:

So here’s the question:

Why do we need to talk about sin? Why does Paul spend over two chapters unpacking the brokenness of humanity before even mentioning grace?

Because deep down, most of us don’t really think we’re that bad.

Sure, we mess up.

Sure, we say the wrong thing, lose our temper, slip up here and there.

But we also try to be kind. We help our friends. We go to church. We think, “God knows my heart.”

Culture reinforces this too:

“Live your truth.”

“You do you.”

“As long as you’re a good person…”

And the biggest lie we start to believe?

That sin is either outdated, or it only applies to really bad people—murderers, abusers, liars, hypocrites.

But what if the real problem isn’t just what we do—but who we are apart from Jesus?

What if sin is not just about breaking rules, but about breaking relationship with God?

If we don’t understand that, then the gospel becomes just another self-help message.

Jesus becomes a motivational speaker, not a Savior.

And the cross becomes an overreaction, not a rescue mission.

Paul is trying to shake us awake.

Not to shame us.

Not to beat us down.

But to help us see the truth: Without Jesus, we are in far more trouble than we think.

And unless we see how far we’ve fallen, we’ll never understand how high His grace lifts us.

Big Idea:

We can’t understand the good news until we understand the bad news — all of us are lost without Jesus.

Truth:

Background:

Paul is writing to both Jews and Gentiles in Rome. Some thought their heritage or moral behavior made them “better off.”

Paul levels the playing field and shows that everyone has sinned and is under God’s judgment.

Romans 1:18–25 – The Downward Spiral of Sin

Romans 1:18–25 ESV

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Humanity suppresses the truth about God.

Exchanges worship of the Creator for creation.

God “gave them over” to their desires — not because He doesn’t care, but because He’s letting them taste the consequences.

Paul lists a series of sins that show the chaos of a life without God.

Point: Sin is not just bad actions—it’s a rejection of God.

Romans 2:1–16 – No One is Morally Superior

Romans 2:1–16 ESV

1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality. 12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

Paul addresses those who judge others.

“You have no excuse, you who pass judgment…” (v.1)

God’s judgment is not based on comparison — it’s based on truth.

Point: Even religious or “good” people stand guilty before God.

Romans 3:9–20 – The Final Verdict

Romans 3:9–20 ESV

9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” 14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” 19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

“There is no one righteous, not even one…” (v.10)

Paul delivers the conclusion: Everyone is under sin.

The Law reveals our sin but can’t rescue us.

Point: We are all guilty — and we can’t fix it ourselves.

Application:

Paul has made it clear: all of us are under sin. None of us escapes guilt. The gospel is good, but the truth about ourselves is hard. So how do we respond?

Here are three simple but weighty ways to respond:

Own your condition. Don’t downplay or deflect your sin.

We are pros at self-justification:

“At least I’m not as bad as them.”

“It was just one time.”

“God knows my heart.”

Yes—He does. And that’s why He’s not fooled.

God doesn’t want our polished image. He wants honesty.

The road to grace always starts with confession.

Own your brokenness. Admit your spiritual need. Stop hiding behind good behavior or good intentions.

Sin loses its power the moment we stop pretending and start confessing.

Stop trusting in your efforts. Start trusting in Jesus.

If sin is our condition, then self-help is not the cure.

Reading your Bible more won’t erase guilt.

Going to church doesn’t clean your soul.

Being a good person doesn’t cover your sin.

You cannot save yourself. No amount of “trying harder” will fix the disease.

The gospel is not: “Do better.”

The gospel is: “You can’t—but Jesus did.”

So lay down the pressure to perform. And pick up the grace that’s already been offered.

Let grace humble you—and make you gracious.

When you realize how lost you were, you stop looking down on others.

There’s no room for pride when you’ve been rescued from the edge.

So if God has saved you, let that make you:

Humble toward those still struggling.

Patient with those who don’t believe yet.

Grateful every day that you were found.

We don’t point fingers—we point to the cross.

Because we know that if grace saved us, it can save anyone.

Landing:

Tonight, Paul has taken us into some heavy territory.

This isn’t the part of the Bible that gets turned into T-shirts or Instagram captions.

It’s uncomfortable. It’s offensive. It forces us to face ourselves honestly.

But if we skip over this part, we rob the gospel of its power.

Here’s the truth:

You are more broken than you want to admit.

You are more guilty than you realize.

But you are also more loved than you can imagine.

Because the God who sees every dark corner of your heart is the same God who sent His Son to die in your place.

We will never celebrate the cross the way we’re meant to until we recognize why it was necessary in the first place.

So sit in the weight of this—not to feel shame, but to feel awe.

Because the gospel is good news. But it’s not just good—it’s unbelievably good.

And it’s not just news—it’s power. Power to save the worst of us. Power to rescue the proudest, the dirtiest, the most lost.

Big Idea (once more): We can’t understand the good news until we understand the bad news — all of us are lost without Jesus.

Next week, Paul’s tone shifts. He starts unveiling the cure.

But tonight, we needed the diagnosis. Because until we see how far we’ve fallen, we’ll never understand how far God came to reach us.

Pray

Ask God to help students:

• See their sin clearly

• Turn from self-righteousness

• Humbly trust in Jesus

• Have compassion for a lost world

Related Media

Related Sermons

Earn an accredited degree from Redemption Seminary with Logos.