The Whole World Guilty
Notes
Transcript
Handout
SERMON 5
The Whole World Guilty
Series: The Case Against Us (Week 5)
Romans 3:1–20
Romans 3:1–20
OPENING
For the last few weeks, we’ve been walking through a courtroom.
Paul has been building a case.
Week 2: The rebellious are guilty.
Week 3: The moral are guilty.
Week 4: The religious are guilty.
And if you’ve been tracking honestly…
You should be asking a question by now:
Is there anyone left?
Is there anyone who can stand before God and say:
“I’m good enough.”
“I’ve done enough.”
“I measure up.”
Imagine sitting in a courtroom where the evidence just keeps piling up.
Witness after witness.
Each one confirming the same thing.
Every defense you thought might work…
Gets dismantled.
Every argument you were holding onto…
Falls apart.
And slowly, quietly, something settles in your chest:
This is not going in your favor.
And then the question becomes:
Is there any way out?
Romans 3 answers that.
Apart from Christ, No
INTERROGATIVE QUESTION
If no one is righteous and God’s judgment is just, how can anyone stand before Him?
TRANSITION TO TEXT
Let’s walk through Romans 3:1–20
This is Paul’s closing argument.
And he brings it in three movements:
God is faithful, even when we are not
No one is righteous
Every mouth will be silenced
DIVISION 1
Religious privilege does not remove human guilt before God. (Rom 3:1-8)
So what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the benefit of circumcision?
Considerable in every way. First, they were entrusted with the very words of God.
What then? If some were unfaithful, will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness?
Absolutely not! Let God be true, even though everyone is a liar, as it is written: That you may be justified in your words and triumph when you judge.
But if our unrighteousness highlights God’s righteousness, what are we to say? I am using a human argument: Is God unrighteous to inflict wrath?
Absolutely not! Otherwise, how will God judge the world?
But if by my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner?
And why not say, just as some people slanderously claim we say, “Let us do what is evil so that good may come”? Their condemnation is deserved!
EXPLANATION
“If religion doesn’t save… then what’s the point?”
“What advantage is there?”
And Paul says:
“Much in every way.”
Why?
Because they were entrusted with “the oracles of God.”
That phrase refers to the very words of God.
His revealed truth.
His law.
His promises.
His character.
Historically, this matters.
Israel had something unique:
Direct revelation.
They didn’t have to guess who God was.
God had spoken.
That is an advantage.
But here’s the tension:
Access to truth does not equal acceptance by God.
Then Paul says:
“What if some were unfaithful?
Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?”
And his answer is immediate:
“By no means.”
God remains true.
Even when we are not.
GREEK INTEGRATION
That phrase “by no means” is strong.
It’s not mild disagreement.
It’s emphatic rejection.
Absolutely not.
God’s faithful character is not shaped by human reaction.
THEOLOGICAL DEPTH
This reveals God’s sovereignty and faithfulness.
God does not adjust based on our short coming.
He does not weaken His standard evcen though He is getting the short end of the relationship .
He does not change His nature.
Which means:
The problem is not God’s reliability.
It is our unfaithfulness.
Then Paul addresses a twisted argument:
“If our sin highlights God’s righteousness… is God unjust to judge us?”
In other words:
“If my failure makes God look good… shouldn’t I be excused?”
Paul says:
No. Your sin does not put God in your debt. It puts you under His judgment.
ILLUSTRATION
God’s ability to bring good from evil does not make evil good.
A criminal does not become innocent because a judge later uses the crime to expose justice, protect society, or help others.
God remains righteous both in overruling sin for His glory and in judging the sinner for committing it.
Paul uses the same phrase Absolutely Not!
What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply?
Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
ARGUMENTATION
Some people say:
“I grew up in church—that should count.”
“I know the Bible—that should matter.”
And it does matter.
But not the way you think.
Because the more truth you have…
The more accountable you are.
Exposure increases responsibility.
Not exemption.
APPLICATION
Believer
Your Sin Does Not Lower God’s Expectations
Sometimes believers subtly excuse compromise by saying:
“Nobody’s perfect.”
“Everybody struggles.”
“God understands.”
While grace is real, Paul reminds us:
God’s righteousness remains absolute even when our righteousness fails.
Application:
Repent quickly instead of rationalizing slowly.
Unbeliever
God’s Patience Is Not His Approval
The objector in Romans 3 assumes:
“If judgment hasn’t happened yet, maybe it’s not serious.”
But delayed judgment is mercy, not indifference.
Application:
Do not mistake God’s patience for acceptance.
STICKY STATEMENT
Grace forgives failure, but it never redefines righteousness.
The delay of judgment is an opportunity to repent, not permission to remain unchanged.
TRANSITION
So God is faithful.
We are not.
Which leads to the deeper question:
How serious is this problem?
How far does it go?
Paul answers with absolute clarity.
DIVISION 2
Sin has left all humanity universally guilty before God (Rom 3:9-18)
What then? Are we any better off? Not at all! For we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin,
as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one.
There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away; all alike have become worthless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one.
Their throat is an open grave; they deceive with their tongues. Vipers’ venom is under their lips.
Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.
Their feet are swift to shed blood;
ruin and wretchedness are in their paths,
and the path of peace they have not known.
There is no fear of God before their eyes.
EXPLANATION
Paul says:
“What then? Are we any better off [than the Jew]?”
“No, not at all.”
Then he delivers the verdict:
“None is righteous, no, not one.”
Let that settle.
Not “Most aren't righteous.
Not “Some aren’t righteous.
Not “Almost no one is righteous.
Paul says None are righteous.
GREEK INTEGRATION
That word “righteous” (dikaios) means:
Right with God. Fully aligned. Morally pure.
Completely acceptable in His sight.
Can you say that about yourself this morning?
Paul says:
Not one person meets that standard.
THEOLOGICAL DEPTH
This is total depravity; Not that you are incapable of doing something good, but you most assuredly done what is sinful.
But that every part of who we are is affected by sin.
Mind.
Heart.
Will.
Desires.
Actions.
Then Paul builds the case using Scripture:
“None understands”
“None seeks God”
“All have turned aside”
That is devastating.
Because it means: Left to ourselves… We do not move toward God. We move away.
Then he describes the human condition:
Our words are deceptive
Our mouths are destructive
Our feet are quick to harm
Our hearts are corrupt
And then:
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
That is the root.
God is not central.
ILLUSTRATION
“It’s like going to the doctor because you’ve been tired, losing weight, and something just doesn’t feel right.
Maybe you think:
It’s stress.
Maybe a small issue.
Maybe something manageable.
But then the scans come back.
The doctor sits down quietly and says:
‘The cancer is aggressive.
It’s already spreading.
It’s in the lungs… the liver… the lymph nodes.
This isn’t isolated anymore.
Your whole body is affected.’
Many of you probably know someone who has heard words like that.
And in that moment, nobody says:
‘Well at least one part of me is healthy.’
No—everything changes because the disease has spread everywhere.
That is what Paul is saying about sin in Romans 3.
Not that humanity has a few moral flaws.
Not that one part is broken while the rest is fine.
Sin has spread through the whole person—mind, heart, mouth, desires, actions.
Not slightly affected.
Completely infected.”
ARGUMENTATION
If righteousness is required… And no one has it…
Then righteousness must come from somewhere else.
That’s where Paul is going.
APPLICATION
Believers:
This should humble you deeply.
You were not rescued because you were close.
You were rescued because you were lost.
Let this produce:
Gratitude
Humility
Worship
Its why we celebrate Jesus!
Unbelievers:
Stop trying redefining goodness.
Stop minimizing sin.
Stop comparing yourself to others to appease your conscience.
You don’t need adjustment.
You need rescue.
STICKY STATEMENT
Apart from Christ, sin touches every part of who we are.
DIVISION 3
The Law exposes sin but cannot save the sinner (Rom 3:19-20)
Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are subject to the law, so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God’s judgment.
For no one will be justified in his sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.
EXPLANATION
Paul says:
“So that every mouth may be stopped…”
That word means silenced.
Closed.
No argument left.
No defense remaining.
He follows that with:
“The whole world may be held accountable to God.”
That means:
Liable.
Under judgment.
And then Paul explains:
“Through the law comes knowledge of sin.”
The law was never meant to save you.
It was meant to expose you.
GREEK INSIGHT
The law functions like revelation.
It reveals what is already true.
It shows you your condition.
But it does not fix it.
ILLUSTRATION
The law is like a mirror.
You look into it…
And it shows you what’s wrong.
or
its like a scale.
you stand on it and it tells you where you are.
But neither can make you different
They can ONLY reveal your situation but they CANNOT reverse your situation.
However the Law is not useless or wrong. Like a mirror or a scale, it helps us get an honest baseline for where we are.
What should we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! But, I would not have known sin if it were not for the law. For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, Do not covet.
ARGUMENTATION
We spend our lives redefining the rules:
Paul says these matters are brought before God’s judgement so that every mouht will be shut. Because no one will would have a case for their righteousness if we viewed our lives truthfully.
Illustration
If a little girl comes home from school and tells her parents ‘Johnny called me fat on the playground.’ The child has to make an evaluation. Is the statement true? not is it mean, of course its mean, but is it true?
If it is true and she doesn't like that others see what see doesn't like about herself then she needs to address the matter personally.
The parent’s job is not convince her that what is true about her, is a lie.
Johnny could defiantly benefit from sensitivity classes, but you don’t send Johnny to a class that indoctrinates him to see what is true, and obvious as a lie now.
The Bible is God’s truth in its realist form. And the Law is not always as sensitive as we are but its design is to make you aware so that you can respond accordingly.
The truth often
Scares us
It offends us
it stresses us
it crushes us when we realize God is using the same mirror and scale I use.
So we suppress the truth and try to convince others that there are new scales and mirrors to judge ourselves by. Our culture becomes furious when you do not use their scale and mirrors
Now a days our culture is trying to force us to call
what is clearly sick as healthy,
what is ugly, beauty
and what is wrong, right.
But the standard to which we see and measure ourselves is not individual preference it is God’s holy standard.
And as long as you are defending yourself, or triggered that people see sin you hate within yourself and you are trying to convince the world and God to view you as you want to be seen…
You are not ready to be saved.
THEOLOGICAL DEPTH
Justification is not something you earn.
It is something God declares.
Which means:
Your only hope is not your argument…
But His mercy.
And God, in His sovereignty, has designed it this way:
So that no one can boast.
So that all glory goes to Him.
APPLICATION
Believers:
Stop trying to justify yourself.
Rest in Christ.
Let grace silence your striving.
Unbelievers:
What are you still holding onto?
What arguments are you still making?
What defenses are you still building?
What would it look like…
To stop defending…
And surrender?
STICKY STATEMENT
God’s Law can reveal your need for salvation, but only Jesus can rescue you from sin.
CONCLUSION [WORSHIP TEAM}
GOSPEL TENSION
This is where people want relief. But Paul doesn’t give it yet.
Because if you don’t feel this…
You won’t understand what comes next.
But next week…
Two words will change everything:
“But now…”
FINAL APPEAL
So let me ask you plainly:
Are you still defending yourself?
Or are you ready to surrender?
Because as long as you argue your case…
You will miss God’s mercy.
But when you come to the place where you say:
“I have nothing.”
“No defense.”
“No righteousness.”
That is where everything changes.
CALL TO ACTION
Stop trying to justify yourself.
Stop comparing yourself.
Stop minimizing your sin.
And come to God honestly:
Guilty.
In need.
Empty.
Because that is where grace meets you.
FINAL LINE
When your mouth is finally silenced before God…
Your heart is finally ready for grace.
How does Paul argue that religious privilege does not exempt anyone from guilt?
In what ways can understanding that 'none are righteous' impact your personal faith journey?
How can we ensure that our knowledge of the Bible translates into genuine obedience and transformation in our lives?
How can you practically demonstrate humility in your interactions with others, knowing that everyone is equally in need of grace?
What role does the Law play according to Paul's argument in Romans 3?
