Sermon Tone Analysis

Opening Prayer

Text Reading:

Text Reading: Romans 3:1-8

Text Reading:

Paul uses the model of Abraham to prove justification by faith alone because the Jews held him up as the supreme example of a righteous man (Jn 8:39), and because it clearly showed that Judaism with its works-righteousness had deviated from the faith of the Jews’ patriarchal ancestors.

In a spiritual sense, Abraham was the forerunner of the primarily Gentile church in Rome as well

Background to Chapter 4

Paul uses the model of Abraham to prove justification by faith alone

John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible.

(Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), .

Because the Jews held him up as the supreme example of a righteous man

And because it clearly showed that Judaism with its works-righteousness had deviated from the faith of the Jews’ patriarchal ancestors.

In a spiritual sense, Abraham was the forerunner of the primarily Gentile church in Rome as well

Verse 1: Then what advantage has the Jew? Paul is having a conversation with our natural human objection to God’s truth Also viewed as a typical response from an unbelieverOr a person with an unregenerate mindVerse 2: Entrusted with the oracles of God.One of those advantages is the oracles of GodOracles of God is also known as the Old Testament or ScriptureSo, let’s rephrase this again: We, Christians, are entrusted with the Holy Bible.Verse 3: Their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?Paul anticipated that Jewish readers would disagree with his statements that God has not guaranteed to fulfill His promises to every physical descendant of Abraham.

Another way we can look at it from a Christian perspective, is not all who say “Lord, Lord” are actually saved.Jesus on Judgement day will say “Get away for I do not know you” for they don’t have saving faithBefore any Jew or Christian, regardless of the purity of his lineage or saying a sinners prayer or walking down an aisle, can inherit the promises God made without first coming to repentance and faith God is always faithfulness even if man does not believeVerse 4: May it never be!Strongest objection in the Greek Paul usesEquivalent to “A Thousand Times, NO”Verse 4: Let God be found true, though every man be found a liarIf all mankind were to agree that God had been unfaithful to His promises, it would only prove that all are liars and God is trueVerse 5: But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say?

The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He?God’s good ends do not justify mankind’s evil meansGod is always just, even with the fact that our unrighteousness showcases His righteousnessOur darkness reveals His light, like a diamond with a black cloth background (Steve Lawson example)God raised up Pharaoh and hardened his heart to showcase His glory and fulfill His purposeVerse 7: But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner?Then Paul, speaking in the place yet again of an unbeliever, says can a sinner be judged if God uses a sinner to show His glory?Is that fair?Can God really condemn Pharaoh if He is the one who hardened his heart?Is this justice?We must continue on to find out what Paul has to say to our natural objections to God’s truth Questions or Comments?

Verse 2: If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about

Verse 1: Then what advantage has the Jew? Paul is having a conversation with our natural human objection to God’s truth Also viewed as a typical response from an unbelieverOr a person with an unregenerate mindVerse 2: Entrusted with the oracles of God.One of those advantages is the oracles of GodOracles of God is also known as the Old Testament or ScriptureSo, let’s rephrase this again: We, Christians, are entrusted with the Holy Bible.Verse 3: Their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?Paul anticipated that Jewish readers would disagree with his statements that God has not guaranteed to fulfill His promises to every physical descendant of Abraham.

Another way we can look at it from a Christian perspective, is not all who say “Lord, Lord” are actually saved.Jesus on Judgement day will say “Get away for I do not know you” for they don’t have saving faithBefore any Jew or Christian, regardless of the purity of his lineage or saying a sinners prayer or walking down an aisle, can inherit the promises God made without first coming to repentance and faith God is always faithfulness even if man does not believeVerse 4: May it never be!Strongest objection in the Greek Paul usesEquivalent to “A Thousand Times, NO”Verse 4: Let God be found true, though every man be found a liarIf all mankind were to agree that God had been unfaithful to His promises, it would only prove that all are liars and God is trueVerse 5: But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say?

The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He?God’s good ends do not justify mankind’s evil meansGod is always just, even with the fact that our unrighteousness showcases His righteousnessOur darkness reveals His light, like a diamond with a black cloth background (Steve Lawson example)God raised up Pharaoh and hardened his heart to showcase His glory and fulfill His purposeVerse 7: But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner?Then Paul, speaking in the place yet again of an unbeliever, says can a sinner be judged if God uses a sinner to show His glory?Is that fair?Can God really condemn Pharaoh if He is the one who hardened his heart?Is this justice?We must continue on to find out what Paul has to say to our natural objections to God’s truth Questions or Comments?

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), .

Text Reading:

Text Reading: Romans 3:9-20

Any credit you give yourself for being saved is something you would be able to boast about

You did not seek God

You did not love God

You did not choose God

If even one of these points is true, you could boast

I sought God

I loved God

I choose God

destroys this false narrative

God sought you out first

God loved you first

God chose you first

We have nothing to boast in

Verse 9: Are we better than they?

Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin;Are we any better than an unbeliever?Can we boast in our good deeds?As Paul says, “Not at all”We all start off, believer and unbeliever, under the curse of sinThen Paul, the expert theologian builds his argument and builds his case with ScriptureVerse 10-12: THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.Paul is quoting and Psalms 53How many are righteous?

None.

Man is universally evil Not even oneNone understand.

Man is unable to comprehend the truth of God or grasp His standard of righteousnessNot even oneNo one seeks God.

Man’s natural tendency is to seek his own interests and desiresNot even oneNo one does good.

No one is good but God alone (, ) Not even oneNine times he uses words such as “none” and “all” to show the universality of human sin and rebellionWhy?Verse 18: THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYESThe reason why, is that there is no one who fears GodProper attitude to God is “fear,” or devout reverenceNot even oneMan’s true spiritual condition is nowhere more clearly seen than in the absence of a proper submission to and reverence for GodWithout God’s mercy, we are totally depraved and not a single one of us would be counted as righteousWhat about Job? Abraham?

David?Just like you and me, they where only counted as righteous after God sought them out first.Remember Abraham was credited as righteous through his faith (, , )It is only as a result of God’s work in the heart that anyone seeks HimVerse 19: Whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the LawVerse 19: All the world may become accountable to GodNotice the verse reads “says” which is a further indication that Paul sees Scripture as the living voice of GodWe are all subject to the lawWe are all accountableNone can claim to be free from guilt before GodAll are lostAs a Holy God, every sin, every breaking of the law must be paidThe penalty that is deserving of the high treason and open rebellion we commit when we sin is DEATHVerse 20: By the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sightOn our own, we are not justified at allWe simply stand in front of a Holy God as criminals We are not victims.

We are criminals, guilty in the eyes of a just GodAny objection to this is simple proof of our rebellious nature against an All Good and Just GodBut thank God for the last part of Chapter 3Questions or Comments?

Verse 9: Are we better than they?

Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin;Are we any better than an unbeliever?Can we boast in our good deeds?As Paul says, “Not at all”We all start off, believer and unbeliever, under the curse of sinThen Paul, the expert theologian builds his argument and builds his case with ScriptureVerse 10-12: THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.Paul is quoting Psalms 14 and Psalms 53How many are righteous?

None.

Man is universally evil Not even oneNone understand.

Man is unable to comprehend the truth of God or grasp His standard of righteousnessNot even oneNo one seeks God.

Man’s natural tendency is to seek his own interests and desiresNot even oneNo one does good.

No one is good but God alone (Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19) Not even oneNine times he uses words such as “none” and “all” to show the universality of human sin and rebellionWhy?Verse 18: THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYESThe reason why, is that there is no one who fears GodProper attitude to God is “fear,” or devout reverenceNot even oneMan’s true spiritual condition is nowhere more clearly seen than in the absence of a proper submission to and reverence for GodWithout God’s mercy, we are totally depraved and not a single one of us would be counted as righteousWhat about Job? Abraham?

David?Just like you and me, they where only counted as righteous after God sought them out first.Remember Abraham was credited as righteous through his faith (Genesis 15:6, Romans 4:3, Romans 4:9)It is only as a result of God’s work in the heart that anyone seeks HimVerse 19: Whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the LawVerse 19: All the world may become accountable to GodNotice the verse reads “says” which is a further indication that Paul sees Scripture as the living voice of GodWe are all subject to the lawWe are all accountableNone can claim to be free from guilt before GodAll are lostAs a Holy God, every sin, every breaking of the law must be paidThe penalty that is deserving of the high treason and open rebellion we commit when we sin is DEATHVerse 20: By the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sightOn our own, we are not justified at allWe simply stand in front of a Holy God as criminals We are not victims.

We are criminals, guilty in the eyes of a just GodAny objection to this is simple proof of our rebellious nature against an All Good and Just GodBut thank God for the last part of Chapter 3Questions or Comments?

Verse 3: For what does the Scripture say?

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), .

May this be our tagline for all our life in every circumstance

Verse 3: ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), .

How did Abraham receive the status of Righteous?

He believed…Believed in what?

Verse 4:

The promise of the future Messiah…He believed in Jesus

And it was credited to Him until Jesus paid it all on the cross

It is a one-sided transaction—Abraham did nothing to accumulate it

God simply credited it to him

God took His own righteousness and credited it to Abraham as if it were actually his

John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible.

(Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), .

John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible.

(Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), .

Verse 4: To the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), .

If works are a part of salvation, then it is what is due to you

But salvation is by God’s free grace

If salvation were on the basis of one’s own effort...

God would owe salvation as a debt

But salvation is always a sovereignly given gift of God’s grace to those who believe

Although faith was Abraham’s action...

John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible.

(Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), .

It contributed nothing to Abraham’s resultant righteousness before God....

R. C. Sproul, ed., The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015), 1985.

Which was God’s own gift

Verse 5: To the one who...believes in Him

For all who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior

Verse 5: Who justifies the ungodly

Jesus’ perfect and complete work on the cross justifies believers

Note that all believers originally were ungodly (again Romans 3)

Verse 5: His faith is credited as righteousness

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), .

Verse 6:

Verse 7:

Again, what contributes to our righteousness?

Faith in Him

Any merit of our own...

Even the good that redeemed people do...

R. C. Sproul, ed., The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015), 1985.

Is by the power of the Holy Spirit...

And therefore it is excluded