All Have Sinned

Lesson 13 - Romans 3_9-20

Friday, March 29, 2019

11:21 AM

In Romans 1:18-3:8 we have been tracing Paul's argument for the universal problem of sin.

In chapter 1 we have seen the progression and downward spiral of sin

In chapter 2 we see that God is righteous in judging sin and that it's just not the gentiles who have sinned.

In chapter 3 Paul starting to bring this argument to a close and begin the next phase of his discussion.

Paul accomplishes three purposes in this final paragraph in the first major section of the letter (1:18–3:20): (1) he concludes his indictment of humanity with the chilling verdict that “Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin” (v. 9); (2) he illustrates his indictment from the Old Testament (vv. 10–18); and (3) he draws a conclusion from his indictment: the law cannot save (vv. 19–20).

The main point of this section comes in 3:9–20, and the backbone of this section is found in two verses:

verse 9, where Paul places all human beings under the power of sin,

and verse 20, where he draws the conclusion from this sad state of affairs: no one can be justified by obeying the law.

Douglas J. Moo. Encountering the Book of Romans (EBS) (Kindle Locations 1676-1678). Baker Academic. Kindle Edition.

He is going to argue now that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."

What then? This section begins as often Paul does in Romans with a question. It serves a transitional function - to introduce a question that was prompted by the preceding discussion.

What does Paul mean by the question What then? Is debated. Douglas Moo who I consider as an expert on the book of Romans he has written two major commentaries, a book and taught seminary classes on the book gives at least four possibilities

Is Paul making an excuse for the Jews? Are we Jews trying to excuse ourselves? Are we Jews surpassed by the Gentiles so as to be disadvantaged? Do we Jews have an advantage?

Whichever of these may be correct (if any) Paul answers with a strong negative. "No, in no wise:" What is the difference between 1-2 and verse 9?

Verse 1-2

Romans 3:1-2 (KJV)

1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?

2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

Then look at verse 9 -

Romans 3:9 (KJV)

9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

Why the contradiction? Why are they better in verse 1-2 and not in any way better in verse 9? According to the context Paul is not talking about the same thing in the two different questions

In verses 1-2 Paul is talking about Salvation History - They(The Jews) had received the oracles of God the Gentiles did not But in verse 9 Paul seems to be talking about salvation itself. "When it comes to being saved, Jews are no better off than Gentiles"

In 1:18-3:8 Paul has shown that Gentiles and Jews have both received revelation from God

Jews received special revelation Gentiles received natural revelation Both have failed to respond appropriately to that revelation. All of this points to the next clause:

Paul Has Proved Something:

Both Jews and Gentiles (Greeks) are all under sin.

This word "proved" is probably translated better "accused" or "charged" I want us to look at that phrase "all under sin" = under the power of sin

One major distinction I want to make - Paul doesn't say that all are sinners - he says that all are under sin - under the power of sin.

People are imprisoned by sin. They are locked up under the power of sin. I don't think I have to illustrate to us here tonight - but just in case let me do it this way. With the enlightenment and the changes that came from that - people began to think that we all had good and bad and if we just through either education or culture or some other process of cultivating the good we could overcome our bad. With modernism and post-modernism we have even more bizarre and frightening ideas concerning truth and God's Word

Lets just look at the past thirty years:

1999 May 30, In Belarus at least 54 people, mostly teen-age girls, were killed in a stampede near an underground passageway in Minsk as they left a concert by a local beer company due to a sudden heavy rain.

(SFC, 5/31/99, p.A10)

IN the early 2000's up till 2011 the world was plagued with the evil of Osama Bin Laden the founder of al-Qaeda

(who was responsible for the 9/11 attacks)

Saddam Hussein

Fidel Castro

Bashar al-Assad (Dropped chemical weapons on his own people)

According to Time Magazine http://time.com/4965022/deadliest-mass-shooting-us-history/

There have been 408 people killed in the United States in 30 years in 47 mass shootings since 2009.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human services estimate that between 240,000 and 325,000 children are at risk for sexual exploitation each year.

From 1999 to 2015 - 13,379,894 thirteen million, three hundred seventy nine thousand, eight hundred ninety four babies have been aborted.

Think about that number -

New York City has a population of about 8.6 million

According to worldpopulationreview.com the current state of Kansas population is 2.92 million

That is a lot of people who have been ruthlessly murdered.

This is a very limited list and I'm sure you could add so much more - I would think that we could all agree that we are not getting any better.

Walter Bauer (1979, 43) summarizes the evidence for Paul’s use of “sin” in almost personal terms “as a ruling power.”

Like a tyrant, Sin entered the world (5:12) and reigns there (v 21; 6:14). It lives in humanity (7:17, 20; 8:3; see 6:6). It has its own law (7:23; 8:2). Everything was subjected to it (Gal 3:22). People are sold into slavery to it (Rom 7:14), are its slaves (6:17, 20), and serve it (v 6). People may be set free from it (v 22). It may die (7:8) and revive (v 9). And it pays wages—death (6:23; see 5:12). It is noteworthy that hamartia appears with the definite article hē (lit. “the sin”) no less than twenty-eight times between 5:12 and 8:10, identifying sin as a ruling power and principle, which Christ alone can dethrone by the greater power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Only in 4:7; 7:5; and 11:27 does the plural form “sins” appear in Romans.

Greathouse, W. M., & Lyons, G. (2008). Romans 1-8: A commentary in the Wesleyan tradition (111). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City.

Paul goes on to describe what this means in verses 10-11 in a very graphic way using OT scriptures. Before I go into this too far I want to talk to us a little tonight about the concept and reality of a term theologians refer to as "Original Sin" Wesley in his sermon titled, Original Sin on Genesis 6:5 "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" Concludes that this is true for everyone, absolutely everyone. Lets look at a few things on this sermon and I encourage you to look it up and read the sermon in its entirety for yourself - you can find it on the UMC website or also on the Wesley.NNU website as well or probably other places online. In Wesley's sermon he equates the men before the flood as having the same problem as those after the flood. Using the same scriptures that Paul used from Isaiah and other places he says this;

Wesley is trying to show the difference between Christianity and the world. He uses the term "heathen" And he writes:

"They knew not that all men were empty of all good, and filled with all manner of evil. They were wholly ignorant of the entire depravation of the whole human nature, of every man born into the world, in every faculty of his soul, not so much by those particular vices which reign in particular persons, as by the general flood of Atheism and idolatry, of pride, self-will, and love of the world. This, therefore, is the first grand distinguishing point between Heathenism and Christianity. The one acknowledges that many men are infected with many vices, and even born with a proneness to them; but supposes withal, that in some the natural good much over-balances the evil: The other declares that all men are conceived in sin," and "shapen in wickedness;" -- that hence there is in every man a "carnal mind, which is enmity against God, which is not, cannot be, subject to" his "law;" and which so infects the whole soul, that "there dwelleth in" him, "in his flesh," in his natural state, "no good thing;" but "every imagination of the thoughts of his heart is evil," only evil, and that "continually." " He goes on to write: is "every imagination of the thoughts of his heart only evil continually?" Allow this, and you are so far a Christian. Deny it, and you are but an Heathen still. " On the official United Methodist website they have a "Ask the UMC" section. Someone asked them, "How did John Wesley understand Original Sin?" their answer was very interesting. They write, "In the sermon, Wesley makes clear he understands human nature has been so thoroughly corrupted that we have no possibility of any goodness at all in ourselves or in our patterns of thinking, apart from God’s grace intervening." Then they include a quote from the sermon of Wesley Original Sin: “But was there not good mingled with the evil? Was there not light intermixed with the darkness? No; none at all: ‘God saw that the whole imagination of the heart of man was only evil.’ It cannot indeed be denied, but many of them, perhaps all, had good motions put into their hearts; for the Spirit of God did then also 'strive with man,' if haply he might repent … But still ‘in his flesh dwelt no good thing;’ all his nature was purely evil: It was wholly consistent with itself, and unmixed with anything of an opposite nature.” (Sermon 44, Original Sin, I.4). Paul supports his thesis of verse 9 with a series of Old Testament quotations -- "the longest such series in the New Testament (vv10-18).

He gives us as one scholar says, "an awful poem on the sinfulness of man. And worst of all, it bears the authority of revelation it is Old Testament Scripture quoted under divine inspiration in the writing of a New Testament book. Wilbur Dayton in the Wesleyan Bible Commentary divides this list into three sections.

Verses 10 -12 Sins of attitude and are a quotation form Psalm 14;1-3

The main difference Psalm says "There is no one who does good" Paul insists that "There is none righteous, no not one" Righteous - to be put right / justify Verse 13 & 14 Sins of Speech is a quotation from Psalm 5:9; 140:3

Verse 14 is a quotation from Ps. 10:7 Verses 15-17 Sins of Actions - Verses 15-17 is a quotation from Isa 59:7-8 Another has added a fourth section - The Cause of All Sin Verse 18 is a quote from Psalm 36:1

In the OT obedience is often described as either the "fear of God" or the "fear of the Lord."

Now comes the application: 19-20

We know - everything the law says - it says to those under its jurisdiction - those who are in the realm of the law. You can't be made righteous or declared righteous in God's sight by observing the law The purpose of the Law according to Paul in this application is to make us conscious of sin. To show us what sin is.

With this claim Paul concludes the bad news; he is ready now to come back and elaborate the good news.