Romans 3.9-Both Jew and Gentile are Under the Power of the Sin Nature
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday October 11, 2007
Romans: Romans 3:9-Both Jew and Gentile are Under the Power of the Sin Nature
Lesson # 80
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 3:1.
This evening we will study Romans 3:9, in which Paul writes that both Jew and Gentile are under the power of the old Adamic sin nature and thus under eternal condemnation.
As we have noted in the past, Romans 1:18-3:20 constitutes the second major section of the book of Romans and deals with the universal need of the righteousness of God.
This section is divided into three parts: (1) The unrighteousness of the Gentiles (1:18-32). (2) The unrighteousness of the Jews (2:1-3:8). (3) The universal unrighteousness of men (3:9-20).
Therefore, by noting Romans 3:9 this evening, we will begin a study of the third part of the second major section of the book of Romans, which addresses the universal unrighteousness of mankind in that both Jew and Gentile are unrighteous before God and are under eternal condemnation and in need of eternal salvation.
Romans 3:9-20 can be treated like a court room trial and can be divided into four parts: (1) The Arraignment: The entire human race is brought before the Supreme Court of Heaven to answer to the divine indictment (Romans 3:9). (2) The Indictment: The entire human race faces the charges of crimes against a holy God (Romans 3:10-17). (3) Motive: The motive for man’s crimes against God (Romans 3:18). (4) The Verdict: The entire human race stands condemned before a holy God (Romans 3:19-20).
Romans 3:1-9, “Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God. What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, ‘THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS, AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED.’ But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I am speaking in human terms.) May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world? But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner? And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), ‘Let us do evil that good may come’? Their condemnation is just. What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin.”
Completed corrected translation of Romans 3:9: “What shall we conclude then? Are we (Christians) as an eternal spiritual truth, superior? By all means, absolutely not! Since, we have already previously indicted both Jew and Greek, with the result that each and every one is under the power of the sin nature.”
“What then?” denotes that what is introduced at this point is the result of an inference from Paul’s teaching contained in Romans 1:18-3:8.
“Are we better?” refers to Paul, the other apostles, his fellow communicators of the gospel of Jesus Christ and all Christians in general.
“Than they” does not translate any word in the Greek text but rather is inserted by the New American Standard translators who interpreted Paul as employing an “editorial we” and speaking of Jewish superiority over the Gentiles.
The New International Version does not add these words to its translation.
“Not at all” emphatically negates the idea that Christians are superior in any way to unsaved Jews and Gentiles.
“For” is the “causal” use of the conjunction gar (gavr), which presents the reason why Christians are emphatically not superior to unsaved Jews and Gentiles.
“We have already charged that” is the verb proaitiaomai (proaitiavomai) (pro-ahee-tee-ah-om-i), which refers to a previous indictment against both unsaved Jew and Gentile that appears in Romans 1:18-3:8.
The 1st person plural is an “editorial we” meaning that Paul is referring to himself since he is referring to the indictment of both Jew and Gentile for their sinful conduct that he presented in Romans 1:18-3:8.
“Both Jews and Greek are all under sin” demonstrates to the reader that both Jew and Gentile are equally guilty before a holy God and are under the power of the old Adamic sin nature and thus under eternal condemnation.
“Jew” is the proper name Ioudaios ( )Ioudaio$) (ee-oo-dah-yos), which refers to those members of the human race who are descendants racially of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and members of the nation of Israel.
“Greek” is the proper name Hellen ( %Ellhn) (hel-lane), which is used in contrast to the term Ioudaios, “Jew” and thus refers to those members of the human race who are not Jewish racially and who speak the Greek language fluently and were knowledgeable of Greek culture.
Romans 3:9, “What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin.”
“All” is the adjective pas (pa$), which is pasin (pa=sin), which is used in a distributive sense referring to “each and every” member of the human race without exception, both Jew and Gentile.
“Under” is the preposition hupo (u(pov) (hoop-o), which is used with the accusative form of the noun hamartia, “sin,” which refers to the old Adamic sin nature.
The word functions as a marker of a controlling power, thus the word marks the sin nature as controlling both Jew and Gentile.
“Sin” is the noun hamartia (a(martiva) (ham-ar-tee-ah), which refers to the old Adamic sin nature.
The Bible teaches that every person born into the world without exception received the imputation of Adam’s original sin in the Garden of Eden and the nature of Adam, which is always disobedient to God and making them all physically alive but spiritually dead, having no capacity whatsoever to have a relationship with God (Romans 5:12-21).
Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—when Adam sinned.”
The old Adamic or sin nature is a product of our parents since it is received from the male in copulation who passes it along to his children.
The first man, Adam, brought sin and death into the human race resulting in a curse whereas the “Last Adam,” Jesus Christ, brought life and blessing to the human race and so therefore, the entire human boils down to these two men.
1 Corinthians 15:22, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.”
1 Corinthians 15:45, “So also it is written, ‘The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL.’ The last Adam {became} a life-giving spirit.”
Because of the imputation of Adam’s original sin to the genetically formed old sin nature, every member of the human race is born physically alive but spiritually dead.
Adam’s original sin plus Adam’s sin nature equals “spiritual death,” which means that every member of the human race is separated from God and has absolutely no capacity to have a relationship with God who is holy.
This what we call in theology “real spiritual death” meaning that Adam’s original sin is imputed to the genetically formed old sin nature, thus, the need for everyone to become born-again by believing on the Lord Jesus.
The old sin nature manifests itself in three ways: (1) Mental attitude sins (2) Verbal sins (3) Overt acts of sin.
The sin nature contains: (1) An area of weakness (2) An area of strength (3) Trends toward legalism (4) Lust patterns.
Now, the fact that every member of the human race possesses a sin nature does mean that the entire human race is qualified for grace, which is all that God is free to do in imparting unmerited blessings to anyone who trusts in Jesus Christ as his or her Savior.
Galatians 3:22, “But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”
Romans 11:32, “For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.”
In the New Testament, the old sin nature is called the “old self, the flesh,” which according to the Scriptures is being corrupted meaning that it is not getting better nor can it be rehabilitated but rather it is getting worse and worse everyday.
The old sin nature resides in the genetic structure of the human body and this is why the apostle Paul in Romans 6:6 calls it the “body of sin” and this is why we need a resurrection body.
Prior to salvation, the believer was enslaved to the lust patterns of the old Adamic sin nature since he was under real spiritual death meaning he had no capacity to experience fellowship with God (See Ephesians 2:1-3).
At the moment of salvation, through the baptism of the Spirit, the omnipotence of the Spirit identified the believer with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session (See Romans 6:4-7; Ephesians 2:4-6).
Also, at the moment of salvation, God gave the believer a new divine nature that gives him the capacity to experience deliverance from the lust patterns of the old Adamic sin nature (See 2 Peter 1:4).
Therefore, since the believer has been crucified, died and buried with Christ and has been raised and seated with Christ and given a new divine nature, he is commanded to abstain from the various lust patterns of the old sin nature, which wage war against the believer’s soul and is to flee them.
1 Peter 2:11, “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.”
2 Timothy 2:22, “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”
The believer is prohibited from obeying the lust patterns of the old Adamic sin nature and is commanded to put on the nature of Christ, which is accomplished by obeying the Word of Christ and this constitutes walking by means of the Spirit (See Romans 6:12-13; 13:14; Galatians 5:16; Ephesians 4:17-24).
Since the believer has been crucified with Christ, he is commanded to consider himself dead to the sin nature.
Romans 6:11, “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
The believer who appropriates by faith the teaching of the Word of God that he has been crucified, died and buried with Christ will experience deliverance from the lust patterns of the old sin nature.
Galatians 5:24, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
The believer is to consider the members of his body to be dead to these lust patterns of the old sin nature since they were crucified at the cross and he has died with Christ.
Colossians 3:5, “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.”
The believer’s sin nature will not be totally eradicated until he physically dies or when the rapture of the church takes place when the believer will receive a resurrection body to replace the body he now has, which contains the old sin nature (See 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; Philippians 3:20-21).
In the meantime, the believer has a battle raging within him since he has two natures, which are diametrically opposed to one another and he must choose between the two since the old sin nature wars against the Spirit.
Galatians 5:17, “For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.”
The new Christ-nature sets us free from the old Adamic nature.
We utilize the new Christ-nature by obeying the Word of God, which constitutes experiencing fellowship with God (1 John 2:3-5) and walking by means of the Spirit since the Spirit speaks to the believer through the Word of God.
Galatians 5:16, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”