Sermon Tone Analysis

Wenstrom Bible Ministries

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Tuesday October 30, 2007

www.prairieviewchristian.org

Romans: Romans 3:17-The Thirteenth Charge in a Thirteen Count Indictment Against Mankind

Lesson # 89

Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 3:10.

This evening we will continue with our study of the second major section in the book of Romans that is contained in Romans 1:18-3:20, which 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).

We are currently engaged in a study of Romans 3:9-20, which can be treated like a court room trial and is 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).

Thus far, we have noted the arraignment of the entire human race in the court of heaven that is recorded in Romans 3:9 and twelve of the charges in the thirteen count indictment brought against the human race by God that are recorded in Romans 3:10-16.

This evening we will study Romans 3:17, which presents the thirteenth charge that concludes this thirteen count indictment brought by a holy God against mankind.

Romans 3:10-17, “As it is written, ‘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.

THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING, THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS.

THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD.

DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.

DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.’”

Romans 3:15-17 is an abridgment of Isaiah 59:7-8a, which describes the sins of the citizens of the nation of Israel.

Isaiah 59:7-8, “Their feet run to evil, and they hasten to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, devastation and destruction are in their highways.

They do not know the way of peace, and there is no justice in their tracks; They have made their paths crooked, whoever treads on them does not know peace.”

Romans 3:17, “AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.”

“THE PATH” is the noun hodos (o(dov$) (ho-dos), which refers to the “way” or the “manner in which” the human race lives and thus denotes a lifestyle.

In Romans 3:16, Paul uses this word for the lifestyle or manner in which the human race lives.

Romans 3:16, “Destruction and misery characterize their ways.”

Notice the contrast that hodos in Romans 3:16 is in the plural whereas the word is in the singular in Romans 3:17.

The reason is that the cosmic system of Satan offers a plethora of ways to conduct one’s life whereas there is only one way according to the teaching of the Word of God, namely, through a relationship and fellowship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

The various ways of conducting one’s life, which the cosmic system offers, all lead to destruction and only those who conduct themselves in obedience to the Word of Christ will experience the eternal life of God.

Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.

For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

“HAVE NOT KNOWN” is the verb ginosko (ginwvskw) (ghin-oce-ko) whose meaning is emphatically negated by the emphatic negative adverb ou (ou)) (oo), “NOT.”

In Romans 3:19, the verb ginosko means, “to acknowledge” since in context the word is used in relation to unsaved mankind and the way of peace, which is through faith in Jesus Christ and applying His teaching.

To “acknowledge” means, “to admit to be real or true, to recognize the existence, truth of fact of, to express recognition and realization of something.”

Therefore, the verb ginosko along with the emphatic negative adverb ou indicates that unregenerate man “emphatically” will not “acknowledge” the way of peace, which is through faith in Jesus Christ in the sense that they will never admit that faith in Jesus Christ is the real or true path to real peace.

They would not recognize the existence of the way of peace through faith in Jesus Christ or recognize it to be the case since they sought to follow their father the devil and live independently of God and His way to true peace.

The fact that they would not acknowledge God’s way of peace indicates that they have knowledge of it.

God’s revelation of Himself in creation (Romans 1:18-24), the moral code inherent in the heart of every human being (Romans 2:14-15) and the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit in common grace (John 16:7-11) all contribute to make clear to the unbeliever the way of peace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:17, “AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.”

“PEACE” is the noun eirene (ei)rhvnh) (i-ray-nay), which refers to peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ and peace with men through obedience to the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ to love others as He has loved all men.

True peace is having a relationship with God, which can only be acquired by an unregenerate human being through faith alone in Christ alone.

Romans 5:1, “Therefore having been justified by faith (in Christ), we have peace with God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The peace of God is accomplished in the believer in three stages: (1) Positionally: The believer has peace with God because of his eternal union and identification with Jesus Christ, which is received through faith alone in Christ alone.

(2) Experientially: The believer can experience the peace of God by being obedient to the Word of God.

(3) Ultimately: The believer is guaranteed that he will experience permanently the peace of God in a resurrection body.

By “positionally” I mean that God views the believer as being at peace with Him as a result of faith in Christ and his eternal union with His Son, which sets up the “potential” to experience this peace in time and also “guarantees” experiencing permanently this peace when the believer receives his resurrection body.

After salvation, experiencing the peace of God is only a “potential” since it demands obedience to God whereas the believer is “guaranteed” that he will experience the peace of God permanently in a resurrection body.

The believer is eternally united with the Lord Jesus Christ at the moment of salvation through the Baptism of the Spirit (Galatians 3:26-28) and has peace positionally at the moment of salvation.

Galatians 3:26-28, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

This eternal union with Jesus Christ serves as the basis for the believer having the privilege and opportunity to have fellowship with God.

After being delivered from sin, Satan, his cosmic system and eternal condemnation, in respect to his self, the believer can experience the peace of God in time by having fellowship with God, which is accomplished by obedience to God’s Word.

Colossians 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

When the believer is obeying the Spirit’s voice, which is heard through the communication of the Word of God, he enables the Holy Spirit to reproduce the peace of God in him.

Therefore, reproducing the peace of God in the believer is one of the objectives of God the Holy Spirit in the process of experiential sanctification and is thus produced by Him (Galatians 5:22-23).

Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

The peace of God is also produced in the believer by the Holy Spirit when the believer goes to the Father in prayer in order to worship and adore Him and to present his needs and concerns in life.

Philippians 4:6-7, “At this very moment, all of you stop continuing to be anxious about absolutely anything, but rather, concerning anything at all by means of reverential prayer in the presence of the Father and by means of petition accompanied by the giving of thanks, let your specific detailed requests be repeatedly made known in the presence of the Father and as a result the peace produced by God the Holy Spirit, which is always superior to any and every human conception, will as a dogmatic statement of fact cause your hearts to be protected and as a result your thoughts by means of the doctrine of Christ Jesus.”

Also, the believer is not only commanded to experience the peace of God with respect to his own walk with the Lord but also he is commanded to experience peace with other believers, which constitutes unity in the body of Christ experientially.

2 Timothy 2:22, “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace (eirene), with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

Hebrews 12:14, “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.”

The believer pursues this peace by being obedient to the Lord’s command to love one another as He has loved and treating one’s fellow human being as God in Christ has treated him, which produces unity experientially among believers.

John 13:34, “A new commandment in example and experience I give to all of you, that all of you divinely love one another, even as I have divinely loved all of you, that all of you also divinely love one another.”

The peace of God is accomplished experientially among believers by exercising patience and tolerance and forgiveness with each other just as God through Christ Jesus exercised these virtues towards all men (Eph.

4:3).

Ephesians 4:1-3, “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Ephesians 4:31-32, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

Ephesians 5:1-2, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

When the believer exercises patience, tolerance and forgiveness towards his fellow believer because God has exercised these virtues with him, this not only produces peace among believers but also constitutes obeying the Lord’s command to love one another as He has loved all believers.

The teaching of Jesus Christ is the way of peace since He taught His disciples to love one another as He loved them and sacrificed Himself for them and all men.

Obedience to our Lord’s teaching in John 13:34 will produce peace among believers.

He treated His fellow human being as He wanted to be treated and taught His disciples to do the same.

Matthew 7:12, “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Obedience to our Lord’s teaching in Matthew 7:12 will produce peace among believers.

He perfectly loved His fellow human being as Himself and taught others to do the same.

The wars throughout human history and the rapes and murders and other human atrocities manifest the fact that unsaved humanity has rejected the way of peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ and as a result have rejected His teaching to love one another as He has loved them.