Romans 3:1-20, What’s the Advantage?, Dr. John Carpenter

Romans 3:1-20: The Advantage of God's Word and the Equality of Depravity

Romans chapter 3 verses 1 to 20. Hear the word of the Lord. Then what advantage has the Jew or what is the value of circumcision much in every way? To begin with the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.

What if some were unfaithful does their faithlessness? Nullify the faithfulness of God by no means that God be true though. Everyone were a liar as it is written that you may be justified in your words.

And prevail when you are judged. But if our Unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God. What should we say that God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? I speak in a human way by no means for then how could God judge the world?

But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory. Why am I still being condemned as a sinner and why not do evil that good may come. As some people slanderously charge us with saying their condemnation is just.

What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all both Jews and Greeks are under sin as it is written. None is righteous. No, not one. No one understands. No one seeks for God.

All have turned aside together. They have become worthless. No one does good. Not even one. Their throat is an open grave. They use their tongues to deceive the venom of asp is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.

Their feet are swift to shed blood and their paths are ruin and misery and the way of peace. They have not known there is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law.

So that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law No human being will be justified in his sight since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

May the Lord has blessings to the reading of his Holy Word. Do you have an advantage? I mean did you come from a a good family gave you all the advantages that it could good parents who cared about you and Gave you what whatever they could even if they weren't wealthy, maybe not material things, but at least good values.

You know work ethic taught you faithfulness and integrity and hard work qualities that would help you make the most of yourself. That's a great advantage. It's probably better than getting a lot of money.

Maybe you got a good education. I were born with a high IQ or just a pleasant personality and that right balance of hormones. And you've laid well with others and so we're easily liked. That's an advantage.

You have an advantage especially if you work in sales. Maybe your family was rich. Can be an advantage. Lately, there's been a lot of talk about privilege another word for advantage. You have privilege and people are saying that some people are inherently privileged and they need to at least Be aware of those privileges to check your privilege.

They're told now I suppose it's fine to be aware of your advantages and what they are. But to suggest that all people of a certain race, which is often what they do are privileged. It's really ridiculous.

Of my four grandparents three were very poor a couple of them had to pick cotton. Now sure one of my grandparents my paternal grandmother. Well, she was not rich herself. She was descended from a family that had been very wealthy back before the Civil War.

They had owned a large plantation in Georgia. While a lot of those material advantages were lost in the war. I can still see the advantages, you know. Like two or three generate three generations, I guess later that she inherited.

She was able to go to college in the 1930s during the Depression was very unusual for a girl at that time. She became a prominent leader of her town. She was named West Memphis, Arkansas woman of the year.

She was advantaged and when she died in 2011. The advantages that she inherited all the way back from that plantation in Georgia. Such a go all the way back that far those advantages bought us those windows.

Well in contrast to the advantage are the disadvantaged. We have some a disadvantaged children in our Jim jr. And Jim programs now. They may have no father at home or if they do he's not a very good one.

Their mother may be inattentive. Once I found a Jim jr. Kid a 13 year old boy named Damien. It spent his time running loose in Yancey Ville and no father around the mother spent was spending her time.

These internet casinos which were legal back then the the only picture she had of her son was a proof of a you know. Those photo photographs they take at school. She had not taken one picture of her son.

He got so little attention at home. Another relative offered to take him in but the mother refused. Apparently wanting to check she got from the government for having him as a dependent. He liked going to church including to our Jim jr. Program and to school.

Probably because it was somewhere where at least someone was paying him some attention, but his grades were poor. Likely because he got so little structure and encouragement. Now understand that intelligence and Academic performance can be improved and be greatly improved with the right environment the right nurturing.

Even someone with a disadvantage IQ the low natural capacity can perform at an average or even above average level. If he gets the right nurture someone with a low IQ can function at about possibly up to 20 IQ points higher than their normal level if they had the Advantages of good training and attention and nurturing at home particularly, but that boy was disadvantaged.

One day wandering around Yancey Ville with some friends and just looking for something to do. I guess looking for some excitement the friends dare him to go. They went to the town reservoir. They dared him to jump in to the reservoir he did.

But he couldn't swim and so he drowned his body lay in a casket right here. When I preached his funeral sermon some people today speak of advantages and privileges as of a bad thing. I think Damien wishes he had some advantages.

Some people talk about well if we have a quality now what they're calling often equity. Then no one should have any advantages over anyone else, but that's really that's just envy. That's not a quality.

You just envy that someone else has something you don't. We all want Advantages and there's nothing really necessarily wrong with having them. Advantages put us in a better position in the restaurant business.

Location is a important advantage. You want to be in a spot where people will stop by and buy your food. Advantages are so popular that the name advantage is a favorite of all kinds of products. There's an advantage breakfast cereal an advantage bus an advantage flea poison for pets an Advantage rental car company an advantage database server a brand of paper and at least two rock bands.

Everyone Wants an advantage. That's true too when it comes to God to especially when it comes to God. People want something to put them in a superior position an advantage. With God to put us in his favor.

At the end of Romans 2 Paul talks about what they thought gave them an advantage with God that is these people with their nation their ancestry. For them circumcision maybe for us church membership baptism.

Christian parents. Morality, they think those things give them an advantage a privilege status with God. But then at the end of chapter 2 Paul says if you have the advantage that is you have the heritage.

You have the mark of the Covenant yet still you live. No. Differently you live as if you don't have it you break God's Word. Then you might as well Be from a heathen nation. Have no mark of the Covenant not have his word then your circumcision is uncircumcision for us.

Maybe if you're if you're baptized and you live like you're unbaptized. You're not as if you're a non-christian then your your baptism is unbaptism. You have no advantage. But that idea would be one of the most offensive things that you could say.

To some religious peoples particularly the kind of religious people Paul was dealing with often. You know, all their hopes have been set on these advantages these things that they have been told that put them in a Superior position with God these privileges their ancestry their Covenant the marks of it.

But they thought that by being religious or being born to the right nation. This was these were privileges that put them in God's favor and in chapter 2 Paul has taken a sledgehammer. To those hopes he's destroyed them and said if your life and your heart are not for God you have No Advantage, he's been telling religious people this for years going around particularly these synagogues and telling them you're not advantaged.

And he's heard some of their heckling back at him. He's heard the same objections over and over some trying to reason with them. So I'm just being smart. I lucky some just being angry some insulting and Very quickly in Condensed fashion he deals with four common objections and.

Then he comes by the end of this section to his conclusion to the conclusion of this section of the book of Romans. He starts from chapter 1 verse 18 until now chapter 3 verse 20 and this comes in two parts first equality and then depravity.

First equality. He says in verse 9 that we are all Equal as all kinds of people Jews Greeks all ethnic groups. No one has any advantage and now if that's so the first objection and in these first like nine verses some of these statements are statements that he's heard and he is.

He is repeating them if we if we were editing this today. We probably put them in quotation marks some said this and he he he repeats them for us. So we know what the critics are saying. Some are saying within that's true what you've been arguing so far.

Paul digger in chapter 2 then what advantage has the Jew you know, we thought. We're born in the right ethnic group. We have the right ancestors. God made a promise to Abraham made a promise to our ancestors that puts us right with him.

That's privilege. It's an advantage we have this we have this covenant and He says it doesn't put you an advantage. Now he answers though in a way it is an advantage it doesn't make you closer to God just because you have this mark.

Just because you're circumcised or for us, but you're baptized just because you're an Israelite. Because you have the ancestors or for us because you're a church member. It doesn't give that kind of advantage not a privilege with God.

He'll accept you. But that thing well, what are you talking about? If it doesn't do that? What good does it do? Well, it is an advantage because it gives you access To the Word of God, but he calls here first the oracles of God oracle means these revelations.

God has revealed himself in his word and so that we're not left and first to Israel. So they were not left these people Israelites. They weren't left to just the revelation of God. That's in nature. God revealed us remember in chapter 1 God's revealed himself in nature.

You look at the stars. You can see there's a creator. But those people who are less that's all they have just the revelation of nature what do they always do they go after idols they throw themselves into into all kinds of passions and lust and It's God has not left Israel up to that.

He's given them his oracles his revelation of himself in his word. So there was an advantage to being a Jew because they were the first to get God's Word. They got the words of God before other nations did and that's an enormous Advantage.

Why are the Jewish people today is my speculation? Why are Jewish people today? Well, they're often so successful. You know, they're only like 2 of the u .s Population there's so many of our doctors and lawyers and scholars leading professors.

Win Nobel Prizes and that kind of stuff or in the media. I mean way out of proportion to their size in the population. Why? And now any Semitic people any Jewish people will say well It's a conspiracy some kind of cabal in which they're they're helping each other and rigging the system for themselves.

No, I don't believe that. I believe it's because their culture has been shaped by the Word of God for thousands of years. So they've been taught the values that the Word of God holds up is to be cherished and that gives the principles the Word of God gives principles for success in this life.

And Psalm 119 which had been in the past three weeks psalm 119 drills into us the the advantages of having God's Word. Because it is it is good for us good for us in this life and more importantly scripture.

Makes us Paul says in another letter first Timothy. I think wise for salvation. Now later in this very letter in Romans chapter 10. He'll say Faith comes from hearing and hearing through the the Word of Christ.

So through hearing God's Word we get faith and through faith we can get grace and so we can be saved. So having the Word of God either in print in your hand or in your hearing at church. That's a great advantage.

It's just a much in every way. It's a tremendous advantage. It can mean the difference between life and death Heaven and hell. And can make them give you an advantage in this life make you successful.

This is why We should bring our children to church. So they can hear the Word of God. It puts them in an advantage. The problem many people will sacrifice a lot to give their children advantages of all kinds.

They'll they'll pay Hard-earned money to put them on give them tutoring pay tutors to come and teach their child extra after school. Could put them through in Singapore. At least they call it enrichment music lessons learn instruments martial arts Wushu or taekwondo math but training sports.

Abacus maybe private schools and Lucas it is maybe think it's better. You're paying more money. You know that but you figure this is worth it gives them an advantage. I want my children to have these advantages and so you sacrifice for it.

So then if it's such an advantage here much in every way having the Word of God is a great advantage. Then why would you not give your children the advantage of hearing God's Word? Why would you not do that?

Well, it doesn't make any sense. If you want to give your children the greatest advantages then bring them to church. But just having the word in church membership without believing it and without heeding it without living any differently.

You know, that's no advantage. That's a disadvantage. Here the here the Jew who thought just because he was a Jew. It just descended from Abraham and was circumcised. He didn't eat pork. He didn't work on the Sabbath that he was excused by God or For us maybe the church member has been baptized who hears the word so they just give some money.

But then doesn't really trust the Lord. That's no advantage. He has more responsibility, you know. Just just hearing without doing makes you more guilty. But having the word can be if you'll take advantage of it.

Well, that can be a great advantage. The second objection in verse 3 echoing something that he's probably heard many times. He's heard this objections over and over someone says back to him. You said here circumcision the mark of the Covenant with God.

That's no advantage if we don't live like We're in a covenant with God the mark of the Covenant doesn't make any difference. There's not a privilege if you don't live like you're in a covenant of God, then aren't you saying that our unfaithfulness?

Aren't you saying Paul? This is the skeptic talking. Aren't you saying that our? Unfaithfulness makes God unfaithful. You know, can our faithlessness that our Breaking the Covenant are not keeping the Covenant destroy God's faithfulness.

So that he doesn't keep the Covenant either he breaks the word just like we break our word and they're saying. You know since we know that that is absurd. Since we know that God cannot be unfaithful. We know that what you say Paul is untrue.

That way they reasoned. We still had an advantage with God. We have him locked up no matter how we live. He's gotta do good for us. He's promised we have this advantage no matter how we live and Paul says very abruptly no way.

Absolutely not. This term translated over and over again. By no means here in the ESV King James version was God forbid. Greek word just means Absolutely, not no way no exceptions. That's totally wrong.

Just a way of slamming slamming the fist down on the table can't be. And even if everyone in the world it was unfaithful if everyone didn't keep their their word their commitment to God. Even if they're all complete liars.

Still God will be faithful. His faithfulness doesn't depend on us. He cannot deny himself as he says elsewhere. He will always keep his covenant. Promises and then he quotes from Psalm 51 as we read we sang a little bit from when King David.

It was repenting for his lack of faithfulness. David says God. You are justified. You are shown to be right here in verse in verse 4 that you may be justified. You're shown to be correct. You're right.

When I have it been. Even though I've been unfaithful God you're faithful to yourself. No one will be able to judge God and say that he didn't keep his word. Now the third objection in verse 5 is that the gospel makes God unjust.

Now the scoffers were saying If what you're saying is true Paul Can he's he's telling us what he's been hearing back from to him what you're saying is true. All particularly in chapter 2 then then God is benefiting from our sin.

God has advantage from my sinning if my unrighteousness my sin is. Going to demonstrate God's righteousness. When he inflicts wrath, he shows his wrath on me. He judges me my sin is used as an opportunity to show God's rightness his holiness.

Well, then that makes God unjust. God's using my sin for his advantage. He's using my sin like lying he's just lying his example here he's using it to show off. To show he's holy that he's pure to make himself look good and Then he's condemning me for that.

That's not fair. The skeptics say that now to that Paul says at the end of verse 5 He's speaking and that's speaking in a human way. This is the way that people Assuming that they are the center of the universe.

Humanistic philosophy they think we can judge God based on our standards. We have the philosophy we have the criteria we can stand in judgment over God. If I did that if I did what Paul you say God is doing Then I would be wrong.

And so if God does it Then God is wrong. That's using ourselves is the criteria by which to judge God. C .s. Lewis said that this was putting a God in the dock famous book the the dock. Being the British term for where the defendant stands in the courtroom, right?

The person accused and a in a trial is in the British court is brought in and that's the place where he stands or sits it's called the dock and these people are putting God on trial and They're there so they're standing back and thinking they can judge him.

In other words people think that they have a right to put God to check him by their standards that we can be the prosecutor we can ask God the tough questions and Then be the judge coming to a verdict deciding whether we think God whether we think you are guilty or innocent by our standards.

As though we can do that. Now Paul's response to that in verse 6 is again the same term no way Cannot be absolutely not God. He says is the judge. He's not the defendant. He's not gonna play like the defendant.

He's gonna let you come into his courtroom and put him on trial. He just won't play along. You know if you if any criminal that went into a court today with any judge Started to try to put the judge on trial the judges wouldn't hear of it.

You're in contempt of court haul the guy away. And that's what God does. I'm not gonna even entertain it. God makes the rules. He comes to the verdict. His word is law. He judges the world at the end of verse 6.

The fourth quick objection starting verse 7 is that if God is glorified because of my sin That is for example, I lie I'm unfaithful to my word but then my sin Makes God look more gracious because he forgives it or it brings him more glory because he judges it.

He looks good in contrast to me. Then some people say back then haha God, why not then do more evil when I fly more when I do more immorality. When I become one of those people in chapter 1 you just throw themselves into what he called dishonorable passions.

Into outright immorality. Why not? I mean Skeptics saying these coffers are saying your gospel says that we are saved by grace without works and that glorifies God. Which is the ultimate good making God look good.

So then why not just an indulgence in of all kinds lie. I want so that either God will save us and Make himself look even more gracious. Look at all the sin. He forgave or God will condemn us and He'll be glorified.

Either way, this is the skeptic talking it. Paul's paraphrasing either way Paul. Your gospel is promoting sin. Paul's response to that is Kurt. It is slander. This caricature of the gospel making the gospel look as if it promoted immorality.

He says a slander. That is the person who is presenting the gospel like this the scoffer who is trying to deride it. Maliciously lying about it to hurt it. Saying it makes people more sinful. Here he doesn't argue with it.

You know arguably with it at all. He'll deal with this idea more later in chapter 6, but here he just condemns it. To people who say the gospel is is like this it promotes sin. He says their condemnation is just.

Anyone who says that the gospel makes God look better. By encouraging our bad behavior by making us worse that our salvation is totally disconnected from our morality. Anyone says that is condemned. This is a slander of the gospel now.

Yes, as he said in chapter 2 Morality does not achieve salvation but morality Always comes from it. Just because we say that your morality doesn't give you an advantage with God. Doesn't mean that you can then say well then never mind.

Never mind about self-control. Trying to not fall into these sins. I'll just throw myself right into them. Because it doesn't affect my salvation. Anyone who says that he says no their condemnation is just morality does not achieve salvation.

But always comes from it to sever that connection to say that you can have Jesus as your Savior. But not as your Lord. He could be your Savior from the guilt of sin, but don't worry about it. The power of sin you can fall for that all you want.

Anyone who says that is saying a hellish lie. Paul says that people who teach such a gospel are slandering the gospel and They deserve to be condemned. Now there have been over the last century. Particularly, it's probably always been this in church history.

But particularly in America over the last century those who present the gospel as if you can be saved by grace. Without any change in your life. You just kind of repeat this prayer. You say you believe it's played these these few facts about Jesus you say you believe it and you're told you're saved.

They'll say that's free grace the right books about it. Since grace is absolutely free. Then you don't have to worry how you live and you can have the greatest advantage with God and yet be no different at all.

No discipleship and Paul says here really curtly. Their condemnation is Just so what's the advantage? What's the advantage of having the mark of the Covenant of being one of God's people then in verse 9 is?

Not. So that we can indulge whatever sin we want we can live self-seeking lives like the rest of the world and then we can think At the end. Well, I have my ticket to heaven. We can be a that we can be unfaithful and yet God will keep his end of the bargain if that's the way we feel.

We have no advantage because we have no grace. Well, that's a that's a stunning thought for people who have bought in to this selling of Advantages now for so much of modern Christianity. It has been turned into a selling of advantages with God like during Reformation.

They were selling indulgences. You literally pay money get this Indulgence that says you get so much time off a purgatory for your sins or for some favorite relative of yours. We've been we've done the same thing over the last 200 years.

You do this and that and you get this assurance that you have an advantage with God. You say the right prayer you come forward you get baptized stand up for church membership you then get we're told an advantage.

You have God taken care of the. Paul says it doesn't work like that. Everyone is under sin in verse 9 all are under sin. We have no advantage that we as a church can just offer you and we kind of sell like goods in a store we have only the gospel and God has the grace.

Now what's the advantage. Well, there isn't any. We keep looking for some way to put ourselves in a good position by putting a restaurant in the right place. Some will get baptized or join the church or give money for the advantage, but it doesn't work.

And it doesn't matter what ethnic group or what family you come from. He concludes in verse 9 that we are all Equal everyone. Jews Greeks Romans Caucasians Americans Africans Chinese everyone. Everywhere is equal no advantages.

Check your privilege. He says You have none. We've all been equal and we're all equal in a horrible Disadvantaged way we're all Under sin. So there is a quality and then there's depravity. And starting in verse 9, we're all equally depraved now.

That doesn't mean we're as bad to each other or as bad in behavior as we can be. We can be worse in our behavior can be better or worse and how destructive you are, but it does mean that we are as disadvantaged with God as we can possibly be that we are all Equally at heart in our natural condition left to ourselves without God's grace.

We're all as godless as we can be and that's the worst disadvantage of all. To be depraved is what is meant by being under sin under Sin in verse 9 and that means we are under his control under his power.

We're slaves of sin as Jesus said everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. If left to ourselves, so we do its bidding. Because we're under it. And we don't really have any choice then to send left to ourselves until Christ comes and sets us free first now.

It's not an outward compulsion as though we're puppets doing things. We'd rather not do. I really don't want to sin. But God is making me sin is making me Outside me. No, it's not like that not an outward compulsion.

It's an inward corruption. Giving us the wrong desires. So we want to sin. And so we are under his condemnation in fact, even if we don't outwardly do the sin we still want to do it and So condemned for it.

We've inherited the guilt of sin and so will inherit its punishment unless someone else Who has no disadvantages of his own? Takes that punishment for us from here verses 9 to 20. He declares this equal Disadvantageous.

Equality is depravity stringing together. Seven quotes mostly from the Psalms one from Proverbs one for Isaiah. But mostly the rest of them from Psalms and Paul shows us that what he's been saying I want he's been arguing all the way from the middle of chapter 1 chapter 1 verse 18 until now comes from The Word of God what we call the Old Testament all are under sin.

And so none are in verse 10. None are righteous. There's not one person in his natural condition other than Christ himself who is who is right with God not one this is a very different picture of sin and Of our relationship with God whether we're alienated from God.

It's just assumed by the world today you know today most people assume that they have some advantages with God as long as they're not really a horrible just Atrocious kind of person we have some advantages.

I mean look at me compared to these other people. They're not so bad. Maybe this is maybe there's a hell most some people think maybe there's a hell for the for the likes of Adolf Hitler. Yeah, okay. Hitler deserves hell.

Mass murderers deserve hell. Extremely vicious brutal people. Maybe they deserve it. Well, not for me not for most of us and The result of that it's very common thinking in our culture today. The result of that is that most people don't think they really need Jesus.

They don't need a Savior. Oh, they may they may like him. He's gives good advice. He's a good example. It's a hero, but he didn't really need him. To be right with God. That's the way they think. The fact that most they're mostly decent they think they're in the average range kind of like IQs they're in the average range.

That's enough of advantage with God to get by. But the gospel of God that Paul here is is laying out for us. It begins very differently getting a chapter 1 verse 18. Remember the anger of God is being revealed against all ungodliness.

That's hearts that are not for God and turned aside to idols instead. God's anger is crashing down equally on all. Because all are equally depraved. Because no one not even one Is right with God. No one understands.

Because everyone has made that horrible exchange. He talked about trading away the gold of knowledge of God that everyone has they traded away for the gravel of their own self-seeking. No one seeks for God in verse 11.

Not even the religious. No one seeks for God. No one without grace is as a seeker of God. Now people find it incredible if you tell them that we believe. That other religions don't lead to God. Other religions don't exist to seek God.

That's not their purpose no matter what they say exist to avoid God. Make people feel good about avoiding God. Now some churches even today today design their worship services to appeal to what they call seekers.

But without God's grace. There are no seekers. All have turned aside. The moral and the immoral. For some it's obvious for some it's less obvious. But they've all turned aside. The religious have turned aside.

The materialist have turned aside. Jesus is the way the truth in the life and no one comes to the father but by him, but we've all turned away. From that way. We all turn another way. To our depending on our morality thinking we have a privilege our religion.

Are just the hope. You know the hey, I'm I'm better than you know, if Hitler. So I have an advantage together in verse 12. We become worthless together means all of us worthless. It's unprofitable. If you add up our spiritual value.

It makes a deficit. We're in debt. It's a debt we can't pay. Unprofitable means it's it's in the red. We're in the red with God. We're bankrupt. But surely something. You know, I'm the exception. Okay, maybe others not me.

I've been good. I've been religious. I've been privileged. I've checked my privilege and I have some. To that attitude comes the sledgehammer in verse 12. No one does good. Something well, maybe generally better.

I'm the exception. No one does good. Not even one. No exceptions. There's no exceptions among us sinners none with an advantage over others. Oh sure some may be better neighbors. Some may be better citizens or friends or family members or spouses or whatever.

So maybe better than in the way they relate to us than others. But Paul told us in chapter 2 verse 8 that even day when they're better to us. They're self-seeking and so at heart they are godless and Being godless being ungodly then they are not.

Good part of our problem is what we think of is good. We so often measure when someone is good, but whether they're good to us. But they do us favors and a flat tire on the side of the road. He stopped to help us.