Bible Study Romans Part 60-As It Is Written

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The following program is an edited recording of the regular Bible studies we hold, and we decided to share these with you in the hope that you too will be able to find inspiration, encouragement, and ultimately salvation through discovering Christ in Scripture.

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It will be a challenging journey, but one that will undoubtedly bring you to a decision.

Through this study, you will be faced with either believing or rejecting what God has said to us.

It is our intention to provide you with enough knowledge to make an informed decision about God and his word.

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In fact, these are matters of eternal life and eternal death.

Never treat what God has said lightly.

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America demands low-cost health care.

The people are fed up with the quality of life in this country.

Those who dye their hair purple are being denied basic human rights.

That's how they treat voters.

They stir up emotions while offering neither proof nor solid solutions.

It's a prelude to the blame game.

They're the reason why you have to struggle.

They're the ones holding you down and keeping all the stuff for themselves.

They did this to you.

They're responsible for your misery.

They're the reason you can't keep a job.

And listen, that strategy has proven pretty effective in our divisive society.

As long as you're insulting my rivals, I'll support you.

Well, that may get people elected, but it does nothing to educate those who need education.

And that is not how Paul does things.

Nearly every statement he makes, he backs up.

And for Paul, that always means turning to the Bible.

And that's the tactic that we see him use here in the third chapter of the Romans letter.

Paul spends the next several verses quoting scripture as a way to substantiate the statement he made in verse 9.

He says, We're all under sin, but he doesn't just leave us to try to figure out if we should believe him or not.

He doesn't expect us to just accept what he says because he's a man of great stature within the church.

He's never carried himself as if we should treat him as being beyond reproach.

He doesn't just blurt out pontifical statements.

He sets out to convince his audience of the truth of what he's saying.

Listen, it's a poor teacher who simply stands up and rattles off facts and figures without supporting documentation.

To truly be effective as an educator, you have to put some substance behind the things you say.

Lay down a little foundation on which those facts and figures can stand.

And that's exactly what Paul is doing here.

And he wastes no time going to the one place he's sure to find success, the Bible.

As we've pointed out many times before on this program, the Jews love their scriptures.

And if you can effectively argue from an accepted book of the canon, you're going to have success.

And Paul knew that.

So in an effort to prove his statement about all being under sin, he turns to the Bible.

Verse 10 starts out as it is written.

And then what follows is a cavalcade of supporting statements from what his audience considered their sacred writings.

Isn't that brilliant?

He, in effect, is saying, hey, this isn't my point of view.

It's God's.

All are under sin as it is written.

And then on down he goes.

And don't forget, as we said last time, you're going to notice that some of these are not direct quotes.

Some are, but that doesn't mean those that aren't aren't legitimate.

His goal is to prove that all are under sin: the least to the greatest, the nicest to the meanest, the richest to the poorest.

And he's going to do that by quoting two the Jews out of their own beloved holy book.

By the way, Dr.

Martin Lloyd Mart Dr.

Moyn, Dr.

Martin Lloyd-Jones in his commentary on this section makes an interesting claim.

Now, before I share it with you, I want to let you know that I was unable to verify what he says.

I checked all the sources that I have access to without success.

So we should be a bit cautious.

Now, I have no doubt he's right, but normally I prefer to hear something like this from more than one source before sharing it with you.

Now, once we're through, I'm sure you're going to think I'm I'm making too big a deal out of this, but I think it's important to academic integrity to be disciplined about the things we say in an educational setting.

And yes, I think this is an educational setting.

I don't care who it is.

I like to verify what someone says through at least one additional independent source before presenting it to you.

But I was unable to find corroboration in this case.

And as a matter of fact, I wasn't even able to find the source for the information.

But I think we're going to be okay because in this case, the real value of all of this is actually the lesson it can teach us.

In the end, I think you'll find this thought-provoking and useful.

You know what?

Let me just read it straight from his commentary.

I'm not very good at summaries.

They usually come out longer than the original, so let's save us both some time and I'll quote it directly.

It's also on your screen if you want to follow along.

Quote: This is Dr.

Martin Lloyd Jones.

Now it has been proved quite accurately and beyond any doubt that what the apostle does here is something that was done very frequently by the early church and particularly by the teachers and preachers of the early church.

They knew that certain arguments were particularly valuable.

And when they were dealing with Jews, with the Jews, they knew that nothing so helped their case as to be able to prove and substantiate it from the Old Testament itself.

Continuing to quote, the Jews believed in the Old Testament scriptures.

They were the oracles of God that had been given to them.

Very well, says the apostle.

This is what your own scriptures say.

He has a list here, and it is interesting to speculate about this.

Now, this was this is the part I was not able to verify.

The first Christians had a number of lists, probably committed to heart.

And by the way, the reason I wanted to verify this, because I would love to have this list.

The first Christians had a number of lists, probably committed to heart, so that when they were involved in a discussion on a particular aspect of the Christian faith, they could remember them and produce their arguments.

They called this the testimonium.

It was a kind of testimonial to the truth.

This is still Dr.

Jones speaking.

I call your attention to this because it is something that you and I can do in the same way.

When you are arguing, for instance, with a kind of formal nominal Christian, which I know a lot of them, who really has never read the Bible very much, but who thinks he or she is a Christian, when you are putting the Christian faith to them and they are to them truly, and they are trying to counter it on such an occasion, it is a very effective thing to say.

But look here, do you realize what scripture says?

Take them back to the scriptures.

That is why, as a believer, we should be well versed in scriptures.

We should have our Bible in our pocket so that we can produce it and say, this is what it says.

I think this is excellent advice.

The problem with the world out there, especially the liberal religious world, is that they seem to have a completely different view of Christianity.

They seem to be worshiping a completely different Christ.

And when you present your opposition to their view, they dispute your claim sometimes rather vehemently.

Well, nothing stops a wayward Christian in their track faster than a solid reference to the Bible.

You see, it puts them in a very difficult position.

They'll have to either argue with your interpretation of the passage or discount entirely the validity of what you read.

As I said, neither is very ideal for two important reasons.

Contending with your interpretation will surely reveal their lack of familiarity with Scripture and their outright disregard for what is written in it will reveal their actual hostility toward Scripture.

And listen, it's very difficult to maintain the veneer of Christian piety if you're challenged by a biblically based argument.

And that, by the way, is why there is this concerted effort to replace the Bible as an authority in the lives of Christians.

It makes the critics look bad.

So they want to get rid of it.

Now, I'm telling you, don't let that happen.

Stand up for God's word.

Don't allow others to take this treasure from us.

Fine, Mr.

Liberal Churchman.

Ignore the scriptures all you want, but have the guts to say that you're not a Christian.

This is the Christian book.

There was no other that Jesus referred to in his teaching.

There was no other that Paul nor any other apostles referred to in their teachings and writings.

Therefore, to reject the Bible is to reject Christianity.

All right, I took too much time there.

Let's go back to Romans.

We need to look at some specifics.

So Paul is trying to convince his fellow Jews that they are as exposed to God's judgment as anyone else.

Why?

Well, because God judges according to truth and nothing else.

Romans 3:9.

Romans 3:9

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.

Now I keep coming back to this verse because it's so crucial to our understanding of everything else that's written in the Bible.

In fact, I think I've been underselling it so far.

Listen to what Paul says over in his letter to the Galatians.

It's very similar, but has a much broader perspective.

It's Galatians 3.22.

But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

Once again, Paul isn't limiting this to his own opinion.

He's saying the Bible is proclaiming this very thing.

He says the Bible says we're all under sin.

Now again, isn't that a curious thing to say?

I mean, it doesn't say we're all guilty of sin.

Why doesn't it say that?

Why doesn't it just say we're all living sin-filled lives?

Why doesn't it say those things?

Why doesn't Paul put it that way?

Well, because it's a much bigger problem than that.

Yes, we're guilty of sin.

Yes, we live sin-filled lives, but there's so much more to it.

We are all under sin.

It's the condition by which we are controlled.

It's the state that runs our lives.

Certainly we all remember being under lockdown in 2020, right?

For a time we were all under lockdown.

And listen to me, this had nothing to do with whether you were sick or not.

It didn't matter if everyone around you was healthy.

It had nothing to do with you.

And yet it was what controlled your movement.

Listen, no one came to my house and gave me a COVID test to determine whether or not I should be under lockdown.

The fact remained, I was.

And it determined my day-to-day existence.

I was under lockdown regardless of my current status.

Now, as always, illustrations break down if you think about them for too long.

But this isn't a bad way to imagine what it's like to be under anything.

In the 40s and the 30s, the 1930s and 40s, Germany was under the Nazi government.

Everything they did was controlled by the Nazi party.

They were under the Nazis.

They were controlled by them.

Being under something is not a matter of what you do.

It is the very constraint by which, under which you operate.

Paul's declaration, indeed, the declaration of all of Scripture is that the entirety of mankind, simply by virtue of their membership in the human race, is under sin.

Sin is our authority at birth.

Now I'm certain then that more than a few of you don't like to hear that.

And I'm certain that there are even more of you who don't believe it.

Well, I can confidently say that the Jews of Paul's day didn't believe it.

And that's why he spends the rest of the next few verses proving it to them out of their own scripture.

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.

Paul is saying to his own people, do you think we're better than the Gentiles?

Of course we aren't.

He says, Check my record.

I've already shown that we Jews and the Gentiles are all under sin.

Verse 10, as it is written, here he goes.

He's commencing a long and convincing presentation of evidence from Scripture.

And he starts out, as it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.

Now listen to me.

Get ready for this.

This is going to be rough.

Those who like to focus on the inner goodness of man are going to have the most difficult time processing this.

There is none righteous, no, not one.

Now, this statement is actually found in a few passages in the Bible.

Psalm 14.1.

This isn't just Paul being grouchy.

He's quoting scripture.

The fool has said in his heart, There is no God.

They are corrupt.

They have done abominable works.

There is none that doeth good.

Psalm 53, verse 1.

Psalms 53:1

It's almost an exact duplicate.

The fool has said in his heart, there is no God.

Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity.

There is none that doeth good.

Listen to me.

Those were written by the most patriotic, proud Jew of all time, David the King.

And it doesn't appear that he has much good to say about either himself or his own people.

He's not hiding his disgust.

Also, before going on, I want you to notice that the way these passages are written, there's no way, there's no doubt that they apply to the whole race.

You cannot figure that he's carving anyone out.

This is the whole human race.

Some foolish scholars have tried to claim that since Paul is quoting the Hebrew scriptures, that this must mean that the content is speaking of Jews only.

That's absolute Baldurdash and dangerously arrogant, and can I say a bit racist.

Listen, friends, racism is bad enough, but there's no more grievous hatred than hatred of God's own chosen people.

Be very careful about lying, about allowing any intrusion of anti-Semitic leanings into your life.

Do not mess with God's people.

No, they're not perfect, but leave that to God.

They belong to Him, and only He can judge them properly.

Back to Romans 3.10, which reads, As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.

Now we've already seen that Paul is referencing passages from Psalm 14 and Psalm 53, but we can also see this same thing in Ecclesiastes 7:20.

Ecclesiastes 7:20

For there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not.

Paul declares, and the rest of the Bible declares, that there's no such thing as a sin-free man.

Paul is quoting the Bible, and it makes it tough to argue against.

Listen, if you call yourself a devout Jew or a devout Christian and you disagree, you're in a really bad spot.

But he's not finished.

He goes on with his Bible based declarations, verse 11 of Romans 3.

There is none that under There is none that speaketh after God.

Now, the biblical scholar William Newell says it's best to, he says, add the words divine things to this verse.

I don't think add is the right way to put this, but I think I know what he means.

As translated, this statement is perilously general.

And I think if our goal is to understand Paul's meaning, we need to be more specific.

And I think the context allows us to do that.

There is none that understand divine things.

I think that's appropriate.

That's an appropriate interpretation.

That certainly seems to be what Paul is hinting at.

There is none that understand divine things.

He appears to be saying that no one comprehends completely nor properly the things of God.

And that's actually affected our relationship with him and each other, as a matter of fact.

As it is written, there is none that, as it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.

There is none that understandeth divine things.

There is none that seeketh after God.

Now, here again we have another reference to Psalm 14.

The original from King David reads, it's verse 2.

Always has been.

The inhabitants of this earth, by and large, are not interested in pursuing divine things.

They're too busy with worldly things.

God is seeking those who have in them the capacity to respect his ways and his demands.

And from what his world, his word tells us, there are none like that.

It's listen, it's these sorts of statements that have caused the Bible to go out of fashion.

No one wants to hear these things.

Now, there was a time when scripture was on everyone's mind.

What was written in the Bible was as much a part of our society as any other piece of literature.

I mean, look at the works of Shakespeare.

It's been estimated that the Bard of Avan referred to the Bible more than a thousand times in his works.

And some of our most common sayings come straight from this holy book.

When you say I earn this from the sweat of my brow, you're quoting Genesis 3.19.

When your best friend says, Hey, you're a man after my own heart.

He's getting that from 1 Samuel 13, 14.

Escaped by the skin of my teeth comes from the book of Job.

A time and a place for everything is out of the book of Ecclesiastes.

Scripture was once an important part of the fabric of everyday life.

But that's all fading now.

We're rapidly changing our view of the world around us, and we're especially changing our view of ourselves.

The age of enlightenment, so-called, ushered in an overwhelmingly zealous humanism that persists to this day.

Around the middle of the seventeenth century, the bold and the beautiful decided that at the core, mankind is noble and honorable and admirable, and we should therefore focus all of our efforts on lifting up the dignity of our species.

And anything that says that there is none righteous or there is none that understand is antithetical to the popular tenets of what's left of the enlightenment, and it needs to be dealt with.

And so began the long campaign to discredit the Bible.

Now, the mainstream attitude is that the Bible's irrelevant.

To them, it has to be irrelevant, or their arguments for a noble race of mankind crumbles.

Their strategy is to chip away at the Bible, make it appear to be baseless, accuse it of being outdated or sophisticated or flat out wrong.

And all of that makes this job difficult.

It makes it difficult for us to argue from scripture.

And you know, not only has that mindset become mainstream, it's become convenient.

If you don't want anyone getting in the way of your unfettered pleasure seeking, just discredit the moral standards.

Call it racist, call it misogynist, call it colonialism.

Get rid of the stuff that makes it sound like there's something wrong with doing what feels good.

Stuff like this.

There is none righteous, no, not one.

There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

Now listen to me, there's no need to argue about this, no need to quarrel with the pastor that teaches this, and actually, no need to even contend with Paul because he said these things are written.

So if you want to argue with someone, the only one you can argue with is God.

He's the one saying these things.

Paul didn't say, I think there is none righteous.

He didn't say, I think there is none that understandeth divine things.

God said, God said, Paul said, God said those things.

And that's the beauty of using scripture to back up your statements.

Your arguments carry the weight of thus saith the Lord.

And Paul knows that more than anyone else.

Well, we're not quite finished going over Paul's arguments, but now may be a good time to stop for today.

We'll pick it up right here next time.

Hopefully, we'll see you then.

We hope this study has blessed you.

God's word is a great treasure, and it's our belief that a thorough, purposeful study of it will bring all of God's children to an understanding of his eternal plan of redemption.

It is our prayer that this will be so for all of our listeners.

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