So Paul has pointed out that the law we try to keep, which we think will make us better than other people, actually declares that we’re all the same, because the truth of the matter is that nobody keeps the law, even though we try so hard sometimes. What then he says in chapter 3, verse 9? Are we any better than they? Not at all, for we have previously charged that Jews and Greeks, they are all under sin. And you remember last time, yesterday, I pointed out the importance of this preposition under. It shows our relationship to sin. It is not that we are over sin and we decide whether to do it or not. It’s the matter of sin is over us and it has enslaved us. Paul, by this word, is gradually going to introduce, and I’m jumping ahead of the story here, is gradually going to introduce the truth about the kingdoms, the kingdom of sin and death and the kingdom of death. of righteousness and life. The kingdom of sin and death was brought in by Adam. The kingdom of righteousness and life was brought in by Christ. Now, preachers today talk so much about individual sin. We need to repent, and we need to recognize that we have sinned, and we ask Jesus to forgive us and to come into our hearts. All right, all very good. but there is a much larger picture which must be understood. All of us in humanity are trapped, and we are trapped in the kingdom of sin and death, and there’s nobody that can get us out of it except Jesus. There is no one that can get out of it by repentance, or by changing his behavior, or by living a good life. We need to understand what Christ has done in breaking the power of the kingdom of sin and death. So Paul says, what then, are we any better than they? Not at all, for we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks, that is both religious people and non-religious people, that is both Christians and Jewish people, all the religions of the world, are under the power, under sin, are all under sin. So we need to get that relationship right, that awareness of the relationship, that sin is not something primarily we do, though we do sin and need to repent of it, but it is something that does us. And thus Paul goes on to quote a litany of passages from the Old Testament, as it is written, “‘There is none righteous, no, not one. There is none who understands. There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable. There is none who does good, no, not one.’ Their throat is an open tomb. With their tongue they have practiced deceit. 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 ways, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Now this, to the modern Christian mind, especially the Western mind of Christians, seems to be terribly dour exaggeration. It seems that Paul is pulling texts together that really overdo it. that is humanism reacting. Humanism is the belief that we’re basically okay, we just need a little touch-up, we need to realize our potential, we need to simply develop our innate goodness and spirituality, and that leads the humanist to wonder, why in the world did Jesus die? Well, all they can come up with is that he died because he was good and because he wanted to show the love of God, and he died as a good example. But they cannot tolerate, the humanist Christian cannot tolerate the idea that Jesus Christ died as a judgment for the sins of humanity. Because, one, they say, well, that’s an unjust judgment. Why would a good man die for a bad man? But also, what does mankind need? A judgment like that. We’re basically good. We just need a little topping off. So I’m asking you to be dead serious about the Scripture, about the truth of the Gospel. You cannot present the message of Christ as expressing the love of God and removing all of the judgment ideas and all of the sacrifice idea that Jesus is. Jesus sacrificed himself as a substitute for the human race. I’m jumping ahead of my story there, but I need to say it so that we make sense of these texts. Why does Paul quote texts that seem to be so miserable about the human race? Because the human race is in a catastrophic state. The human race cannot make it to the kingdom of heaven. The human race has to have something far larger than itself to rescue it, and that is Jesus Christ. And so Paul says in verse 19 and verse 20, and this is the summary of the whole of chapters 1, 2, and 3. So get it? Now we know. So what do we know? Okay, here it goes. Now we know that whatever the law says… It says to those who are under the law. Hey, wait a minute. Did you notice that? Under, that preposition again? Paul has spoken about being under sin, that is, sin controlling us. Now he’s going to talk or referring to under law. We know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law. Now, why use that preposition in relation to the law? Because Paul is making it clear, or is going to make it clear as he develops this book, that the law does not do you any favors. That the law… is not simply neutral in this relationship with you. The law condemns you. That is to say that the morality that the law reveals, reveals to you that you are very far away from that morality. Jesus himself said, as I said the other day, you have heard it say that you shall not kill, but whosoever hates his brother is a murderer. You have heard it said that you shall not steal, but whosoever covets has stolen. So he goes to the very heart of the matter, and when he gets there, he realizes that the heart is corrupt. And that’s why the law Paul is speaking about here is over us in a sense of its rulership and condemnation. The law is condemning us. Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth, now look at it, why under the law, that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. You say, Colin, I’ve been listening to this program for a long time and I thought you were always uplifting Christ and the gospel and peace and mercy and grace and so on, but you’ve been talking about sin so much. Well, look, I know I’m not comfortable with doing it, but it’s here in Scripture. We cannot avoid it. We must be honest with Scripture. The truth of the matter is that Jesus Christ only makes sense in the context of the utter ruin of the human race. Humanity as is will not get through to the kingdom. It needs not simply a refurbishing, but a recreation. And that’s why Jesus died, in order to create a new creation in his resurrection. And that new creation is us in the resurrection of Christ, which will come literally to us at the coming of Jesus. Now we know then that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. You know, some people say to me, Colin, when you talk like this that the law will not save us, you’re not taking the law seriously. Let me tell you, the one who says that is the one who does not take the law seriously. If you think the law can be obeyed as a means by which you enter the kingdom of heaven, you are in delusion. And you say, I know the law can’t be obeyed. Yeah, but you’re talking about it maybe just in a theological sense. How do you talk to your mind when your mind says you’ve got to do better? You’ll never have peace until you shape up. Otherwise, God will ship you out. What do you say to your mind when the law says you’re not good enough? What do you say to your mind when the law says, try to do better, try to improve, there’s a long way to go yet? What do you do when your mind never gives you peace? You understand why I’m asking these questions? Because when your mind never gives you peace, that means your mind is responding to the law. Because the law says you are sinful, you are guilty, you are broken. And the law says you must be perfect and you must be righteous. If you have that kind of Christianity, you have torment. You have Christianity without Christ. You have religion without the Savior. And so we need to learn how to speak back to the mind, but we can only speak back to the mind when we know what Jesus has done for us. And so Paul says in verse 20, Therefore, by the deeds of the law, that is, all your efforts to be a good person, all your morality, all your attempt to be sincere and earnest and kind and good – the deeds of the law, no flesh, no humanity will be justified by it, that is, will be declared innocent. The word justified means to be declared innocent. No flesh will be declared innocent by the deeds of the law, by his or her morality. This is an utter swipe against humanistic Christianity. For by the law is the knowledge of sin. When you look at the commandments, you cannot say, okay, I haven’t done that. All right. Adultery, I haven’t done that. Murder, I haven’t done that. Stealing, I haven’t done that. Idolatry, I haven’t done that. No, you cannot do that. If you do, you are in total delusion. You are utterly unaware of your brokenness. For the deeds of the law will not give you a confirmation of righteousness. That is, the law itself will not declare you righteous. It will not justify you.
SPEAKER 01 :
The law will only reveal your knowledge of sin. Why does God want us to be aware of our sin so much.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, he doesn’t actually. He wants us simply to become aware of it and to know of it so that we are fully cognizant of why Jesus died for us and why we need Jesus. The modern humanistic Christianity has brought us to the place where Jesus is irrelevant.
SPEAKER 01 :
We can’t go there. We mustn’t go there.
SPEAKER 02 :
Because Jesus is the only possibility, the only way by which we find our entrance into the kingdom of God. Thank you for listening today, friends. I do appreciate it very much. I want to tell you about my book. My book has finally been published, and I’m so happy to introduce it to you. It is called God’s Unbreakable Oath. and it’s available on Amazon, volumes one and two. There are two volumes. You can buy them separately or together. God’s Unbreakable Oath. There’s another book there that’s called God’s Unbreakable Promise. That’s not my book. God’s Unbreakable Oath is the book you want. Now, what is it about? It is about the plan of God to save all humanity. And so this is going to be a striking truth to you, and I strongly urge you to get a hold of it because it will keep you going in Bible study for the next year or two. God’s Unbreakable Oath, available on Amazon. See you next time. Cheerio and God bless.
