Romans 3:9-20

      Paul begins this segment with a question: Are we better than they? Whom is he referencing? Paul just dealt some issues dealing with hypocrisy. He addressed the fact the bodily circumcision, a custom of the Jews, does not make a person closer to God. One point for the Gentiles! Then he argues that the Jews have a special place as the ordained mouth pieces of God.  One point for the Jews! So here he asks, "Are we [who are circumcised of the heart] better than they [who are circumcised only of tradition of the body]?" Heavens no! Paul says that Jews and Gentiles are ALL under sin. That clears the scoreboard!
      Take a look at the all-inclusive and all-exclusive indefinite pronouns in verses 9-12. (An indefinite pronoun replaces a noun but gives no definite reference to what noun is being replaces. Because they are so indefinite, we can assume that anyone and everyone's names could go in place of these particular pronouns. One point for grammar! :) )Verse 9 says ALL are under sin. That is an all-encompassing, all-inclusive pronoun! Verse 10 mentions that there is NONE righteous, no, NOT ONE. What does righteous mean? Righteous means morally right or just. It means being RIGHT with God. 'There is not a single person on earth who is moral enough to reach God on his/her own. NOT ONE! Verse 11 states There is NONE that understandeth; there is NONE that seeketh after God. No man on his own can understand how much he needs God's help. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit must draw man to God; otherwise, we would not go to Him on our own. Verse 12 says they are ALL gone out of the way and become unprofitable. Now, that would shoot down anyone's feeling of self-worth. We have all walked away from God, our of His plan, and far from His purpose. This act turned us into a load of mess! We became unprofitable, useless. There is NONE that doeth good, NOT ONE. Just in case you think you're the exclusion to the mess, Paul echoes "NO, NOT ONE!" There is not a single person who meets God's standards. There is not a soul who can reach Him on her own merit. NOT ONE.
     Paul gives some characteristics of these lost sheep. Try to remember your life before Christ if you're saved and identify with these markings. Their throat is an open sepulcher. Paul says that their mouths are places of death and decay. Their feet are swift to shed innocent blood. Their actions prove that they care for no one but themselves. They'll step all over people to obtain what they want. Destruction and misery are their ways, and they don't know the way of peace. There is no respect of God before their eyes. Hopefully, these characteristics NO LONGER define your life!
     In this passage, Paul also references the standard we all miss. Wait! If none of us can reach the standard, the law, why does Paul reference it? He says that the law shows us where we all come short. Jesus said whoever breaks one law is guilty of breaking all the law. The law shows us just how guilty we truly are. Because of the law, no flesh shall be justifies in His sight. No one can make it to God on his/her own.

     Read I Corinthians 1:29. How does this verse relate to the passage in Romans?

Romans 3:1-8

     Paul begins this section by making a connection to the previous thought. If outward circumcision is not the most important in holiness, is being a Jew really that prestigious? Paul answers in the affirmative. The outward consecration of the Jews is not what made them so special. The element which makes them special is that the Jewish people were entrusted with the oracles of God.
     At that time, these readers would have been familiar with the following concept: certain young women were often chosen to me messengers (oracles) of the gods. One of the most famous perhaps was the Oracle of Delphi. The young women were placed in a cave usually filled with toxic gasses. In a hallucinogenic state, they would offer advice and messages to those who came seeking their advice. The messages from the mouths of the oracles were said to be straight from the gods.
     Now, the Jewish people did not offer advice to people during drug induced trances, but they did carry with them the very words of the Most High God. They were committed with His messages and communications to the world. From this position, Paul makes a point through several arguments.
     Even though the seed of Abraham by ancestry carried the answers from the Almighty, they still chose to reject the message. Does that make the message any less effective? NO WAY! Paul says, "Let God be true, but every man a liar." God does not change Hiss message because people do not receive it. The ways of man do not affect the will of the Mighty One. God's standards are absolute. Many people hate this philosophy. They try to argue that God loves too much to condemn. They try to change God's standards. Paul was ahead of that argument.
     He mentions that our unrighteousness "commends" or demonstrates God's righteousness. The longer one looks at human history, the better he can see how much more righteous God is than we. Many of those people who examine how God dealt with those unrighteous try to pervert His judgments. "Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance?" NO WAY! God created the world and then created a standard whereby to govern that world. God is ALWAYS just in punishing sin. Grace is what is unfair.

Romans 2:17-29

     Here, Paul cautions against hypocrisy. He begins addressing Jews who boast of knowing God. They are the ones who know His will, guide the blind, light the world, and teach the ignorant. They are outwardly circumcised and think that act makes them more holy. Paul says that they teach others, but they refuse to teach themselves. It is a foolish man who would ignore instruction! These foolish people say with their mouths that men should keep the law, but they themselves miss out on the whole intent of the law. They make an outward spectacle of following God (circumcision) without the inward devotion of their hearts to God. Because of this, they teach not to steal, but they themselves are guilty. They teach not to worship idols, but they are guilty of sacrilege.
     Then Paul references the uncircumcised. People who had not been partakers of this outward spectacle of "faith" but kept the "righteousness of the law" (27) were deemed just as worthy as, if not more than, the one who had undergone the outward spectacle. But what is the "righteousness of the law"? The Jews were faithful to keep the law to the "letter." They, though, missed the whole purpose of the law.
     The law was not created so that men could "boast" about how well they could keep it. It was not meant to be an external path to God's glory! The law shows us how destitute we really are. the "righteousness of the law" does not depend on our keeping the letter of the law. The righteousness of the law IS Jesus. Jesus came to fulfill the law. When we trust in Him and "circumcise" our HEARTS before our HANDS, then we have found that righteousness of the law. Only then can we take steps to rid ourselves of the hypocrisy of an outward showing of holiness. Let our praise not be "of men, but of God" (29).