ABUNDANT LIFE IN CHRIST: His Reconciling Death

The second time Paul uses the expression, “much more” in Romans Five, he is speaking of the “much more” of Christ’s reconciling death. He states, “For if, being enemies, we have been reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much rather, having been reconciled, we shall be saved in the power of his life. And not only that, but we are making our boast in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom now we have received the reconciliation.” (v.10-11).

The key word is RECONCILED—that is, we are reconciled to Him. Before salvation, we were God’s enemies. But, the death of Jesus made it possible to bring us back to God—through His death reconciliation is possible.

God loved us while we were yet sinners. We were enemies toward God, but, thankfully He wasn’t an enemy toward us. Paul’s argument here is that if He loved us that much while we were His foes, how much more does He love us now that we are His family! “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (v.8). If He loved us enough to send His Son to die for us while we were yet sinners, how much more does He loves is now that we are sons!

But, it isn’t just His death that has reconciled us, but—here’s a new twist on the topic—His life. This unusual expression found in verse ten is that reconciled by His death, we are “saved by His life.” We are given salvation by His death, but we are guaranteed salvation by His life. His redeeming love has saved us, but His resurrection life has secured us! The Bible says, “He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Heb.7:25). John tells us that even if we sin after salvation, “we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the Righteous” (1 John 2:1). He pleads our case. Best of all, Christ has never lost in God’s courtroom. Not one of the accused has ever been found guilty! All He does is display the evidence of the nail prints in His hands and the gavel of God’s justice falls and the Judge of all declares, “Not guilty! Case dismissed!”

"THE 'BLINK' GENERATION"

Here is a thought-provoking word from David Wilkerson on decision-making, particularly as it pertains to church decisions. Copy and paste this link in your browswer:

http://www.worldchallenge.org/view/devotions

ABUNDANT LIFE IN CHRIST: His Redeeming Blood

Five times, the Apostle Paul underscores the abundant life in Christ by using the phrase, “much more” in the fifth chapter of Romans. In the first case, he refers to the “much more” of Christ’s redeeming blood. He writes, “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” (v.9)

The key word is JUSTIFIED—that is, we are redeemed by Him. Justification is the judicial act of God whereby He decrees that we are free from the penalty of sin—that though we are condemned sinners, we have been pardoned and made to be just in the sight of a Holy God. This was all because of Christ’s blood shed for us. Sin demanded a payment, and Christ paid the debt in full. God’s justice is satisfied.

We aren’t merely paroled, but we are pardoned. When you’re on parole, you’re out of jail on good behavior and can remain out so long as you keep your nose clean. One violation and you’re back in prison. This is the false idea some have about salvation—they live in constant fear that they may mess up and miss heaven. Friend, if you have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, you are completely pardoned. You are absolved of all guilt! Paul says we shall be saved from wrath. What blessed assurance! But, there is much more! Much more…tomorrow in Romans Five…stay tuned!

ABUNDANT LIFE IN CHRIST

I heard Adrian Rogers tell of an old fellow who had never seen the ocean. His family kept insisting that before he died, he needed to see the ocean one time. So, they finally persuaded him and they packed up and headed for the beach. The area where they were staying was among a lot of huge ocean front high-rise apartments—heavily developed—so, as they drove into their condo complex where they would spend the week, there was a narrow opening between the buildings where you could see the ocean waves rolling in. They stopped and said, “Look Daddy, there’s the ocean!” The old-timer looked through the corridor and said, “Is that all there is to it?”

He did not realize from his narrow perspective that there was so much more—the vastness of what stretched beyond even the horizon, three-fourths of the planet blanketed by water. So, from our point of view, we may fail to recognize that no matter what we know of God’s boundless grace—the vast sea of His salvation—that there is so much more! Indeed, Paul uses this expression, "much more" five times in Romans 5:9-21.

9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—
13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.
16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.
17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,
21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (emphasis added)

Each day this week, we plan to examine one of these “much more” statements. Christ has come to give us abundant life! (John 10:10).

YOU CAN HAVE PEACE WITH GOD: Christ is our Peace

Adrian Rogers told the story of a young lady years ago working for the Salvation Army in a poor neighborhood. She witnessed to one family repeatedly. But she made no headway, as the father was an atheist. The son grew ill—critically ill. He was dying at home and the girl went back one more time to try to share the Gospel with them and thus, comfort them. As she came to the door she heard the boy ask his father, “Dad, am I going to die?” The father answered, “Yes, you’re going to die, but don’t worry, after you die it will all be over—that will be the end. I love you, son—just hold on.” The boy said, “But I’m afraid and I don’t want to die!” To this his father replied, “Son, it will be over in a moment. Just hold on—hold on.” Then she heard the boy pathetically say, “Father, you’re telling me to hold on, but there’s nothing to hold on to.”

If you have not reached up a hand of faith to the hand of grace reaching down, then you are but a step away from the eternal abyss without anything to hold on to. You are in danger of dropping into that Stygian darkness where there is only despair. There will not be a moment’s peace—not for a million years, not for a trillion—not ever.

Do you have peace with God? That peace is found in a Person. “For [Christ] is our peace…” (Ephesians 2:14).

HERE'S A PROPHETIC WARNING FROM SPURGEON


http://refocusingoureyes.com/classic-sermons/c-h-spurgeon/a-solemn-warning-for-all-churches-by-c-h-spurgeon-1834-1892

We Can’t Help But Tell the Truth

Here's a recent article from the Kairos Journal that cries to be read:

18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. 20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:18-20 (NIV)

The world has asked the Church to sit down and be quiet, and the Church has largely complied. In fact, the Church itself has asked the Church to sit down and be quiet, and the Church has largely obeyed. The Church knows so many biblical things, but there are so many people who hate to hear them. So some pastors and teachers are tempted to water down the truth to maintain warm relationships within and without the Church.

Knowing that the truth of Jesus would undermine their authority, “the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees” (4:1) moved in to stop this preaching. They arrested Peter and John, jailed them overnight, and then brought them before the high priestly family. When asked, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Peter, “filled with the Holy Spirit,” gave all the credit to Christ, the Savior (4:8-12).

Not knowing what to say, the Sanhedrin sent Peter and John back to their cell. Fearing public and subsequent Roman reaction, they decided to let the two apostles off with a stern command (parangelia) to stop their teaching, but the prisoners would have none of this. They explained that they were working under a higher authority than the Sanhedrin (and the Romans) and that they had a proclamation mandate from God.1 They also directed the judges to judge their own judging, to ask whether they might be setting themselves at odds with God.

This same Greek word for command (parangelia) appears repeatedly in the Gospels, but it is Jesus, and not the Sanhedrin, who issues the directives. In Matthew 10:5-6, Jesus commands the twelve to go to “the lost sheep of Israel.” In Luke 8:29, He commands an unclean spirit to come out of a man. In Mark 8:6, Jesus commands the crowd to be seated for a miraculous feeding. Thus accustomed to the divine commands of Jesus, the apostles were unimpressed with human commands contrary to Jesus’ Great Commission.

The Romans had delegated authority to the Sanhedrin, the Jewish religious court, but this authority was tenuous. If the actions of the chief priests and elders fomented insurrection or chaos, then their power would be stripped from them. Rome would step in with more direct, secular supervision.

Jesus’ directives are distasteful and inconvenient. For example, pastors know that a strong stand on the sanctity of marriage, one drawn from Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, elicits astonishment and contempt from the culture and retaliation from the “wounded” and their biblically indifferent constituency in the Church. Similar backlash can fall upon pastors who discredit cults and embarrass the backslidden. Pressure also arises outside the Church. In the face of many counter-biblical forces, pastors have to decide whether or not they will stand in the tradition of Peter and John or fall down in the interest of personal safety or “peace in our time.”



Footnotes:

1 See Kairos Journal article, "A Question of Government."

YOU CAN HAVE PEACE WITH GOD: Through the Promise of the Cross

The promise of the cross is that of reconciliation to God. Think of the vertical beam of the cross reaching up to heaven and the horizontal beam reaching out to humanity—and at the intersection of the two, there hangs the “one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim.2:5). Paul has penned these words in Romans 5:7-11:

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Bible teacher, Warren Wiersbe, has written: “In Romans 1:18–32, Paul explained how men declared war on God and, because of this, deserved to be condemned eternally. But God did not declare war on man. Instead, He sent His Son as the Peacemaker (Eph. 2:11–18) that men might be reconciled to God.” God is reconciled to you, and now appeals for you to be reconciled to Him.

Ulysses S. Grant, former President of the United States and famed Civil War general, surrounded Fort Donelson and when it was apparent the Confederate troops could not “hold the fort” the request was made to Grant, “What are your terms of surrender?” His response was, “No terms except unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted.” Thereafter, U.S. Grant became known as, “Unconditional Surrender” Grant.

We have an “Unconditional Surrender” God! If you want peace, you must lay down your arms—stop your war against the will of God—and accept his demand for unconditional surrender. There can be no terms—no negotiation—no compromise—and there can be no peace until you do.

YOU CAN HAVE PEACE WITH GOD: Through the Power of the Cross

If you were to be on the ocean during a hurricane, you would see waves mount up and crash down—a seething cauldron of water—winds howling and rain driven sideways in stinging sheets. But, if you were to go deep enough, you would find in the ocean depths, peace—a region unaffected by the tempest on the surface. So, it is for the child of God. The turbulent trials of life may rage like a storm around us, but deep inside we have God’s peace.

This is what Paul is describing in Romans 5:3-6:

3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

This firm foundation of faith in Christ enables us to have peace even in great difficulty. How in this world can we talk about peace in the midst of a storm? It is truly a peace that surpasses human understanding. We may not be able to explain it, but we can experience it! I can’t explain electricity, but I’m not going to sit in the dark until I do.

Being a Christian doesn’t exempt us from trouble, but it does enable us in trouble—we are weak, but He is strong. The trials of life are transformed by the grace of God from something harmful to something helpful. Tribulation comes to develop patience in us, and as we patiently wait on God, character is formed—God uses pressure from our circumstances to mold us as a potter does the clay.

There is our hope—not in what we are or what we can do—for we are helpless to help ourselves. But it was for such a worm as I that Christ died. The Almighty, who by the power of His Word called the universe into existence, died in utter human weakness on the cross—but through that flows the power of God unto salvation! God gives us His own life and love in the Holy Spirit who regenerates us. Peace is found in the power of the cross.

YOU CAN HAVE PEACE WITH GOD: Through the Provision of the Cross

We want—we need—peace with God. In the fifth chapter of Romans, the Apostle Paul tells us that it comes through the provision of the cross, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:1-2).

Underscore the word “through” which is repeated twice in two verses as the writer reminds us of what God has provided through the cross of Christ. He asserts that “we have peace with God” and “we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand.” That we have peace with God is a wondrous, astonishing thing!

Did you note the word, “Therefore” and did you follow the rule of Bible interpretation, that when you see the word “therefore” you always ask, “What is it there for?” Paul has been writing of the amazing grace of God that puts us in a right relationship with the Holy One. He begins by painting a dark picture of a broken relationship with God—a gulf so great that no mere mortal can span it. As a prosecuting attorney, Paul has presented the undeniable evidence of our crimes against God. We are guilty. Our natural inclination is toward sin and self. We are born in this condition, separated from God by our sin. As we practice sinful acts, we get quite proficient at it.

Religion tries to find a way to placate God’s wrath, achieve release from the penalty of sin, and bring us back to whatever particular deity that religion worships. Islam says submit to the five pillars and you can earn Allah’s favor. Hinduism says go through reincarnations until you get it right. Roman Catholicism says keep the sacraments, spend a little time in purgatory and God will accept you. Mormonism has its moral code to follow and Jehovah’s Witnesses send you door to door with Watchtower tracts, trying to obtain a standing as one of the 144,000 who make it in. All this, and every other religious system is an exercise in futility. Paul declares that no one can be just before God this way.

Yet what religion and morality cannot do, God has done in sending His Son to be our Savior. Paul tells us that by simply placing our faith in the finished work of Christ, we are justified before God. The war is over; peace is provided.

Recall how Adam and Eve were in harmony with God in the garden. There was no death, no violence. Nature was at peace—lions lying down with lambs. Then sin disrupted that harmony—Adam hid from God; a curse descended and blood was soon shed. Peace was gone. A sword barred the entrance into the place where Adam once walked with God.

Yet God came seeking His creation and He always does. Once more we have access to Him. The veil of the temple was torn with the tearing of Christ’s flesh and the way was opened into the Holy of Holies. As the Apostle puts it, “we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand” (Rom.5:2).

It comes by faith in Christ. You may ask, “How much faith do I need?” It isn’t a question of how much faith, but is the faith in Christ? He alone can save us, but He will save us! Cast yourself on His grace! Then rejoice in this hope that is sure. Biblical hope is steadfastly promised. It isn’t wishful thinking—not hope so, maybe so. That’s not what the word means. Rather, it is an anchor for our soul—so that in the storms of life, we can have peace.

YOU CAN HAVE PEACE WITH GOD!

This past week, I had stuffed into my mailbox, on the same day, a solicitation from both Moore Funeral Home and Groce Funeral Home! They want my business! Each of them is willing to arrange all the details of my demise. Do they know something, I don’t? Here’s what I do know—for me, for you—if the Lord delays His return, “it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment” (Heb.9:27).

What if it were today that I had an appointment with death? If it is my appointed time, I am not afraid. I am at peace. That is a great comfort!

Do you have peace with God? Well, you can—and the Bible shows us how. Every one of us can have peace with God. The Apostle Paul speaks about the way to have peace with God in Romans 5:1-11:

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

This week we intend to study this important teaching from the Word of God. You never know when you’ll get a solicitation from a funeral home—or a visit from the undertaker.

THE ONLY WAY TO PLEASE GOD: Faith and Forgiveness

The eleventh chapter of Hebrews has a constant refrain: “By faith…by faith…by faith…” in order to make it clear that, “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb.11:6). Among those listed in God’s roll call of faith is Abraham. Of the patriarch, Paul writes in Romans four, that he was justified by faith—the same way, the only way anyone can be forgiven of sin.

In the high court of heaven, you can plead not guilty and go to trial—and the overwhelming evidence against you will result in your condemnation, or you can plead guilty and throw yourself on the mercy of the court. Then we find pardon from the God of all grace. Even more, when God forgives, He expunges every record of accusation against us.

Consider these words from John Phillips’ commentary on Romans:

Dr. Moon dramatically underlines this in the film Time and Eternity. After showing the various relationships of time, Dr. Moon concludes, “All of us have looked up, on a clear night, and seen the sparkling, twinkling stars. But how many of us have realized that we cannot see the stars as they now are? Every time we look, we are looking into the past, seeing them as they were…. But this works both ways. If you were on one of the stars you would, assuming an adequate telescope, see the earth as it was sometime in the past. From the star, Sirius, you could see what you were doing nine years ago, because in a profoundly true scientific sense you are still doing it. Yes, everything you have ever done, you are still doing, and will continue to do forever, apart from God’s forgiveness. Only the omnipotent, eternal God, who controls all the factors of time, space and matter, could ever remove sin. God says: ‘I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins’ (Isa.43:25).” When God cancels sin, He wills it out of existence; it is not only forgiven and forgotten, it is annihilated.

When we constantly wallow in guilt, after having confessed our sins, dredging up past failure already forgiven, will we not listen to God say, “What sin are you talking about?”

Announcing!

The Search Committee is recommending Steve Schultz to serve as Associate Pastor of Music. Steve is currently serving as Associate Pastor of Worship at Central Baptist Church in Phenix City, Alabama. He and his wife Wanda will be with us next Wednesday night, March 17, when he will lead the choir rehearsal. We are planning a reception for Steve and Wanda, on Saturday night, March 20, at 6 PM so you can meet them and ask any question you may have. This will be a covered dish meal in the Fellowship Hall. The Deacons will meet with them at 5. Then, on Sunday morning, March 21, Steve will lead our worship service and we will be voting on extending the call to him to serve here.

Steve is approaching his 49th birthday. He has been married to Wanda for over 23 years. They have twin boys, Justin and Jason, age 20.

Steve holds a bachelor’s degree in music from Jacksonville University and a Master of Arts in Christian Education (with Music) from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Before his call to Central Baptist nearly 7 years ago, he served several churches while in seminary on a part-time capacity. As a member of First Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Florida, he served as President of the Chancel Orchestra and was a member of the Gloryland Band. It was during that time, that God called him into ministry.

Steve’s philosophy of music is to bring the church to the throne of God in worship and equip God’s people to have their own worship experience through the week. He sees the gift of music as a means to reach the lost and unchurched through music and drama. Steve says, “I believe that music is to be fresh and new, while also drawing from the history of the church in the using of ‘psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.’” Understanding that people have different tastes in music, he wants to use a wide variety of music to reach the broadest range of people possible while always keeping the message of the Gospel central. He stresses that it isn’t about a performance—that this is not entertainment—but about an encounter with God in worship.

THE ONLY WAY TO PLEASE GOD: The Seed of the God-pleasing Life

God made a promise to Abraham. He promised a “seed”—a son of his own that would bring the fulfillment of all the other promises of the covenant. Abraham believed God and through that act of faith, God’s righteousness was imputed to him. The promised seed would be Jesus Christ. If we will place our faith in Him, then we too can have a God-pleasing life.

Faith rests in the promise of God. We aren’t saved by our faithfulness, but by God’s. This is what Paul stresses in the fourth chapter of Romans.

THE EXPLANATION OF THE PRINCIPLE

For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression. (Romans 4:13-15)

The law wasn’t given to Moses for five more centuries, so how could Abraham have known it? Even had he known it, he couldn’t have kept it. When we study the life of Abraham in the Old Testament, it becomes apparent that although he was a man who did many good things, he also had several significant failures in his life. Not a perfect man—Abraham must be numbered among sinners, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom.3:23). All the law can do is show us that we are lost, “because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression” (Rom.4:15). That is a vital part of salvation in that Christ came to save sinners. That’s the only kind of people He does save. Unless I am willing to acknowledge that I am a sinner, I will never call out for a Savior.

THE EXTENSION OF THE PROMISE

Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” (Romans 4:16-18)

God didn’t intend for Abraham to be a reservoir of blessing, but a river of blessing. He would be the father of all those who place their faith in Christ. That is to be true of us as well. If the righteousness of Christ becomes ours by faith, then that faith in Christ is to be shared with others—for that too is their only hope of eternal life. How many spiritual descendants do you have? I think of an old song I used to hear:

“Must I go, and empty-handed?
Must I meet my Savior so?
Not one soul, with which to greet Him;
Must I empty-handed go?”

That certainly is not God’s intention for us. Share your life in Christ with someone today. Perhaps the Holy Spirit will open their heart, as He once did for you.

THE EXAMPLE OF THE POWER

And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (Romans 4:19-22)

Faith in God’s promise produced a miracle birth. Can’t you see an old man pushing his walker out of the maternity ward saying, “It’s a boy!” Abraham was one hundred years old! That took a miracle—a miracle that came by faith. Similarly, there is another miracle birth that occurs each time someone places their faith in Christ—a second birth, a spiritual birth into the family of God! Like Abraham, we simply take God at His Word, not trusting in our works. We believe in His promise and God gives His righteousness.

THE EXPERIENCE OF THE PROVISION

Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. (Romans 4:23-25)

Abraham personally experienced God’s salvation, by looking forward to what Christ would do on the cross. Jesus said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad” (John 8:56). He placed His faith in the promise of what God would do, while we look back at the promise of what God will do for us based on what Christ has already done! The Apostle wants to leave no doubt that the story of Abraham isn’t just a bit of archaic trivia—it is an illustration for how contemporary man can experience the provision of eternal life.

Trust in Christ today. Jesus died for you. He will save you. He will save you now.

THE ONLY WAY TO PLEASE GOD: The Seal of the God-pleasing Life

From my childhood, I recall hearing about, “The Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.” If Good Housekeeping magazine gave a household product this seal that meant it to be worthy of purchase and use. The seal didn’t make it a good product, but recognized that it was. So, God has a seal of approval to indicate the genuineness of our faith. In Romans 4:9-12, Paul speaks to this issue as he describes for us faith’s profession.

9 Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness.
10 How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.
11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also,
12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.

You can profess faith without possessing faith, but you cannot possess faith without professing it. The Scripture teaches that we are not saved by our works; we are not saved by faith plus our works; but we are saved by a faith that works! Faith alone saves, but saving faith is never alone.

Consider then, THE SYMBOL OF OUR PROFESSION (v.9-11). There came a time when God commanded Abraham to be circumcised as a symbol of the covenant relationship they enjoyed. Abraham was already justified by faith when he and his male household members were circumcised. This was the outer testimony of the inner transformation Abraham had experienced . It did not justify him. It did not add anything to his salvation. It did provide a profession of faith. But, it is faith alone that saves us—never be confused on that point.

There are those who insist faith in Christ alone is not enough. You must believe and be baptized according to the Church of Christ (and by one of their authentic ministers no less). You must believe and keep the Sabbath according to the Seventh Day Adventists (Sunday worship is the mark of the Beast). You must have faith in Christ and keep the sacraments of the church according to Roman Catholicism (if you want to get to Jesus go through His mother). It is the great dividing line between the Gospel and a false gospel; between truth and error. The Reformers taught, “sola fide” salvation by faith alone. That is the gospel truth!

Beyond that, we read of THE STEPS OF OUR PATH (v.12). By no means are we suggesting that a person’s lifestyle is unimportant. Abraham was a faithful servant of the Lord. But, it was a walk of faith! Faith was the root of his righteousness, while his good works were the fruit of his faith. His life is a beacon to summon us to follow the path of faith in our generation as he did in his. If a man is full of faith, then he will be faithful—not in order to be saved, but because he is saved.

THE ONLY WAY TO PLEASE GOD: The Source of the God-pleasing Life

Romans 4:1-8 presents to us the source of the life that pleases God: faith’s provision. God provides a righteous standing through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the one and only way anyone has ever been saved and the only way anyone ever will be saved. Paul appeals to the authority of the Old Testament as the basis for this belief. He doesn’t want you to think this is just an opinion. It is the clear teaching of the Word of God. He will illustrate this doctrine by a man who was a great saint—Abraham—to show that everyone needs to be saved by faith, and from a great sinner—David—to show that everyone can be saved by faith.

We read of ABRAHAM’S DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF ACCEPTANCE:

1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?
2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. (Romans 4:1-4)

The word “found” in verse one, in the Greek, is the word from which we get our English word, “Eureka!” Just picture someone digging in a deep, dark mine, and then they strike a vein of pure gold. With enthusiasm they cry, “Eureka!” That’s what Abraham felt when he found out he could be the friend of God through faith. But, what we’re talking about is much better than gold—indeed more valuable than all the wealth of the world, “For what would it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?”

God sought Abraham (Abram, as he was called at the time) when he was not seeking Him. In fact, he was a pagan—living in the midst of idolatry—when God called him by sovereign grace. Because even the capacity to believe is a gift of grace, there’s nothing for us to boast about, “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God” (Rom.4:2). No—there will be no one strutting down the streets of gold in heaven; none will swagger up to the throne. We will acknowledge, “Jesus paid it all; all to Him I owe.”

Abraham responded to God’s call and in Gen.15:6 we find the words Paul quotes in verse three, “For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness’ ”. God sought him and God saved him! The word, “accounted” in this verse, or a form of it, is found eleven times in this chapter. It is a bookkeeping term that means our debt of sin has been transferred to Christ’s account and His righteousness has been credited to ours!

Have you made this discovery? Has there been that “eureka” moment in your life?

Paul also writes of DAVID’S DESCRIPTION OF THE SOURCE OF ACCEPTANCE:

5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered;
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.” (Romans 4:5-8)

These words are from Psalm 32, after David’s horrible sin. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and conspired to have her husband Uriah put to death to try to cover it up. But you can’t hide sin from God and when David was confronted, he was convicted and confessed with deep contrition. God forgave him and God did what David could not—He covered his sin! John Phillips, in his commentary on Romans, adds, “his sins [were] not only forgiven but forgotten; not only covered but cancelled.”

There is but one way to a God-pleasing life—and that is the way of faith. Have you trusted in Christ’s work on the cross for you? You dare not trust in yourself. There is no hope to be found there. Place your hand in the nail-scarred hand of Jesus today.

THE ONLY WAY TO PLEASE GOD

The Bible is clear: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6) Now, let that sink in for a moment. It doesn’t say that without faith it is unlikely that you can please God. It doesn’t say that it is difficult or improbable, but the Holy Spirit inspired author says, “It is impossible!”

Faith is the only way to please God.

This is Paul’s theme in the fourth chapter of Romans, which we will examine this week. It has to be one of the most important passages in the Word of God. Here, is set forth the singular way by which a person can please God and enter heaven. Now, that’s important!

Notice the three verses that commence the chapter and the three that conclude it:

1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?
2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

23 Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him,
24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead,
25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.

Understand that we are not saved by faith itself, but by God’s grace which is accessed by faith (Romans 5:2). Neither are we saved by the degree of our faith—that would be faith in faith. It is the object of our faith that saves us—trusting in Jesus Christ. It is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone!

HOW CAN SINNERS BE ACCEPTED BY A HOLY GOD? A Trinity of Truths!

If we stood on the shores of the Pacific Ocean and told you that to get to heaven, you would need to jump all the way to Japan in one leap, you would answer that is impossible—and it would be. Yet, it is more difficult than that. Stand on the earth, look up to the moon, and jump up there and you still could not reach heaven—the holy throne of God where not one sinner can stand. He dwells in unapproachable light in a spotless atmosphere unsullied by one stain of sin—not even the slightest hint of evil—not a sniff.

So if we cannot reach Him, what can we do? Nothing! But there’s the good news—Jesus has already done all that is required! When we could not go to Him, He came to us. When we could suffer all eternity and never atone for our sins, He suffered as the eternal One and paid the price for all our sin. Look to the cross in faith, repenting of your sin, and you will be saved. It is the promise of God.

This great Gospel message is framed as a trinity of truths from the Triune God, as Paul writes these words in Romans 3:21-31:

REDEMPTION

21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (emphasis added)

PROPITIATION

25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, (emphasis added)

JUSTIFICATION

26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also,
30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law. (emphasis added)

Here is a diagram found in James Montgomery Boice’s commentary on Romans that gives us a visual picture of the verbal portrait I have attempted to share in my feeble way:

HOW CAN SINNERS BE ACCEPTED BY A HOLY GOD? Through Justification!

Beginning with Romans 3:21, the Apostle Paul begins to present the solution to the great human dilemma of sin. He will present a trinity of truths that answer the critical question, “How can sinners be accepted by a holy God?” As we have seen previously this week, he has written that the answer is found in redemption and propitiation. Now, he comes to the third facet of Christ’s work: justification in Romans 3:26-31.

26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also,
30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

THE PARDON IS PROVIDED! We have traveled from the slave market, to the temple altar and now arrive in the court room in pursuing the answer to how sinners can be accepted by a holy God.

I heard of a notorious mobster sitting in a prison cell waiting sentencing. The evidence against him was overwhelming. He knew he was in big trouble. So, it appeared that he was experiencing a “jail house” conversion as a prison guard beheld him feverishly flipping through the pages of a Gideon Bible. The guard called to him, “What are you doing?” The gangster answered, “I’m looking for a loophole!”

Forget that—there aren’t any! No fine print! No exceptions—all of us are guilty before God and His righteousness demands the death penalty—the second death in everlasting hell.

Thus, we face the enormous problem alluded to in verse 26, “to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” Do we understand the immensity of this conundrum? How could God pronounce sinners justified and yet remain true to His just demands? He wants to do the former because He is a God of infinite love, but He must do the latter for He is a God of incorruptible holiness. He cannot compromise His justice in order to justify us.

Here’s the answer: Jesus—God in the flesh—took our sins, died in our place, and bore our hell so that we can be forgiven. Beyond that, all the perfect righteousness of the stainless Son of God was credited to our account. Amazing grace it is!

It is all God’s work. There is no room for boasting on our part. Paul writes, “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.” (Rom.1:27)

Anyone who places their faith in Christ is pardoned.

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.(Rom.1:28-31)

A pardoned criminal isn’t an innocent one—it is one who is pardoned despite his or her crime. We are guilty—let us fall upon the mercy of the court. We will find that all because of Calvary, God will justify us and yet remain just. God declares that we are just! That means our past is atoned for and our future is assured. By a judicial decree of God, we stand in the righteousness of Christ! Hallelujah, what a Savior!

HOW CAN SINNERS BE ACCEPTED BY A HOLY GOD? Through Propitiation!

In Romans 3:25, Paul writes about another misunderstood (and sometimes mispronounced) salvation doctrine: propitiation: “whom [Christ]God set forth as propitiation by His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed” (NKJV).

THE PENALTY IS PASSED! Paul has previously spoken of redemption—where he has described salvation in terms of a slave being purchased and set free. Christ paid the price to free us from sin with His precious blood. Now, we move from the slave market to the temple altar. Propitiation means that God’s wrath has been appeased and His righteous demands have been satisfied through the sacrifice of His Son. Paul has already declared that we sinners are under wrath (Rom.1:18) and deserve condemnation (Rom.2:5-8). Yet, that wrath passed upon Christ—who suffered in our stead.

The word “propitiation” is a fascinating one. In the Septuagint—the Greek translation of the Old Testament—and also in Hebrews in the New Testament, it is the word “mercy seat.” The “mercy seat” was the golden lid atop the Ark of the Covenant—at either end two Cherubim with wings outstretched gazed as sentinels upon the mercy seat. Inside the chest were the tables of stone which God engraved with His own finger in giving the Ten Commandments to Moses. The picture is of God’s messengers of judgment, the holy angels, looking upon God’s holy law, ready to bring retribution upon those who would violate those laws.

So, it was, on the Day of Atonement, that the High Priest would enter in and sprinkle the blood of the lamb upon the mercy seat, signifying that the nation’s sins had been covered by blood and forgiveness was offered. The ritual pointed to the reality when Christ would fulfill that symbolism by dying as the Lamb of God on Calvary. He did so, that our sins could be atoned for.

God cannot sweep sin under the carpet—death is demanded for sin—from Eden until today. Don’t miss what Paul is saying at the end of verse twenty five. Even the Old Testament saints, like Abraham and Moses and David and the rest, could not be saved without the death of Christ. The blood of bulls and goats and lambs could not actually atone for sins. The writer of Hebrews says, “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins…But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.” (Heb.10:4, 12). Since the death of Christ was still in the future for believers in the Old Covenant, “in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed” (Rom.3:25).

In other words, those prior to Calvary, who were justified by faith, were saved on the “lay away plan.” Let’s say it’s early in the Christmas shopping season and you find the perfect gift for a loved one. You don’t have the money to pay for it, but you are afraid they might sell out of that item—and for sure, you’ve learned your lesson about credit cards—so, you put it on “lay away.” You put it in that department of the store, your name is on it, and it becomes yours later, when it is paid for. When the Old Testament saints died, they went to paradise where they remained on “lay away” until their penalty which they owed was paid in full by Jesus on the cross. Then, in His ascension, He emptied paradise and ushered the “spirits of just men made perfect” (Heb.12:23) into heaven and the presence of Holy God (Eph.4:8-10).

HOW CAN SINNERS BE ACCEPTED BY A HOLY GOD? Through Redemption!

In Romans 3:21-24, Paul speaks of the great Gospel truth of redemption.

21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (NKJV)

THE PRICE IS PAID! All that has been required to purchase our freedom has been met. Paul, in these verses takes us into the slave market. You must remember that when he wrote these words, men and women were bought and sold as pieces of property.

This is a perfect illustration of our condition without Christ. Sin enslaves us. The fetters by which we are held are unbreakable insofar as human effort is concerned. That’s why the Apostle underscores here that none of us can be saved by keeping the law. The righteousness God provides is “apart from the law” (Rom.3:21a).

This righteousness by faith, however, was not unknown to those living under the Old Covenant, “being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets.” (Rom.3:21b). No one has ever been saved by their own goodness—not even the Old Testament saints. For example, Abraham was declared righteous by faith, “And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness” (Gen.15:6). The faith of those believers in that prior dispensation looked forward to the coming of Christ, while ours looks back to the cross. Still, that is the only way anyone has ever been saved, “even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference” (Rom.3:22).

The reason this is the universal provision is that there is a universal problem—we are all enslaved to sin, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Rom.3:23). Christ, however, has come into the slave market of sin and paid the price to free us. That’s what “redemption” means (v.24).

We are justified “freely”—at no cost to us, for it cost Christ His very life’s blood. It is said to be “by His grace,” meaning Jesus did for us what we could never do for ourselves—nor did we deserve it and would never merit it. So, we have been set free from sin’s penalty—we are saved; free from sin’s power—we are sanctified; and one day, free even from sin’s presence—to be glorified!

How do I respond to this?

I bow my unworthy head, and say, “Thank You, Jesus!” I bend my knees and submit to my new Master—no longer a slave to sin, but to the Savior—not held by fetters of domination, but chains of devotion. I become a slave to love.

“And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
‘Jesus died my soul to save,’
My lips shall still repeat.
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain—
He washed it white as snow” (Elvina M. Hall)

HOW CAN SINNERS BE ACCEPTED BY A HOLY GOD?

If a jeweler wants to bring out the brilliance of a diamond, he places it under a light on a background of black velvet. The contrast underscores the sparkle of the precious gem. In the first three chapters of Romans, Paul has spread the black cloth of sin—we see the entire world guilty before God. It has been nothing but bad news. Now, he is ready to display the beauty of God’s grace. We finally get to the good news, when he makes this transition with two words: “But now…” (Romans 3:21).

Here’s a diagram from a Chuck Swindoll study guide to show the contrast between what we are in sin and what we become in Christ:

Then we were…
under God’s wrath
spiritually dead and depraved
proven
guilty in ourselves
condemned by the law
in need of salvation by faith

Now we are…
under God’s grace
spiritually alive
forevermore
declared righteous in Christ
forgiven by His blood
provided
with salvation by faith

In Romans 3:21-31, Paul answers the most crucial question in all of life: how can sinners be accepted by a holy God? That we are sinners is beyond dispute. That God is holy is beyond debate. The chasm we must cross is humanly impossible—to get from where we are to where God is. This requires a Divine solution. To answer that, the Apostle will take us 3 places: the slave market, the temple altar and the court room. This week, we will travel there and learn the answer to our dilemma.

BAD TO THE BONE: THE CONVICTION

In Romans Chapter 3, Paul, as a prosecuting attorney, has brought the charge that all the world stands guilty before God. He methodically lays out his case and lists the crimes of which mankind stands accused. He then asks for the conviction,

“Now we know 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. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (v.19-20).

When the French infidel Rousseau was questioned about how he would face the judgment at the end of his debauched life boasted, “I will stand before God and defend my conduct.” No, he won’t and neither will any sinner for, “every mouth will be stopped" (v.19).

There are those who think, “Well, I’m not infidel! I believe in God and Jesus. I try to live a good life, so I’m sure, I’ll be fine. I can make my case at the judgment seat.” Really? I think I can shut us all up. Suppose we had a device to record your every thought this past week and invited you to church on Sunday where it would be shown on our video screen. How many of us would show up? How many could explain what rattled around in our heads? Now, extend that to an entire lifetime and include every wrong word we say and every wicked deed we do. God has noted them all and documented them. The evidence against us is irrefutable and damning.

No matter how hard we try to keep God’s laws, we will never meet God’s perfect standard. The Apostle dogmatically states, “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom.3:20). The law is like a mirror. It shows us how dirty we are, but has no power to clean us up. The blood of Christ alone can do that.

Paul says we are “under sin” (Rom.3:9), but in Romans 6:14-15, he will speak of those “under grace.” We are in one state or the other. Which describes you?

BAD TO THE BONE: THE CRIMES—Man’s Wicked Words and Works

In Romans 3:23, Paul declares, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” By the time he reaches that statement, the Apostle has made his case. Since chapter one, verse eighteen, he has established the guilt of the heathen, the hypocrite, the Hebrew and now sums it all up with the guilt of all humanity. He has read the indictment of man’s wicked ways in 3:10-12 and has pointed out that our problem is what we are—our demonic character. He next turns to the proof of our sinfulness in what we say and what we do.

MAN’S WICKED WORDS—Our Diabolic Conversation: what we say “Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” (v.13-14) What we are determines what we say, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matt.12:34) Our evil character at heart is the well from which the bucket of our lips brings up and pours out evil conversation.

Our throat a vile sepulcher "Their throat is an open tomb” (Rom.3:13a). It can be a bit frightening walking through a cemetery at night—but exceedingly perilous if someone has dug a grave and you fall into it! There are those whose speech is just as deadly. Also, consider the stench of decomposing bodies suggested in this imagery. There is a lot of speech that just stinks. It is filthy talk, right out of the sewer, the profane and obscene language of the ungodly.

Our tongue a vicious slanderer “with their tongues they have practiced deceit” (13b). Satan is a liar and slanderer—and so are his spawn. False teachers, in particular, present a message that purports to be from God, but is from the pit. People are seduced by it and led astray.

Our teeth a venomous serpent “the poison of asps is under their lips” (13c). Just behind the asp’s fangs is a sac of deadly poison. What makes the snake so deadly is its stealthy manner. It strikes suddenly and unexpectedly. That kind of verbal venom lies behind the lips of sinners and when you least expect it, they will sink their fangs into you.

Our talk a violent sword “whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness” (v.14). The tongue is a sword that can be wielded to inflict grave damage on others. Ridicule and sarcastic speech marks our age.

MAN’S WICKED WORKS—Our Destructive Conduct: what we do “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.” (v.15-18). Total depravity implies that sin is woven into the entire fabric of our being—and that is what Paul is declaring here. We have the anatomy of a sinner as Paul speaks of his throat, tongue, lips, feet and eyes. The inner-working of evil character issues into the outer-working of evil conversation and conduct.

Malicious work “Their feet are swift to shed blood” (v.15). As we race into brutality, we experience an exponential increase in the speed and scope with which mankind destroys life. Savagery is celebrated in cinema and glorified in children’s video games. The most defenseless among us are exterminated in their mother’s womb by the millions. In the name of Allah, women and children will explode themselves in order to kill others, and men will fly planes into buildings in their misguided zeal.

Miserable ways “destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known” (v.16-17). Wanton destruction and wretched despair lie strewn in the wake of their path. They not only inflict this misery, but in the end will experience it eternally.

Mutinous walk “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (v.18). This final statement is the source, substance and sum of all evil. Ultimately all sin is against God. It affects others. It affects us. But the thing that makes sin to be sin is it is desecration of God’s holy character and defiance of His holy commands.

It isn’t a pretty picture. But, it is an accurate one. This is how God sees us apart from Christ—so that apart from Him, we are convicted and condemned.

Cry to Jesus. His grace alone is powerful enough to lift us out of degradation and fit us for heaven. Then, the Righteous Judge will see us in Christ and accept us in His Beloved Son.

BAD TO THE BONE: THE CRIMES—Man’s Wicked Ways

In a court proceeding, the charges must be written and read, so Paul says, “it is written” (Romans 3:10). He then lists fourteen counts of crimes against God. As you know, in a criminal trial, the more counts that are brought, the more severe the crime, and the sentence if convicted. These crimes are summed up in three categories: man’s wicked ways, wicked words and wicked walk. Today we will consider the first series of indictments: man’s wicked ways.

The focus of these crimes against God is our demonic character: what we are:

10 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NKJV)

Paul begins here, for the problem isn’t just the sins we commit, but the sinners we are. The heart of human evil is the evil of human hearts. John Phillips in his commentary on Romans notes that we are unrighteous, unreasonable, unresponsive, and unrepentant.

UNRIGHTEOUS “As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom.3:10). This is what theologians call “total depravity.” That doesn’t mean that all of us are as bad as we might be. Neither does Paul mean that even the worst of people may not at times do the right thing. Recall the “Godfather” novel, and subsequent movies made based on Mario Puzo’s book. It was a fictional account, rooted in the reality of organized crime families. They were brutal. They made their fortune in gambling, prostitution, and a host of other illegal activities. But there was also a tender side displayed to their children, qualities of loyalty to each other, certainly industry and creativity, and often respect for religion! Witness the remarkable scene in the Godfather where Michael Corleone is at the christening of his nephew. There they are in church before the priest and Corleone is set aside as the infant’s godfather. We hear him respond to the priest by confessing his belief in God, Christ, the church and even renouncing Satan! The chilling camera shots keep cutting in of Corleone’s competing crime family heads being gunned down. Michael may have done some right things, but he was not righteous! We may not be part of the Mafia, but the apostle is declaring the bottom line: we are not right with God—not even one of us!

UNREASONABLE “There is none who understands” (Rom.3:11a). Again, before we can grasp the teaching, we need to set aside what Paul is not saying. This doesn’t mean we can’t understand the facts of the Gospel. There are agnostic philosophers that could lecture on the doctrines of Christianity and accurately compare them with other religious systems in a way as precise as any pulpit presentation. We could find an atheist professor of history that could give all the details of the Reformation and state the meaning of justification by faith. Yet, despite being intellectually enlightened, they—and indeed all sinners—are in spiritual darkness. They may know the facts, but then reason to the wrong conclusions. This is what sin does. Paul has already framed it in this fashion:

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, (Rom.1:18-22)

Weigh carefully the words of 1 Corinthians2:14, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” So it was that an eighteen year old student wrote:

“Union with Christ is found in a close and living fellowship with Him and in the fact that we always have Him before our eyes and in our hearts. And at the same time that we are possessed by the greatest love of Him, we direct our hearts to our brothers, with whom He bound us closely, and for whom He sacrificed Himself.”

The student was Karl Marx!

UNRESPONSIVE “There is none who seeks after God” (Rom.3:11b). You might argue that the world is full of religious people seeking after God. No—they are seeking after a false god made in their image, that will allow them to live in sin, and with every step they take pursuing the false god, they are running away from the true God. The Gospels show the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate presenting Jesus to the Jews as their king. After all He had taught, the life He lived, and the miracles He performed, clearly attesting to His rightful claim to be their king, their decision was, “We have no king but Caesar!” (John 19:15). If He came today, men and women would treat Him the same. When I was eighteen years old, I wasn’t seeking God. I was seeking the pleasures of sin, pursuing them relentlessly. But, God stopped me in my tracks—unknown to me, in His grace, the Good Shepherd had been seeking me! Apart from that grace, I would not have come to Him. Jesus said, “No one can come to the Father, unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44).

UNREPENTANT “They have all turned aside” (Rom.3:12a). Repentance is turning from sin and turning to God. We, according to our sinful nature, do the opposite. Isaiah 53:6 mirrors this, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one, to his own way.” We come into this world wanting our way! No one has to teach us—it is our natural inclination. “They have together become unprofitable” (Rom.3:12b). The original word in the Old Testament quote Paul is referencing was used of milk gone bad—fit only to pour out. All the potential of what God might have done with us wasted! “There is none who does good, no not one” (Rom.3:12c). Our concept of goodness isn’t God’s reckoning of goodness. We compare ourselves with fellow sinners and then proclaim our own goodness. A good baseball player makes an out 2 of 3 times. Compared to other players, he is hall-of-fame material, if he can just get a hit once out of every three times at bat. But God demands we bat 1.000! During the long career of our lifespan, we can never foul out, popup, ground out, hit a deep fly in the gap to the warning track that is hauled in by an outfielder—not once. Who can do that? Oh, theoretically we could say it’s possible, but practically, it is impossible. No one can. Yet, a Holy God demands His holy law be kept perfectly—not one time can we sin and enter heaven. That leaves us all out. Some do worse than others, but even the best of us has bad in us. The Russian poet Turgenev said, “I don’t know what the heart of a bad man is like, but I do know what the heart of a good man is like and it is terrible.”

If God is dealing with your heart today, you cannot afford to brush Him aside. Turn to Him and you can be sure that His Spirit is drawing you and He will save you, or else you would not even care.

As for me, and those of you who know Christ also, how we should marvel, be struck with amazement, that God would give the righteousness of Christ to the unrighteous through faith, that He would reason with the unreasonable and cause the Light of life to dawn in our dark souls, that He would seek us and catch us when we try to run from Him, and that He would break our stubborn wills and bend us in repentance. Praise God. To Him be all the glory!

BAD TO THE BONE: THE CHARGE

Paul, as a prosecuting attorney brings the charge against all humanity in Romans 3:9, “What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.” The word “charged” is a judicial term meaning to “press formal charges.” The charge is made that all the human race—“all are under sin.” This is the universal condition of every person. They are under the power and penalty of sin. Sin dominates us on earth and dooms us in eternity.

R.C. Sproul, in his commentary on Romans, makes this observation:

“When we are succeeding, we say that we are ‘on top’ of things. With respect to our performance of obedience before God, we are not on top; we are underneath it, and the law hangs like the Sword of Damocles over our necks.”

To make a statement like this is to meet with shock and even hostility in our culture! We are told that people are basically good and that with the right environment, economics and education that the human race can evolve toward utopia. So, you want proof that people are inherently evil? Just affirm these truths to self-deceived sinners and their angry reaction will demonstrate what lies beneath. It is often like kicking a hornets’ nest.

In the next verses of Romans three—which we will examine over the next few days—Paul brings the series of indictments of our heinous crimes against heaven and humanity. He will make his case with clear and compelling evidence. The world will stand guilty at the judgment bar of God.

What I need is a good defense attorney! I too am a sinner and apart from Christ hopelessly lost. Thankfully, I have One who has never lost a case: “And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1b).

BAD TO THE BONE

You have heard, “Beauty is only skin deep.” Some wise guy has added, “But ugly is all the way to the bone!” Irrespective of our outer appearance and actions—spiritually—we are bad to the bone.

In the first three chapters of his epistle to the Romans, Paul the Apostle, takes his stand in the Supreme Court of heaven. The thrice holy God is the Judge. You would not wish to oppose Paul in this courtroom. He possesses a brilliant mind, persuasive powers of argument, and the chief thing: all the evidence is on the side of the prosecution.

Paul first puts the heathen on trial in 1:18-32. Though they have the witness of conscience within them, and the witness of creation to them, they suppress the truth and turn from God to deeper and deeper degradation. The heathen stand guilty as charged.

Then, the Apostle indicts the hypocrite in 2:1-16—the moral man who says he isn’t that bad. But when the secrets of his heart are exposed then the hypocrite is found guilty as charged.

Paul moves on to try the Hebrew in 2:17-3:8 and despite their privilege as the chosen people and their practice of religion, they too are found guilty.

Finally, he will make the summation of his entire case—the final argument. The Apostle moves from the heathen, the hypocrite and the Hebrew to place all humanity on trial.

9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.
10 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”
13 “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know 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.
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
(Romans 3:9-20 NKJV)

FALSE ADVERTISING: THE CONCLUSION

During his missionary work, we find Paul entering a city and making a bee-line to the synagogue where he would have an opportunity to share the Gospel. The pattern of response was also much the same from place to place: a few would usually listen and receive Christ, while most would reject the message. The arguments of the Jews often fell along the same lines. So, as the Apostle writes to the church at Rome, he anticipates these very arguments and sets about to deal with them and dismiss them in the opening verses of the third chapter of Romans.

The first issue is the critical one from which all the others flow, “What advantage then has the Jew, or what it the profit of circumcision?” (Romans 3:1). If the things associated with being Jewish cannot make one righteous before God, then is there any advantage in being a Jew? The Apostle emphatically declares that there is! “Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God.” (Romans 3:2).

So, if being raised in a Christian home doesn’t save you, is there an advantage to that? “Much in every way!” It is there we are taught about Christ. I shudder to think what would have become of me had I been raised by the ungodly! I was scarcely saved. I was as John Wesley put it, “a brand out of the burning.” The example of Christian parents didn’t save me, but it prepared the soil for the seed of the Gospel.

If having a Bible doesn’t save you, is there any benefit to studying it? “Much in every way!” “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). The seed of salvation is the Word of God and the more seed that is sown, the greater is the possibility of the harvest of eternal life.

If church membership doesn’t save you, is there any advantage to attending church? “Much in every way!” This is a place where you will hear the Gospel. In a Gospel-preaching church, in Sunday School lessons and in sermon and song, you will hear the way of salvation declared. The door is opened to salvation—and all you must do is arise and go through it. Christ beckons you to come.

Here is the conclusion of the matter; it all boils down to this, “What are you counting on to save you?” Suppose you were standing before God right now and He asked, “Why should I allow you into my heaven?” What would you say? Stop and think about it.

If your answer is, “I was baptized” or “I was confirmed” or “I’m a member of such and such a church” or “I’m a good person” or “I believe in God” or “I go to Mass” or anything that smacks of your own merits—you have given the wrong answer. If that is what you are counting on to save you, your salvation is of no account.

Your answer should be, “I am trusting in Christ and His work on the cross. I believe He rose again and I have repented of my sin and received Him as my Lord.” Now, I’m not saying you have to express it in those exact words—but, you must trust in Christ alone to save you. Only He can. We are great sinners, but He is a great Savior!

FALSE ADVERTISING: THE CONTRADICTION

In Romans 2:25-29, Paul points out the contradiction between the claim of the Jews that they are righteous in view of their conduct by highlighting the matter of circumcision. He writes:

25 For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.
26 Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision?
27 And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law?
28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh;
29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God. (NKJV)

Circumcision was given as a command to Abraham and his descendants as an outward sign of a spiritual reality. Without a circumcision of the heart, the symbol carried no meaning.

I wear a wedding band. If I pointed to that and said, “This is a marriage” that would be a stupid statement. It isn’t marriage, but it is a symbol of it. Putting one on doesn’t make me married and wearing one as a symbol of fidelity is meaningless unless accompanied by faithfulness to the marriage vows. The Jews looked at circumcision that way. They thought the ritual was righteousness. Furthermore, so long as they were circumcised, they believed they were going to heaven whether they were committed to God or not. Many of the rabbis taught this.

What circumcision meant under the Old Covenant, baptism means under the New Covenant. It is a symbol of our relationship with Christ though it isn’t the same as a relationship with Christ. Baptism is important. It is a way to publicly profess one’s faith. Yet, water has no power to cleanse us from sin, if we haven’t been cleansed already by the blood of Christ. Then and only then does the symbol have meaning.

There are many who tragically enter the baptismal pool as dry sinners and come out on the other side as wet sinners! They advertise they are dead to sin and alive in Christ through the rite of immersion and yet are still dead in trespasses and sins. Don’t be in that number!

FALSE ADVERTISING: THE CONDUCT

You can claim anything. You can say you are Superman. Well, maybe you are. But what I want to see is you leaping over tall buildings and bending steel girders and stopping a train on its tracks. If you can’t do that, then your words are meaningless. That’s the way it is with religious people that claim to be right with God but their conduct doesn’t match up.

This is the matter Paul is dealing with, as he confronts the Jews about their self-righteousness in Romans 2. Their words were so much hot air. Their claims were empty. Paul knew—He was a Jew himself. He had been a proud Pharisee, smug in his religious pedigree.

He also knew that behind the pious profession was the heart of the hypocrite. The Jews did not practice what they preached, “You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself?” (Rom.2:21a). They believed the right things. The God they worshipped was the true God. The Scriptures they believed in were God’s Word. The doctrines they cherished were correct. The moral standards they taught were right. These were orthodox and so far as it went that is good—the problem is that it didn’t go far enough. It brought intellectual agreement without transforming power. Far from being a problem confined to the Jews, there are many others cut from the same fraudulent fabric, and the Apostle wrote of them, “Having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Tim.3:5a).

“But, I’m a good person!” Are you now?

You can be a thief without robbing a bank. “You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?” (Rom.2:21b). Recall the religious racketeering that took place in the temple. The moneychangers, that so infuriated Christ, had turned the house of God into a “den of thieves” (Luke 19:46). We steal when we don’t give an honest day’s work for a day’s wage; when we don’t pay employees what they’re due; when we borrow and don’t return—and in a multitude of “respectable” ways other than holding a gun to someone’s head and saying, “Give me your money!”

You can be an adulterer without sexual intercourse. “You who say, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ do you commit adultery?” (Rom.2:22a). We flood our minds with filth through what we watch on TV, access on the internet and read in magazines. Our passions are inflamed through lecherous looks and we tease through innuendo. Jesus said this, “whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt.5:28).

You can be an idolater without bowing before an image in a shrine. “You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?” (Rom.2:22b). The ancient Jewish historian, Josephus, tells how four of his countrymen led a wealthy Roman woman to make a significant contribution to the temple. Then they pocketed the money. The Emperor Tiberius was so angered as to drive all the Jews from Rome. Those coins would have born the imprint of an emperor claiming to be a god, or the image of some other mythical deity from the Roman pantheon. The Jews who would have never worshipped such an idol had no qualms about spending money with pagan association. Scripture warns of “covetousness, which is idolatry” (Col.3:5). Multitudes today worship at the altar of materialism.

When we profess one thing and practice another it dishonors God and discredits our testimony: “You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? For ‘the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,’ as it is written.” (Rom.2:23-24). I wonder how many unbelievers will stumble into hell, tripped up by the hypocrisy of those who claim to be heaven-bound, but engage in hellish behavior.

Are we guilty of false advertising?

FALSE ADVERTISING: THE CLAIM

When Paul branded the heathen Gentiles as sinners, cataloging a string of degenerate actions in Romans 1:18-32, his Jewish countrymen would have said, “Yes, of course! Those Gentile dogs behave like animals and deserve the wrath of God! Thankfully, we are not like them—they are pagans and we are the chosen people.” I can imagine that as Paul moved from expressing the depravity of the heathen to exposing the duplicity of the hypocrite in chapter 2:1-16, they may have grown a bit uncomfortable but still argued, “We understand that among the Gentiles there are some moral people. Some of them have a high philosophy of life and attempt to be ethical. Yet, we know they are still sinners at heart. We are superior, naturally, for we are Jews.”

They were Jews. The word comes from one of the sons of Jacob, Judah, meaning “praise.” Were they praiseworthy? Not all who claimed Abraham’s DNA had Abraham’s faith. Paul—a Jew, mind you—said that the true Jew is one “whose praise is not from men but from God.” (v.29). It isn’t human applause but heavenly approval that we must have—whether Jew or Gentile. Our opinion about ourselves or our reputation among others isn’t the crucial matter. What counts is what does God say about you?

Here’s what Paul wrote—not to the heathen or the hypocrite, but to the Hebrew:

Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God,
and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law,
and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,
an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law.
(Rom.2:17-20 NKJV)

They claimed to be exempt from God’s judgment for three basic reasons:

There was the argument from relationship “Indeed you are called a Jew” (v.17a)—they were descended from Abraham. The Jews who rejected Christ bragged, “Abraham is our father” (John 8:39) to which Jesus answered, “You are of your father the devil.” (John 8:44) For them it was a matter of biology, but for God to be our Father requires a second, spiritual birth—irrespective of our race. So, there are those in the church that think because they were raised in a Christian home they are Christians. The Bible teaches otherwise.
There was the argument from revelation (v.17b-20). They had the Word of God. So there are churches today where members carry the Bible and claim to believe it from cover to cover. But it isn’t a Bible in your hand but Christ in your heart that saves you.
There was the argument from ritual “For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.” (v.25). They had an outward sign which marked them out, they supposed, as belonging to God. They thought the rite of circumcision was enough without the corresponding heart change. They were wrong! How many today will point to their baptism, confirmation, attending mass, and/or church membership as proving they are Christians?

What we need is Jesus—only Jesus—and we need Him urgently. Do not place your faith anywhere else. Place your faith in Christ and He will save you.

FALSE ADVERTISING

Somehow many of my old comic books survived my childhood. No telling how wealthy some of us would be had our mother not thrown away our comics collections. Mine escaped her diabolical clutches. Some of the comics I have are as old as 45 years—nearly as old as me! When I first started collecting them, they cost 12 cents. They are worth much more than that now.

I loved to read them. One of the things that fascinated me beyond the story and artwork was the ads—all sorts of wild and weird things you could buy (like onion gum and soap that turned your face black when you washed with it). Most of the items were cheap. But my weekly income was only 50 cents for push mowing a two-acre lawn under a scorching sun—and I spent all that on comic books! Even if I wanted to order something, my Dad said, “You’re wasting your money. That’s just junk.” But, I knew better.




You could order this powder to mix up and drink and it would turn you from a 145 pound weakling into a muscular dynamo in only two weeks! I mean, the proof was right there in the picture. I only weighed 145, so this was very appealing. After whining more than a puppy wanting a dog biscuit, I finally talked my Dad into getting me some of that high protein muscle building drink. It didn’t work in 2 weeks! I didn’t gain a pound. I guess it contained a time release formula as I have finally gotten over being skinny.

Then there was this Monster Ghost I ordered—guaranteed to scare the daylights out of people. It floated, moved and responded to your commands—all for only a dollar. Now, who wouldn’t enjoy hearing their mother, sister and friends scream (maybe even faint) in fright? So, I ordered it. How excited I was to go to the mailbox and open this treasure of terror when it arrived after the promised 4-6 week delivery. It was a balloon head attached to a big garbage bag and with a nylon thread you could make it move by tugging on it! That cost me two week’s wages! Rip off!

How fitting on this President’s Day that we recall Honest Abe’s words, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and you can fool all the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all the people all the time.” I’ll add this, “You can’t fool God any time.”

But people try. They may try so hard as to even fool themselves. That’s the kind of folks, Paul talked about in Romans 2:17-3:8. They were extremely religious people who advertised that they were saints when, as God saw them, they were really sinners. Religion can clean up the outside, but leaves us dirty on the inside. Could it be that some of you reading these words might be in that category? You are guilty of false advertising. It’s time to get honest with God. “What can wash away my sin? Nothing, but the blood of Jesus.”

BEHIND THE MASK

Adrian Rogers told the story of the discovery of King Tut’s tomb by Howard Carter in 1922. Rogers relates how when they finally broke into the tomb, they found a huge sarcophagus. When it was opened, they discovered another coffin covered with gold leaf. Inside of that one was a third casket, then a fourth that was solid gold. Within was King Tut, wrapped in gold cloth, wearing that incredibly beautiful gold mask.

But, when the mask was removed, what did they find? Behind the mask and beneath the cloth was a leathery, withered corpse—the leering face of death.

You can claim to be a child of God. You may boast of your self-righteousness. You can put on a religious mask. But when the mask is removed, what is on the inside?

NO EXCUSE FOR SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS: IT’S HOLIER-THAN-THOU!

“Holier than thou”--we are familiar with the expression, aren’t we? The non-church goer certainly is. They use it with contempt to describe the self-righteous who often populate church pews. It is the ugly portrait of one who looks down their sanctimonious nose and points a condemning finger, loudly broadcasting the sins of others, all the while failing to examine their own heart and confess their own sins.

We can understand why some outside the church world would stumble over these attitudes among certain church folk and want nothing to do with Christianity. To them I would sound the warning: don’t let the hypocrite keep you out of heaven—or you’ll be with them forever in hell! Better to go to church with them, than spend eternity with them.

Religious people get all riled up when you speak against homosexuality, condemn pornography and lament our nation’s apostasy with a hearty “Amen!” But they often grow quiet when you preach about self-righteousness, judgmental attitudes and hypocrisy.

That’s tough—I’m going to preach the whole counsel of God. I can’t show favorites—because God doesn’t. “For there is no partiality with God” (Romans 2:11). Yes, God is going to judge all humanity, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom.3:23)! But God will hold us accountable for the amount of light we have.

Jesus said it would be better for Sodom than Capernaum on Judgment Day! We associate Sodom with gross evil and the wrath of God—and that much is true. What we fail to reckon with is that Sodom had no Bibles, no churches and no preachers—only one believer, Lot, who was a backslider! On the other hand, Capernaum was witness to Christ’s miraculous life and heaven-sent preaching. “And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.” (Matt.11:23).

The citizens of Capernaum were incensed at Christ’s teaching. They clearly possessed the “holier than thou” attitude. Outwardly, you might have compared their conduct with Sodom’s denizens and concluded they could make a good case. But, God doesn’t stop with the external show of religion. He judges accurately according to who we truly are on the inside. Paul writes, “in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel” (Rom.2:16). The skeletons in your closet will come marching out to testify against you.

God has a set of books in heaven where the names are recorded of all those belonging to Christ, plus other books where every thought, word, deed and motive is being documented.

11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.
14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. (Rev.20:11-15)

Imagine—if your name is not found in the Lamb’s Book of Life—then the evidence of your crimes against God will be presented in court and sentence will be passed. Self-righteousness will not save you. Paul states that the judgment will be according to “my gospel.” This is the issue. Have you responded to the Gospel in faith—receiving Christ as Lord and Savior? If not, we learn in Romans 1 that you can’t be so bad Christ won’t save you and in Romans 2 that you can’t be so good that you don’t need Him to.