Romans 3:1-8

What good is it to be a Jew? What good is to be circumcised? It is good in a lot of ways. First of all, God's messages were spoken to the Jews. It is true that some of them did not believe the message. But does this mean that God cannot be trusted, just because they did not have faith? No, indeed! God tells the truth, even if everyone else is a liar. The scriptures say about God,

Your words will be proven true, and in court you will win your case.

If our evil deeds show how right God is, then what can we say? Is it wrong for God to become angry and punish us? What a foolish thing to ask. But the answer is "No". Otherwise, how could God judge the world? Since your lies bring great honour to God by showing how truthful He is. You may ask why God still says you are a sinner. You might as well say, "Let's do something evil, so that something good will come of it!" Some people even claim that we are saying this. But God is fair and will judge them as well.

My Reflections

The lack of faith in other people, like for example in the churches I have been to, do not change the sovereignity and trustworthiness of God. I sometimes become sceptical and jaded and think there is no point in believing in God and that my life is useless and I wish I just die and evaporate into nothingness. But this passage emphasises that God tells the truth, and no matter what I observe in other people, it doesn't take away anything from God being God. 

So I must strive on and continue to have faith in the truth and trustworthiness of God. 

And I must not persist in sin, just because God is good and always wanting to lead me to repentence and be saved, time after time after time. I am a sinner and I sin every day, but may I grow in maturity and wisdom in God so that I can reflect God's forgiveness and lovingness towards me.

Key Points from the Enduring Word Commentary

I have to say, with Paul, ‘What if some did not believe?’ It is no new thing; for there have always been some who have rejected the revelation of God. What then? You and I had better go on believing, and testing for ourselves, and proving the faithfulness of God, and living upon Christ our Lord, even though we see another set of doubters, and another, and yet another ad infinitum. The gospel is no failure, as many of us know.” (Spurgeon)

In theory, the most dramatic example of someone who might ask this question is Judas. Can you hear Judas make his case? “Lord, I know that I betrayed Jesus, but You used it for good. In fact, if I hadn’t done what I did, Jesus wouldn’t have gone to the cross at all. What I did even fulfilled the Scriptures. How can You judge me at all?” The answer to Judas might go like this: “Yes, God used your wickedness but it was still your wickedness. There was no good or pure motive in your heart at all. It is no credit to you that God brought good out of your evil. You stand guilty before God.”

Twisting the glorious free gift of God in Jesus into a supposed license to sin is perhaps the peak of man’s depravity. It takes the most beautiful gift of God and perverts it and mocks it. This twisting is so sinful Paul saves it for last, because it is beyond the depravity of the pagan (Romans 1:24-32), beyond the hypocrisy of the moralist (Romans 2:1-5), and beyond the false confidence of the Jew (Romans 2:17-29).

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