Romans 3:5

Romans 3:5 says, But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance, (I speak as a man) I believe Paul here is addressing the concept that since our sins prove the righteousness of God, then God has no right to punish us for our sins.  The argument seemed to be if the unbelief of the Jew led to the gospel going to the Gentiles, then how could God be upset with the Jews.  We need to be wary of ever getting the idea that we, especially as followers of Christ, can sin because God has provided us with salvation and since that is true, He is glorified further by our future sins.  Our unrighteousness may point others to Christ, but this does not mean that God is unfair in punishing our sin.  Paul said even as a carnal man he recognized that the concept that our sin somehow ultimately glorifies God and is therefore acceptable is wrong.  We can never justify our sins, even if they lead to the glory of God ultimately.  Verse six adds, God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?  Paul again makes a strong declaration that God forbid such thinking.  If we believe that our sins are simply another way of bringing honor to God because He shows greater forgiveness, and this is true, then God really couldn't judge the world.  This leads to the idea that everyone is ultimately going to be saved, no matter what, because this proves the glory of God.  Paul stated very strongly that this was not the case.  We can never justify sin as being a way to show the glory of God.  Verse seven continues, For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?  Paul asks how he could be judged a sinner if his lies led to the truth of God.  Even if lies that we present about God ultimately lead to showing the truth of His forgiveness, we will still be held accountable for our sins.  Only through the truth of accepting Christ as our Savior and Lord can we find forgiveness.  Verse eight concludes this thought stating, And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just. There may be people today who make false claims about what Christianity proclaims, but we need to be quick to point out the errors and stand firmly on the world of God.  We can never let it be said that we are free to sin so we can bring glory to God.

Romans 3:1

Romans 3:1 states, What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?  Paul was discussing the Jew versus the Gentile, and here was raising the question that many might have had based on what he had said.  If being identified as one of God's people made no difference, then what was the advantage in being a Jew?  Verse two adds, Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.  Paul said the chief advantage of the Jew was that God's Law, His oracles, were committed to them. Matthew Henry says that the Jews were the keepers of God's library for the Christians.  They were given the words of life to point people to God and the coming Messiah.  We, as the church today, have these same words of truth.  The Jews preserved the Old Testament for us, and it is our responsibility to preserve and share the Old and New Testament for the world today and for generations to come.  Verse three continues, For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?  Paul had been discussing the unbelieving Jew and the believing Gentile.  Here, Paul was stating that the unbelief of some, even the majority of the Jews, did not make belief in God be without effect.  The fact that some today profess to be Christians but fail to follow God's plan for salvation does not mean that God's plan is ineffective.  We, as followers of Christ, as the church, still are entrusted with the word of God, and those who are truly His, in word and deed, have every advantage.  We can never let the actions of others, even those who profess to belong to God but don't acknowledge His truth stand between us and God.  Verse four concludes, God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.  Here Paul was making a declaration of the eternal truth of God.  God's truth will never fail to be the truth, even if the whole world attempts to deny it.  The only way we are going to be able to overcome when we are judged is by accepting the truth of God.  Our lies may fool the world, but they will never fool God.

Romans 2:25

Romans 2:25 says, For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.  In these next few verses, Paul discusses circumcision of the Jew, the identifying mark that set them apart from the rest of the world.  It was not just to be a physical act, but was to be a sign of a spiritual relationship.  I am not sure exactly what we can equate this to today, but any sign that says to the world that we are followers of Christ while we are breaking his law is the same thing.  I guess wearing a cross or carrying a Bible, which those of the world might see as identifying us as Christians, while speaking badly of others, for example, would be similar.  It is not enough to live with outward signs of being a follower of Christ without a change of our heart toward our relationship with God and the lost of the world. Verse twenty-six adds, Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?  Here I believe that Paul was talking about earthly signs identifying Jews as God's people.  He was warning them that the uncircumcised, those the Jews considered as lost, had a better claim to belonging to God if they kept the law than did the Jew if they didn't.  We today may feel that professing to belong to Christ makes us better than the rest of the world, but if the lost live more by the laws of God than we do, then I believe Paul was saying that their actions would counted as more than our profession without obedience.  We must remember, of course, that the Law cannot save. I think we can apply this to those who have never heard the gospel, but who attempt to live Godly lives.  They are more justified than those who profess Christ without a change in nature.  Verse twenty-seven continues, And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?  Paul, I believe, is still speaking of real obedience to God as opposed to simply following rituals without any real dedication to God that they represent.  It is a warning to us today as well.  Verse twenty-eight states, For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:  Verse twenty-nine adds, But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.  Paul was distinguishing between outward, physical signs of obedience to God and the real inward change of the heart that is necessary to belong to God.  Worldly signs of obedience to God can come from self-pride, but true obedience comes from humility.  Only through Christ can we have salvation, and that can never lead us to feeling more worthy of God's love than anyone else.

Romans 2:21

Romans 2:21 says, Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?  After reminding the Jews that they were to teach others about the will of God, here he made it personal to them.  When they taught others, did they not also believe that these teachings applied to themselves.  Paul used the example of stealing, but we could apply it to any sin.  As followers of Christ, if we teach that it is wrong to hate, for example, do we yet hate others?  We must not teach one thing when reaching out to the lost and live as though those teachings do not apply to us.  We must always apply the teachings to our own lives first.  Verse twenty-two adds, Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?  Paul cited two more examples here of where the Jews, God's chosen people, might be teaching one thing and doing another.  It is sometimes easier to expect others to live by God's law than it is for us to live by His law ourselves, but we cannot be effective by doing that.  This was what Paul was telling those in his day and what applies to us today.  We are to be the example, not just by what we say but by how we live.  We cannot condemn the sins of others while excusing our own sins.  Verse twenty-three continues, Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?  Paul was warning the Jews about boasting about the law to others while breaking it themselves.  For us today, as followers of Christ for example, it is not enough to boast about and display the Ten Commandments without following them.  That includes all of them, plus Christ's commandment that we love one another.  Verse twenty-four concludes, For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.  Paul told the Jews that their actions caused the name of God to be blasphemed among the Gentiles, the lost people of the world.  We must be very careful that our actions today do not do the same thing.  Until we put God first in all aspects of our lives, we are in danger of bringing dishonor to His name.

Romans 2:17

Romans 2:17 says, Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,  Paul was pointing out that those that called themselves Jews were proud of the fact.  They boasted about God, but that was not what they were called to do.  God did not chose them because they were special, but they were special because God chose them.  We as followers of Christ have no reason to think that we by nature are any better than anyone else.  Matthew Henry says of this, "A believing, humble, thankful glorying in God, is the root and summary of all religion, Psa 34:2; Isa 45:15; Co1 1:31. But a proud vainglorious boasting in God, and in the outward profession of his name, is the root and summary of all hypocrisy. Spiritual pride is of all kinds of pride the most dangerous."  The Jews then and we as followers of Christ today are called to a humble glorifying of God, not a proud and self-righteous outward profession of a belief in God. Verse eighteen adds, And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;  Those who profess to know God should know His will.  It is not enough to know the truth of God without knowing the will of God.  Many people today know about Christ, some even accept Him as a historical figure, but they do not acknowledge the will of God for Christ to be their Redeemer.  Paul was speaking to God's chosen people in these verses, so it is safe to say that many professed themselves to be Jews without acknowledging the will of God.  There are likewise those today who profess themselves to be followers of Christ who do not acknowledge the will of God.  We can know every verse of the Bible and attend every worship service, but still not acknowledge God's will for our lives.  We are called to humbly serve God and share the gospel, and not to stand in pride condemning others.  Verse nineteen continues, And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,  We, as followers of Christ, are called on to be a guide to salvation to those who are lost, just as the Jews were in Paul's day.  They were failing in their calling, and we must be careful that we do not do the same.  Verse twenty concludes, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.  Paul continued his statement as to what the Jews were to be, and this also tells us what we are to be.  We teach those who do not believe, the foolish, about God. We are to teach them the truth of God, and not just some form of that truth.  We can never rely on anything less than a true relationship with God if we are to teach others about Him.  We cannot proclaim a form of the gospel based on our own goodness or ability but must rely on our relationship with God to guide us.

Romans 2:12

Romans 2:12 says, For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;  Not everyone in Paul's day had the Jewish law to guide them, just as everyone today has not heard the gospel preached.  This does not condemn them to everlasting punishment, though.  Even without the Law of Moses in Paul's day or without hearing the gospel today, man has the ability to know right from wrong and that there is a Creator.  God would be a very unjust God if He automatically condemned all those who never heard the gospel. This does not imply that people can be saved without Christ, but that He will judge people based on their actions, not their words.  Those with the law in Paul's day were to be judged by their obedience to the law, just as we today who have heard the gospel will be judged by our obedience to the gospel.  Verse thirteen adds, (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. The Jews of Paul's day were not made just by having heard the law, but by the keeping of the law.  We today are not made just by hearing the gospel, but by living in accordance to the gospel.  We can never live a totally sinless life even after we accept Christ as our Savior, but we are called to always attempt to do so.  When we do accept Jesus as our Savoir, we automatically accept Him as our Lord. We cannot claim salvation as a simple pass to heaven that has no bearing on our everyday life.  We must be doers of the Word.  Verse fourteen continues, For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves,  Even without having the law or hearing the gospel, people are a law unto themselves.  People know right from wrong by their very nature.  Verse fifteen states, Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)  This is the closed parenthesis started in verse thirteen.  These verse, though divide in the Bible, were a continuation of the same thoughts as Paul wrote them, and he stated the working of the law was written in their hearts and their conscience and was always bearing witness to this law.  Verse sixteen adds, In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.  All people will have their actions, even their secret thoughts, judged by Jesus Christ.  He alone is able to offer forgiveness.  This in no way implies salvation by any means other than through the sacrifice of Christ, but He will determine who has truly accepted that sacrifice, whether they know the exact words or not.  Those of us who know the gospel bear the responsibility of sharing it with the world.

Romans 2:8

Romans 2:8 says, But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,  Paul continues in this verse to speak of the reasons why God will judge our actions.  We continue to be contentious and reject God's truth, that we can only be justified through Christ.  I have heard people say that when they start behaving or living better, they might turn to God for salvation, but right now they just aren't worthy of forgiveness.  We never will be worthy, and we are definitely contentious when we take this attitude.  I have also heard people express the opposite attitude, that they are having to much fun now to give everything up for God, but maybe someday they will.  This is definitely being contentious.  In both cases they are denying the truth of God, and that is that though we are unworthy, only when we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord does life truly become worth living.  Verse nine adds, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;   We may not experience that tribulation and wrath in this world, but if we reject the truth of God, then that is all we can expect in the world to come.  Being a Jew, one of God's chosen people, did not exempt people from this tribulation and wrath of the soul if they chose evil over God's will.  The greatest evil we can do is rejecting salvation, because until we accept Christ as Savior and Lord, we will be ruled by evil.  Being born into a family that follows God's will does not make us right in the eyes of God any more than being born a Jew did in Paul's day and especially now.  The same is true for all others, the Gentiles, or anyone who isn't a Jew.  Verse ten continues, But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:  I don't believe that Paul was stating that this was what the world would give to every person who worked for good, but what God would give to those who worked for good through Christ in the world to come. Paul certainly did not have these things in his life here on earth, but he has them today.  Verse eleven concludes, For there is no respect of persons with God.  We as followers of Christ must never forget this truth.  Paul spoke of Jews and Gentiles which included everyone from the Jewish perspective.  We in America today may feel that God loves us and should bless us more than the rest of the world, but this simply is not true.  God loves everyone the same, no matter their nationality.  We are called to that same type of love.