Answering Objections
Answering Objections
Romans 3:1-8
In 1956, during the height of the Cold War between Russia and the United States, Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev, had a reception at the Polish embassy with a group of Western leaders. His words almost sparked WWIII. He was heard saying,
Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you.
The next day, Khrushchev’s words were plastered on newspapers all around the world and specifically sparking outrage across America as many felt like it was an invitation to war. Sadly, it was not actually what Khrushchev was trying to say. It was mistranslated. He was hoping to say,
Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will dig you in or outlast you.
He was trying to show that communism will outlast capitalism and win in the end. “We will bury you,” vs. “We will outlast you,” has very different emotional responses. That mistranslation heightened the tension between Russia and the United States and created tension all over America among the people.
Language is very important. Saying the right word at the right time can calm people or anger them. I have had the opportunity to speak through translators and not every translator has the same skill. Some are more precise while others take more liberties with your words. When preaching the Word of God, a good translator is very important for misunderstanding the text could be devastating. It is understandable how things may get lost in translation. I recently was messaging a group of pastors in Colombia trying to encourage them in our partnership in the gospel, I tried to write in Spanish and I was trying to say:
Congratulations on your Independence Day. I love you from the United States
But what I actually said,
Congratulations on your Independence Day. Your master, from the United States.
I was trying to help them celebrate their day of Independence, but ended up calling myself their master from the United States. Thankfully, someone corrected me and we all had a good laugh at my expense.
Have you ever had your words taken out of context or been misinterpreted? You tried to say one thing, but someone heard something else. It may be common for misunderstanding across languages, but it happens all the time within the same language. I have been misheard or misunderstood as a preacher. In my first year as a pastor, my words were misunderstood on a sensitive topic and created some tension within the body. After hearing the concern, I re-listened to my sermon and understood how someone could have misheard me.
If you are going to communicate, you will inevitably be misheard or misunderstood. The Apostle Paul was worried about being misunderstood by the Romans after showing how God shows no partiality in judgment. Romans 1:18-Romans 3:20 is one section where Paul is unpacking how the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth. He shows how Gentiles without the law and Jews under the law will both be judged for their unrighteousness. Both Jews and Gentiles will be judged for God shows no partiality (Romans 2:11). Paul was quite confident someone was going to raise objections to his teaching on circumcision.
The Jews were given circumcision as a visible sign to be marked as God’s people. It was given to Abraham in Genesis 17 to mark them as a distinct people. Moses was almost killed because he did not circumcise his sons. Every foreigner who wanted to become one of God’s people had to go through circumcision. Circumcision was a big deal for the Jewish people. In Romans 2:25-29, Paul helps re-interpret the true meaning of circumcision. He writes,
[25] For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. [26] So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? [27] Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. [28] For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. [29] But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. (Romans 2:25–29)
Circumcision was never meant to be merely outward and physical. The outward sign meant to communicate an inner reality. A true Jew is not one who goes through a physical circumcision, but one who believes God from the heart. In a few chapters, Paul will show how Abraham believed God and was counted to him as righteousness (Genesis 15) before he was given circumcision (Genesis 17).
Paul finishes his brief teaching on circumcision and knows some will object or misunderstand what he has said. He may know they will misunderstand because some have already misunderstood what he has taught and have slandered him because of it. Words matter. And Paul did not want to be misunderstood. Romans 3:1-8 is a mini Q&A session with the Apostle Paul. He raises four objections and then answers them one by one.
First Objection, What does it matter to be God’s People? (v. 1-2)
The first objection raised is on what is the purpose of being God’s people. If both Jew and Gentile are judged, what does it matter to be God’s people? Romans 3:1,
[1] Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision?
If God gave circumcision as a sign of God’s special relationship with Israel, but circumcision is not outward and physical but inward and spiritual, and if God will judge the Jews who have the law as he will judge the Gentiles who do not have the law, then what does it matter that one is a Jew?
The Jews gripped their identity as God’s people as a new driver grips the steering level. They put so much stock into their unique place in the world. And it seems Paul is shaking the etch a sketch of their identity. So Paul raises the question, “What is the value of being God’s people?” He replies, Romans 3:2,
[2] Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.
He begins his sentence as if he is going to give a long list, “Much in every way. To begin with, or first,” but he only gives one reason here: the Jews have been entrusted with the oracles of God. Many scholars believe Romans 3:1-8 is a foreshadowing of Paul’s longer teaching on the Jews role in salvation in Romans 9-11. In that section Paul offers a longer list, when he speaks about his deep desire for the salvation of the Jews, he writes, Romans 9:4–5,
[4] They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. [5] To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
Paul could give lots of benefits of being God’s people, and we see he does later in the letter, but in Romans 3, he only offers one: the Jews have been entrusted with the oracles of God.
The Jews have been given God’s Word. It is a unique and special blessing to be given the very words of God. Paul uses the unique description of the oracles of God to imply how God spoke specific words to God’s people about how God was going to deliver them from specific situations. They were entrusted with God’s promises of how they were going to be saved. They held a privileged place in God’s salvation history because he gave them promises of their salvation.
Beloved, Paul writes to the Thessalonians, that Christians have been entrusted with the gospel (1 Thess. 2:4). We have been given the Word of God. To you look at the great blessing it is to have the Word of God, to have someone stand and unpack the Word verse by verse, chapter by chapter, week after week, month after month, year after year. The Word of God is being opened and planted on the hearts of God’s people. Beloved, let us never take for granted the Word of God. We hear the word every week and sometimes we forget the blessing we have here in this congregation.
There are churches throughout the world which do not regularly teach God’s Word. They may teach implications of the Word or themes, but may not systematically unpack the truth from the text. We are not a perfect church and I do not want us to have any form of pride in our doctrine or how our church is structured. Everything we have, we have received from God so let’s not act as if we didn’t receive it. But that doesn’t mean we cannot be extremely thankful that we have been given this Word and teachers to help us understand the Word.
We are entering a season of Thanksgiving and I think it would be beneficial for us to appreciate all that the Lord has done and is doing in our body. We can easily point out our deficiencies and areas of our church we want to improve or change, but that should not discourage us from thanking God that we hold fast to the Word of God in this place. God has given us his Word. Praise His Name.
Second objection, Was God faithful to his Word? (v. 3-4)
Paul does not share every blessing of being God’s people in this text but we start to see his logic in speaking about the oracles of God or specific words given to Israel about their future salvation. Romans 3:3,
[3] What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?
The question Paul thinks will be raised in the minds of his readers is that if the Jews are judged then God’s faithfulness is in question. If God promised to save the Jews through specific oracles, then how is God faithful if he judges those same Jews? Didn’t he promise to save them? If he promises to save them, but instead judges them, how could we call God faithful? Again, Paul picks up on this theme in Romans 9 when he writes, Romans 9:6,
But it is not as though the word of God has failed.
In Romans 3, Paul will show how God is always faithful to his Word even if it is in judgment. God’s Word is always true.
In Romans 2, Paul shows how many Jews were unfaithful to covenant responsibilities of being God’s people. They were condemning others while practicing the very same things. They were self-righteous and trusting in their identity of God’s people without living like God’s people. So Paul asks the question, “Does their faithlessness nullify or erase the faithfulness of God?” He answers in Romans 3:4,
[4] By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,
“That you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when you are judged.”
His answer is emphatic in the Greek, “By no means!” It couldn’t be stronger. Of course their faithlessness cannot erase the faithfulness of God. God is true even though everyone is a liar. God is always faithful to his word. And specifically, God is faithful to his word, even in judgment, which was what people would be questioning him in. He then quotes David in Psalm 51. David committed adultery with Bathsheba, got her pregnant, then had Uriah killed in battle. Nathan the prophet confronts David, and David responds in heartfelt confession, testifying that God was right to judge him. Psalm 51:1–4,
[1] Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
[2] Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
[3] For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
[4] Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
David, the man after God’s own heart, grievously sinned against God and therefore God is right to judge him. God is always faithful to his Word. David was saying his sin was ultimately against God therefore God’s justice was established against him and his sin.
God’s opinion is the only one that matters. Many in our day try to judge God on his fairness in how he deals with sin. They do not believe it is fair for God to condemn people to an eternal hell for rejecting him. They do not believe it is fair for God to condemn people when they live the way they want for people, they say, should be free to live as they want. It does not matter what the culture says, it does not matter even what your opinion is, the only opinion that matters is what God says. And God shows no partiality. He will judge the Gentiles without the law and the Jews under the law, and every one of his judgments are right.
If you are visiting today and have not trusted in Jesus Christ, have you ever considered what you deserve for your sin? Have you ever considered what will happen to you because of your sin? Would God be right to judge you? Does he have the right to administer justice to those who violate his law? As Christians, we do believe we have sinned and rebelled against a holy God. We believe we rightly deserve to be judged for our sin. We know we have done wrong and God is right and good to condemn. And yet, it is because we believe that we ask God to forgive us. As David wrote in Psalm 51, we pray, “Have mercy on me according to your steadfast love.” We do not deserve mercy, but in love God offers it. He offers through his Son. Jesus Christ took God’s justice on our behalf. He never sinned, never disobeyed God, always lived in truth. And he willingly laid down his life and died on the cross. He died to pay the judgment deserved for sinners. He took God’s wrath on the cross. He was dead and buried, but God raised him from the dead. The cross and the resurrection is the only way you can be forgiven for your sins.
Jesus Christ is the mercy of God. He is the one who gives us what we do not deserve because he took what we deserved for our sin on the cross. If you repent of your sins and trust in Christ, you too will be forgiven. Your faithlessness does not nullify the faithfulness of God. God is mighty to save, and delights to save. Turn to him in faith and experience the mercy of God.
It is also important for us to remember that even though we are sometimes faithless, God always remains faithful to us. Paul words to Timothy are helpful here, 2 Timothy 2:8–13
[8] Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, [9] for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! [10] Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. [11] The saying is trustworthy, for:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
[12] if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
[13] if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself.
Christian, I do not know what sins are laying you down this morning but you need to hear that if you are in Christ, you are a new creation and an adopted child of God. Even if you have moments of faithlessness, God will remain faithful to you. He cannot deny himself and if you are united with Him in Christ, you will never be cast out. His steadfast love never ceases and his mercies never come to an end, but are new every morning. So, this morning, you who are in Christ, can experience his mercy afresh. Great is his faithfulness to you.
God will be true to his word to judge and be true to his word to save. We need to hear both messages. If you are in sin, repent and believe. If you are struggling with sin, repent and believe and remember Jesus Christ, the offspring of David. If you are overcoming sin, rejoice and believe in the steadfast love and mercy of God.
Third objection, Does the gospel of grace erase the righteousness of God? (v. 5-6)
Paul continues answering the objections that come from the wrath of God against sin and sinners. He poses another two questions and then answers this question with a question. Romans 3:5,
[5] But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.)
Some may say that since my unrighteousness displays the righteousness of God, then it would be unfair for God to inflict wrath on us. What they are saying is that if someone’s sin makes God’s righteousness more noticeable then it is unfair for God to judge the person of that sin.
It is as if the blackness of our sin causes the brightest of the gospel diamond to shine, then we should not be judged if our sin helps display the righteousness of God. And then he adds, “I speak in a human way.” He adds that line because it is utterly illogical. He then answers his question with a question, Romans 3:6,
[6] By no means! For then how could God judge the world?
Jews would have no problem with the idea that God would judge the Gentile world. So Paul merely states the absurdity of their logic in regards to themselves if applied to the Gentiles. If the Gentiles’ sin displays the righteousness of God, how would God be able to judge them? It is as if the Jews were applying different rules to themselves then they were to the rest of the world. But remember he says, God shows no partiality. Your logic makes the idea of judging the Gentiles for their sins against God impossible to judge.
Paul will continue his line of reasoning to get to real critics in Paul’s life.
The last objection, Why am I condemned as a sinner? (v. 7-8)
Paul is being misunderstood in his teaching of the gospel. We do not know if anyone at Rome has misunderstood Paul, but we do know that some are mistanding Paul or at least characterizing Paul’s teaching as heretical. Romans 3:7–8,
[7] But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? [8] And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.
Paul’s logic is the same in the previous objection. If I lie, and therefore the truth is seen more clearly, why should I be condemned as a sinner. Why not do evil so that people may see God’s goodness? Some are slanderously charging Paul by teaching this very thing.
The ones who are slandering Paul are probably those who are self-righteous similar to how the Pharisees attacked Jesus for eating with sinners and tax collectors. The abundant grace in the gospel says anyone who comes to Christ will be forgiven. Jesus did not come for the healthy by the sick. He did not come for the righteous but to call sinners to repentance. The gospel is the gospel for sinners. And when sinners come to God, God gets the glory. The more we sin, the more God’s glory is magnified in forgiveness. Does that mean we should sin so that God’s glory would be multiplied in giving forgiveness over more sin? By no means. Of course not.
It is such a slanderous way to attack the gospel. Throughout Paul’s ministry, he teaches that we must live up to the calling we have received in Christ. We are not saved by our good works, but rather by the mercy of God. We are sinners and we need a Savior. And we come to Christ, we should live and look like Jesus. He should be righteous and holy in all our conduct. It would have been very hard to take Paul’s teaching and twist it so radically for people to think Paul was encouraging others to sin. This is not people merely misunderstanding Paul’s message, but people twisting it to mean something different.
This may be what Peter was thinking when he wrote at the end of his last letter, 2 Peter 3:14–18,
[14] Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. [15] And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, [16] as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. [17] You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. [18] But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
The ignorant and the unstable were twisting Paul’s words to discredit him. Either they were trying to discredit Paul to encourage more of a works based righteousness or to encourage others that they had the freedom to live any way they wanted and still be saved. Both are heresies and both will lead people to Hell. If we think our good works save us, we deny the gospel. If we think because of grace we can live in sin, we deny the gospel.
Beloved, let us never tire of teaching and living the simple gospel of Christ. The pure gospel of Jesus Christ was under attack in Paul’s, as it will be under attack in our day. John Calvin when thinking of the attacks of the pure gospel of Christ during his day in the midst of the Protestant Reformation, he wrote on this passage,
We can conceive of nothing more monstrous than that the charge, which we read of here, had been laid against Paul for the purpose of treating his preaching with contempt among the ignorant. Let us, therefore, bear the slanderous abuse by the ungodly of the truth which we preach, and let us not cease on this account to guard constantly the simple confession of it, since it has sufficient power to crush and disperse their falsehoods.
We have to guard the simple confession of the gospel which Jesus saves, and He is our King. We no longer live for ourselves and use our freedom as a cover up for evil, but we use our freedom for Christ and his glory. We are saved by grace through faith, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. And we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
We have to guard the freedom we have in Christ while we guard the abuses of those freedoms. We need to remember and declare words of the songs we are to sing,
My God is slow to anger when I go astray
Bless the Lord, O my soul
For all of my betrayals, He will not repay
Bless the Lord, O my soul
Through mercy and compassion His great love is proved
He covers my transgressions like the snow
As far as east from west are all my sins removed
Bless the Lord, O my soul
He saved me from the pit when I had lost all hope
Bless the Lord, O my soul
Let us join with the saints throughout the ages and constantly declare, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Forget not all his benefits, His Word is always true and it will never fail. Bless the Lord, O My soul.