Week 6 - Saturday

God is Righteous

But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say then? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous is He? (I am speaking in human terms.) May it never be! For otherwise how will God judge the world? But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner? And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say), "Let us do evil that good may come", their condemnation is just. (Romans 3:5-8)

So far in chapter 3, Paul has confronted two of the Jews objections against him. One thing they criticized Paul for was attacking God's people. Because Paul said they had no guarantee of going to heaven, the Jews accused him of saying there was no advantage in being one of God's chosen people. Paul countered that objection by declaring there is a great advantage in being a Jew. The Jews have the advantage of having been given the word of God. Another thing they accused him of was teaching against the promises of God. God had promised Abraham that his descendants would have a special relationship with God that would last forever. Because Paul taught that all Jews were not saved, they accused him of saying that God does not keep His promises. Paul handled this objection by saying that God could never lie. There was nothing wrong with God's promise. The Jews had misinterpreted it. God's promise to save the Jews, never applied to each individual Jew(Rom. 9:27) but to the nation as a whole. A third thing Paul was accused of by the Jews, was teaching against the holiness of God. Paul had just finished stating, that God's words are justifed (and God is shown to be ever so more true) when He is compared to or judged by men, because all men are liars (Rom. 3:4). Paul expects the Jews to object to this. So he again asks the question he knew they would be thinking. But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say then? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous is He? Or to put their question another way; "Paul, if you are saying that God uses something unrighteous (like man's sin) to demonstrate that He is righteous, then you must be saying that God (even though He inflicts wrath on people for sinning) actually approves of sin. Thus you must be saying, that God himself is unrighteous." Paul also answers this objection with the words me genoito, May it never be! That's absolutely impossible. How could God, if He were not righteous, be the one who will judge the world? The fact of the matter is that people are sinners and God, on the other hand, is perfectly holy. There's a big contrast there. If God is seen as glorious, in comparison to the man's sinfulness, that's no reason to think that God approves of sin.

When people strongly disagree with someone, they will take every opportunity they can to speak against them. The Jewish religious leaders were continually trying to discredit Paul. They were claiming that Paul was saying it's good to sin. Sin gives God glory because God is seen as righteous in comparison to your sin, so go ahead and sin all you want. The Jews also objected to Paul's teaching that salvation was by grace through faith alone. They claimed that this doctrine was an attack on God's holiness because it gave people the freedom to sin, without any fear of being judged for it. Apparently this criticism must have been pretty widespread because Paul adds, and why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say), "Let us do evil that good may come", their condemnation is just. Paul never taught that it was okay to sin. But there were some people, claiming to be Christians, who were teaching that it's alright to sin because it allows God to be glorified by forgiving your sins. However this isn't the attitude of a Christian. It's the attitude of someone who hasn't repented. Those who think this way, show that they have little respect for God's grace or for His holiness.

Readings for today: Gen. 18:25; Heb. 1:8-9; Rom. 6:1-2; Titus 2:11-12; Jude 4