Sermon Tone Analysis

#5 How many are righteous or good in God's eyes (none)

Paul says all are under sin.

The question "are we better?"

Paul says...."not at all".

The Jews enjoyed certain privileges because they were God's chosen people...but these privileges did not exclude them from the judgment of God.

They had advantages over the Gentiles (; ), but God does not give them preferential treatment.

In this passage, Paul begins to quote a number of OT scriptures to prove that sin is "universal".....and therefore, all are guilty before God...the Jews and Gentiles...(encompasses all people).

Scripture......not Paul, is the judge.

See ; ; ; ; , .

Turn back to Romans 3:9

In this passage there are 5 charges :

1) they are all under sin (v.9) - This means they are all under the penalty as well as the power of sin....and subject to the judgment of God.

Paul has charged the whole world with being....innately or naturally sinful.

In verse 30, Paul reveals that ther is one God....Who has provided a solution to the problem of sin: through faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

Paul makes a contrast between being "under sin" and being "under grace" speaks about being "under grace".....and our sins forgiven and we ourselves justified.

14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace?

God forbid.

2) There is none righteous, no, not one (v.10)

Paul quotes , to support his argument that sin is common to all....Jews and Greeks.

3) There is none that understandeth (v.

11) People don't understand spiritual truth ().....and most don't seek after God.

People are simply satisfied with being "religious".

4) There is none that seeketh after God.

5) They are all gone out of the way, none do good (v.

12) People turn away from God; Apart from God....we are no good...and can do no good.

It's the Holy Spirit in us that helps us to exhibit the fruits of the Spirit.....love, joy, peach, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness and faith () While some unbelievers can be kind and gracious....their acts of kindness have no value....because they're not done from a heart that seeks to please and glorify God.

A "good person" does things for his/her own welfare.

“All” are “under sin” (v. ).

“There is none righteous” (v. ).

“There is none who does good” (v. ).

“All have sinned” (v. ).

Man is immersed in the misery of sin, and he is guilty of contentment in sin.

No one even seeks after God.

The fact is Scripture charges everyone with sin (vv.

).

That legal determination brings dread silence as humankind stands before the dread bar of divine judgment (v. ).

It also causes a great shift in our understanding of the function of divine Law.

God’s Law is not intended to save, but to make us aware of our sin!

(v. )

Then suddenly the bad news is transformed into good!

God has revealed a righteousness that has nothing to do with the Law.

Since all have sinned, all need to be justified by a grace gift given those who have faith in Jesus (vv. ).

Why by Jesus?

Because He is the propitiating sacrifice, the basis on which God can be righteous in forgiving our sins (vv.

).

Doesn’t this make Law meaningless?

Not at all.

It establishes Law in the role God always intended it to have—as a mirror showing us our sin and pointing us toward faith (vv.

).

Richards, L. O. (1991).

The Bible reader’s companion (electronic ed., p. 739).

Wheaton: Victor Books.

#6 Because of this universal sin problem, how many stand guilty under God's law?

The whole world is guilty before God.....and everyone will be held accountable; The whole world was charged with being under sin.

We read above that Paul included the Jews.....who received he oracles of God and were bound by them.

The "Law" points up and to God's standards.....and shows us at the time how impossible it is for us to live by the Law.

Our sins are before God.....and there is no defense.....that's why Paul says...."every mouth may be stopped" .

All of us will stand before God in judgment....and the "sinner" or "unbeliever" won't be be able to make plea bargain, or bribe the Judge (God)....he won't even be able to make a defense for himself before God.

His verdict will be "guilty".....because he will have been justly charged with his crime.

Paul has been saying since chapter 1 .....that the whole world is in need of God's righteousness.

Finally, the Law is not a way for a person to be declared righteous (justified) in His sight (cf.

).

That was not its purpose (; ; ).

Instead, the Law was given so that through it we become conscious (lit., “through the Law is full knowledge”) of sin (cf.

; ).

The Mosaic Law is an instrument not of justification but of condemnation.

Witmer, J. A. (1985).

Romans.

In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.),

The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol.

2, p. 450).

Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

#7 How many have sinned and who is our only hope?

All have sinned.

says.....Therefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

The federal headship view considers Adam, the first man, as the representative of the human race that generated from him.

As the representative of all humans, Adam’s act of sin was considered by God to be the act of all people and his penalty of death was judicially made the penalty of everybody.

Witmer, J. A. (1985).

Romans.

In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.),

The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol.

2, p. 458).

Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

"for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

( Rom. 7:13)

The entire human race was plunged into sin with Adam....so all are sinners.

All fall short.

"fall" is presnet tense....meaning a continuous action.

So we can say...."keep on falling short".

And in our own efforts....we will never measure up to the glory of God.

God's glory is His splendor...and

He wants us to share that splendor....and become like Him, that is, Christlike (cf.

“glory” in ; ; ; ).

Yet their sin keeps them from sharing it.

Witmer, J. A. (1985).

Romans.

In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.),

The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol.

2, p. 451).

Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

#14 When we commit sin even against our wishes, what does it prove?

34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

The act of committing sin reveals that the one doing the act is under the power and authority of sin.

We are freed from sin by the truth.