Many Doctrines of Grace 1 - We are Sinners
Starting new series called, “The Many Doctrines of Grace.” Looking at topic of salvation, seeking answer following questions over course of 8 sermons: Why do we need to be saved, How does God save us, What we must each personally do to be saved.
Goals:
1. That we get all credit for our sin - that is to say, you and I realize more than we do now our complete and utter responsibility for sin and that we completely, utterly unable, unwilling, undeserving be saved. etc.
2. That God gets all credit for salvation - that is to say, you and I realize more than do now that God responsible every single part of process of people being saved from sin God. etc.
3. That above all realize Christian life all about grace and power of the gospel. That is to say, you and I become much more thankful to God for his grace to save us, and we become more passionate to live within and embody the power of the gospel in our world.
Thus title for series is The Many Doctrines of Grace. Historically five points of theological system called Calvinism called doctrines of grace. That’s historical origin. But as name lacking insofar as implying that only five doctrines speak to us of grace. All doctrines of the Bible point us to God’s grace. Everything about God towards his grace, thus there are many doctrines of grace. This emphasis for us – what Bible tells us. Not interested in the labels and the terms – Calvinism, Arminism, TULIP, etc. Touch on in church history class. But here – drive us to the Word, see and learn and apply what is there.
Hope to do as much Q&A for this series as possible and as time allows. [prayer]
“You’re no good.” Words most people don’t like have applied to themselves. Culture wants us to see ourselves as essentially “good,” or at least good enough.
This why professional suicide for me to start off series with sermon entirely on subject of sin. “Sin” largely extinct word in the American vocabulary. That’s because concept of sin inherently offensive.
However just because we don’t use or like the word doesn’t mean reality of it no longer exists. Al Mohler puts it this, “People don’t look dead or don’t look depraved. Everybody by definition does what is right in their own sight. We don’t approach anything from a neutral position.”
Reason don’t like concept is because none of us neutral when comes to subject of sin. We go to great lengths to rationalize and explain sin. “Oh it’s not that bad.” “It’s all relative, that’s wrong maybe by your definition.” “I do lots of good things.”
To really understand sin and accept the reality of this category must understand something about nature of God. Specifically that God is a holy God. Describes God’s complete separateness – he is the superior to any that compare to him, the ultimate standard of purity and transcendence.
[CLICK] Peter Jeffery, Bitesize Theology - The truth we are told more than anything else in Scripture about God is that he is holy (Psalm 99:9; 119:9; Revelation 15:4). This means that he is free from all sin and evil and there is in him absolute moral perfection. This particular truth touches everything else, so that God’s love is a holy love; his justice is a holy justice; his wrath a holy wrath. God can do nothing that is not holy.
God is holy. That is gold standard in the universe. God is holy. Now let’s consider mankind. We created in God’s image, created to reflect God. This means we created be holy just as God is holy. Or to put way Jesus puts it in Matt 5:48, “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
This is standard by which must judge our lives. When we compare ourselves to God we see that we fall miserably short. This is why Isaiah, when he encountered God in Isa 6, said, “Who is me, I am lost!” literally, “I am destroyed, I am cut off.” Totally and completely unraveled.
It is not that we aren’t able to do some nice things for other people or that unable to keep some part of God’s law. It is that we unable to completely and fully do all that is good, unable to perfectly keep God’s law.
[CLICK] John Calvin, “Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God.” [CLICK] Similarly, W.T. Conner in his book “Christian Doctrine” (1937) “It is against the background of God’s spotless character that the blackness of sin is to be seen”
What sin describes is what can be plainly seen – we fall short of the holy majesty and perfection that is God. We each vary in how short we fall. But in the end, even best person in the world is far far away from holy perfection! For remember, the standard here is holiness! Perfection! Not partial obedience but complete perfect obedience in thought, in word, in deed. This means any sin, any at all, automatically means we’ve utterly failed.
Illus – Growing up had two dogs, German shepherd and Chihuahua. And, apologizes for those who eat lunch soon after this, they did at times poop in our living room. Not the best thing to find when came home from school. Of course, big size difference in the dogs, corresponds to the dog poop. German shepherd left some big poop. Chihuahua small poop. Here’s the thing - big dog poop vs small dog poop, doesn’t really matter. They stunk up the whole room equally well. Never thought to myself, “Oh that so small. No need to pick it up.”
Sin is big stinking offense against God himself. As see in Ps 51, David confesses that his sin is foremost against God. And while most of aren’t as absolutely bad as could be, we still have done and thought and said things that are sinful. No denying that our sin stinks up whole room.
Brings us to our passage. Here we get classic observation by Paul on whole subject of human sinfulness.
Romans 3:9-20 - What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, [10] as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; [11] no one understands; no one seeks for God. [12] All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." [13] "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips." [14] "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness." [15] "Their feet are swift to shed blood; [16] in their paths are ruin and misery, [17] and the way of peace they have not known." [18] "There is no fear of God before their eyes." [19] Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. [20] For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
Most of passage, v.10-18, taken from couple different places in the Old Testament: Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Isaiah.
Note all repetition in the verses. In space of three verses, the words “no one” or other related phrase are repeated six times. Reinforced by the words “all” and “together” - “all have turned aside.” “together they have become worthless.” Passage is tail end of argument Paul building upon since first chapter. His conclusion drives home the reality of the power, scope, and depth of sin. No one can say they right before God, not the Jew or the non Jew.
Also courtroom imagery at play here. See v.19, where it says “the whole world may be held accountable to God.” Word for “accountable” is legal term, refers to someone who lost all possibility of disproving charge against them and stands liable for punishment.
In other words, there is no disqualifying evidence to present, no last minute witnesses, no excuses to give. Our mouths are shut as it says in v.19, we have nothing to say in defense that is legitimate. We stand rightfully guilty before God and thus deserving of suitable punishment. We all fully responsible and liable to God and now simply await our sentence. Talking about perfect justice here, not injustice. Remember, we don’t deserve mercy, otherwise can no longer call it mercy.
Come away with overall thought that there is path that God has set for people and all of humanity has turned aside from that path and following whole other path. v.13-18 shows that in what we say and what we do we show our lack of respect for God.
Those general observations. Now offer specific truths to learn on subject of sin, taken from passage and backed up by other passages.
[CLICK] 1) Our sin is enslaving
v.9 - “all…are under sin.” Most basic point of this passage, so really get this. Note: Paul not simply saying that people sin. He is saying that we are enslaved to sin. As Rom 6:17 puts it, before God intervened we “slaves of sin.” John 8:34, Jesus says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.” Sin has power over us that we cannot break on our own.
This is absolute statement. That’s because Bible is absolute and extreme in describing how dire is the human condition. Romans 6 speaks of us being in death, under the complete dominion of sin. Eph 2:1-2 speaks of being dead in our trespasses and sins.
Nothing in these descriptions suggests that we are in any position to do anything. No matter how many times you plead with a dead person, they won’t get up and get a job. They won’t clean up the house. They won’t take out the garbage. A dead person is dead! There is nothing within that dead person that can do anything even remotely alive. As Vocab last night rapped that we are all “dead Lazaruses.”
Similar, a slave had to do what master said. Not in any position to do anything else. [CLICK] Romans 8:7-8 - For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.
[CLICK] 2) Our sin is freely and continuously chosen by us
This why nobody can say to God, “Well, you allowed me to be born and that means I immediately became enslaved to sin and thus inherently sinner. So how can you blame me?”
We can’t help but sin but also we freely choose to sin. This why man can be held fully responsible – God does not make people sin, it is we who sin! v.11 - “no one understands; no seeks for God” – Word “seek” has the sense of someone making a careful diligent search for something. There no intentional search for God. Passage in Psalms from which this quoted, Ps 13, begins with saying that God looks down to see if there is anyone who understands or seeks God. Answer is v.11. We don’t choose God.
So, summarize both points thus far, could say that people sin inevitably but also sin willingly. Sin is freely chosen, but there is, as one person put it “a gravitational pull to sin, a tyranny or domination against which humanity is powerless to contend.” [J.R. Edwards]
Means then that on our own power we won’t choose to follow God. We prefer our way, intentionally choose to go our own way, and are without the power on our own to change that fact.
[CLICK] 3) Our sin is all encompassing
All encompassing in that all people sin. Nobody does absolutely what God calls for. v.10 “none is righteous, no not one.” [CLICK] Romans 3:23, For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Note the “all” there. Not some have sinned. It tells us ALL have sinned. Sin is all encompassing in that all humanity has experienced it and has sinned against God. Remember, God is the standard. So we all in the same boat!
Psalm 143:2 - for no one living is righteous before you. 1 Kings 8:46 – “…for there is no one who does not sin…”
Sin is also all encompassing in that everything we say and do we affected by sin. Even the “good” things we do. Like an oil spill upon our souls. Sin has irrevocably impaired our ability to perfectly know, love, and serve God. Our relationships with God and with others are weak and feeble and far short of what they were meant to be.
[CLICK] Isaiah 64:6 - We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. etc.
Leads us to next point: [CLICK] 4) Our sin corrupts and twists
v12 – “together they have become worthless” – Sin has makes useless, totally corrupted, thus completely unable to be as should be.
v.11 - “No one understands.” Cf with1 Cor 2:14 [CLICK] The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
Cosmically speaking, sin corrupts and twists the shalom in which the universe was meant to operate. Shalom is a Hebrew word that describes a state of absolute wholeness – of complete harmony and fullness and goodness, etc. Because of sin we now have a world marked by disease, famine, aging, war, violence, crime, racism, oppression.
Personally speaking, sin corrupts and twists the shalom between us and God within which we were meant to operate. etc.
As one scholar put it, could say that sin is not so much the introduction of a new element into our lives, it is the confusion of the existing elements, etc.
[CLICK] 5) Our sin leaves us with misery, guilt, and ultimately death
v.16-17 – “in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known." Sin leads us to misery. End up pursuing things and serving things that unable to give us perfect lasting joy. End up struggling to deal living under the power of pain, regret, boredom, disappointment.
Eventually, we succumb, and we face death. Rom 6:23, for the wages of sin is death. This death is physical…spiritual…eternal…
So now let’s head back to the divine courtroom. It is undeniable. If God is indeed perfect and holy, we definitely fall short. And God being our Creator has every right to hold us to account. [CLICK] “God, who is utterly and completely holy, cannot regard evil and good as the same. He cannot smile benevolently upon both truth and lies. So God’s holiness makes hell as inevitable as his love makes heaven.” Peter Jeffrey, Bitesize Theology
God will always resist sin. And this resistance, really this hatred of sin, is not arbitrary or emotional, as if God is throwing a temper tantrum. He is patient and longsuffering. He’s let the dog poop of sin stay within creation for an awfully long time now, stinking up the place so much that now it’s like we’ve gotten used it. You know, kind of like how you can get used to a horrible smell if you stay in it long enough.
But it’s still smells bad up in here. And eventually, because he is a holy God, he will clean up the mess. We will face God’s righteous judgment and eternal punishment, and there won’t be any debate that this was the right and just thing for him to do.
Conclusion:
So, why go through all this? What’s the point? Why do we need to spend time really thinking about this. It is for this reason. To quote John MacArthur, “The biblical approach assaults the sinner’s self-confidence and self-worth. It shatters his confidence in his religion and spirituality.” etc…
What Bible truly teaches us on this subject should humble us and break all of us – from the irreligious person to the religious person. But can also fill us with hope because we realize that while this is way things are is not way things should be. Sin should not have this power and rule over us!
Thankfully there is power greater than power of sin to which we must always, every day run. It is the power of God enacted on our behalf on the cross of Jesus. It is the one power which we can put our full faith and hope, in which we can have the utmost confidence.
[CLICK] Romans 5:6-8 - For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. [7] For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—[8] but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Why is this the case? Again, it comes done to the character of God. It is him showing his love to us, even though we are guilty sinners.
[CLICK] Micah 7:18-20 - Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. [19] He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. [20] You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old. That is the kind of God we have! etc.
That’s why said one of my goals in this series is to make us much more thankful to God, seeing that he gets all the credit for loving us enough to send Jesus to break the power of sin in our lives. Such thankfulness will make us humble. And should make us more bold to tell others. Because not about you. It’s about him!
Go back to an earlier quote: [CLICK] The truth we are told more than anything else in Scripture about God is that he is holy (Psalm 99:9; 119:9; Revelation 15:4). This means that he is free from all sin and evil and there is in him absolute moral perfection. This particular truth touches everything else, so that God’s love is a holy love; his justice is a holy justice; his wrath a holy wrath. God can do nothing that is not holy. [CLICK] This is an awesome truth but also a comforting one because the salvation he provides for us is a holy salvation. There is no fault or blemish in it; therefore there is no possibility of it failing. Peter Jeffery, Bitesize Theology