Paul Gets Confusing

Actually, he was already confusing, but becomes even more so. Paul starts chapter three of Romans with a question (He is very fond of doing this.): What is the profit of circumcision? He’s just finished saying “if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.” 

So, if circumcision/Judaism can’t save you, what is it good for? Two things:

1. They had the word of God committed to them (3:2)
2. It shows God’s faithfulness (3:3-4)

Now Paul moves on to another question, in fact he asks the same question two different ways.

If the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?

This is what I mean by Paul getting confusing, because I don’t completely understand what he’s trying to say here. But as far as I can tell, his answer to his question is that we are all under sin. Explaining that answer would take much more than a single blog post, so I just give you his answer, backed up with the same passage of scripture Paul uses: Psalm 14:1-3.

Next, apparently thinking he has addressed any questions his audience might have (I would beg to differ from him on that point...), Paul reveals the true purpose of the law: 

That every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 

 Thankfully, Paul also has good news.

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed...even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.

We are all “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood...to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

This is the part of Romans three that usually gets memorized. Much more fun than all the law doom-and-gloom stuff.

Once again, Paul fires off a bunch of rhetorical questions, in which we learn that:

• Boasting is excluded by the law of faith
• God is the God of the Gentiles as well as the Jews
• He is establishing the law, not making it void

And finally, Paul gives a very useful summary: (though it isn’t actually the last verse.)
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith, apart from the deeds of the law. 

In chapter four, Paul gives example “A” of this principle: Abraham.

2Cor. 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.