Sermon Tone Analysis

Why is Paul spending all this time on our sinful condition?

Look if you will at Ps 19:12

David writes this just after writing about the Law of God

perfect

sure

right

pure

clean

ture

the Law warns your servant and in keeping of it there is great reward.

But the purpose of the Law is to make us to know our sin.

We must come to terms with our own sinfulness.

I’m convinced that unless you have felt the weight of your own sin (not the full weight but enough to know without any doubt that you are under the judgement of God) that you cannot receive the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

I have told you my own testimony many times - I grew up around the Word.

I knew God’s Word.

At the age of 10 I had memorised to entire sermon on the mount Matt chapters 5,6,and 7. We went to church every Sunday morning every Sunday evening and every Wednesday evening.

We had family devotions every morning at 5am.

I had made a profession of faith, I had been baptised.

As far as the church was concerned I was a saved, baptised member in good standing and yet I did not know Jesus Christ as my personal saviour.

I desired to be saved, I wanted to go to heaven when I died.

I truly believed in heaven and hell and Jesus Christ.

So what was the issue?

I did not feel the weight of my own sin.

I did not comprehend that the reason I needed salvation was because my own sin was enough to condemn me on the day of judgement to Hell.

It is for this reason that Paul must spend such considerable time convincing us of our sin.

So now, Paul is demonstrating both Gentiles and Jews are sinners and are under the Judgement of God.

Because...

1.

There is No Respect of Persons With God

God is not a respecter of persons.

What does this mean?

Simply that on the day of Judgement God will not take into consideration our nationality our race our gender.

Specifically he is making the point that being a Jew will make no difference in the judgement of God.

Paul then expands on this in vs 12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;

This is the first mention of the Law of Moses in the book of Romans and as we will see (if the Lord allows) is that is because a key theme though out the rest of the book.

But here he is using the Law a s a distinguishing factor between Jews and Gentiles.

Jew have the Law of God, it was given to them where as Gentile do not have the Law of God.

Paul puts both Jews and Gentiles in the same condition, one sin Those who have sinned without the Law and those who have sinned with the Law.

God, the impartial Judge, will judge us according to the knowledge that we have but both are judged or perish because of their sin .

God is not going to judge those who don’t have the Law by the Law.

But they will be judged according to their knowledge.

Knowledge which we were told in chapter is that there is a God and he is good and righteous and worthy of honour and glory and thanks and He will judge our unrighteousness.

But those who do have the Law and know the Law will be judged by the Law

This he says will happen...

But there is a parentheses at the beginning of of verse 13 until the end of vs 15.

These verses give further explanation to the statement made in 12.

2. Hearers of the Law Are Not Justified

Now the first question that comes to mind would be “is this a contradiction to Rom 1:17 that the just shall live by faith?

I believe that if we take this verse on it’s own then perhaps it could cause some confusion.

But me have to consider the context.

Paul is making the point that having the Law or being a Jew will not save you on the day of judgement because God is impartial.

We notice that in vs 12 Paul has only given two options those who have sinned without the Law and those who have sinned with the Law and both will be judged and perish.

We also can look ahead and see where Paul is going with his line of thought in

So Paul is not departing from his thesis to give an alternative way to be justified.

However, he had given this as a statement of fact that the doers of the law will be justified.

This is not inconsistent with the gospel.

If someone keeps the Law perfectly and never sins then they will be justified on the day of Judgement.

And as it turns out there was such a man.

Jesus Christ was tempted in all manners as we are yet without sin.

He never once broke the Law of God.

And He is justified before God.

So why would Paul make this statement if no one can actually be justified by keeping the Law?

He is making the point that simply having the Law means nothing on the day of Judgement because you must be a doer of the Law to be justified.

He is heading towards the conclusion in 3:9

Now to bring his point home he give and example that demonstrates that it is in the doing noth the having or knowing of the Law that matters.

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So even the Gentile which do not have the law prove his point.

Because they can do by nature the things contained in the Law.

And we two can see and relate to what Paul is saying because we all k ow of non Christians who do good things and demonstrate that they have a moral compass.

I know atheist who live to a higher moral standard that most of the Christians I know.

I even heard atheist say that you don’t have to believe in God in order to be a moral person.

To which I say thats true but the fact that you are a moral persons proves that there is a God.

It confirms this scripture which says that everyone has God’s moral Law written on their hearts and their conscience bears witness to this by either accusing or excusing them.

So what does this mornings text mean for us?

We have the Law.

We hold a high view of the scriptures.

But regardless of how much we know of the Bible.

We may be able to quote the sermon on the mount.

We may pride ourselves in using the most accurate version of the Bible.

We may go to church to hear the word of God proclaimed every opportunity we have.

But none of that will mater on the day of judgement.

Because God demands perfection and your knowledge of the Bible in itself does not make you perfect.

So when we come to the knowledge of the truth that we have either sinned with the Law or we have sinned without the Law and we are under the judgement and condemnation of God.

Then and only then are we able find hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The good news which teaches me that if I repent of my sins and confess that I am a sinner deserving of hell and I put my faith in the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross then God will take all my unrighteousness all my sin and He places it on Jesus who died for my sins on the cross and he takes the righteous perfect sinless life of Christ and He imputes it to me that is He applies it to my account so that on the day when I must stand before the Judge He will not see my sinful law braking life but He will see the perfect Lawful life of Jesus and I will be justified