1 What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? 2 Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. 3 For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? 4 Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.” 5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) 6 Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world? 7 For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just. ~ Romans 3:1-8
Today, we transition into Romans 3 where the Apostle Paul continues to help us to see inside the courtroom of God. It is in this courtroom that all mankind was found guilty before God for violating His truth. There is no one who escapes the penalty for this rebellion. The theme of Romans is the gospel, the good news that sinful man can be made right before God. And, the way we are made right before God is through the imputation of God's perfection through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
In v.1 of today's passage we read, "What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision?"
Beginning in this verse the Apostle asks a series of rhetorical questions which was a method that was familiar to the rabbis of that day. This is known to be the Socratic method taught and used by Socrates to pose a question and then provide the answer. Having devoted the previous chapter explaining the purpose of the Old Testament practice of circumcision, the Apostle Paul begins here to put forth the advantage the Jew had in light of the teaching behind that of circumcision.
In v.2-4 the Apostle begins to provide the answer to the question he posed in v.1. In v.2-4 of today's passage we read, 2 Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. 3 For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? 4 Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.”
The advantages the Jews had were many, including having been given the very words of God. But, they along the way chose not to believe in the truths that God gave them. In fact, they were known not to believe in and thus be defined by God. The history of the Jews is a history of failure from the golden calf when they first got delivered out of Egypt all the way through to and especially when it came to the arrival of the Lord Jesus as their Messiah.
The point is that God does not grant salvation to anyone based upon our heritage or religion. No, God grants salvation to the one whom the word of God has done its work in. And, the fact that the Jews did not believe does not negate the promises that God made to them, because though we see a hardness now, that is just temporary. In fact, the Apostle Paul later in Romans 9-11, makes it clear that even though they have largely pushed away from the God of the promises, the fulfillment of all of those promises will come. The fulfillment has only been put on pause for now. Paused but not prevented.
At the end of v.4 the Apostle Paul quotes Psalm 51:4 which was written by David after he had sinned with Bathsheba. And he was eventually heartbroken because of it. After David wrote, "Against you and you only have I sinned and committed this great wickedness in your sight," he wrote, "That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged." This means God is always right in His judgment of our sin. He has to be, otherwise, He would not be God, the arbiter of the truth.
In v.5-7 of today's passage we read, "5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) 6 Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world? 7 For if the truth of God has increased through my life to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?"
The next rhetorical question challenges the credibility of God. To this rebuttal, the Apostle makes the point that if God were not righteous in His judgement of sin, there would be no way of stopping the destructive advancement of human evil in this world. The fact is, sin never glorifies God. Sin always undermines the truth and it always delivers evil results. This is why the Apostle wrote in Galatians 6:8, "If you follow your selfish desires, you will harvest destruction, but if you follow the Spirit, you will harvest eternal life."
In v.8 of today's passage we read, "And why not say, 'Let us do evil that good may come?'—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just."
Paul's logical conclusion to the rebuttal is: the absence of a holy God judging the wretched sinfulness of man would allow moral chaos and anarchy to go unchecked and nobody could judge anything. We simply would be plunged into a tremendous abyss of immorality in which anybody could do anything, and nobody would dare to raise a hand in opposition. This would produce moral anarchy. This merely proves that God is right to judge our sin. It proves that He is just and His condemnation of sin is in keeping with His perfect character.
