Romans 3:1-8

“God is Righteous” (Romans 3:1–8)

Main Idea:
We must rest in God’s character alone—not in our performance or in cheap grace.

Key Points

• 1. God’s covenant privileges are real—but not saving in themselves (vv. 1–2)

  • The Jews had great advantages, especially being entrusted with the Word of God.

  • The problem: նրանք trusted the signs (circumcision, law) instead of the God behind them.

  • Application: External religious practices (baptism, church attendance, Bible reading) cannot save.

• 2. Human unfaithfulness does not nullify God’s faithfulness (vv. 3–4)

  • Even if people fail, God remains true.

  • “Let God be true, though every man a liar.”

  • Example: David’s sin (Psalm 51) proves God’s righteousness, not His failure.

  • Application: Our sin does not change God’s character—He is always faithful.

• 3. God’s justice is not compromised by human sin (vv. 5–6)

  • Argument addressed: “If our sin highlights God’s righteousness, why judge us?”

  • Paul rejects this—God must judge sin to remain just.

  • Application: We cannot excuse sin by pointing to “good outcomes.”

• 4. The gospel is not a license to sin (vv. 7–8)

  • False accusation: “Let us do evil that good may come.”

  • Paul strongly condemns this as a distortion of grace.

  • Application: True grace leads to repentance, not deeper sin.

Big Takeaway

• Don’t trust:

  • Your religious background

  • Your performance

  • A shallow view of grace

• Do trust: God’s unchanging character—His righteousness, truth, justice, and faithfulness.

Resting in the Righteous Character of God

1. Key Themes

• God’s righteousness and justice

• The faithfulness of God despite human sin

• The proper use of the law (revealing sin)

• The danger of external religion and “cheap grace”

• True repentance and reliance on Christ

2. Important Scriptures

• Primary Text: Romans 3:1–8

• Supporting Texts:

  • Psalm 51 (David’s confession)

  • Romans 1–2 (universal sinfulness)

  • John 5:39 (Scriptures point to Christ)

  • Romans 6:1–2 (grace is not license to sin)

  • James 1:17 (God does not change)

  • Hebrews 12:14 (holiness is necessary)

3. Historical & Theological Context

• Jewish Confidence: רבים relied on covenant identity (circumcision, law) rather than true faith.

• Paul’s Argument: Being part of God’s covenant people outwardly does not guarantee salvation.

• Reformed Insight:

  • The first use of the law: to reveal sin and drive us to Christ.

  • Covenant signs point to spiritual realities—they are not ends in themselves.

4. Westminster Standards Connection

• Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF):

  • WCF 11 (Justification): We are justified by faith alone, not works or external privileges.

  • WCF 19 (Law of God): The law reveals sin and directs believers in holy living.

• Westminster Larger Catechism (WLC):

  • Q. 150–152: The law shows the greatness of our sin and our need for Christ.

  • Q. 32: God’s grace is not a license to sin but leads to obedience.

• Westminster Shorter Catechism (WSC):

  • Q. 14: Sin is any lack of conformity to God’s law.

  • Q. 33: Justification is an act of God’s free grace.

  • Q. 35: Sanctification results in dying to sin and living unto righteousness.

5. Practical Applications

• Examine whether your confidence is in:

  • Religious habits

  • Church involvement

  • Moral performance

  • Or Christ alone

• Respond to sin by:

  • Honest confession (Psalm 51)

  • Turning to Christ, not excusing yourself

  • Pursuing holiness מתוך gratitude, not obligation

• Guard against:

  • Legalism (trusting works)

  • Antinomianism (abusing grace)

Provided New King James Pew Bibles, you'll find that on page 1000. Romans chapter 3, this morning we'll be looking at verses 1 through 8. Brothers and sisters, this is God's perfect word. Let's try to pay careful attention. What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way.

Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not. Indeed, let God be true and every man a liar, as it is written, that you may be justified in your words and may overcome when you are judged.

But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? I speak as a man, certainly not. For then how will God judge the world? For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to his glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? And why not say, let us do evil, that good may come? As we are slanderously reported as, and some have affirmed that we say, their condemnation is just.

When they're reading of God's word there, please pray with me. Father, we need your Holy Spirit as we have opened your word We have read it, you have entrusted to us your words. Father, we need your spirit that you might whet our appetite. That we might actually desire your word. And we need your spirit to soften our hearts that we might actually love your word. And we need you to enlighten our minds that we may actually learn from your word. And we need Your Holy Spirit that You might give us skill, that we might live Your Word. Father, please help us. Be with us this morning, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

I was talking to Olivia earlier this week and I was telling her about just wrestling in my own heart with some struggles wanting to read the Bible. And just wrestling with, sometimes there's difficulties in our hearts with things. And she kind of just asked some probing questions, and I was telling her about how, as I've been struggling with seeing sin patterns more and more in my life, and how I need to repent of those, and where I need to turn, and how I need to change, realizing I think part, even though I'm up here every week preaching to you guys the gospel and of the grace of Jesus Christ, recognizing that even in my own heart, I started assuming certain things about, well, you know, I've been walking with the Lord for this many years, and these things haven't happened, And recognizing that even in my own heart, my performance and my standing with the Lord were tied together still. And I think that's one of the things that Paul is addressing here in Romans chapter 3 is that people, especially the Jewish people that he's been talking about in Romans chapter 2, have tied their identity, their right standing with God in who they are by their birth. What privileges they have in the church, and possibly even how they live their lives. And so we think back to chapter 1.

He had told them, I really wanted to come to you, but I haven't been able to, because I've been all over the Gentile world, and I've been sharing the gospel with all these people, but I want to come to you. It's not because I'm ashamed of the gospel. Actually, it's the exact opposite. I'm not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes.

To the Jew first, and also to the Greek. And then in the second half of Romans chapter one, he started tying together all the various sins of the Gentile people, but then he started bringing it really close to home with a whole bunch of sinful attitudes and actions that even Jewish people were finding themselves struggling with. And then in chapter two, he's talking about all these different sins of the Jewish people and their disbelief and their judgmental attitudes. And even in their circumcision, resting in this covenant sign that God had given them, they were thinking, we're good with God because we have these external things.

And we're good with God because we have God's Word. But what I hope that we'll see today in Romans chapter 3, 1 through 9, is that God's unchanging character, His faithfulness, His justice, and His truth, remains true, unspotted by Paul's gospel, despite Jewish people who don't like what Paul is going to say here. Paul is a good teacher. He's anticipating how they're going to object to him.

But my hope for us today, is as we go through these, what I'm going to say are four different objections that people are possibly going to bring up to what Paul has said about Gentiles and especially Jewish people, is that it can be too easy sometimes to let sinful people even start making us think that maybe even God is failing.

And what I want you to walk home with this week is that we must be the type of people who rest in God's character alone. We must be the type of people who rest in God's character alone. Not in our performance nor in cheap grace. We rest in God's character alone. Not our performance nor cheap grace. So Let's turn to our first point in verses 1 and 2 about how Paul's gospel doesn't impugn God's covenant. Look with me at verses 1 and 2 of chapter 3.

What advantage then has the Jew or what is the prophet of circumcision? Much in every way. Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. But the first objection that people are bringing, or Paul is anticipating here, is that people are going to say, okay, well, if circumcision is of no value and uncircumcision is of no value, then why circumcision at all? What advantage has a Jewish person who's circumcised? What profit is there in actually keeping the covenant?

And his answer is really fun. Oh, a whole bunch. Right, verse two, there's a lot of profit in it. There's a lot of good that came from it. And notice what does he say in verse 2 to this objection of, well maybe the circumcision in the covenant wasn't worth it. And he says, hold on, back up. Verse 2, chiefly because to them was committed, the New King James translation here says the oracles, but it's the words of God. They were committed the words of God, the Torah.

And in it all the statutes and the commandments and the moral law of God that is summarized in the Ten Commandments. All the unfolding of the beauty of God's holiness. The circumcision itself which was given when we start looking through God's... What was that even meant to show, right? That God had chosen a special people that He was going to love and He was going to care for. There's all sorts of benefit in that. But it was all meant to point to God himself. Instead, they got sidetracked with the letters and the signs.

Imagine, if you will, a young lady, she gets engaged. And her beloved gives her a wedding ring. It's got a big, fat diamond on it. It's made of pure gold. And she takes that ring, and she looks at that ring all day, and she dodes on it. She knows the different facets on it. She knows what type of cut it is. She knows how the jewel is held in there. She cleans it. She takes care of it. She talks to everybody about her ring. And she's so fascinated with her ring that she ignores the guy who gave it to her.

That's what Paul is saying has been happening with the Jewish people. You're so consumed by studying the book, by reading the book, by memorizing the book, by writing all sorts of books on the book. You're so consumed with resting in the sign of the covenant, you forgot the person who gave it to you. You forgot the righteous God who blessed you with it. They were resting on their external treasures and neglecting the heart of the matter. So I'm gonna ask you maybe a question that might get you a little bit off balance. I don't mean it to try to shake you out of your assurance of salvation, but I do ask you, are you resting in your baptism?

Is your standing with God because you check the boxes on your reading list every single morning? Do you think that, oh, I know that I'm good with God because I get to come to the Lord's table every time. Do you rejoice that you think you're good because you walk into the doors of church every week? Or do you come because you know that God is good, that He's in covenant with you, that He's faithful and true and righteous and wonderful altogether?

Because every single thing that we read in the Old Testament that circumcision was pointing to and all the law was pointing to was their need. for Christ. That's why Jesus said, you guys study the law constantly, and yet you miss the point that all of them were pointing to me. All these dietary laws and all these ceremonial laws, everything that was meant to show you that you couldn't keep yourself pure and unstained from the world. All the sacrifices that were pointing towards that you needed someone, something to cover your sin was pointing to me.

This is what reformed theologians call the first use of the law. God gave the oracles to the Old Testament saints, to the Jewish people, not so they could think of themselves as righteous, but so that they might say, we are unrighteous. And we need you, God, to save us. The first use of the law is that it shows us our sinfulness. And they were entrusted with it. They were given, committed the oracles of God. But there's a second question, our second point.

And this is the objection of, does Jewish unfaithfulness somehow, does it nullify God's faithfulness? So our second point is that Paul's gospel does not impugn God's faithfulness. Look with me at verses three and four. Paul's gospel doesn't impugn God's faithfulness. For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect?

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 you may overcome when you are judged. There may be people who raise the objection, right? Okay, well, if circumcision isn't of any value, but it does have a lot of profit, great, right? We were entrusted the oracles of God, but what if people didn't believe? What if they were unfaithful even in their minds?

And he says, yeah, that's a possibility. Yeah, absolutely, go read the Old Testament. I mean, it is just amazing if you read through the Old Testament what God even says about His own people. They're stiff-necked. They're constantly turning away from Him, constantly chasing after other idols, constantly polluting their faith. Even though they've been entrusted, committed the oracles of God, they have the Torah, they have all the outward signs that we would think, this is what makes them Jewish. And He says, no, some of them didn't believe. And then it didn't make God unfaithful. No, God was faithful. God was the one who had devotion and integrity.

Actually, interesting, one of the strongest negations in the entire New Testament is found a few times in this passage, and the first is verse four, when it says, certainly not. If you have the King James Version, yours might say something like, God forbid. The Greek would translate more literally, may it never come about. Like, don't even let that idea come to your brain. Don't let that materialize at all, no. No, no, no. Just because people don't believe their unbelief doesn't mean that God's faithfulness is somehow nullified.

No, what does he say in verse 4? Even if people are disbelieving, even if people are unfaithful, notice verse 4. Let God be true, but every man a liar. Doesn't matter what everybody else says, doesn't matter how everybody else believes. God is righteous. God has fidelity. God is true.

And he doesn't change. He's not like a man that he should change his mind and repent. He's not like some shadow that shifts and change with every bit of the shadow. But no, no, no, no, hold on. God is true and every man a liar. And then notice how he backs that up.

He quotes Psalm 51. Paul shows one of the most egregious, unfaithful moments of a person's life. The superscript to Psalm 51 is when Nathan confronted David after his sin with Bathsheba. You know that time where David, the man who's supposed to be after God's own heart, went and had an affair with one of his best friends, right? You're right, it was one of his 30 mighty men. And then he tries to cover it up by having his friend for decades put on the front line of the battle so he would be killed.

You wanna talk about unfaithfulness. David in this situation is the definition of disbelief and unfaithfulness. And so does David's unfaithfulness make God's faithfulness? Empty? Without effect? He says no. Look at David's own words when he's writing Psalm 51. That you may be justified in your words. That's David saying, God may you be counted as righteous in your words. And may you overcome when you are judged. Because David knew that people were going to look at his sin and try to judge God by his sins.

This is not something just Old Testament-y, okay? This happens today. All sorts of people will reject the truth of God's Word, will reject the truth of God's character because they see sinful, unfaithful people even in the church today. And they'll say, well, that God can't be true. Because look at His people. Well, if you're going to wait for the church to be perfectly righteous here on this side of heaven, before you trust that God is perfectly righteous, just hold your breath.

You'll turn blue in the face because the church will never be perfect. Not on this side of glory. God remains true even though people are sinful, even though people may lie. But what about for you and what about for me though? What happens when you sin? What happens when you find out that you've not had as strong of a faith as you thought you had? Is God still true? Is He still faithful?

My hope for you is that you will take your eyes off of yourself and you'll say, even if I prove faulty, even if I look at my own life and I see my own sin, I see my own faults, thanks be to God we are not the measure of righteousness. But we look to Him and we like David say that we can confess our sins And we can be honest about our guilt and our transgressions and the difficulties of our own lives and then take our eyes off of ourselves and think, God, but you are just and you are good and you are holy and you are the one who has proven yourself righteous and true and so we trust you.

That's where Paul is going. But then he answers a third objection in verse five and six. The objection can be summarized like this, if our unrighteousness displays God's righteousness, then why are we judged? Our third point is Paul's gospel doesn't impugn God's justice either. Paul's gospel does not impugn God's justice. Look with me at verses 5 and 6. But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say?

Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? I speak as a man. Notice the same phrase here in verse 6. Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world? Somebody's saying, it's like standing before a judge. And you're standing before the judge and you're saying, well, hey, good things came because of my sins, so why are you judging me? It's just nonsense.

As I was kind of thinking through and wrestling this with my heart, I was thinking about some just crazy scenarios where somebody might actually do this. But you can imagine a guy who hijacks somebody's car. The car is sitting out in front of the house, and he gets in the car, and he goes on a high-speed chase, and he's running down the highway, and the car breaks down. Just, engine blows up. Steam going everywhere. Police catch him. They take him to the judge.

And his defense before the judge is, well, you shouldn't be judging me because you know the car broke down. And imagine how bad of a day they would have had. But instead, when I crashed the car and it blew up, they got the insurance money anyways. And they really did need a new car. So judge, you really shouldn't be judging me at all. What's a judge going to say? Yeah, no, dummy. You still stole a car. And I'm not unjust for judging you for that. You did wrong, right?

This is what Paul is saying here in verse, this is the question and the scenario coming up in verse five and six. But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? If God pours out his anger on our sin, but our sin is what showed the grace, why is he judging us for our sin? Doesn't that make him unjust?

And he says, Certainly not. Heaven forbid. Don't ever let it come about in your mind. That's a nonsense argument. Why though? What is His answer to that? For then how will God judge the world? What is the assumption underneath that? Well, we already know from chapter one and two that God is going to judge the world. You read through all the Old Testament, you hear about the day of the Lord, the day of the Lord, the day of the Lord. We know that there is going to come a final day when Jesus will return and he will judge the world. But what is underlying that judgment is God's righteousness or justice. that God sees even the thoughts of the intents of our hearts, the secret places of our souls, and in His both omniscience and in His justice, He is the one who is able to rightly judge the world. God's judgment is real, and so we must not let grace make us presumptuous about our own sins, thinking He's just okay with it. No, God's so not okay with our sins that His own Son had to suffer and die for our sins.

But the fourth and final question that Paul has to wrestle with is from verse 7. For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? Paul's gospel doesn't impugn God's truth. That's our fourth point. Paul's gospel, Paul's good news does not impugn God's truth. Paul's not promoting doing evil that good may come out of it.

No, in verse 8 he says, And why not say, let us do evil that good may come, as we are slanderously reported, as some affirm that we say." It just says their condemnation is just. See there are people, Paul is saying there are people with the good news that he is preaching of the grace found in Jesus Christ, that people are saying, we just need to keep on sinning that grace may abound.

And he's saying, that's a lie and I've never preached that. I've never said that through the increase of our lie, He is glorified so we just keep on going in our sin. His answer to that is that their condemnation, their judgment is just because they're slandering Him and they're twisting the gospel.

This is the cheap grace. The question that we have to wrestle with, again, in my life and in your life is, do we fall into the similar patterns? Do we have cheap grace? Do we hear of the good news of Jesus Christ and take the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, as a license to sin? Do we take the good news of Jesus and sugarcoat our sin and just want to whitewash it over? It's not as bad as it seems. See, good things happened because of it. I was sanctified. We were helped in this area of our life. See, we had to deal with this together. No, no. We must not be the type of people who minimize sin. We must not be the type of people who look at God's truth of what sin is and just excuse it away under the name of grace. This is why Peter is going to say, without holiness no one will see the Lord. This is why 1 John is going to say that anybody who continues to walk in sin does not know God.

What is the pattern of your life? When you see the sins that were listed in Romans chapter 1, When you see the debased mind and the unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetous, maliciousness, envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful. Do you look at those things in your own life and you say, yeah, but good came from it. That's not the true gospel. The gospel is that our heart is broken by the truth of what God says about us.

And then out of a grief and hatred of our sin, turning from it. But where do we turn to? We turn to Christ. We turn to Jesus out of a grief and a hatred for our sin, and we turn to God for new life. And out of that love for God, and out of the washing of the renewal of regeneration, not out of our own works, then we bear good fruit. Because we abide in Jesus, because we cherish Jesus, because we say of God who he is, of his righteousness and holiness and justice and truth, Because we desire Him and we reverence Him and we love Him, we want to be like Him.

And so Christian, I am begging you that you might rest in God's character. Alone and not in your performance nor cheap grace. That you would look at God and see who He is and rest in Him. that you would accept who He says you are and all your sin and all your brokenness and the corruption of your heart and you would be able to say, Lord you have laid my heart bare and I have nothing to bring to the table so I cling to you. My only hope in life and death is Jesus Christ who has redeemed me.

And if you are holding on to externals for your salvation, for your hope of your right standing with God, to put those things away and cling to Jesus Himself. That if you are taking His grace for granted, that you would put off that shallow Christianity and truly abide in Jesus and bear good fruits in keeping with repentance. May we be the type of people who put off sin and put on righteousness because we're abiding in Jesus. I hope that you might walk away from the pews this morning and see where you've been resting in anything outside of Jesus. And where you've been lax in your holiness and taking God's grace for granted. That the Spirit might put a fire in our hearts, and we might truly hate our sins because we love Jesus so much.

May we be those who are circumcised, not just outwardly, but inwardly, resting in God and resting in the grace that He has shown us in His Son. Let's pray. Father, you are just and true and perfect. Father, you know how easy it is in our hearts to deceive ourselves. The external signs The good things you've given us in the Word and in the sacraments are meant to point us to our first love. So Father, we pray that we might truly heap the sins that we find in our lives and in the world.

• Where am I tempted to trust in outward religious activity instead of Christ?

• How do I respond when I see sin in my life—defensiveness or repentance?

• Do I ever justify sin because “good came from it”?

• What does it mean practically to rest in God’s character?

• How does God’s unchanging faithfulness give me assurance?

• In what ways might I be taking grace for granted?

• How can I grow in hating sin and loving righteousness?

• Righteousness: God’s perfect moral standard and justice

• Justification: Being declared righteous by God through faith in Christ

• Sanctification: The process of growing in holiness

• Covenant: God’s binding relationship with His people

• Oracles of God: The revealed Word of God

• Cheap Grace: Grace misunderstood as permission to sin

• Law (First Use): Reveals human sin and need for salvation