Romans 3
(1) The benefit of being an Israelite is that God entrusted them
Then what’s the advantage of being an Israelite? Are there any benefits to being circumcised (which is the mark of an Israelite)? Yes, there are all kinds of benefits, but the primary one is that they were the ones who were entrusted with God’s prophets.
(3) Man’s corruption highlights God’s perfection
But since some of Israelites weren’t faithful, didn’t their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all! On the contrary, God’s truthfulness shined through since all human beings are liars. That’s why Psalm 51:4 tells God:
“You’re right when you speak,
And you’re pure when you judge,”
(5) Embracing corruption to “highlight God’s perfection” will have consequences
But if our corruption actually highlights God’s righteousness, then wouldn’t it be unfair for Him to get angry at us for being corrupt? (I’m employing human logic here.) No way! If God were unfair then how would He be qualified to judge the universe? But if my falsehood magnifies God by allowing His truthfulness to flourish, then why should I be put on trial for defying God? Why not say, “Let’s work for evil so that good can shine through”? Sometimes we are falsely quoted as saying that, but people who think that way will receive an appropriate verdict.
(9) Israelites & non-Israelites are equally corrupt
But does that mean that Non-Israelites are better off than Israelites? Not at all, because we already established that Israelites and Greeks both defy God just like it’s written:
“No one is upright,
Not even a single person.
No one understands,
No one searches for God.
Everyone has turned away,
They’ve all been rendered useless.
No one does good,
Not even a single person.”(Psalm 53:1–3)
“Their throats are like open graves,
They constantly use their tongues for deception.”(Psalm 5:9)
“They have snake-like venom under their lips.”
(Psalm 140:3)
“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness”
(Psalm 10:7)
“Their feet are quick to shed blood,
Destruction and misery wait in their paths,
They don’t know the way to peace.”(Isaiah 59:7–8)
“Their eyes don’t have any fear for God.”
(Psalm 36:1)
(19) The law silences us, convicts us, & exposes our corruption
The law exists to silence all of mankind and hold them accountable to God. No one can follow the law closely enough for God to pronounce them as 100% good—the law is there to make us aware of our own corruption.
(21) At the cross God embodied justice while also justifying whoever depends on Jesus
But now God’s righteousness and justice have materialized apart from the law, just like the law and the prophets said. God’s righteousness materialized in the form of depending on Jesus the Chosen One, so now it’s available to whoever depends on Him regardless of their background. After all, every single one of us is corrupt and falls short of God’s splendor. God graciously gave us the gift of righteousness when He bailed us out through Jesus the Chosen One. God publicly put Jesus on display so that His blood would be an appeasement for those who depend on him. That showed God’s justice since He had passed over humanity’s corruption from earlier times. I think the reason why God passed over that former corruption was so He could demonstrate his righteousness at this specific time in history. At the cross God embodied justice while also justifying whoever depends on Jesus.
(27) Israelites and non-Israelites are equal because they both need God to justify them
So where does that leave our bragging? It shuts it down! Is bragging silenced because of the law or our actions? No! It’s silenced by the law of dependence. We maintain that people are pronounced righteous because of dependence, which is separate from the law’s outcome. Is God only the God over the Israelites? Isn’t he the God over the non-Israealites too? Yes, He’s the God over the non-Israelites since He’s the same God who declares the circumcised Israelites to be righteous as well as the uncircumcised non-Israelites.
(31) We still stand by the law
So does that mean we can get rid of the law because of dependence? No way! It’s actually the opposite: we stand by the law.
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