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Bound Together Romans 3:9-20 |
April 25, 2004 Pastor Tom Marcum |
One of the most powerful propensities that seems to be hard-wired into our human nature is the desire to focus on those things that separate "us" from "them." Even the most casual observation of human dynamics makes it clear that our ability to identify those factors that demonstrate that "we" are not like "them" is virtually unlimited and so we play the never-ending game of "Categories." Republican or Democrat. Blue collar or white collar. Married or single. Tall or short. Black or white. East-sider or west-sider. Gas-guzzling SUV or gas-saving hybrid Venti-double-mocha-extra shot of espresso-frappachino or Yuban. And on and on it goes. Something deep down inside of us revels in the knowledge that we are us and they are them.
But every once in a while something happens that, at least for a moment, makes all of those distinctions disappear and binds us together as one people. Every once in a while, something happens to remind us that beneath all of these things that tend to separate us from one another there are some fundamental and profound realities that we all share by virtue of our humanity.
--For a brief period of time in 1963 the American people were bound together as one by a common grief following the assassination of President Kennedy.
--For a brief moment in 1969 the peoples of the world were bound together in awe as they gathered around black and white television sets and watched Neil Armstrong step off a ladder and onto the surface of the moon.
--More recently, we saw it happen on September 11, 2001 when an oftentimes bitterly divided nation was briefly united first, in a common horror and then in a common resolve.
From time to time something is said or done to cause us to temporarily suspend our fixation with our differences and acknowledge that in some very significant ways we are, indeed, bound together by virtue of our humanity.
As we return, this morning, to our study of the book of Romans we come to a passage that does just that-in direct, detailed and graphic language it tells us that we are all bound together by a deadly serious condition called, "sin."
"What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin." Romans 3:9
As we've seen previously, Paul uses this phrase "Jews and Gentiles" as an all-inclusive term meaning, "everyone." People of every race or ethnicity, people of every social or economic status, people of every culture and country, all people everywhere share this in common: we are all "under sin."
Now, it's important to note that Paul doesn't say here that the thing that binds us together is the fact that we all sin. Now, he certainly could have said that because, in fact, it is true. We all sin. No doubt about that. But what Paul says here is that the thing that binds us together is not simply that we all sin, but rather that we are all "under sin." The key word, there, is "under." We are all "under sin."
What that means is that our human nature doesn't just lead us to commit the occasional sin from time to time, but rather that our human nature is dominated and ruled by the desire to sin. Folks, contrary to popular opinion we are not basically good people who occasionally do a bad thing. The truth is, we have a fundamental weakness in our human nature that predisposes us to find sin attractive. In other words, when we sin we are not doing something that runs contrary to our nature. When we sin we are simply doing that which is completely consistent with our human nature.
Don't believe me? Let me ask you a question: How many of you had to teach your children to be attracted to things they shouldn't do? I don't see a lot of hands going up. Folks, the truth is our human nature is such that sin is powerfully attractive to all of us and also powerfully destructive to all of us. And in the verses that follow Paul identifies the scope and nature of sin's destructiveness.
Good News about Our Bad Condition
But before we move forward to look in depth at the destructive nature of sin I want to take a brief detour to tell you why it is so critically important for us to be clear in our understanding of our sinful nature and unwavering in our proclamation of this truth. Folks, no one wants to hear that their very nature is corrupted by sin. That's not a popular message. To even mention the subject of sin, today, is to open oneself up to all manner of ridicule and hostile accusations about being judgmental and narrow-minded.
But, folks, the truth of the matter is that being honest with people about the corrupting and pervasive influence of one's sinful nature is actually far more loving and compassionate than suppressing the truth so they can feel better about themselves. Feeling better about yourself does not change the reality of the destructive consequences that inevitably come from following your sinful nature. The truth is that the first step towards remedying the havoc wreaked by our sinful nature is to recognize that it exists. And while that is a painful reality to acknowledge, it's an acknowledgment that immediately moves us in the direction of hope because the Good News of the Gospel is that the power we lack on our own is available to all of us through Christ. The power of Christ in us can free us from the dominating influence of our sinful nature, but that power will be forever outside our grasp if we refuse to acknowledge our need for it.
So, my point is simply this: we must not shrink from the challenge of telling people the bad news about their condition without Christ because only then will they be able to recognize the incredible hope that God is offering to them through Christ.
Sin Destroys Our Relationship with God
All right. That's the end of our little detour. Let's return, now, to our main route where Paul is going to tell us about the scope and nature of sin's destructiveness. And, sadly, what we see is that the two things that sin is most effective in destroying are the very things that we long for most-a healthy relationship with God and healthy relationships with one another.
As Paul describes the tragic consequences that occur when our sinful nature is not defeated by the power of Christ, he begins and ends his description by talking about its impact on our relationship with God.
"As it is written: 'There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. There is no fear of God before their eyes.'" Romans 3:10-11, 18
Paul is quoting here from Psalm 14 and 36 to help us understand that the first and most tragic consequence that comes from being "under sin" is the destruction of our relationship with God. When our sinful nature is left unchecked and allowed to exert a dominating influence in our lives it inevitably leads us away from God. And that's Paul's point here when he writes, "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. There is no fear of God before their eyes."
Paul is not saying that no one has a healthy relationship with God. His point is that no one who remains under the domination of their sinful nature is ever going to have a healthy relationship with God because sin always leads us away from God, not towards Him.
Now, is there one grand lesson to hear in all of this? Yes, there is. And here's the lesson. Folks, never forget that while lots of people may be hurt by our sin…and lots of relationships may be damaged by our sin…and lots of potential may be wasted by our sin, sin is always, first and foremost, an expression of rebellion against God. The primary offense of sin is against God. Sin is not wrong primarily because it causes harm or grief to ourselves or other people. Sin is wrong primarily because it grieves God. All sin is offensive to God.
And we have to understand that because it helps us to see the flaw in the popularly held defense against acknowledging one's sinfulness and one's need for Christ. And the popular defense goes like this: "Well, I may not be perfect, but I'm a good person. I don't rob, or steal or murder people. I try to be nice to everyone. In fact, I gave $10 to the Policeman's Fund last year. How dare you suggest that I'm a sinner?"
But, folks, that whole line of defense is built upon the mistaken notion that sin is primarily an offense against other people. It's not. Sin is primarily an offense against God. And the question that is going to determine our eternal destiny is not, "Did people think of you as a nice guy?" or "Did your good deeds outnumber your bad deeds?" The question that will determine our eternal destiny is this: "Did you love God above all else and did you trust His son, Jesus, to be your Savior and your Lord?"
The point is clear: left unchecked, our sinful nature will inevitably destroy our relationship with God.
Sin Destroys Our Relationships with One Another
But the destructiveness of sin doesn't end there. Left unchecked, our sinful nature will also destroy our relationships with one another. That's Paul's point in verses 12-17. Quoting now not only from the Psalms but also from Ecclesiastes and Isaiah, Paul graphically describes the corrupting influence of our sinful nature on both our words and our actions.
Verse 12 begins like this, "All have turned away, they have together become worthless…" That word "worthless" describes a condition of being totally useless and corrupted. The point is this: to remain "under sin" is to be rendered totally worthless for the purposes for which God created you. You may be nice. You may even be happy. But it's the kind of happiness that is experienced by fools, because you will miss completely the purpose for which you were created. Verse 12 then continues, "…there is no one who does good, not even one." The point is not that those people who remain "under sin" can never do any good thing. The point is that there has never been even one person "under" the dominating influence of "sin" who has lived a life that God has judged to be righteous and pleasing to Him. No one who has gone through life under the dominating influence of their sinful nature has produced a life that ultimately moved God to say, "Now THAT'S what I had in mind! That's the life I've been looking for!" That's never happened. Not even once. Verses 13-14 describe the corrupting influence of our sinful nature on the way we use the gift of speech. "Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."
The gift of speech is one of the most powerful tools we have for sharing blessings and multiplying good. But "under sin" this good and life-enhancing gift can become so corrupted that all it does is tear people down and multiply pain and wound and destroy and poison.
And we've all seen it happen. We've all been on the receiving end of someone else's wounding words. We've all wounded others by our unchecked words, as well. That's the corrupting influence of our sinful nature.
Verses 15-17 complete this dreadful picture of corruption as Paul shifts our attention from our words to our actions. He writes, "Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know." Here's the point: when our sinful nature is unchecked by the power of Christ in us the result is a two-fold expression of evil: on the one hand, our interest in being a positive, Godly influence in our world grows less and less and at the very same time our willingness to involve ourselves in activities that spread ruin and misery grows higher and higher.
Bound Together in Our Accountability to God
Now, as we move on to verses 19-20, Paul closes this portion of the letter by telling us that we are not only bound together by our sinful nature but we are also bound together in being accountable to God for the way we respond to our sinful nature.
"Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin." Romans 3:19-20
The thrust of these somewhat confusing verses basically comes down to this-while God's law was originally given to the Jews, the result of His giving of the law to His chosen people was to show the whole world the utter futility of thinking that anyone could ever live a life that would rise to the level of righteousness that God demands of us. In other words, the law does not empower us to rise above our sinful nature so that we can lead righteous lives. The law only shows that we are inextricably bound to our sinful nature and consequently our hope for salvation does not lie in our own effort but rather in trusting completely in sufficiency of God's effort on our behalf through His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Now, let me see if I can briefly sum this up.
The Bad News is that our human nature is inherently corrupted by an attraction to sin that will ultimately destroy any hope of a healthy relationship with God and others.
And the worse news is that on our own we are powerless to resist the attraction of sin and the consequences that sin brings.
But the Good News is that Jesus Christ has defeated the power of sin and if you will trust Him as your Savior, His victory over sin will also be yours.
© Copyright 2004 Pastor Tom Marcum