romans 3... Part 1

It is not difficult to see that the condition of man, in respect to God, is important in this chapter, Paul digs right into the subject matter. Once more it is important that we remember where the verses and chapters in the scriptures came from. That and the fact that this is a letter from Paul to the Roman Christians so this is still a continuous flow from the very beginning of chapter 1.

Rom 3:1 Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision?
Rom 3:2 Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.

False Teachers and Ear Ticklers abound in this world today and one popular lie that is told and received, gleefully, by millions is that God has forsaken the Jewish People and that these, that believe, are the New Nation of Israel or that they are the replacements for the Jews. Remember that Paul spent three years with Jesus when he was in Asia Minor (Galatians) and here he adress' the issue before it ever reared it's ugly head.

Without the nation of Israel we would not have a Measuring Devise to stand against to see our Spiritual Condition. The Mosaic Law that people, even inside the Church, think so little of today is the device that tells us of our condition.

Rom 3:3 What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?
Rom 3:4 May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, "THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS, AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED."
Rom 3:5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I am speaking in human terms.)
Rom 3:6 May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world?
Rom 3:7 But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner?
Rom 3:8 And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), "Let us do evil that good may come"? Their condemnation is just.
Rom 3:9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin;
Rom 3:10 as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;

Christians are oft thought to be fools for their belief and their understanding of the Bible. This, of course, is of no concern to the seasoned Christian. The very title, Christian, was meant to be an insult, meaning Little Christ. The first requirement to become a Christian is faith and faith comes from belief, belief that there is a God.

Faith is an essential part of this world and without it we could not progress. Without the faith that it could be done we could have no electric lights in our houses, no internal combustion engines to power our cars and remember the Bicycle Builders, the Wright Brothers? They were the goofiest of the lot... having faith in the idea that a man could fly... preposterous.

And yet in the end of it all we must take our mind's eye off ourselves and look at God to see our standing. The horrible news is that every single one of us, Jew and Gentile alike, fall short of the mark. None of us are what God designed us to be.