Romans 3:7-11 | Women's Rightly Divided Bible Study
Father God, thank you for this time that we can spend reading and studying your word, in particular today the book of Romans chapter 3. Thank you also Father God for preserving your word for us perfectly and without error in the King James Bible.
Romans 3:7
7 For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?
God absolutely has to judge sin. The sin nature lies and tries to convince us that we are good enough and that God will not judge us. It also lies and says that it would be unrighteous of God to judge unbelievers.
8 And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.
This slander is what grace believers hear all of the time from legalists. They claim that the true gospel of the grace of God isn't the real gospel because it means that if we are eternally secure in Christ, then we will just live however we want and thus this would make God unrighteous to give us eternal life and eternal security. However, its the grace of God that teaches us godliness. God is also still righteous to give us eternal life as believers even if we do choose to live worldly at times or even all of the time after we are saved. We ought not to do that, of course, but even if we do, we don't loose our salvation. THIS IS HARD FOR A SELF-RIGHTEOUS PERSON TO ACCEPT!
The legalists imagine that they are capable of saving themselves and that they are capable of maintaining their salvation by their good works, (which are really done by the efforts of their flesh because it's only by Gods grace that we are taught godliness).
Titus 2:11-12
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
They don't realize or want to acknowledge also that all sin is sin. A sinful thought is still sin. That alone can send you to hell and take away your salvation if you had to rely on your own works. I realized years ago that I could not save myself nor could I maintain my own salvation by my works. I was involved in legalistic teachings for a time and it was very grievious, and when I heard a clear gospel message and saw the revelation of the mystery (rightly divided bible study), I felt a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders! I was SO THANKFUL for God's amazing grace! Since then I continue to grow in grace. As a legalist it was all about what I did but as a grace believer it's all about what Jesus has done and allowing Him to live in and through me as a believer. As a grace believer we suffer as we live godly, but I know that I have total peace with God and that is so precious to me! My suffering won't last forever and I choose to walk in the Spirit instead of after the flesh because it leads to rewards in heaven and allows Christ to live in and through me. Of course at times I will walk after the flesh, as all believers will sometimes do. But, I know that I am eternally secure in Christ and so I keep sharing and teaching the grace message so that others can experience God's amazing grace as well!
9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
All people, Jews and Gentiles need to be saved and no one is saved by their works or their religion. We are saved today by believing that Christ Jesus died for our sins, was buried and rose again for our justification.
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Paul is referring to Psalm 14:1-3 which says,
14 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. 2 The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. 3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
God's word doesn't speak well of man (unbelievers). This is why so many people are put off by it. People do not want to acknowledge their own sin nature or that God is righteous to judge them. God gave us a conscience and he gave the law to show us our sin nature but so many people still refuse to acknowledge it.
I remember speaking with a very liberal believer, who was put off by me asking if a person we both knew was saved. Her church never really referred to unbelievers as being spiritually lost and the term "saved" was foreign to her. Her church would avoid the topic of sin and just say that we are all broken and need Jesus and only Jesus can help us with our life problems. No discussion about hell, sin, Satan, etc. Even grace wasn't taught correctly either! Another time I mentioned the rapture to her and she was wildly offended and refused to even consider the idea of a rapture, let alone a coming tribulation on the earth! The church she attends is the most popular church in my city and yet she doesn't even understand some of the most basic things and is even offended by them! But this same person also boasted about all of the volunteer work she was doing at her local church. Basically, that church isn't preaching a clear gospel message and is instead preaching good works that people do from their flesh!
Isaiah 64:6 says,
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
The sad thing is, she wears a cross, talks about Jesus, sometimes reads a modern Bible, goes to that church often and volunteers, has a bumper sticker that says "I love my church", and yet might actually still be completely lost! If you don't acknowledge your sin nature, then you don't see a need for a savior. Their idea of a savior is someone who helps them live easier lives in the here and now - not someone that saves their souls!
Satan wants people convinced that they don't need a savior and that they are not sinners. They also treat God like a genie in the bottle- rub the lamp and he will give you whatever you want! That's not how God is at all!
2 Corinthians 4:4
“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
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