ROMANS UNWRAPPED 34

                             
                                             THE WORLD ON TRIAL 
                                                                        Romans 3 v 9-20.

The apostle has, patiently, reasonably, and logically, presented his message.   The Gentiles suppressed their knowledge of God, the Jews broke the law of God, and so come under the same condemnation.   In chapter 2 v 1-16, we saw the principles of Divine judgment;  in chapter 2 v 17-chapter 3 v 8 we considered various objections to God's judgment, now in chapter 3 v 9-20 we have the verdict of the judgment!

THE VERDICT?.........Oh yes, THE VERDICT!
You mean the trial has already taken place, the charges laid, the evidence presented, the verdict declared? Yes, all that awaits is the passing of sentence!

In Romans 3 v 9-20 Paul brings the entire world before the bar of God. Here is the culmination of 4000 years of human history; long enough time has passed to prove, that nothing in the future will change, man is a hopeless sinner.   Paul sums up his teaching thus far "We have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin"

Romans 3 v 9               THE CHARGE.
Romans 3 v 10-18        THE EVIDENCE.
Romans 3 v 19             THE VERDICT.
Romans 3 v 20             THE SUMMING UP




In the Old Testament, God, whenever He would act in judgement, He always forewarned His servants that it would happen, and they in turn were to warn the world.   This is what God's servant Paul is doing here, forewarning the entire world not only that Divine judgement will come but that it has already taken place, and all the details are presented here.

THE CHARGE
Who is charged?   "Both Jew and Gentile"   this expression describes the entire world, every single individual in the world that has ever lived, including me and including you.   There is a tendency for all of us to somehow deceive ourselves that we will escape this, but it is a delusion, it has already happened and awaits only the future reality.   You are not too great for God to judge you and you are not so small that He won't notice you "the dead, small and great, will stand before God"    Revelation 20 v 11.

What is the charge?   "They are all under sin"   All without exception, are under the domination of sin and therefore estranged from God.   The expression "all under sin" suggests that God views sin as a tyrannical master reigning over all mankind.   The Roman epistle distinguishes between SIN and SINS.  No less than 48 times in the epistle he talks about sin ; when he says "sin" he is referring to the root principle of sin in us, if you like sin personified.   When he talks about "sins" he is referring to individual acts of sin that all of us commit, but the point that is being made is that we commit sins because we all have within us the root principle of sin, the driving force behind our sins.   We are in fact sinful by nature "born in sin and shapen in iniquity"  Psalm 51 v 5 . This fact is denied and fiercely contested today but it is true.

Jesus said "Whosoever commits sin is the slave of sin"    John 8 v 34
Paul says "Sin reigned unto death"    Romans 5 v 21
Paul speaking about unconverted man, refers to "sin reigning in our mortal bodies"   Romans 6 v 12
Again in various references in  Romans 6  he speaks of "sin had dominion over you," "you obeyed sin," "you yielded your members as slaves to unrighteousness," "you were the slaves of sin."

Paul states in another epistle "the scripture has concluded all under sin"   Galatians 3 v 22   The word "concluded"  means "shut up together"; its like God has taken all the world and put them into a massive room, the same room together and the door is shut and across the entrance to the door He has put a label "ALL UNDER SIN."   That is the solemn picture. THIS IS THE CONCLUSION OF SCRIPTURE! will you argue with scripture?

All of us, without exception are under the power and dominion of the ruling principal of sin, and therefore under the penalty of sin, and under the pollution of sin, with all its dread consequences.   We have every one of us already experienced some of these consequences, but there is more to come!  

This picture of the human race being painted by Paul is not a popular one.   No-one likes to be told that they are sinners, far less that sin rules them, but it is the truth.

                                   AND YOU THOUGHT YOU HAD PROBLEMS!

Tomorrow we will consider verse 10 - 18 and examine the evidence against us.