(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

So, we're in chapter three, so we obviously went through chapter one, chapter two, and chapter two we talked about last week was about the Jew that was resting in the law and not in Christ. So, we're switching gears or coming out of that knowing that that's what was just talked about and that's where he's picking up, therefore. So, anytime the Bible says, therefore, you need to see why it's there, what it's there for, right? So, that's where he's picking up, where he's talking about Jews. And so, what he starts saying here at the beginning is that there is an advantage. It doesn't save them, but there is an advantage of being a Jew and being circumcised. And it tells us exactly what that is. It says, what advantage then hath the Jew or what profit is there of circumcision? And it says, much every way, chiefly because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. So, the whole point is the fact that they had the word of God. Jesus came unto his own and his own received them not, but that's who he came to to begin with. That's who he was made of, of the seed of Israel, of the seed of David, and he came through that nation. And that's why it says, salvation is of the Jews. That's why he says, salvation is of the Jews because that's where salvation came out of. It doesn't mean that the Jews are going to save anybody, but it's just the fact that that's who he came out of. That's how the seed came. That was the promise to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, to David, and to all those after him, that the seed would bless all nations, that in need shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, he said to Abraham. So, they do have an advantage. It's just as much as you would have an advantage here in America to hear the word of God preached and that you have Christianity as one of the main religions in America. That's the advantage. That's an advantage of being in America. And so, does that save you just because you live in America? No, of course not. But it is an advantage. It's better than being in communist China or some country where it's actually illegal to be a Christian. So, you can see the advantage of being here in America and being in a country that is professing to be Christian, even though we know that the majority of Americans that say they're Christian are not. Just as much as in Israel, the majority of those that are in Israel are not actually saved. And so, notice what it says in Romans chapter 9. I know we haven't got that. I don't want to steal the thunder of Romans chapter 9. So Romans chapter 9 verse 3, and if you know, Romans chapter 9 through 11 is basically talking about Israel, the physical Israel, and the spiritual Israel, and going back and forth and explaining that. But you notice it says, what advantage hath the Jew? In Romans chapter 9 verse 3 it says, For I could wish that myself were a curse from Christ, for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain at the adoption. Notice that the adoption pertains unto them, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises. Because it was promised to them, it was promised through their seed that Christ would come. Whose are the fathers, and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all God blessed forever. Amen. So, we see what that advantage was. What was the advantage of the circumcision? What was the advantage of being an Israelite? The fact that Jesus Christ was coming to your nation, and that's who he came from. It says, concerning the flesh he came, right? Because he was born of a woman, and she was born of the seed of David. So that's where he got his line of David. And so, but in Romans 3, so kind of put a finger there, keep a finger there in Romans 9, because these two complement each other, these two chapters. Romans chapter 3 and verse 3, it says, for what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? Now, what is he talking about when he says this? Well, Romans chapter 9, if you go back to Romans chapter 9, I believe it clarifies this. Because then we're going to get into a passage that I think a lot of people have taken out of context, or maybe just don't understand completely what it's saying in verse 4. As it's saying, is the faith of God without effect? Because some did not believe. Well, notice what it says in Romans chapter 9, verse 6. Not as though the word of God had taken none effect. Sound familiar? For they are not all Israel which are of Israel, neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children, but in Isaac shall thy seed be called, that is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. And if ye be in Christ, then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise, it says in Galatians. So, what's this talking about? It's basically saying, just because some didn't believe doesn't mean that God didn't keep his promise. Because we'll see in Romans 11, which I'm going to debunk Zionism and put that to bed when we get to Romans chapter 11, Romans 9 through 11 there, as far as who's Israel. Who was that promise made to? Who was that everlasting salvation made to? Because it says all the seed of Israel is going to be saved, it says in Isaiah, and it says all Israel shall be saved in Romans chapter 11. How is that true if not everybody believes? Because not all Israel is of Israel. And so, we're going to get into that real deep when we get into Romans chapter 9, but just know that just because people didn't believe doesn't make God's promises without effect, it doesn't make his word without effect, it doesn't make him a liar. And that's what it gets into because it says God forbid. It says right after verse 3 there, so go back to Romans chapter 3. After verse 3, it says, shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? So it's basically saying just because they didn't believe, is that going to make God a liar? And so it says God forbid in verse 4, yea let God be true and every man a liar. So what it starts saying after this, it says as it is written that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings and mightest overcome when thou art judged. Now I've heard a lot of people say that this is talking about us as believers being justified in our sayings and being, you know, where it says that we're going to overcome when we're judged. But go to Psalm 51 because this is where that's quoted from. And I'm not against the teaching, it's like when you look at James chapter 2 and people say, well James chapter 2 is talking about being justified before man. I don't disagree with the teaching but I don't think that James 2 is saying that, if that makes sense. And so I'm not against being justified by your sayings and overcoming when thou art judged by doing righteousness, but I believe this is actually talking about God. And so go to Psalm chapter 51, yea there's some bumps that go around in this building. So sometimes you'll be in here and you think someone is trying to break through the roof or something. So I'm in Isaiah 51, I need to get to Psalms. But this whole Psalm kind of gives you an idea. This is the Psalm where David is saying, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. But let's start in verse 1 there because in verse 4 is where we get this quotation. So let's just get some context of what's being said, who's talking and who's he talking to. So the Bible reads in Psalm 51, Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness, according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions, wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. So David is talking to God. Notice verse 4, Against thee, thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight. So he's still talking to God saying, I've done this sin against you. And then it says, That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. So who's the one that's speaking? God. So that he'll be justified when he speaks, and he'll be justified when he judges. Because sin is a transgression against the law. Against who's law? God's law. So when God judges, he's going to be just. He's going to be justified when he judges the world. And that's what he gets into in the fact that they're saying, well, is God unrighteous when he taketh vengeance? It says, God forbid, then how shall God judge the world? So he's talking about God judging the world because of their sin. And David said, you'll be just when thou speakest. You'll be justified when thou speakest, and I'll be clear when thou judges. Now in this one it says, when thou art judged. What's interesting about that is that's what you have today is you have the world judging God on his vengeance, on his wrath, and on what his requirements for salvation are. They're judging him on the punishment on hell, on what his actual punishment will be for sin. And they're judging him, but he's going to be justified when he casts those into hell that don't believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. He will be clear from any judgment, and he'll overcome in any judgment because he is righteous. And so what this is saying is that God's not a liar. Let God be true, but every man a liar. And it goes on to say, it says, for if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie, in verse 7, unto his glory, why yet am I also judged as a sinner? So what he's saying is that when God knew that people were going to lie, when God knew that people were going to sin, and that he was going to judge them for that, them doing sin actually made the truth of God abound more. Does that make sense? Meaning that it came true, that what he said would come true. When he said that the Israelites were going to, they were going to go after idols and they were going to go forget God and do all this stuff, you know what, it came true. And all those judgments that he did where he put them into captivity for seventy years, that was talked about in Leviticus. And he was just with his judgment, he was clear in the judgment that he did, and he was justified in his sayings because what he said happened. And so this passage, I believe, is talking about God being justified in his judgment. He has righteous judgment and that he'll recompense tribulation to them that trouble you, it says in 2 Thessalonians. So he'll repay vengeance's mind, said the Lord I will repay. And so God will be just and he'll be justified to pour out his vengeance. Now we as people, it says give place unto wrath, it says to not avenge yourselves but give that unto God because God is able to do that. God is justified in giving vengeance because he's righteous. And so this starts off, and I think this is very fitting with the world that we live in, how it says that thou mightest overcome when thou art judged. It's talking about people are judging God on whether he's righteous. Do we not hear this out-soul wanting? You know, a loving God wouldn't send anybody to hell. And they're judging him. That's just true judgment on the fact that they're saying that God is not right, God is wicked, God is a mean, well he is mean in definitely cases, but what they're saying is that he is a wicked God to send people to hell. God will be just when he casts all those into hell that have not put their faith on Christ because he that believeth on him is condemned, or he that believeth on him is not condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God. And they will be judged according to their works, it will be a just balance, a just weight. God is equal and God is just and he will be justified in that. And so he'll be clear from any type of judgment against himself. The Bible says judge not that ye be not judged, for with what judgment you, for what, yeah so I'm going to misquote that, basically what judgment you mete out it will be measured unto you again. And so basically if God's going to judge then he has to be righteous, meaning that he can't be a hypocrite in his judgment. And obviously God is righteous, there's no sin in him, and so he will be justified. So that's what I believe that's talking about, just a little. When you go to Psalm 51 I think it really clears it up of who he's talking to, who's the vow. Because when you're reading it in Romans it could be a person, it could be the people he's talking to, right? But he's quoting it from Psalm 51 and this whole chapter is a big quotation from Psalms and different parts of Psalms. And so we're going to get into that as well. So one thing to realize is the New Testament is pretty much a commentary of the Old Testament. It's pulling out the Old Testament and clarifying it. And so everybody's always trying to go to commentaries, they just need to read the New Testament because that is the best commentary you can read. Because that's exactly what it does, it says as it is written and it explains what it's talking about. And so this is what the New Testament is where we just keep saying as it is written this, and sometimes it doesn't even say as it is written, but if you know your Bible you'll know that hey this is being quoted. And sometimes when you're reading the Old Testament, since a lot of us read the New Testament more, I read the New Testament more than I read the Old Testament. Because I believe it's the more revealed, it's more that applies to us, it's something that I'm going to read the, I'm a dessert person anyway, but I look at the New Testament as dessert, I look at the Old Testament as the strong meat, and so I'm always wanting that dessert. So I'm always eating that more, but I do believe the New Testament is something that we should probably be consuming more than when you go into the Old Testament, you're going to remember these verses, you're going to remember, oh I remember reading that in the New Testament. And so it's always good to go back and see where you're finding these, where this is coming from. But as we go on here, the next portion here is all a quotation from verse 9 down to verse 18, I'm sorry, verse 10 down to 18. Verse 9 says, what then, are we better than they, no one know wise, for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles that they are all under sin. Now this wasn't in my notes, but go to Galatians chapter 2, because this is something that comes up in the New Testament a lot actually, where the Jews think they're better than Gentiles. And every time Paul is getting in trouble with the Jews, they're fine with them, actually he's preaching and it's always when he mentions the Gentiles that they want to kill him. Every single time, when you read Acts, next time you read Acts, look for that. Every time he's confronted with the Jews or he's in the synagogue or whenever, from all the way to the very end, once you get to the end of the book, it's still when he's in his own house and people are coming in and out, it's when they hear that he was sent unto the Gentiles that they all just lose their minds. And so this is something that needs to be talked about, that's why I believe he's talking about it, is that they're not better than the Gentiles, because we're all under sin. But go to Galatians chapter 2, because this is something Peter struggled with, and Peter lived as the Gentiles when he was in the New Testament, but James and the circumcision that was in Jerusalem is like this little clique that they had and they wouldn't hang out with the Gentiles and they still wanted to hold to the law and do the customs and all this stuff, which was not right. And in Galatians 2, it talks about how Paul rebuked him to his face. Notice what it says in verse 15, though. So Galatians 2, 15 says, we who are Jews by natures and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law there shall no flesh be justified. Notice what it says, but in verse 17, if while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is there for Christ the minister of sin, God forbid. So he's basically saying, yes, we as Jews, we had the law, and so as far as at least they were trying to keep the law and they were trying to do right and the Gentiles were kind of without the law, and so you kind of look at it as far as a barbarous nation compared to a nation that's got Christian values, so to speak, but they're still all under sin. America's still under sin, even though we may be a little more moral by and large than other nations, and so he's basically just making a point that we're not better than them because we're all under sin, and so this is a problem throughout the New Testament with the Jews. A lot of the Jews thought they were better, thought they were better just because of their nationality, and we need to get rid of that garbage in America today that what we were grown up as, our heritage, our nationality, our skin color doesn't mean anything to God because he's made all nations of one blood, and we're all one in Christ. There's neither Jew nor Greek, there's neither male nor female, meaning that we all have the same exact value to God as his children. We have different roles, obviously, as men and women, and we have different offices in the church and different areas in life that we have leadership positions where you're in subjection, but we all have the same value, and no one is underneath anybody as far as value goes, so the wife, my wife has just as much value to God as I do, and I'm the pastor of the church, but that doesn't mean that I have any more value, and so I'm not better than my wife, does that make sense? Now I have different responsibilities, but I'm not better than her, and so we're both sinners saved by grace, and so as we go on here, I just want to give you these references, so verse 10 down to 18 is actually all quotations from the Bible, and it's not all from one place either, so we start off, as it is written, there's none righteous, no, not one, there is none that understand it, there is none that seeketh after God, they are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable, there is none that doeth good, no, not one. You'll find this in Psalm 14, and this is actually repeated in another Psalm and I forgot to write it down, but Psalm 14, I think it's 53, we'll find out, I know it's in the 50s, I'm going to find it. So this must have been an important passage, yeah, so Psalm 14 and Psalm 53 are parallel Psalms, there's a little bit of difference in wording when you look at these, but it's pretty much the same, especially when you look at the verses that we're looking at, so Psalm 14, we'll just go there because that is what I have written down, it says the fool hath said in his heart, there is no God, so notice how it starts off, they are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good, so then it goes on, it says the Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand and seek God, so there's none that understandeth, there's none that seeketh after God, they are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy, and then it says there is none that doeth good, no not one, so we can see the unprofitableness, the filthy, we can see that righteousness, notice it says at the beginning there's none that doeth good, there's none righteous, no not one, righteousness and good are the same thing, so those are synonyms, when you talk about righteousness or being good, those are exactly the same thing, and so we see that in Psalm 14, and then in Psalm 5 is where we get on to the next part, Psalm 5 and verse 9, so you don't necessarily have to turn there if you want to, but these are all in Psalm, so you're in that area, Psalm 5 and verse 9 it says for there is no faithfulness in their mouth, their inward part is very wickedness, their throat is an open sepulchre, they flatter with their tongue, so we see their throat is an open sepulchre, and then Psalm 140 and verse 3, Psalm 140 and verse 3, so their throat is an open sepulchre with their tongues they have used to see, so we see that with Psalm they flatter with their tongue, so if you want to see some, sometimes when you go to the Old Testament and New Testament, sometimes it's complementary, meaning that it's not necessarily replacing the word, but it's complementing it, if that makes sense, meaning that there's more information, and so a lot of times if you go back, sometimes you'll get a little more information in the Old Testament, it's revealed in the New Testament, but sometimes you'll get a little more information as far as what's going on, what it's exactly talking about, so it's always good to go back and forth and see these, and then in Psalm 140 and verse 3 it says, they have sharpened their tongues like a serpent, adders poison is under their lips, selah, so we see where we get the poison of asps is under their lips, so adders and asps, they're both snakes, so I don't know if there's that big of a difference between them, I don't know, but they're both snakes, that's the point he's trying to get across, so verse 14 there, it says whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness, this is actually, well this is in Psalm 10, so go back to Psalm 10, so I know we're going to go back and forth, but I want to go in order, how we're coming down in Romans 3 here, but Psalm 10, now I know Paul was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, but this is a guy that knew his Bible, when you think of Stephen, who's just quoting all this stuff, when you look at Hebrews chapter 1, Hebrews chapter 1 is the same way, all this stuff is quoted, mainly from Psalms, and so if you get anything out of the sermon tonight, know that Psalms is a great book that is still relevant today, and the reason that I emphasize that is because Psalms is being attacked today as not being something that we should take to heart in the New Testament, because of all the imprecatory prayers, now what do I mean by imprecatory prayers, I mean a prayer that curses, where it says let them go quick down into hell, let them melt away as a snail, and that we're going to wipe our feet in the blood of the wicked, I mean those are verses, those are songs that God is angry with the wicked every day, that his soul hated them that love violence, and he hates the workers of iniquity, and these imprecatory, these hard sayings that are in Psalms, I haven't written down how many times Psalms is quoted, but I didn't realize that it was this many different places in Psalms, this isn't just one Psalm, these are all different Psalms, Psalm 14, Psalm 53, because it's repeated, Psalm 5, Psalm 140, and now Psalm 10, in verse 7 it says, his mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud, under his tongue is mischief and vanity, and we're not done with Psalms, but we're going to go into Isaiah, he starts going into Isaiah in the next portion, Isaiah 59, so go to Isaiah 59, and 59, 7 is where we're at, and what he's quoting from, but I'm going to read off Isaiah 59, 1, so at the beginning of the chapter, so go to Isaiah 59, notice what it says in verse 1, it says, behold the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear, what are we talking about in Romans chapter 3, salvation, the fact that we're all sinners, we're all condemned by God, for all have sinned to come short of the glory of God, and he's just making a point of this, he's making a point that no one is innocent of this, we're all guilty, that we're all under sin, both Jews and Gentiles, and he's just making a point, he's just showing all these scriptures saying, these are all the scriptures to prove that you're in this, that we're all guilty of something in this passage, and so Isaiah 59, verse 7, and I don't think it's a coincidence either that the end of the chapter says this is the covenant that I will make with you, talking about the New Testament either, I don't think that's a coincidence, but in Isaiah 59, verse 7, it says their feet run to evil and they make haste to shed innocent blood, their thoughts are always, their thoughts of iniquity, their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, wasting and destruction are in their paths, the way of peace they know not, and there is no judgment in their goings, they have made them crooked paths, whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace, so we see their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace have they not known, so that's where we get this portion from, go back to Psalms 36, Psalm 36, so we'll get the know of fear of God before their eyes, so Psalm 36, notice that all these are from different passages in Psalms, and then we pull out Isaiah, and those are the two books that are most quoted in the New Testament, Isaiah and Psalms, and those are two of the most attacked books in the Bible, when it comes to the imprecatory prayers, people try to say that that wasn't really Isaiah that wrote the whole book, and they try to split it up and say different things about it, and so that's another sermon for another day, but these two passages, two books are packed and these are the most quoted, and I was writing down all the references, I actually did a Bible study where I was going through all Matthew and I was writing down all the different references that were quoted, and it's kind of hard because sometimes they say stuff about Old Testament passages, but it's not like as it is written and quoted, it'd be like Noah was in the book, but it doesn't quote the passage, so it's kind of hard, but when I went through Matthew, Mark, and I was in Luke, and I kind of got bogged down on that, but these were the two most quoted, Psalms and Isaiah were basically right there, but Psalms sometimes would beat out Isaiah depending on what book you're in, and so these are, if you want to know passages in the Old Testament that are really relevant, those are the two books to go to, so Isaiah is just like a mini Bible in itself, and a lot of it is quoted in quotations in the New Testament, so Psalm 36 and verse 1, it says, the transgression of the wicked saith within mine heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes, so I just want to show you all these references, you can go to these passages and read the whole Psalm, and so the whole Psalm will give you a little more insight of what he's talking about, so anytime you see where something's quoted from the Old Testament, it's almost like a marker saying go back and read the rest of this. When you see in Revelation where it's talking about the song of Moses, they're going to sing the song of Moses when they're raptured, and Revelation 15, it says they're going to sing the song of the Lamb, and then they're going to sing the song of Moses, but it doesn't tell you what it is, it just says they're going to sing the song of Moses, well go back to Deuteronomy 32 and read that whole chapter, and you'll see it's all about the vengeance and wrath of God, and you'll see exactly what he, and he's basically pronouncing that on the whole earth, but that's where it's being fulfilled. When you go to Revelation 20, where it's talking about Gog and Magog, it just randomly says that he's going to go round up all these people, and I'm paraphrasing, obviously I'm not saying round up everybody, because he wasn't in the Western, but so he's, and then he says Gog and Magog, that's the only other mention is that, is in Ezekiel 38 and 39, where it's actually a battle after the thousand year reign of Gog and Magog, and when you go to Ezekiel 38 and 39, you'll see all the information on that, but it's these key words that take you back to that, so he doesn't repeat the whole thing, so it's almost like a reference point to look at, to say okay, he's putting this little reference point in there, I need to go back and look at that passage, and so I love doing that when I go, so that's where you look at this passage in Romans 3 where we were talking about that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, go back to where it's quoted, and you can see who exactly is being talked about, what you can think of, but unto the sun he saith, thy throne O God is forever and ever, go back to the place it's mentioned there, and it's clearly talking about God, and I mean not that you couldn't get that from reading it, of course, but what I'm saying is that there's a lot of information you can get by going back, sometimes God's just not going to repeat it because it'd be too repetitive, therefore you just go back and read it, and it's like this little bit of information that's all right there and where it's going to actually happen, so that's why I wanted to give you those references mostly because if you want to go back and look at these passages and just read the whole passage there, it'll give you a little more information of who he's talking about, what he's talking about, so again back in the Romans chapter 3 there, and I know this is a familiar passage, but I feel like we can always learn something new or get a little more information as we're going through it, and I know as soul winners we go to this passage all the time, there's none righteous as is written, there's none righteous, no, not one, there's none that doeth good, no, not one, and for all of sin that comes short of the glory of God, but there's still little things in there that you can find, little things that maybe you didn't see before, and I believe that, that was one passage where it says that thou mightest be justified by thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged, that is kind of confusing of who's being talked about, what are they talking about exactly, why is it saying that, because then it says that we'd be slanderously reported to say let us do evil that good may come, what is that all talking about, because basically it's saying, it's almost where he says later on let us sin that grace may abound, it's the same principle, if I do evil, God's truth is even more abounding because it's coming true even more because I'm sinning, but he's saying I'm judged as a sinner though when I do that, so he's like God forbid, their damnation is just if they do that, so he's basically saying if you're trying to do evil that good may come, your damnation is just if you do that, and so, and it all comes back to the fact that God will be justified in his judgment, and the Lord shall judge his people and it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, so, but as we get down the list here, this is the most familiar passage areas in Romans chapter 3 here, it's Romans 3 and verse 19, so 19 and 20 we really see the point of the law, we talked about how obviously we can't rest in the law for salvation because no one could ever go to heaven that way, for whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend him at one point is guilty of all, so we know that that's not possible, with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible because all things are possible to him that believe it, verse 19, it says now we know that what things so ever the law saith, it saith to them that who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God, that's why he went into this tour de force of all these passages on sinners, all these passages on all the things that we as sinful flesh do, and the fact that he's going through all this that they would become guilty before God, and he's showing them the law to become guilty before God because that's the first step, verse 20, it says therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in the sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin, by the law is the knowledge of sin, what's the point of the law? The point of the law is to show us that we're sinners, the point of the law is that sin would be exceeding sinful, that we would see that we need a savior, the knowledge of sin, Galatians chapter 3 I think really expounds this, go to Galatians chapter 3, because we're not against the law, the law is good, the commandment holy and true and just, but the law can't save us, the law is death unto us, the law is condemnation to us, and the law is what shows us that we're sinners, but Galatians chapter 3 I believe really just hammers this home, if someone reads Galatians 3 and still thinks you're saved by works, I don't know what to say for the person, because it's so clear if you read Romans chapter 3 I don't know what to say to them either, but Galatians chapter 3 verse 21 it says is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law, so what is that saying? That there is no law given which could give life, but if there was then righteousness should have been by the law, but verse 22 the scripture has concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe, so what's the point of the law? Well it's for the knowledge of sin, there was no law given which could give life, and if there was then that's the way it should have been, but what does the law do? It puts us all under sin, it shows us that we're all sinners, that we're all condemned, verse 23, but before faith came we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed, notice what it says in verse 24, so couple this with for the law is the knowledge of sin, wherefore the law is our school master to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by faith, what is the point of the law? To be our school master, to show us that we're sinners, to give us the knowledge of sin so that we'll put our faith on Christ, that is what the law is for, that's why we still have the law, that's what the law was always for, it was only for condemnation, it was never meant to save us because there was no law given that could save us, because all it shows us is that we're sinners, do you know that they were sinners before the law came in Moses? And we'll get into that in Romans 5, talking about Adam and the similitude of Adam's transgression until the law came and all this stuff, but they all still died, they all died before the law came, and so the law is the knowledge of sin and it explains this, I don't want to get into that, there's another sermon that's for when we get into Romans 5, but there's a lot of information in that, and then it says wherefore the law was our school master to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by faith, but after that faith has come we are no longer under a school master, for ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus, once we get saved we're no longer under that school master, we're no longer under the law spiritually, we're no longer under the curse, it says for whosoever is under the law is under the curse, it says cursed is all they that keep not all things which are written in the book of the law to do them, so we're no longer under the curse as Christians spiritually, it says we're not under the law but under grace, and so we're freed from that spiritually, but not physically, so we still have the law that we have to keep physically in order to be right with God and not to suffer consequences and not to have God's punishment and his indignation on us, but spiritually when we die we're not under the law, we're not under the curse, we're freed from all sin and we have Jesus Christ's righteousness on us and that's what we get into in verse 21 of Romans chapter 3, so Romans chapter 3 and verse 21 it just said the law is for the knowledge of sin, it says therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, so it's explaining exactly the progression of how someone gets saved, they see the law, they realize they're a sinner, and they trust in Jesus Christ to save them, the law condemns you, and isn't that what we do, we show them they're a sinner, we show them they're condemned, and then we show them exactly how they escape that condemnation by putting their faith in Christ, in verse 21 it says but now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested being witnessed by the law and the prophets, notice it was witnessed by the law and the prophets, this isn't some new thing, this is something that's always been in the law and the prophets, the word of faith was always nigh in their mouth and in their heart in Deuteronomy, chapter 30 that's quoted, all this stuff that Abraham believed God and was imputed under for righteousness, it says even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all of them that believe, for there is no difference, it goes back to the fact that I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth it to the Jew first and also to the Greek, so it's for everybody, there's no difference, anybody to believe, whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life, it's whosoever, it's anybody that believes, so as we go on there it says for there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely, and this is where people just lose their minds and can't understand English, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, so we're saved by faith, we're saved by grace through faith, it's the free gift of God, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God, to declare I say at this time his righteousness that he might be just in the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus, see the difference? Our righteousness was what? The law, and we covered this I know in great detail last week so I don't want to just keep belaboring that point, but our righteousness is in the law of Moses and keeping the law, but it's his righteousness that we're justified, because he's just in the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus, and so the propitiation, the propitiation is just basically like the substitute, it's the atonement, it's the payment, and so it's just a big word, another place that it talks about is that he is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world, so he's the payment, he's the sacrifice, he's the Passover lamb, he is what's going to pay for it through faith in his blood, now put that in your pipe and smoke a John MacArthur who doesn't believe that blood saves, who believes it's just the death of Christ that saves him, that heretic that believes in lordship, salvation, and all the points of Calvinism that go with it, and so through faith in his blood, so his blood is very important and as we get into, we've been going through Old Testament versus New Testament, the blood is very important for our salvation, the blood is what saves us, nothing but the blood, right, amen, and so we have faith in his blood, this is a great passage to show the power of the blood and what that was, so you may say, Pastor Robinson, well I thought that was the resurrection, I thought it was his death, I thought it was this, it's all of it, you can't separate all these things and say it's just one element, if Jesus died, now it says that he was made to be sin for us who knew no sin, it says who's own self, bear our sins in his own body on the tree that we might be made the righteousness of God in him, the thing is that is necessary, if he didn't die for our sins, if he would have came off the cross, didn't do it, then we would all be lost, we'd all be condemned, but do you know that if he didn't raise from the dead we are yet in our sins, and so the resurrection is just as important as the death, everything in between is just as important, him taking his own blood and sprinkling it on the mercy seat in the holiest of all in heaven, going through the veil, and the veil was rent, which was his flesh, it talks about it in the Hebrews, and without that we would not be saved, the blood is just as important as the death, burial, and resurrection, it's all integrated, by his stripes ye are healed, so there's a lot, you can't separate these things and people always try to separate stuff and say it's just the death, it's just this or it's just that, no it's all of it, and so the faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God, it's interesting that it says the sins that are past through the forbearance of God, he is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, he was before ordained, and go to 1 Peter, so we usually talk about the lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world, but go to 1 Peter chapter 1, 1 Peter chapter 1, and verse 18, we'll start there, just to get some context, 1 Peter 1, 18 it says, for as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, sounds like we're saved by the precious blood of Christ, but it says, who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, who by him do believe in God that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory that your faith and hope might be in God, so we're saved by that precious blood of the lamb without spot, without blemish, that was foreordained before the foundation of the world, that was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, so all the Old Testament saints, and all the saints that were before the Old Testament, remember we were reading about how the Old Testament didn't start until Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, they were all covered by that blood, and so this false doctrine that it wasn't until he died, he was manifest in these last times for you, but he was foreordained before the foundation of the world, and that blood was, it talks about it says, for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God, God knows everything, God foreknew that Jesus, it was as if Jesus did it, in Romans chapter 4, and I don't want to steal the thunder of chapter 4, but it says he calleth those things which be not as though they were, he calleth those things which be not as though they were, meaning that it was as if Christ had already died on the cross, at the foundation of the world, because you know, and this is getting off on a big tangent, but in Job where it says that the sons of God shouted for joy when the chief cornerstone was laid, it says that in Job, and everybody's like, oh that was the foundation of the world, those have to be angels, well how about the fact that Jesus is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, and the only place that you'll ever find cornerstone is when it's talking about Jesus, the chief cornerstone, which was disallowed of men, and so this whole idea, this just really I believe proves the fact that hey, he paid for all the sins from the foundation of the world, and it was as if he'd done it, he's speaking of those things which be not as though they were, he was before ordained, he was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, and his blood has been covering from Adam till the end of the world, and it wasn't that they were in some purgatory chamber in hell that was called Paradise where Abraham was just holding everybody in his bosom, and so that's another sermon for another day, but so as we go on here, it says that in verse 26, or I'm sorry, in verse 27, so all stuff familiar, great verses, these are great verses to have for soul winning, these are great verses just to confirm that we're saved by faith alone, it's a free gift, it's through his blood, it's not our righteousness, it's his righteousness, to declare I say at this time, or I'm sorry, in verse 27, where is boasting then, it is excluded, by what law of works, nay, but by the law of faith, therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law, and so the thing that I find hilarious about what people do is they say, well, it says the law of faith, therefore faith is a work, and you're saved by works, what sane person would read Romans chapter three, where it's just not by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in this sight, therefore I conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law, and they would say that works is involved, only a moron, an idiot that doesn't understand English grammar would come to that conclusion. I mean, law doesn't necessarily mean work, you know, to keep the law of faith, so I don't know why that gets me so fired up, but I just, the asinine logic that comes from these false teachers, and these people that just don't understand the Bible, and how they would say that the law of faith is works, it's just the same people that say this is the work of God that you would believe on his son, which obviously the work of God that you believe on his son, that's the work of God, isn't it? So that others would believe on Jesus Christ. Didn't Jesus do that work while he was here? You know, my father's works, and it says I finished the work that he sent me to do, and what was his whole work? So they would believe on him, and believe on him that sent him, and so, anyway, so these people, it's just like you have this verse that's in the middle of all this that says not by works, not by works, not by works, oh, it must be by works, because it says law, so it's just, people, when you go to Luke chapter 16, and it says that one would believe them though one rose from the dead, you can understand why some people won't believe, even if one rose from the dead, because there's just such clear scripture to prove that it's by faith alone, that even if someone rose from the dead, they still wouldn't get it. They still wouldn't get it. If Lazarus went up to his brothers and said that, they still wouldn't get it, they still would be stumbling at it, because, you know, the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharpened any two-edged sword, and if they can't see that, I don't know how to help them. So, in Romans verse 29 there, so anyway, that's my little rant on that. Romans chapter 3 in verse 29, it says, is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also. Seeing it as one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith, and this goes back again that there's no difference, and this is something that Paul just hammers over and over again in his epistles, that there's no difference. Once we're saved, you know, the Jew, there's no Jew, there's no difference between the Jew and the Greek, between the barbarian and Scythian, but it also goes into the fact that he is the God of all the earth. He's not just the God of Israel. He's not just the God of a certain nation. In Isaiah 45 and verse 22 it says, look unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else. And in Romans 10, 16 it says, but they have not all obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, hearing by the word of God. But I say, have they not all heard? Yes, verily their sound went into all the earth and their words unto the ends of the world. He's talking about something in the Old Testament. That was Isaiah saying that, right? Isaiah said, who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? And so this is something that has not just been in the New Testament. Israel as a nation was to be the light of the world. They were supposed to be the ones preaching the gospel to the whole world and they failed. And that's why the kingdom of God was taken away from them and given to a nation, bringing forth the fruits thereof. So this lie about how only people in Israel were saved. What about Naaman the Syrian? What about, what about the widow woman, you know, and that's where Jesus, they want to throw him off a cliff for saying that because he actually only helped people that were outside of Israel when there was a famine and all these different times. So this whole idea that he's only the God of the Jews and he's not the God of the uncircumcision or those that are Gentiles is a complete lie. It's never been true. And who was he the God of before the Jews got there? Because guess what? The Jews didn't come around. And so the kingdom was actually split. And that's another lie. The devil, the fact that, you know, all of these Israelites were, do you know David wasn't a Jew? Now he was of the line of Judah. They weren't the kingdom of Judah. He was the, he was the King of all Israel. And so the Jews didn't come around until later. And so Abraham wasn't a Jew. Adam wasn't a Jew. So God was the God of all the earth. He's always been the God of all the earth. And then just go to Psalm 19 when you want to look at that. Cause that's where that's quoted from where it says, yes, verily their sound went into all the earth and their words unto the ends of the world. Psalm 19 is a very famous passage with the word of God. Obviously Psalm 119 as well is Romans 3 31. I'm going to finish up real quick here. It says, do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid. Yea, we establish the law. So the last verse here is kind of just capping this thing off and saying, do we make void the law? Is the law sin? You know, that's where a lot of these, these questions, these rhetorical questions that, that Paul saying it, and obviously the answer is no is because it's God forbid. Yea, we establish the law. And so we're not, we're not, we're not destroying the law. We're establishing the law because it says in Romans 10 four, it says for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believe it. It's fulfilled in Christ because Christ said in Matthew chapter five verse 17, think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill and verily I say unto you till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall and no wise pass from the law to all be fulfilled. Christ didn't destroy any of the law. He came to fulfill it. And we're going to see that when we talk about the Old Testament, New Testament, the stuff that's done away was that which was fulfilled. The Sabbath was fulfilled. All these ordinances, all these cardinal ordinances were all fulfilled in Christ. The Passover land was fulfilled in Christ. All these things were fulfilled in Christ. He is the high priest that's all fulfilled and he didn't come to destroy it. He came to fulfill it. And so we don't destroy the law. We establish the law. The law is fulfilled in the New Testament. It is established in Christ and he is the end of the law for righteousness. He, he has, he has done it all and he's fulfilled all righteousness. And so we're not making void the law. We're not saying the law is evil. We're just saying we're not saved by it. All it does is condemn us. It's the knowledge of sin. It's our school masters bringing us unto Christ and we establish it, meaning that now as children of God, we can, we can follow the law of God through the inner man. And so there's a lot to be taught in Romans. Romans chapter three is a great passage on salvation. And so we see the progression. This is how we go soul winning. You're condemned. Everybody's condemned for all of sin. And the answer is that Jesus is the only way. His righteousness is the only way. Doesn't, it doesn't get much simpler than that, my friends. And so we don't need to complicate the gospel. It's not complicated in Romans. And, and as we go on, it's going to give all these different aspects of, of talking about the gospel and Romans is a packed book with that. There's a lot more doctrines. The inner man, outer man, and I'm excited to get into all that. So, but hopefully this was helpful just with some of these areas to give you some references. And again, anytime the Bible quotes something from the Old Testament, it's good to go back and look at it. You know when it says, he that glories, let him glory in the Lord. It says that in first Corinthians. Go back to Jeremiah where that's quoted and it's talking about the knowledge of the Lord. If you're going to glory, glory in it that you know God. And so obviously we need glory in the Lord and glory, you know, give him glory for what he's done. But in context, what that's talking about is knowing God. Reading his, reading his word, knowing the mind of Christ. So let's end with a word of prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you for today. Thank you everybody that came out and Lord, we just pray that you be with us as we go home, but also be with us as we go back to work and as we do anything we need to do out through this week. But we thank you for your word. Thank you for salvation. Thank you for being our propitiation and for shedding your blood on the cross and paying for all our sins. And Lord, we just thank you for just enduring that for us, Lord, and that you paid it all and that we can trust in your righteousness. Lord, we love you. We pray all this in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.