Britton Christian Church

We began our study of Romans 3 last week. As a result of what Paul had said in his letter in Romans 2:25-29, basically, that the Jew and the Greek were equal before God, questions were raised in the minds of Paul’s Jewish listeners. The Jews held that they were different than the rest of the people of the world. They were God’s covenant people. What Paul had to say was disturbing. It rattled the confidence of some of the Jews as Paul boldly proclaimed that their being the covenant people of God didn’t provide them any insurance against the judgment of God.

In the beginning of Romans 3 we read, “What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew?” Where did that question come from? Paul utilized a method of dialogue, called a “diatribe,” that was widely used by philosophers in the ancient world. By using this method the teacher would set up the argument of his critics and then provide the answer. We see this in Romans 3:1 in the question, “What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew?” which is then followed by Paul’s answer, “Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.” Paul goes on in Romans 3 to raise more questions and then he provides the answers to the arguments he raises. Let’s take a look at our Scripture for today and then we will see what we can learn. Let’s go ahead and begin with verse 1.

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The truth can be a very unsettling thing. We humans are some really strange creatures. We mull things over in our head, we manipulate things in our hearts, we dream up ideas that we value, and then we give them the stamp of approval. They become “The truth.” We do this in most every area of our life.

Young girls, captured by ideas of romance and endless love, envision themselves being swept off of their feet one day by Prince Charming only to find out later in life that their Prince is really just like all of the other frogs in the pond. Their truth becomes exposed for the fairy tale that it was.

When we are young we see older people fading in energy and life, we watch as their health begins to fail, yet we convince ourselves that we are somehow different than they are—we think to ourselves, “That will never happen to me.” Our parents warn us by telling us, “Turn down that music!” “Don’t sit so close to the T.V! It will ruin your eyes!” “Don’t abuse your body and your mind with drugs and alcohol!” We roll our eyes and think to ourselves that they don’t know what they are talking about. We will always be able to hear a pin drop and have 20/20 vision. The insanity of it all is that we see countless people every day who wear glasses and hearing aids whose parents told them the very same things when they were young. We’ve heard stories of those who have ruined their lives with alcohol and drugs, we even know friends or family members who have done this, and yet we convince ourselves that it won’t happen to us. Our “truth,” that we are bullet proof, comforts us and allows us to believe that we are not like everyone else. Then we get some years under our belt. We have to hold the morning paper at arms length to even read the headlines, we have to really listen just to hear, we feel our energy level begin to fade and our health begin to deteriorate, and we discover that we were wrong. Our truth betrayed us!

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“Do as I say, not as I do.” Have you ever heard that phrase before? In our study of Romans we have listened in as Paul has made it very clear to us that we know the difference between “right” and “wrong.” When our children are born we begin to teach them the difference, we try to guide them so that they will make choices that are good, so that they will respect other people, so that they won’t lie, cheat, or steal. I have known parents who didn’t attend church, didn’t claim to be followers of Jesus, and yet they’ve tried to instill within their kids a set of morals that certainly reflected biblical principles to some degree.

When our kids get older and they are better able to think for themselves and have a better ability to observe our lives they begin to question us. “Why do you do what you do dad when you tell me not to do it? Why do you yell and cuss when you get mad, but you tell me that I shouldn’t lose my temper and say things that will hurt other people? Why do you tell me that I should never use drugs or alcohol, but you use them? How can you tell me what to do when you don’t even do it yourself?” “Mom, why did you lie when you’ve taught me not to lie? Why do you tell me that I need to forgive when you hold grudges against anyone who hurts you?” What is our response? Well, we explain why “what” we did is different, we give them reasons why it was ok, given our circumstance, to do what we did, but that it’s still not ok for them to do it, we tell them that they just don’t understand. You can put all of these explanations and excuses under the heading, “Do as I say, not as I do.”

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