4/23/10 Romans 3 - very tired writing this so I am sure their are mistakes.
All Under Sin
(Ro 3:9)9What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin;
Verse 9 is the summary everything Paul has said from 1:18-3:8. He states in the end of chapter 1 that the Gentiles are all under sin. Chapter 2 Paul states that Jews are also under sin, even though, as the beginning of chapter 3 states Jews have an advantage. Their advantage is the fact God has covenanted with them and given them the law. This means that the Jewish people have had the fortune of knowing about God and their history points to specific instances where God demonstrated Himself to them, but every Jew is also in need of personal salvation. Chapter 3 screams to us the universality of sin upon every person. It does not matter, race, origin, religion, culture, or time period, everyone stands in need of Savior.
This verse tells us that we are more than just sinners, we are all under sin. Today we tend to take such a low view of our sin. I believe our low view of sin is because we do not understand the white-hot righteousness of God and it is so easy to find someone who’s sin seems dramatically worse than our own. When we think of ourselves as just sinners our inner thoughts sound similar to this; “yea I make mistakes, but who doesn’t.” Without realizing it we have subjected God’s righteousness and justice to our mental human court of fairness. We do not see our sin as vile, despicable, wicked, and hated by God, so we do not believe that we will receive severe judgment.
The idea of “under sin” carries a much different thought. When we are under something then we are subjected to it. In regards to sin we are in bondage, enslaved, dominated, and controlled by it. There is nothing that we can do to shake it. We do not have the power to defeat it. We do not need some teacher who instructs us on how to correct our sinful ways, we need a Savior who will deliver us from sin. We need the power of sin to be broken and this can only happen through someone who has power over sin and this is what Jesus Christ has done.
Prayer: Father, A millennium of thank you’s for your great and loving kindness, and for Jesus Christ as a propitiation or a satisfaction for your righteousness and justice. Jesus has broken the strangle hold of sin upon humanity. I forever praise you that you invited me to trust Jesus and to break it’s power over my life. I pray that others will respond to your awesome love and mercy in the free gift of Jesus Christ, in His name I pray. Amen.