The Hidden Advantage of the Jew

Romans 3:1-8
August 1, 2021
Peter Yoo

Sermon Script

Review

Many of you may know that I’ve been going through a series on Paul’s letter to the Romans. And the goal is to go through the first 3 chapters of Romans. And so far, in Romans 1, we saw the importance of the gospel and how God has revealed his righteousness in it, in the cross of Christ. He’s made visible and manifest his righteousness in the cross. Then we saw how God has revealed his wrath in some unbelievers, even now. They know God, but they rejected him, and so God has handed them over to unrighteousness in his wrath. And their sins grow worse, both in number and severity. And it’s visible and clear that God has handed them over to their sin in his wrath.

Then in Romans 2, Paul describes 2 kinds of people. 2 kinds of people who think they’re better than those in Romans 1. The first person Paul describes is an unbeliever who thinks he’s better than those unbelievers in Romans 1 because God has visibly treated him better. “God’s been merciful to me, he must like me better. If God’s going easy on me now, why wouldn’t he go easy on me in the future?” “No,” Paul says. God’s not a Judge who plays favorites. He’s impartial, he’s fair, he’s good. He’s not relative in his judgments. God’s shown him kindness so that he might repent. But unless this person repents, they’re in for a rude awakening. They will experience something they haven’t before: God’s wrath that was being stored up for them. And it will be clear and obvious on that day of final judgment.

The second kind of person that Paul describes is a Jewish teacher who commits the same error as the man in Romans 2. “God likes me more because I’m Jewish. God has given us Jews the written Law and I have the visible sign of circumcision.” And as I said before, these things aren’t bad in themselves, as far as they go. In fact, they’re good things. The New Covenant equivalent for us today would be, “God likes me more than others because I’m a Christian. I have both Old and New Testaments. I’ve went to church all my life and I’ve been instructed and catechized and learning about the Bible since an early age. I even teach others, even my kids at an early age. And I’ve been baptized into the covenant community of God. And so, I’m already better off than a lot of other people.” And again, these things aren’t bad in themselves, as far as they go. In fact, they’re good things. But none of these things are reasons for confidence before God. If you put your confidence in these things, in visible things, then Paul tells us that you have to keep the law, which is something that the Jewish teacher doesn’t do, and neither do you. You might think you’re morally better than most, but Paul says that there are nonbelievers who can outperform you in being more moral. There are nonbelievers that are more moral than you.

Preview

And so, if we’re being honest, what’s the real difference? What’s the real, important difference between you and an unbeliever? And how you answer this question is of ultimate significance. What’s the real difference between you and an unbeliever? How are you different from the world? What sets you apart as a Christian if there are nonbelievers who are better people than you? Paul will answer this question for us this morning.

The Advantage of the Jew

And Paul sets us up nicely in verse 1 of today’s passage. Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? If the boasts of the Jewish teacher are wrong, then what’s the advantage of a Jew? And what’s the benefit of being circumcised? Right away, we should notice how closely related this question is to the topic of Romans 2. Most commentators, when they get to Romans 3:1-8, view these verses as a digression in Paul’s argument, it’s an unrelated rabbit trail that Paul goes down, it’s a parenthesis of sorts. But that claim is, in the end, unhelpful and unnecessary, and what Paul’s doing here is continuing his argument by pushing towards some important initial conclusions.

We first see this in the wording of the questions in verse 1. Paul’s continuing what he’s been saying earlier. At the end of Romans 2, Paul disagreed with the Jewish teacher by coming at the matter negatively, but here Paul comes at the matter positively. In other words, at the end of Romans 2, Paul was saying what being a Jew does not mean, now he’s talking about what it means to be a Jew. And the answer is found in verse 2. Much in every way, Paul says. Some of us were probably not expecting Paul to say that. “Paul, I thought you didn’t like what the Jewish teacher was saying, why are you saying here that the Jew has an advantage?” But if you think about it, there’s a tremendous advantage in being in the covenant community of God’s people! Let’s not underestimate how beautiful it is to be a part of God’s people. But this must be something rightly understood. And that’s Paul’s point, isn’t it?

Paul continues, To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. And this is Paul’s first answer, which if you remember, this sounds very similar to the Jewish teacher’s answer in Romans 2, doesn’t it? The Jewish teacher in Romans 2 and Paul both appeal to the fact that the Jews had God’s Word, the oracles of God as Paul calls it. At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be any difference between what the Jewish teacher is saying and what Paul is saying. But there’s a slight difference. And this slight difference makes all the difference. For the Jewish teacher, God’s law tells us what we ought to do, his moral and holy will. The oracles of God, however, point to something different. The oracles of God point to other parts of Scripture that help interpret the significance of God’s law. And Paul will quote one for us soon.

But still, at first glance, the next question that immediately comes in verse 3 concerns the problem of Jewish sin. What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? Paul brings up these questions because that’s these are the exact questions that Paul had confronted the Jewish teacher with. The Jewish teacher claimed the law and circumcision as his advantages, but Paul undermined those claims by pointing out the teacher’s own sin and the sin of many other Jews. Paul’s counterclaim is that the oracles of God are the Jewish advantage. So the question naturally comes up, “Well, how’s that any different? How does that claim hold up under the burden of Jewish sin any better than the Jewish teacher’s claims? Doesn’t Jewish faithlessness undermine and nullify this benefit too?”

“No,” Paul says, “not so fast.” There’s actually a crucial and critical difference here. God’s law does communicate to us God’s righteous will in our lives, but put more simply, because we don’t live up to God’s righteous standards perfectly, God’s law condemns us. God’s law simply condemns us. As good as we might think we are, we must be reminded that God is perfectly good, and in and of ourselves, we don’t live up to his standard of what is good. Yet, other portions of Scripture communicate something else. The Bible doesn’t only talk about God’s righteous requirement, but what we’re to do despite the fact that we don’t keep it. It’s not the bare law that we cling to, mere teaching of what’s right and wrong. If Scripture was only a list of dos and don’t dos, then there’s no hope in that. There’s no good news in that. There’s only bad news in that, since none of us actually keep God’s law perfectly.

But Scripture, praise God, says much more than just the law of God, some of which Paul describes here in verse 4. By no means! Jewish unfaithfulness does not negate God’s faithfulness. Instead, Paul says, Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, and here’s a quote, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.” And here, Paul is quoting one of the oracles of God in the Psalms. Psalm 51 in particular, which gives some of David’s own interpretation of the law’s significance for him and for us. And if you have your Bibles with you, I encourage you to turn there and keep a tab on both Romans 3 and Psalm 51.

And for those of us who don’t know, Psalm 51 is one of the most well-known psalms in the entire Psalter. Psalm 51 is one of David’s great psalms of repentance, specifically after his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah. We should notice several things about Paul’s use of this psalm here. First, the reason for the psalm is that David himself was guilty of both adultery, which is obviously with Bathsheba, but also stealing. Because he didn’t just commit adultery, he took her as his wife and took Uriah’s own life in murder. In other words, in the context of this psalm, Psalm 51, David was clearly guilty of some of the very same sins that Paul has just accused the Jewish teacher of in Romans 2. Remember in Romans 2:21-22, Paul asked the Jewish teacher, While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? The questions imply that yes, the Jewish teacher had committed those sins and that it was, in fact, quite obvious.

Now here in Romans 3, Paul makes appeal to Psalm 51, where David had done some of those same things. So again, we ask what’s the difference between David and the Jewish teacher? Why does Paul appeal to David at all, if he has many of the same moral failings as the teacher did? The first difference is that in Psalm 51, David doesn’t try to distract from his sin by pointing to reasons why he’s still better than other people. David doesn’t boast in having God’s written law, he doesn’t seek to say that circumcision somehow shields him from God’s wrath or is some kind of reason for confidence. He doesn’t compare himself to other people at all. No, in Psalm 51, David makes no effort to distract from his sin, instead he points to his sin himself, and its severity. And he openly acknowledges it, not only the reality of his own sin, but the fact that he’s truly guilty for it and that it’s a true offense against God! Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, which then leads to our quote this morning, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.

David just gave a raw confession of sin. “You’re right, God. When you condemn me in my sin, you’re right. I and everyone else is wrong if we try to accuse you of wrongdoing or put you in the wrong. You are right when you judge, you prevail. You are just. I am a sinner.” So then how can David confess his sin with such resolute confidence? Because as David confesses his sin, he also cries out to the Lord for the undeserved mercy that he knows the Lord loves to show those who seek him. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgression. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. (Psalm 51:1-3)

This is what Paul calls the true advantage of the Jew. Not merely that they possess the law of God, but especially that they possess the oracles of God, like this one in Psalm 51. Oracles that describe true confession of sin and assurance of God’s wonderful mercy to pardon. God loves to pardon the repentant sinner. In itself, the law only exposes your sin. But praise God that he has given us his Word and in his Word we find both law and oracles, the solution to the human condition, the solution of God’s grace.

Scripture teaches an entirely separate, an entirely different basis than the law for our confidence before God. And it’s this: the unfailing mercy of God, who delights to forgive the repentant sinner. Some of us like to give excuses for our sin. And some of us like to blame others for our sin. We see this in children when they break something or disobey their parents, they’re quick with something to say. When we get older, we only get better at giving excuses or blaming others for our sin. I could give examples, but something tells me that I don’t have to. We all know what that’s like, don’t we? But David doesn’t do that. If you were to talk to him today, what would he say? “I did it. I’m guilty. I’m clearly condemned.” But when David confesses that God is right to condemn him, he also confesses that God is the only solution to his sin. The only solution to sin is God’s undeserved mercy. And so that’s what he asks for, that’s what he seeks. Complete grace. That’s the only possibility here.

David doesn’t say, “God, my sin wasn’t really that bad. I’ve actually done a lot of good things to counteract that, so I hope you’re still not mad at me. Plus, at least I’m not like other people who are way worse than me.” He just seeks God’s mercy, recognizing that he has no right to it. But he approaches God in the only way that sinful human beings can approach God. Which is with a circumcised heart, a repentant heart that God delights in. That’s why David can approach God’s throne with such confidence. And that’s why he gave this psalm to the choirmaster, so that his sin may be sung by God’s people, but also so that God’s people might sing of his undeserved forgiveness. And this is the true advantage of the believing Jew. Oracles in God’s Word like Psalm 51 that teach what true repentance is, and urge all of us to practice it, to follow after God in it.

Notice also in Psalm 51 that this blessing of repentance and forgiveness is clearly not for David alone. David makes this very clear in verses 12-13. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. And then what? Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Now, if you think about this, this is actually brilliant on Paul’s part. Paul points to this psalm, Psalm 51, in which David openly confesses his sin, appeals to God for mercy, and then says, that when he’s restored, he will be the one to teach others. He will be their teacher. Why? Because he’s been catechized? Because he’s been circumcised? No, because he’s repentant! David is the repentant Jewish teacher, not the man in Romans 2. Sinners should look for instruction and help from David, not the man in Romans 2. The man in Romans 2 points to his outward holiness or his supposed superiority to others. But David recognizes that between him and the man in Romans 2, none of these outward and visible distinctions ultimately matter before a holy and just God. David was the king of Israel, the man after God’s own heart, the anointed one of God’s chosen people, and yet God doesn’t judge according to a double standard. Even David’s sin doesn’t get swept under the rug so to speak. There’s no special group of people whose sins get overlooked by God.

That’s why in Romans 3:5, Paul says, But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? In other words, God plays no favorites. God chastised David for his sin, God sent Nathan the prophet to confront and condemn that sin, and in fact, David’s sin becomes an occasion for him to confess that God is completely just to condemn his sin. So Paul says in verses 5-6, if our righteousness, referring to “Jewish unrighteousness,” shows or demonstrates or reveals the righteousness of God, what then shall we say? That the God who inflicts wrath is unjust? It’s because of man, by no means, for then if God were unjust, how then could God judge the world?

English translations are a little unclear here, but the point here in verses 5-6 go back to the issue of favoritism, where Paul started in Romans 1-2. Basically, don’t think that there’s a double standard in how God inflicts wrath or judges sin. The future judgment will show later how that’s not true, but David’s experience already shows it now. God will not simply look the other way, not for the king of Israel, and not for you.

Finally, in verses 7-8, Paul answers another objection that he came across, it seems probably somewhat frequently, in his ministry. That the gospel of this free grace to sinners is just soft on sin or it condones sin. If through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why are people still condemning me as a sinner? And why not just do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously say that we say? Isn’t that what justification by faith alone teaches? That we can just sin as much as we want, and it doesn’t matter because sinners get off scot-free? Paul says of those who accuse him of saying that, that their condemnation is deserved.

Psalm 51 clearly shows that the faith which receives mercy from God is a repentant faith, a faith that is sorry for its sin, and hates and forsakes it because it’s displeasing to God. This faith turns to God for a free undeserved gift. A true and repentant faith doesn’t receive that free gift and then continues to live in sin shamelessly. A faith that says “I’m forgiven of all my sin, therefore I can live however I want,” that’s what we call licentiousness. By faith and repentance in our Lord Jesus Christ, you have received liberty by faith alone, just read the book of Galatians. But do not confuse Christian liberty with carnal license. You don’t have a license to sin as much as you want without consequence. But what you have is liberty as a Christian to return to God after you’ve sinned, because the true child of God cannot live in rebellion forever. The true child of God knows how good and gracious God has been to forgive. And by God’s grace, the true child of God still hates his sin at the end of the day, continually returning to God for more forgiveness and more strength to resist it. Paul talks more about this in Romans 6.

Application

As we step back and reflect on this passage this morning, I want us to focus us again on the question, what makes you, as a child of God, different from the world? What is your advantage? When you rub shoulders with unbelievers at work or in your family, what is it that you would point to that’s really different or better about your life? Do you perhaps think that you have some advantage over some other church members? It’s very possible that many of us have adopted a very unhelpful way of thinking about that topic. We might answer that question with respect to the way we live or the way we think or the things we have. And frankly, the culture that we live in encourages us to think that way, to think that the really important dividing line between people comes down to how you live, what you think, or what you have. So implicitly, we might be comparing ourselves with others by this standard of how you live, what you think, or what you have.

But I remind you this morning that no, that’s not the real, crucial dividing line. As important as these things are in their own ways, they’re not the real and ultimate dividing line. The real and ultimate dividing line between all people is the line that divides believers and unbelievers. Christians are not defined by how you live, what you think, or what you have. Christians are undeserving people whom God has brought to life by his Spirit. The hidden advantage of the Christian is repentance, having the oracles of God which teaches us beautiful truths about God’s law and repentance to a God who loves to show mercy toward those who repent.

So what’s the real difference then? The difference between what you do and what unbelievers do is only a partial difference. And that difference will only ever be a partial difference. The real and ultimate difference between and an unbeliever isn’t how you live, what you think, or what you have. The difference between you and an unbeliever is not how much money we have, how well-behaved our kids are, how smart we are, what political party we vote for, whether you’re sexually pure or not, the dividing line is found in whether we repent or not. And this is a hidden difference. The only real difference in being a Christian is that you look to God for undeserved mercy, and that you hope they will too.

The only advantage that we have is that we look to Jesus in faith and repentance. And that’s the only real and ultimate advantage that anyone can have in this life. If someone gives you a different answer, and says that there are other advantages, I remind you that these are only partial differences and they will only ever be partial differences.

I encourage you this morning to think this way. That no, you are not better than other people around you, whether believers or unbelievers, not in way ultimately matters anyway. The only difference between you and others is that with David, you can sing Psalm 51. And with David, you can teach transgressors God’s ways and sinners will return to him. Not because of anything in and of yourself, but because you have tasted and seen the beauty of forgiveness in Christ. I remind you this morning that as Christians, we know that we deserve hell, but we’ve been shown undeserved mercy and favor with God by God. And this will make a much better witness in your life to others. It also produces more peace in your heart as you stop comparing yourself to other people, which is never truly satisfying. Why? Because comparing yourself with other people is only ever a partial difference. There’s no real satisfaction in it.

As Christians, as we go forth from here, I encourage you this morning to remember that the only real difference between you and an unbeliever is that we know that we sin, every day. But we have the oracles of God in his Word. We tell others about the forgiveness that we have in Christ alone. When we remember that we are no better than anyone else and that God has shown us grace, then you will give all the glory to God, the God of undeserved mercy. The God who has shown us undeserved mercy in our Lord Jesus Christ by condemning him in your sin and by justifying you in his righteousness. Let us reflect this truth in our lives until Christ returns.

Soli Deo Gloria