Religious Guilt Based on the Evidence of Our Justifications...

This week, we are looking at a section of a letter in our Bible where Paul addresses whether or not those who consider themselves religious are guilty of having a problem when it comes to a relationship with God. So far, we have seen that religious people are guilty of having a problem with God based on the evidence of our actions and the evidence of a lack of inner change.

Now, if you have been reading this week and consider yourself a religious person you may be finding that you are pushing back pretty hard right about now. You may find yourself having some serious objections right about now. If you find yourself in that place, or you find your mind racing with questions, I have some good news for you. And that good news is that you are not the first to have such push back and questions. As a matter of fact, as Paul concludes this section of this letter, we see several timeless questions and push backs addressed. So let’s look at them together, beginning in Romans 3:1:

Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.

In these verses, we see the Apostle Paul respond to the first question and objection raised by those who were attempting to defend that they could live life as though we can achieve religious excellence. For the Jewish person, the question was “what advantage is there for being a Jewish person that identified with the Jewish religious system?” In our culture today, this question might look something like this: “Well if going to church and reading my Bible or going to youth group does not make me right with God, then what is the point of going? What advantage or benefit do I get by going to church or youth group or reading my Bible?”

Paul responds to this objection formed in a question by stating that the benefit and advantage of identifying and involving one in church is great in every respect. He then explains that first off, that the Jewish people were entrusted with the revelation and the promises of God that are recorded for us in the Bible. They were entrusted with God’s kingdom promises and with a kingdom mission to reveal and reflect God to the world. And in the same way today, we have been entrusted with God’s promises that are contained in the Bible and with a kingdom mission to be the vehicle that He uses to reveal Jesus to the world. And when we spend time involved in times or corporate worship, community groups, and Bible reading and prayer, we are creating space for God to enter into our lives and do what only He can do to transform our lives.

Now a natural objection that may arise here is “well you are talking about God’s promise and God’s mission, but not everyone buys into God’s promise and God’s mission. So what does that say about God?” You are not the first person to have that objection, as we see in Romans 3:3-4:

What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, "THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS, AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED."

If this objection was to be raise today in the language that we use in our culture, this objection would sound something like this: “doesn’t the unfaithfulness and selfish rebellion and sin of the Jewish people diminish the confident trust that we can have in God to remain faithful to His promises?” Paul responds to this objection with the strongest negative response that is possible in the language that this letter was originally written in. At Wal-Mart this objection might sound like this: No bleeping Way!!

Instead of accusing God of not being faithful to keeping His promises, Paul states that the Jewish people’s unfaithfulness proves that God is totally truthful and honest when it comes to His promises. The Apostle then backs his response by quoting from a section of a letter in our Bibles, called the book of Psalms. In Psalm 51:4, King David exclaims that “Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge”. Paul’s point here is that the selfish and sinful rebellion of the religious Jewish person and of religious people throughout history serves as evidence that proves that God is right and will be proven to be right against those who would accuse God of being unfaithful to His promises.

But that leads us to another possible objection doesn’t it? We see this objection revealed for us in Romans 3:5-8. Let’s look at it together:

But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I am speaking in human terms.) May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world? But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner? And why not say (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), "Let us do evil that good may come "? Their condemnation is just.

If this objection was to be raise today in the language that we use in our culture, this objection would sound something like this: “If the fact that I have a problem with God that makes me not right and odds with God reveals that God is right, then why does God punish me? I mean I make God look good when I am rebelling against Him. For God to punish me for making Him look good just does not seem to be right”. Once again, Paul responds to this objection with the strongest negative response that is possible; No bleeping Way!! Paul then turns this question on its head by explaining that the fact that God is right and just and true enables Him to engage in judging all of humanity at the end of God’s story here on earth.

And as often can occur in a trial, in the midst of an air tight argument by an attorney on one side, the attorney on the other side asks a question that shoots themselves and their client in the foot. In verse 7, we see that question. In our culture today this question would be phrased this way: “If my selfish rebellion and sin serves to reveal God’s truth and faithfulness in a way that enhances God’s reputation, then why does He insist on saying I have a problem with Him? As a matter of fact, what God should do is allow me to be more selfish, sinful, and rebellious so that His reputation of truth and faithfulness would be enhanced even more?”

Well that makes sense, doesn’t it? Really? In our culture today we call that kind of thinking nonsense. We would call that kind of thinking stinking thinking. And we would smack a person upside the head who though that way and call them an idiot, wouldn’t we? That makes no sense. Paul responded by simply saying that there condemnation is just. In other words, God’s right and just response to their selfish rebellion and sin is just and deserved, because they have a problem with God. And in the same way today, we are guilty when we live life as though we can achieve religious excellence based on the evidence of our attempts to justify our failure. Our attempts to justify our failure to achieve religious excellence by questioning God’s truthfulness, faithfulness, or justice only serve to provide further evidence of our guilt when it comes to having a problem with God.

So this morning, do you consider yourself a religious person? Do you believe that you can live life as though you can achieve religious excellence?