For those who have been raised in the Church, it is all too easy to trust in the fact that we are “good people.” But in today’s passage, Paul wants us to understand that even nice, socially-acceptable folks like the Ancient Jews or like us modern churchgoers stand in radical need of a Savior.

Paul begins with the biggest advantage of children going to Sunday school and VBS – exposure to the Word of God. But even the youngest Bible scholar knows we are supposed to love one another, right? Okay, so how many of us consistently follow the Golden Rule, without ever falling into selfishness? Just so, the more we have learned about God’s Word throughout our lives, the clearer our sin should be to us.

But some might want to object to all this talk of judgment, citing the covenant promises of God. Our parents either baptized or dedicated us when we were children. We’ve been members of the Church all of our lives. So, even if we live in an unfaithful way, can’t we rely on God’s faithfulness, on his promises to our parents?

Well, in verse 4 Paul reaffirms God’s faithfulness, but indicates that it has to include judgment on sin. Here he quotes from Psalm 51, which David wrote after his great sin with Bathsheba. If David, a man after God’s own heart, a man chosen by God to be King of Israel could confess his sin and admit his need for cleansing, how much more should all of us, regardless of which church roll our names are on?

But the most popular objection we church folks might raise to our continuing need for holy living is the gospel itself. What if we’ve walked the aisle and said the sinner’s prayer, confessing our sin and receiving Christ as Savior? Doesn’t that mean our heavenly fire insurance is paid up? Doesn’t that mean we can live as we want to? Or as verse 8 says, why not sin all the more so that God can pour out more and more grace on us?

Paul answers this question more fully in chapter 6, but in sum he simply says that people who would presume to take advantage of God’s grace for their own selfish ends will be condemned, and rightly so. For there is no way we can believe that such people are really trusting in Christ as their Savior, and they certainly haven’t bowed the knee to Him as their King. No, the whole point of being pardoned for our sins is so we can be restored to a right relationship with God – and that has to include trying to live according to what He thinks is right. Saying that you love God while you ignore His commandments is just nonsense.

So, maybe we church folks need to take a good hard look in the mirror. Are our thoughts, desires, and actions really in line with what the Bible teaches us about God’s will? And if not, maybe we need to do what David did in Psalm 51 – admitting our sin and crying out again for God’s cleansing power, a power we know only comes through the blood of Christ.

Romans 3:1-8 (ESV)

Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision?
2 Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.
3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?
4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.”
5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.)
6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world?
7 But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner?
8 And why not do evil that good may come?– as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.