Good evening, and welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the book of Romans.  Tonight is study #34 of Romans 3,  and we will read Romans 3:19-23:

Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

We have been looking at Galatians 3 where the Lord used the Apostle Paul to pen the words written there, as well as the book of Romans.  So there is a lot of similarity, and there is additional information to what we are reading in Romans 3 concerning the world having the mouth stopped and becoming guilty through the hearing of the Law of God.  So we are going to go to Galatians 3 again, and I will read Galatians 3:23:

But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

This agrees and fits well with the declaration in Romans 3:19:

Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

So as verse 23 goes on to say, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”  There are no exceptions.  There are no special individuals who are somehow exempt.  All means every human being, as all have been conceived in sin, and born speaking lies.  And unless God would deliver them in salvation and change them, making them a new creatures, there would be no altering of what is said here.  Otherwise, everyone is in a sinful condition, and the Word of God, the Bible, pronounces condemnation upon them, and there is nothing they can say.  They cannot respond.  Sure, people do try to do that, and they try to justify themselves.  But legally, and biblically, as far as God is concerned, their mouth is stopped.  The Law has found them guilty.  They are guilty of transgressing the Law of God, and the penalty is pronounced elsewhere in the Bible: “For the wages of sin is death.”  All have sinned in this way, just as it is summed up in Galatians 3:23:

But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

It is interesting that the Greek word translated as “concluded,” which is Strong’s #4788, is found only four times in the New Testament.  It is translated “conclude” two times of the four.  It is also translated as “enclosed” once in Luke 5:6 concerning a great catch of fish being enclosed.  The fish were caught in the net and enclosed, and that net identifies with the kingdom of God.  What was sent forth into the world to the sinners that were under the wrath of God, just as the fish in the sea portrays those that are in the sea, or under God’s wrath?  The Law (the Word) was sent forth into the world, as many were called, and few were chosen.  But the fish were caught, or enclosed, by the teaching of the Bible, the Law of God.  So that is the third time this word is used.  The fourth time is in the next verse in Galatians, where it is translated as “shut up.”  It says in Galatians 3:24:

But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

Again, this is similar to the fishing expedition in Luke 5 where the net was thrown into the water, and a great multitude of fish were “enclosed” in the net, representing the kingdom of God.  In this case, we know the net broke, and the fish that were caught in that net were brought onto the ship, which is a spiritual picture of coming out of the eternal kingdom of God, represented by the net, and going into the corporate church, the outward representation of God’s kingdom.  That was as far as they made it, as far as getting into the kingdom of God.  They only reached that which illustrated the kingdom of God, the outward representation, but not the eternal kingdom itself.  Again, the net “enclosed” them, and they were “shut up.”

Again, it said, “But before faith came,” and we understand that to be Christ, so it was before God brought Christ, the Saviour, into the life of a person chosen to obtain salvation.  Then that individual would encounter the Word of God, the Law.  He heard the Gospel.  He heard the commandments, like “Believe on the Lord Jesus,” which is part of the Law.  So before faith came, we were kept under the Law, shut up or enclosed, “unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.”

Now this would only be true of the elect, but it was not true of the many that were called but not chosen, and that would have been the overwhelming majority of professed Christians that entered into the churches and congregations.   They were enclosed, but the faith of Christ never came.  They tried to substitute their own faith, but that did not get them anywhere.  It never changed their hearts, and it never transported them out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of God’s dear Son.  They remained in sin, and in captivity to sin and to Satan in the darkness of their souls, even while they attended a church, the outward representation of God’s kingdom.  The outward appearance was different from their inner spiritual condition.

Again, it says in Galatians 3:24 of the elect: “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.”  Then it says in Galatians 3:24-25:

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Again, the Law is what called us.  We responded to it after a period of time, and this time would vary in the lives of God’s elect because God has His own timetable for saving each of the elect, and the next chapter says, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son…To redeem them that were under the law.”  That does not refer to the coming of Christ into the world, but it refers to Christ coming into your heart, my heart, or the heart of any of His elect.  It was “the fulness of the time” as determined by the perfect will of God for each of our lives. 

Until that point we were under a schoolmaster, which is the Law.  The Law teaches us many things, and we can learn various truths concerning the kingdom of God.  But, above all, what was the Law designed to teach?  What was the whole purpose of God giving the Law?  

By the way, the word translated as “schoolmaster” is found twice in these verses, and it is found one other time translated as “instructor.”  So the Law was instructing us.  What was it instructing?  It says back in Romans 3:1-19-20:

Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

That is what the Law taught us.  It taught us that we are sinners.  We have offended God.  We have broken His Law.  That is what the Law taught all who would come to it: “You are a dirty, rotten, filthy sinner, a lawbreaker, and the penalty is death.” “For by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

Oh, how grievous it would be to be part of those that were called and enclosed in a catch of fish under the hearing of the Word of God, and you heard it again, and again, and it proclaimed the Law to you, but you did not become saved.  You see, it is only God’s true people that were predestinated to obtain His mercy and grace in salvation that are given “ears to hear.”  God gives us a genuine desire to search for truth and an honest desire to obtain salvation, and no imposter (nothing superficial, phony, or fake) can prevail over us.  The elect of God are not satisfied with a covering over sin that is manmade.  It must be the only covering for sin which is from God, and He alone, in forgiving us.  God gave us “ears to hear” only that Gospel, whereas the gospel of the churches that promised liberty can do only what it says in Ezekiel 13:22:

Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:

When “promising him life” comes from men, it makes the hearts of the righteous, the elect of God, sad because we know it is not true.  It is not the solution for man’s sin problem.  It is a fake solution.  It is a false gospel.  It can never take away sin, so the elect under the hearing of that kind of gospel become sad, whereas the wicked say, “Oh, okay.  If that is all I have to do.  Sure, I will take five minutes, and I will come down the aisle.  I think it is about time I decide for Jesus.  I will choose Him, and I will be saved.”  And they are fine with that.  There is no conscience about it.  They are not troubled.  They do not wonder.  They believe the lie they have been told.  They want to believe the lie they have been told because it is the easy solution to their problem, and they had not been given ears to hear that what they were told was not of God, and it cannot  result in forgiveness of sins, and it will not result in salvation.  But, again, it is not all that important to them.

But for God’s elect, it is extremely important.  It is of the utmost importance that we truly be saved, so we did not turn to false remedies and gospels of men.  We waited on the Lord, and while we waited, the Law was condemning us, and we realized that we were continuing to break the Law by sinning.  And it was so grievous and terrible, we cried all the more during the day of salvation (which is now past).  Up until May 21, 2011, the elect of God would beseech the Lord: “Have mercy upon me, thou Son of David.”  And some would tell us, “Keep it quiet because all you have to do is accept Christ.  What is all this crying for mercy?”  But the elect would cry all the more, “Have mercy upon me, O, God!”  And we beseeched the Lord.

So we were under the schoolmaster that taught us the knowledge of sin, but it was also leading and directing us to the truth, the only One who could save us, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

It says in Romans 10:3:

For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

And this was true of Israel of old, and it was true of many in the New Testament churches.  It goes on to say in Romans 10:4:

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

If you follow the Law, and you are brought under the Law, and if you are an elect of God, the Law is a path way.  The Law was designed for the purpose of showing you how sinful you are, as the Apostle Paul said, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”  Being “worthy of all acceptation” means it applies to all of us.  That was the Law’s purpose.  It was to show each of us the desperate wickedness of our hearts, and the total desperate nature of our fallen condition.  And the Law was an excellent schoolmaster, or instructor, as we were under the hearing of it, and we were taught the number one thing that must be understood: “We are a sinner, and we cannot do anything to get ourselves saved, but we need a Saviour.”  And the Law would point us to Christ and the faith of Christ.  It is only through His work of faith.  It is through His doing – not ours – that we could be saved.  “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness.”