Good evening, and welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the book of Romans.  Tonight is study #35 of Romans 3,  and we will read Romans 3:19-24:

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; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

I will stop reading there.  We have discussed much about verse 19, and I just want to look at the last part of it, in Romans 3:19:

…that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

I want to mention something about the word “guilty” before we move on to the next verse.  This word translated as “guilty” is only found here in Romans 3:19.  It is a compound word.  The first word is “hoop-o',” which means “under.”  And it is joined to another Greek word that means “vengeance.”  For instance, it is the word we find in Jude 1:7:

Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

This word “vengeance” is a part of this compound word, so when God says that “all the word may become guilty before God,” and the word translated here as “guilty” is not the typical word for “guilty.”  It is only translated that way here, but it means to be under “vengeance.”

It is also translated as “punished” in 2Thessalonians 1:8-9:

In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

It is the word “punished” here, with the idea of taking vengeance upon people that know not God, as it says in the first part of the verse: “…in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God…”

The Law of God, the Bible, speaks to the people of the world, and it stops the mouths of all human beings as far their justification is concerned, and as far as their righteousness or goodness is concerned.  People like to think of themselves as just, and right, and good, but the Bible says that none are good: “There is none righteous, no not one.”  And the Law proves it because when we encounter it, we see our sin, and the Law convicts everyone of sin.  Therefore, every mouth is stopped, legally and biblically.  Of course people will continue to “run their mouths,” and say whatever they will.  But as far as God is concerned, there is no basis for any of their self-justification that they offer up, so their mouths have been stopped, “and all the world may become guilty before God.”  All the world comes under vengeance of God.  That is, they are subject to the wrath of God.  It is a similar idea to what we read in John 3:36:

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

That is, he is under the vengeance and punishment of God, and it is just a matter of time in an individual’s life.   The only escape, which is no longer available, is salvation, and that is why God tells us in Ephesians 2:3:

Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

The wrath of God abode upon us by nature, but then it says in Ephesians 2:4-5:

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

This was the escape for the few out of the whole of mankind, those God had predestinated to receive His mercy and grace.  So we can only thank God for His tremendous mercy toward us, which we do not deserve in the slightest way.  We were children of wrath, even as others.  “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  None are righteous – no not one – and that includes you and me, and everyone in the world. 

Now we are seeing sin in the world multiply, and we see the wickedness of man gushing forth out his heart.  It is all coming to the surface because the restraining hand of God has lifted and is allowing this fact to become evident to all.  But none of us should look down our noses at anybody else and despise them: “Look at how wicked and sinful they are!”  It not as if we were not that way.  We must remember that and keep it always in mind that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, “of whom I am chief.”  That is, we must see ourselves as the worst of them, and the chief offender and greatest transgressor.  That is a saying that is worthy of all acceptation by each child of God.  We realize that is the truth as we come to know the Bible, and we see this perfect Holy God, and the Law He has given us.  We should be seeing more, and more, our failures and shortcomings, and the fact that we have not measured up.  So when we look at ourselves, we will see a mountain of iniquity, and yet, the love of God has covered it, but only by His grace.

Let us move on.  After making this universal declaration, “…that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God,” God goes on to say in Romans 3:20:

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.

It is an obvious conclusion that this is the case.  By the deeds of Law are the works of the Law.  The Greek word translated as “deeds” is “er'-gon,” which is often translated as “works.”  It is the usual word for “works.”  So, by the works of the Law there shall be no flesh be justified in His sight.  That means everyone, with no exception of any kind.  And there are no exceptions as far as Law, as we discussed previously.  There is not a Law that can give life.  That is what the Bible says.  If there were a Law, then God’s salvation would not be by grace.  There is no Law, or no commandment, that can deliver life if one could somehow muster up the ability to fully obey the Law.  The Jews failed in that.  They selected a handful of what they felt were “major laws” to keep, like the Sabbath, or certain sacrificial offerings, and so forth.  But it is not the keeping of one Law – or even one hundred laws – that justified a single Jew.  So too, the Law cannot justify or save a single Christian.

But the Christian churches thought they were so much more advanced than the Israelites.  “How foolish they were in thinking they could keep the Ten Commandments, or keep the Laws regarding Sabbath Day, or not working on the Sabbath, or to keep the Law of circumcision.  How foolish the Jews were!  Everyone knows that keeping the Law cannot save you.  But what you have to do to get yourself saved is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved!”  Where do they get that idea?  They think they understand correctly regarding “believing.” 

But the Bible says in 1John 3:23:

And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

It is a commandment, just like the Ten Commandments, and the commandment to keep the Sabbath Day holy, and the commandment to circumcise every male, and all the other Laws of God.  They are commandments.  And yet the New Testament churches fell into the same snare as their predecessors, Old Testament Israel.  They have developed a gospel of works, but it is just a “little law.”  “All you have to keep is one Law.  We are not saying that you have to keep one hundred Laws or even ten Laws, but keep just one commandment: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” 

But it cannot be done.  No one can sufficiently believe that one commandment and bring salvation to himself because God tells us something in Romans 10, which we have looked at before.  And this is what God means when we read of believing unto salvation, as it says in Romans 10:9:

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

It is a two-step process.  First, you confess with your mouth; you have pondered it intellectually and now you are going to make a decision.  So you make a profession of faith: “I accept Jesus.  I am a Christian.  I want to live as a child of God.”  Very well, but that is only one part of the two-step process of salvation.  The second step is the hard part because you must believe from your heart, and it is not referring to the thoughts you are thinking, the intellectual consent: “I think I want to be a Christian.  I am going to accept Christ because I believe in Him.”  That is not the “heart” that is in view.  God says He must first take out your heart of stone and give you a new heart of flesh.  That is, it must be a new heart, or soul.  That is where the acceptable belief comes from.  But the heart of unsaved man is spiritually dead: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die,” as we read in Ezekiel 18:4.  It is a spiritually dead soul, or dead heart.  It is a stony heart of unbelief, which is why the Bible says, “all men have not faith.”  You can read that statement in 2Thessalonians 3:2.  All men do not have faith, and you need faith (Christ) to believe from the heart, but man is incapable because He lacks faith.  He has no faith to believe.  So if he somehow musters up some faith, that is a work, and the Bible says that no man is justified by works, and faith is a work, as it says in 1Thessalonians 1:3.  No man is justified by any kind of work of the Law, or of the commandments. 

As God commands a good work, and the hearer hearkens to the commandment, and he performs the thing God told him to do, that is work, and no man can be justified in that way.  So by the deeds, or works, or the Law, including “believing on Christ,” shall no flesh be justified in His sight, for by the Law is the knowledge of sin.  That is the purpose for the Law, as we have already talked about.  The Law is to show us and highlight the fact that we are sinners – dirty rotten sinner in need of a Saviour.  That Saviour must come to us and perform that miracle of salvation, and to grant us the gift of salvation.  It must come from God Himself.  He must do all the work.  It is His work of faith that must be performed on our behalf.