The Bad News Is Worse Than You Thought
The Bad News Is Worse Than You Thought!!
By: Dr. Danny Purvis
I don’t even have to think twice about it. If someone were to tell me that they would be willing to read just one chapter from the Bible…and they said I could pick the chapter…without hesitation I would pick the third chapter of Romans. It’s not that I would call it the most important chapter in the Bible. I don’t think such a thing exists. There are 1,189 chapters in the Bible and their importance to the overall understanding of the Gospel is equal. There are no chapters we should just skim or skip over.
However…there are verses, moments, and chapters that I often refer to as “hinge” moments. I mean that in a literal sense. These are verses, moments, and chapters upon which so much hangs. Again, it’s not that they are more important, it is that they communicate so much and upon which everything else in Scripture hangs upon. Romans 3 is such an example. Nowhere in Scripture will you find a more complete and detailed explanation of salvation in such a small number of words. It not only explains the “what” and the “how” of salvation…but it explains in totality the “why” of the Gospel. This one chapter provides the totality of the reason why Jesus came to this planet in the first place. It is nothing short of the perfect explanation. That’s exactly why I would not hesitate to name this the one chapter someone should read if they were willing to read just one chapter.
It contains, in a nutshell, the totality of the good news and the bad news related to the Gospel. Anyone who has attended our church will tell you that I regularly pronounce a statement related to this idea. In the original language, the word translated as “Gospel” literally means “good news”. So, what I usually say is: The reason it is called good news is because there is bad news. If there were no bad news, it would only be called news. This is more than just a quip; it is the unvarnished truth. We see this dichotomy throughout Scripture. We need to be saved because we are lost. We need to be forgiven because we sin. Heaven is so transcendent because hell is so terrible. Grace is so necessary because God’s wrath is so terrible. The good news/bad news paradigm consistently emerges from the pages of God’s Word.
We have that and so much more in this amazing passage. And here is exactly how we should view this chapter. It is the indictment and verdict of all humankind. It is also the explanation as to how we can avoid being found guilty. And that is the exact formula followed in this chapter. In these 31 verses we see God’s legal system play out…in many ways like our own legal system. With one major difference. The first 8 verses are particularly interesting. Here, before the actual indictment is even read, Paul introduces us to the Judge. He uses these verses to make sure we understand that God is the only true Judge in the universe and that He and He alone has the right to judge ALL of humanity. In answering any claims that God is not righteous because He inflicts wrath, Paul says: “By no means! For then how could God judge the world” (Romans 3:6)?
This is not unlike our own system. Think about judges today. They sit elevated above everyone else. They wear robes. They are referred to as “your honor”. People stand when they enter or leave the courtroom. We could have the same system even if none of those things were present. But they are there to display to everyone that this person has the authority to judge another person. That is exactly what Paul is doing here. He knows what he is about to write. A scathing indictment on the whole of humanity. In order for that indictment to have weight, we have to recognize that the Judge has the authority to exclaim it.
He then gets into the reading of the charges in verses 9-18. And it’s not pretty. It is worse than you may have considered. We are not righteous. We do not understand God. We do not even seek Him. We are worthless…we do no good. Our words emanate from us as decay emanates from an empty tomb. We curse other. We are bitter. We are volent. We foment ruin and misery. We do not seek peace. And we have no fear or respect for God or His Word. Our initial response to these verses is to think that God is talking about the worst of the worst. Dictators, serial killers, those who rob and pillage. He is talking about those people. He is also talking about every other single human being who has ever or will ever walk on this planet. You may look at this list of charges and say: I wouldn’t want to live next door to that person. The bad news is…you do. The worse news? Your neighbor lives next door to that person too…you…and me!
The reality is that if we do not see ourselves as God sees us (and He explains exactly how He sees us in these verses), then it is virtually impossible to be saved. In order for someone to embrace salvation, one MUST believe there is something to be saved from. Remember, in context, Paul has been talking to his fellow Jews. They thought they were in a right relationship with God because they had been born a child of Abraham. They had access to God’s Word and His law. They had been circumcised. But they were, according to Paul in this letter, just as lost as the Gentile on the other side of the world that had never even heard of God. They had misunderstood the purpose of the law in the first place. But be of good cheer…because God tells us in this chapter to exact, specific reason he gave them the law. “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight, since the through the law comes the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20).
Recognition of our natural, sinful, depraved state is the first step towards salvation. Sin isn’t just our behavior. Sin is our very nature. It is not just what we do…it is who we are. That’s why God used those very graphic, unflinching descriptions of us in verses 9-18. The moment we deceive ourselves into thinking we are “basically” good people, is the moment we push ourselves further from His saving grace. When Peter (Luke 5:8) and Isaiah (Isaiah 6) are faced with the holiness of God, the first thing that emerges is their sinful condition. The first words out of their mouth display that reality. So, the first 20 verses of Romans 3 are a devastating indictment and verdict (Romans 3:19). We have to see that. It is necessary that we understand that. I get it. It’s no fun reading this stuff. It’s no fun seeing us laid bare in front of our very own eyes. And if the chapter ended there, it might seem to be a depressing chapter. But just hang on.
Because we have 11 more verses of the best news in the universe. Yes, the bad news is worse than we thought. But the good news is better than we can even possibly imagine. We’ll talk about that next week.
-Dr. Danny Purvis
By: Dr. Danny Purvis
I don’t even have to think twice about it. If someone were to tell me that they would be willing to read just one chapter from the Bible…and they said I could pick the chapter…without hesitation I would pick the third chapter of Romans. It’s not that I would call it the most important chapter in the Bible. I don’t think such a thing exists. There are 1,189 chapters in the Bible and their importance to the overall understanding of the Gospel is equal. There are no chapters we should just skim or skip over.
However…there are verses, moments, and chapters that I often refer to as “hinge” moments. I mean that in a literal sense. These are verses, moments, and chapters upon which so much hangs. Again, it’s not that they are more important, it is that they communicate so much and upon which everything else in Scripture hangs upon. Romans 3 is such an example. Nowhere in Scripture will you find a more complete and detailed explanation of salvation in such a small number of words. It not only explains the “what” and the “how” of salvation…but it explains in totality the “why” of the Gospel. This one chapter provides the totality of the reason why Jesus came to this planet in the first place. It is nothing short of the perfect explanation. That’s exactly why I would not hesitate to name this the one chapter someone should read if they were willing to read just one chapter.
It contains, in a nutshell, the totality of the good news and the bad news related to the Gospel. Anyone who has attended our church will tell you that I regularly pronounce a statement related to this idea. In the original language, the word translated as “Gospel” literally means “good news”. So, what I usually say is: The reason it is called good news is because there is bad news. If there were no bad news, it would only be called news. This is more than just a quip; it is the unvarnished truth. We see this dichotomy throughout Scripture. We need to be saved because we are lost. We need to be forgiven because we sin. Heaven is so transcendent because hell is so terrible. Grace is so necessary because God’s wrath is so terrible. The good news/bad news paradigm consistently emerges from the pages of God’s Word.
We have that and so much more in this amazing passage. And here is exactly how we should view this chapter. It is the indictment and verdict of all humankind. It is also the explanation as to how we can avoid being found guilty. And that is the exact formula followed in this chapter. In these 31 verses we see God’s legal system play out…in many ways like our own legal system. With one major difference. The first 8 verses are particularly interesting. Here, before the actual indictment is even read, Paul introduces us to the Judge. He uses these verses to make sure we understand that God is the only true Judge in the universe and that He and He alone has the right to judge ALL of humanity. In answering any claims that God is not righteous because He inflicts wrath, Paul says: “By no means! For then how could God judge the world” (Romans 3:6)?
This is not unlike our own system. Think about judges today. They sit elevated above everyone else. They wear robes. They are referred to as “your honor”. People stand when they enter or leave the courtroom. We could have the same system even if none of those things were present. But they are there to display to everyone that this person has the authority to judge another person. That is exactly what Paul is doing here. He knows what he is about to write. A scathing indictment on the whole of humanity. In order for that indictment to have weight, we have to recognize that the Judge has the authority to exclaim it.
He then gets into the reading of the charges in verses 9-18. And it’s not pretty. It is worse than you may have considered. We are not righteous. We do not understand God. We do not even seek Him. We are worthless…we do no good. Our words emanate from us as decay emanates from an empty tomb. We curse other. We are bitter. We are volent. We foment ruin and misery. We do not seek peace. And we have no fear or respect for God or His Word. Our initial response to these verses is to think that God is talking about the worst of the worst. Dictators, serial killers, those who rob and pillage. He is talking about those people. He is also talking about every other single human being who has ever or will ever walk on this planet. You may look at this list of charges and say: I wouldn’t want to live next door to that person. The bad news is…you do. The worse news? Your neighbor lives next door to that person too…you…and me!
The reality is that if we do not see ourselves as God sees us (and He explains exactly how He sees us in these verses), then it is virtually impossible to be saved. In order for someone to embrace salvation, one MUST believe there is something to be saved from. Remember, in context, Paul has been talking to his fellow Jews. They thought they were in a right relationship with God because they had been born a child of Abraham. They had access to God’s Word and His law. They had been circumcised. But they were, according to Paul in this letter, just as lost as the Gentile on the other side of the world that had never even heard of God. They had misunderstood the purpose of the law in the first place. But be of good cheer…because God tells us in this chapter to exact, specific reason he gave them the law. “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight, since the through the law comes the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20).
Recognition of our natural, sinful, depraved state is the first step towards salvation. Sin isn’t just our behavior. Sin is our very nature. It is not just what we do…it is who we are. That’s why God used those very graphic, unflinching descriptions of us in verses 9-18. The moment we deceive ourselves into thinking we are “basically” good people, is the moment we push ourselves further from His saving grace. When Peter (Luke 5:8) and Isaiah (Isaiah 6) are faced with the holiness of God, the first thing that emerges is their sinful condition. The first words out of their mouth display that reality. So, the first 20 verses of Romans 3 are a devastating indictment and verdict (Romans 3:19). We have to see that. It is necessary that we understand that. I get it. It’s no fun reading this stuff. It’s no fun seeing us laid bare in front of our very own eyes. And if the chapter ended there, it might seem to be a depressing chapter. But just hang on.
Because we have 11 more verses of the best news in the universe. Yes, the bad news is worse than we thought. But the good news is better than we can even possibly imagine. We’ll talk about that next week.
-Dr. Danny Purvis
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