Worship Service Alan Conner Jan. 19, 2003 Northwest Bible Church

Romans 3:9-19

The Breadth and Depth of Sin

INTRO

We now come to the conclusion of Paul’s section on sin. He has shown that all are sinners. Gentiles = idolaters (ch. 1); Jews = hypocrites (ch. 2). After dealing with some Jewish objections, he now comes to the capstone of his treatment on this most important section.

I. THE BREADTH OF SIN – Universal (Romans 3:9-12, 19).

"Are we better than they?" = Are the Jews better than the Gentiles?

"We have already charged" – "Charged" is a legal term.

A. Paul’s proof-texts.

"As it is written" (Romans 3:10). Paul quotes 6 passages from the OT to prove the universal depravity of man (Psalms 14:1-3; 5:9; 140:3; 10:7; Isaiah 59:7f; Psalms 36:1).

B. The universality of sin.

1) "Both Jews and Greeks" (Romans 3:9).

2) "All" (Romans 3:9, 12).

3) "None," "not even one," (Romans 3:10-12).

4) "every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God" (Romans 3:19).

II. THE DEPTH OF SIN – All pervasive (Romans 3:9-19).

A. Sinful Nature (3:10-12).

1) "None righteous" (Romans 3:10). Attitudes and actions, moral faculty.

2) "None who understands" (Romans 3:11). Mental faculty. Mental depravity, noetic affects of sin. 1Cor. 2:14.

3) "None who seeks for God" (Romans 3:11). Desires of the heart, volitional faculty. The will is not free, it is a slave to seeking after self, pleasure, or idols, but it is not free, it is not able to seek after God, until God completely overhauls our nature through the new birth from above. Jn. 6:44.

4) "All have turned aside" (Romans 3:12). Haters of truth, volitional and mental faculties. They are by nature apostates, back sliders. As John said, "they went out from us for they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us" (1 John 2:19).

5) "Together they have become useless" (Romans 3:12). Spiritually worthless. They are of no value to God.

6) "There is none who does good, not even one" (Romans 3:12). Morally depraved.

SUM: Their moral, mental, and volitional faculties are all corrupted by sin.

B. Sinful Actions (Romans 3:13-18).

1) Sinful words (Romans 3:13-14).

"throat is an open grave" –

"with their tongues they keep deceiving" –

"poison of asps is under their lips" –

"mouth is full of cursing and bitterness" –

2) Sinful works (Romans 3:15-17).

"their feet are swift to shed blood" –

"destruction and misery are in their paths" –

"path of peace they have not known" -

3) Sinful worship (Romans 3:18).

"no fear of God before their eyes" -

SUM - every part of man is corrupted with sin: throat, tongue, lips, mouth, feet, paths, eyes.

CONCLUSION