No, Seriously, Total Depravity / Romans 2:1-3:20

Go ahead and pick up your Bibles and turn to Romans chapter two. As you’re doing that, remember that we are journeying through the book of Romans together. We started a couple of weeks ago, and if you missed any of the series so far, you’re not that far behind. I encourage you to catch up by listening to the podcast or watching the videos on our website, because each week is packed with a ton of truth. Tonight is no exception. In fact, let me warn you right now: we’re going through about 50 verses. I’m not kidding! It’s packed with some awesome stuff.

Before we get into chapter two, I think it would be helpful to give you a little background on who Paul was writing to. He was writing to people in Rome, but if you read through the letter, you’ll see that Paul keeps addressing two different groups of people. He mentions them right in the theme verse in chapter one.

Romans 1:16-17 (NASB)

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it [the] righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘BUT THE RIGHTEOUS [man] SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.’

You’re going to see him saying that quite a bit: “to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” He’s talking to these two groups because they are diametrically opposed to each other. They have totally different backgrounds, cultures, and views on spiritual things. Neither group thought they had anything in common with the other. The Jews, especially, would have said they had nothing in common with the Gentiles. But Paul spends this letter saying, “No, you have a lot more in common than you think.”

The Trap of Moral Superiority

Last week, Brad gave a great message on the end of Romans chapter one. Do you remember that? It talked about the total depravity of the world and how the wrath of God is poured out because mankind has rejected Him. People see creation and, instead of worshipping the Creator, they worship the creation itself. God handed them over to degrading passions and evil thinking.

When the Greek or Gentile people heard that, they probably said, “Man, you are telling the story of my life! That’s my whole family background. We’ve been dysfunctional forever. We worship idols; we have no morals. You are talking my language.”

But the Jews would have heard that same message and said, “Uh-huh. You’re right, Paul. There is a lot of immorality in the world. The world has rejected God—but not us. We’re the chosen people. We have the covenant of circumcision. We have the Law of God. We have morals and values passed down through generations. We aren’t perfect, but we aren’t like those people. We worship the God of creation.”

I can’t help but think those same two groups exist today, right here. Last week, Brad asked, “Are you really surprised when you hear about terrible things happening in the world?” He mentioned things like people beheading others. I left thinking, “Man, that’s heavy. I shouldn’t be surprised that the world has gone away from God to that extent.” But at the same time, I thought, “But I would never do that. Would you?”

See, we have lines. We have moral lines. We look at people who have no lines—people who murder, people in prison, people on death row—and we think we are different. Most of us are “good moral people.” We haven’t rejected all of God’s law. We have morals we grew up with. Some of us are more like the Jews than we’d admit, saying, “That’s how the world is, but that’s not how my life is.”

So, what would God say to those Jews in the first century, and what would He say to you? Paul turns his attention to the “moral” person in chapter two.

Romans 2:1-3 (NASB)

Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same [yourself], that you will escape the judgment of God?

When I read those first three verses for the first time, I’ll be honest: I said, “I don’t believe that. That’s not true. I just said I would never behead someone!” This is one of those times where God has to come to me and say, “PJ, one of us is right, and one of us is wrong.” And I have been stinking wrong every single time so far.

I claimed I didn’t practice the same things as the “depraved” world. But then I was reminded of a profound line in the book of James.

James 2:10 (NASB)

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one [point], he has become guilty of all.

Did you hear that? If you keep the whole law but stumble in one little point, you are guilty of breaking the entire law. We aren’t that different from the “bad” people. Have they broken God’s law? Yes. Have you? Yes. Then you’ve done the same thing.

We try to argue that we are only “a little bit” sinful compared to them. But God tells me, “PJ, that’s like a girl saying she’s ‘a little bit’ pregnant.” You’re either pregnant or you’re not. You’re either sinful or you’re not. Why? Because we are talking about a holy, sinless God. That is His standard.

The Danger of Tolerance

Sometimes we think we aren’t as bad because we aren’t being punished like those “other” people. Have you ever crossed God’s line and then waited for the consequences? When nothing happens, we think, “Okay, I’m good. Maybe God isn’t that ticked off about it because lightning didn’t strike me.” We interpret God’s tolerance as an endorsement of our behavior.

Romans 2:4 (NASB)

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

God is being tolerant not because your sin isn’t a big deal, but because He wants to give you an opportunity to repent before the wrath comes. But in our stubbornness, we take advantage of His patience.

Romans 2:5 (NASB)

But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,

Paul’s point is that there is no partiality with God. Whether you are a Jew, a Greek, or one of us today, the standard remains the same.

Romans 2:11-13 (NASB)

For there is no partiality with God. For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for [it is] not the hearers of the Law [who] are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.

If you want to be judged by your works and how well you’re doing, then get ready to stand before a perfect, sinless God. None of us will hold up. None of us have been completely obedient.

A Matter of the Heart

There will be people who stand righteous before God, but it won’t be because of their morals or their ability to follow rules. It will be because of their hearts.

Romans 2:14-16 (NASB)

For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.

God isn’t looking at your outward actions as much as He is looking at your heart. There is no law that can change your heart. Laws can change your behavior, but they can’t change who you are inside.

Instead of going to Jesus and saying, “Take my life and change my heart,” we usually just try to make more habits. We try harder. We think, “Maybe I just don’t know the Law enough. I need to be more dedicated.” That’s what the Jews thought.

Romans 2:17-21 (NASB)

But if you bear the name ’Jew ’ and rely upon the Law and boast in God, and know [His] will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?

Paul asks them—and us—some pointed questions. “You preach against stealing, but do you steal?” My initial answer is, “No! I’d never cross that line.” But stealing isn’t just taking what belongs to someone else; it’s also withholding what rightfully belongs to them. God has given us time, talent, and treasure that belongs to Him and to others. If you’ve ever used those things only for yourself, you’re a thief.

Romans 2:22 (NASB)

You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?

Again, I’d say, “No, I don’t commit adultery.” But Jesus said if you lust after someone in your heart, you’ve already committed it. If you set your affections on anything higher than God, you are an adulterer against Him.

Romans 2:23 (NASB)

You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?

We think we don’t have idols because we don’t have a statue of Zeus in our living room. But idolatry is putting anything in front of God—including ourselves. The truth is, we are all thieves, adulterers, and idolaters. We aren’t just breaking similar laws to the “bad” people; we are breaking the same laws.

When we try to follow the Law without a heart change, people see right through us. We become hypocrites and frauds. We tell people God has changed our lives, but they see we are just as selfish as they are. This causes the name of God to be blasphemed because of us.

The Futility of Religious Scales

When the Jews realized they had sin, they tried to use rituals to make up for it. They relied on circumcision as their “contract” with God. We do the same thing. We think, “I was baptized as a baby,” or “I grew up in the church,” or “I’ll go on a missions trip to make up for being selfish lately.”

We hope that when we stand before God, there’s a giant scale. We hope our sin is on one side and our “sacrifices” are on the other, and we’re standing there with our fingers crossed, praying the scale tips in our favor. But that’s not how it works.

Romans 2:25-26 (NASB)

For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?

None of those things tip the scale. We don’t understand how heavy sin is. No matter how many good things you pile on the other side, the scale of sin will never even budge. It is too heavy.

There is only one way that scale tips—or rather, there is only one way the sin is taken off entirely. It happens through what Jesus did when we place our faith in Him. It’s a work of the Spirit, not a ritual of the flesh.

Romans 2:28-29 (NASB)

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.

God’s Faithfulness and Our Failure

This leads to a question: “Then what advantage is there in being a Jew?”

Romans 3:1-2 (NASB)

Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.

Paul says being a Jew is a great thing because they were entrusted with the very words of God. But having the message isn’t the same as accepting the message. They tried to be right with God through works instead of faith, and they blew it. Does that mean God failed? No.

Romans 3:3-4 (NASB)

What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man [be found] a liar, as it is written, ‘THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS, AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED.’

Our sin doesn’t show that God is a failure; it actually highlights how holy He is. It’s like a white marble against a black background. The darker the background, the more that marble pops. We are the sinful background that makes God’s holiness stand out.

Some people get twisted and think, “Well, if my sin makes God look good, why am I being judged? I’m doing Him a favor!” Paul says that kind of thinking is condemned.

Romans 3:5-8 (NASB)

But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? The God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He? (I am speaking in human terms.) May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world? But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner? And why not [say] (as we are slanderously reported and as some claim that we say), ’Let us do evil that good may come ’? Their condemnation is just.

We have to stop making excuses. We have to stop blaming our parents, our spouses, or our circumstances. Your sin is your fault. My sin is my fault. Period.

Total Depravity

Paul concludes this section by quoting the Old Testament to show just how pervasive this problem is. It isn’t just one part of us that is sinful; it is all of us.

Romans 3:9-18 (NASB)

What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; as it is written, ‘THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.’ ‘THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,’ ‘THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS’; ‘WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS’; ‘THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD, DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS, AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.’ ‘THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.’

That is a description of us. We don’t think right, speak right, or walk right. There is nothing the Law can do to change that. The Law has a specific purpose, but it isn’t salvation.

Romans 3:19-20 (NASB)

Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law [comes] the knowledge of sin.

The Law gives us the knowledge of sin, but it doesn’t give us the solution. The Law makes a great thermometer, but a terrible thermostat. A thermometer tells you the temperature—it shows you the condition you’re in. But it can’t change the temperature. You need a thermostat for that. The Law shows you that you’re sick, but it can’t make you well.

Closing: Are You Done Yet?

I think the question Paul is asking, and the question I want to ask you tonight, is simply this: Are you done yet?

Seriously. Are you done blaming other people? Are you done making excuses for your sin and finally ready to own it for what it really is?

Are you done trying? Are you done trying to be good enough, only to find out that the more you learn about God’s Law, the more of a failure you feel like? I know some of you are frustrated and ready to quit because you know you can’t do it.

Are you done trying to outdo your bad deeds with good ones? At the end of the day, that just leaves you tired, but not any less guilty.

Are you done trying, and are you ready to start trusting? Are you ready to hand your life over to Jesus—not in a contract, but in a real relationship? Are you ready for Him to change your heart?

Let’s pray.

Lord, we thank You for the Law. We thank You for Your revelation because we wouldn’t see our true condition unless You revealed it to us. We admit we can do nothing about our sin. We can’t make up for it. It’s ours. But God, I pray for the person in this room who has been trying so hard to be right. I pray that they are finally done. I pray that we would all begin to trust You and allow Your Spirit to change our hearts. May we stop trying and start trusting in the only One who can save us. In the name of Your Son we pray, Amen.