The Universal Sinfulness of All Mankind Romans 1:18-3:20

Outline of the Overall Section The heathen or practical atheist 1:18-32

Outline of the Overall Section The heathen or practical atheist 1:18-32 The moralist 2:1-16

Outline of the Overall Section The heathen or practical atheist 1:18-32 The moralist 2:1-16 The religious man (the religious Jew) 2:17-3:8

Outline of the Overall Section The heathen or practical atheist 1:18-32 The moralist 2:1-16 The religious man (the religious Jew) 2:17-3:8 All have sinned 3:9-20

Definitions The heathen: the irreligious, uncivilized, or unenlightened (willfully so)

Definitions The heathen: the irreligious, uncivilized, or unenlightened (willfully so) The moralist: possesses a moral code of some kind, would never do the things heathen do because he has much higher standards… prides himself on this

Definitions The heathen: the irreligious, uncivilized, or unenlightened (willfully so) The moralist: possesses a moral code of some kind, would never do the things heathen do because he has much higher standards… prides himself on this The religious: trusts in a religious system to save him; believes in the system, with all of its rites and traditions, and is convinced that following the religion closely will keep him from judgment

The Heathen Or Practical Atheist Romans 1:18-32

“UNGODLINESS” …living life without God (commandments 1-4 of the Ten Commandments—the first tablet) “UNRIGHTEOUSNESS” …living life wrongly, because we try to live life without God (commandments 5-10 of the Ten Commandments—the second tablet) “SUPPRESS THE TRUTH” …hold it down, forcefully hold their course against it

Question: How large is the Milky Way Galaxy? Answer: The disk of the Milky Way Galaxy is about 100,000 light years in diameter (one light year is the distance that it takes light to travel in one year at 186,000 miles per second), and about 1000 light years thick. It contains about 200 billion stars.

Question: How many galaxies are there in the universe? Answer: With the Hubble Space telescope it is surmised that there may be 125 billion galaxies in the universe.

Dean H. Kenyon— Former Chemical Evolutionist and Professor Emeritus of Biology at San Francisco State University

Q: Why were they without excuse? A: Because of three things they did… they didn't glorify God as God they weren't thankful became futile in their thoughts and darkened in their hearts

Psalms 14:1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.

Comments on vs “Confusion about God produces confusion about man; which breeds confusion about sexuality; which produces sexual confusion and chaos.” ~ Stuart Briscoe ~

Outline of the Overall Section The heathen or practical atheist 1:18-32 The moralist 2:1-16 The religious man (the religious Jew) 2:17-3:8 All have sinned 3:9-20

The Sinfulness of All Mankind: The Moralist Romans 2:1-16

The Moralist: Who He/She Is The moralist: possesses a moral code of some kind, would never do the things heathen do because he has much higher standards… and he prides himself on this

God’s judgment is according to truth (v. 2) – according to an objective standard decided by God Himself, and stemming from His own nature

God’s judgment is based upon man’s deeds (vs. 6-10) – according to what a person actually does

God’s judgment is without partiality (v ) – Jew or Gentile

God’s judgment is consistent with the human conscience (v. 15) — according to they live up to the light they possess

God’s judgment is according to the secrets of men (v. 16)

God judges according to: Truth Deeds Impartiality Secrets

The Sinfulness of All Mankind: The Religionist Romans 2:17-3:20

Description of the Religious Jew (2:17-20) Rests in the law Makes his boast in God Knows God’s will Approves excellent things (having learned them from the law) Is confident in his role as a spiritual guide to the blind, a light to those in darkness

Indictment of the Religionist (2:21-24)

“But is this (too many hypocrites) a valid excuse? Even if it were true that all Christians are hypocrites, that would not invalidate the truth of Christianity. Christians are not perfect people, but they have been forgiven by the One who is perfect. Christianity stands or falls on the perfection of Jesus Christ, not on the perfection of His followers.” (

QUOTE: “Don’t stay away from church because there are so many hypocrites. There’s always room for one more.” ~ Arthur R. Adams (B. 1861) ~

Hypocrisy Among Believers? The misunderstanding goes like this: 1. I am a Christian. 2. I know how a Christian should live. 3. I don’t always live that way. 4. Therefore, I am a hypocrite. A hypocrite can be best defined as a play actor who wears a mask. Someone who intentionally pretends to be someone or something that they aren’t. THAT is a hypocrite. (Pastor Bill Walden of Cornerstone Ministries, Napa)

The Value of Religious Practices (2:25-29) They have to be true. They have to be a response to grace, and not viewed as the cause of grace. They have to be authentic, coming out of the life of a genuine believer (i.e., one who keeps the law).

The Advantage of the Jew (3:1-4)

False Charges Against Paul’s Preaching (3:5-8)

All Have Sinned (3:9-18)

The Purpose of the Law (3:19-20) To shut or mouths To make everyone guilty through the knowledge of sin