3 What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it?
4 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."
5 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.)
6 May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world?
7 But if through my lie the truth of God abounded to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner?
8 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.
V. 3 - “What then?” - Paul asks a relevant question, “ So what if I don’t believe in God? Doesn’t that mean His judgements have no meaning or consequence for me?”
Are you kidding me?!
“nullify the faithfulness of God” - This attitude, “What does it matter if you think I am depraved? It’s just your opinion. Besides, you said not to judge. So, don’t judge me! It is only my opinion of myself and my actions that matter.” This is the stuff of folly. We think we are the ultimate end of all creation, we make the final decision. There is no other opinion to consider. In effect we “nullify” God.
The meaning of “nullify” is to invalidate, or to make an action ineffective or useless. God has said He will bring judgement to those who sin against Him. (Ultimately, all sin is against God, not just your fellowman.) Do you think your choice to reject Him will stop that judgement from being enacted?
Does God say, “Oh, you don’t believe in Me? Okay. I guess I will let that slide.” That makes no sense. God cannot go against His own rulings and laws. He has said, “The person who sins will die.” (Eze. 18:4, 20) He also said, “The person who lives righteously will live.” (Eze. 18:21) Equally important, "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Num. 23:19) He said it. He will make it so.
V. 4 - “May it never be!” - An emphatic, “NO!” Or, “Not only, no, but H___ No!” Just as there are laws that govern the physical universe, there are laws that govern the spiritual universe. I cannot step off a 10th floor balcony into thin air because I decide I don’t believe in gravity. It does not end well for me, and will always be so. Denying the sovereignty of God cannot end well for us.
Do not try to convince yourself you are worthy because of how 'good' you are. God's laws are inviolable. It is only through Jesus Christ that our sins are forgiven, and there we can stand before the Lord without fear, in perfect peace. We are safe; we are saved there in Christ.
“let God be found true” - I don’t think this is an appeal to put God on trial. This is not, “Is God telling the truth?” Instead, open your eyes and see that God is true. Open your hearts and know within your soul and spirit God means what He says. Believe God is Holy and Righteous.
Are you going to believe God, or people around you denouncing God? Paul uses quotes from Psa. 116:11 (... all men are liars.), and Psa. 51:4 - (when You judge, You will be found righteous and justified. ) to answer the question.
We will only be able to meekly say, “You are correct, Almighty God!”, when we stand before His throne and He lays out our sins for all to see. At that point we can fall to our knees and worship because Jesus has paid the penalty. He died that we may live. He rose to life that we may live with Him. "And all the people said, 'Amen!'"
V. 5 - “if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God” - It does! The comparison is a 4th of July sparkler to a thermonuclear blast; a candle on a hill, to the noonday sun. Those comparisons are too weak.
We have the ‘purity of the driven slush’ (* see note 1, below.). There is no impurity in Him.“God who inflicts wrath is not unrighteous, is He?” - What is mental image of ‘wrath’? Rage, vengeance, wanton destruction, anger run wild? God’s judgement is often called ‘wrath’ in scripture. (See: John 3:36) We want to see ‘justice’ in our American jurisprudence system. Most want the bad guys to be found guilty and punished; the innocent to be found not guilty and have no blot on their record. We want the justice system to be fair and correct. We want the justice system to be honest; the judgments trustworthy. If we think the judges are dishonest, we can’t trust the sentences announced. This brings us to the next verse.
V. 6 - “how will God judge the world?” - If God is not righteous, is He any different than a human? If no different than a human, how are His judgements valid?
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God is not a human. He is a Holy and Righteous God! (See: Lev. 11:44-45)... He will judge everything! (See: Eccl. 12:13-14; Heb. 4:13)
God is bigger than the world. We cannot pass judgement on Him.
V. 7 - “But if through my lie the truth of God abounded” - Look back to verse 3:4 where every one is identified as a liar. What is the lie? Here are a few: “We aren’t depraved.” “We don’t deserve judgement.“ “We are Jews, and therefore are good.”
The truth is, we are all lost to sin, with no escape on our own.
“why am I also still being judged as a sinner?” - So, if God is holy and righteous and I am held captive by sin of which I cannot escape, why is God holding it against me? The cry is, “It’s not my fault!” I think Paul is guiding us to the understanding that starting or being in sin is not the only problem. Staying in sin is the problem. God has provided the means to escape the sin. If you reject His offer, the problem is you, not God.
V. 8 - "Let us do evil that good may come" - Basically, it goes like this: “If we need God’s grace and forgiveness for the little bit (!) of sin we have done, then think of how much more grace will come if we really go over the top. If forgiveness is needed because I am angry at the idiot driver on the freeway, think of how much more forgiveness is given if I kill someone. Why stop at one, why not kill hundreds, thousands? Then I will know I have ‘earned’ the grace!”
This is a perverse line of reasoning.
The human mind reasons: “This sin is worse than that sin.” We see gradations. God does not. God does not demand we be good, but that we be perfect, blameless. We know murder is bad and deserves judgement. God's standard is beyond our reach: don’t even be angry with another person. (Matt. 5:21-22) We know adultery is bad and deserves judgement. Again, the standard is far beyond our ability to attain it: don’t even have lustful thoughts. (Matt. 5:27, 28)
We fall woefully short of perfection.
“Their condemnation is just.” - A strong, angry statement. Paul is responding to an attack on his character and authority as an apostle. Someone in Rome is accusing Paul of condoning hedonism in order to get more grace from Jesus. He has been slandered. This is similar to his letter to the Galatians. (See: Gal. 1:8-9; 5:12), and sounds exactly like a judgment. Compare this statement to Rom. 2:1,2. These false teachers may go to hell for what they are saying. They deserve it; it is not an unfair line of reasoning. Paul is not passing judgement. He cannot; he is not God. But he can speak out to warn the people of their wicked ways so they can repent and be saved. (See: Eze. 3:18-19)
**** Note 1: paraphrased from Dorothy Parker.
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