All Who are in Adam are sinners(Romans 3:9-18)

[瑤翰 김요한]

When I heard a sermon by the dean of a graduate school of a denomination in the past, I was seriously worried when I heard that we are justified sinners.

Since that person does not know what the gospel is and what salvation is, what will become of that denomination?

How are you? Are you a sinner? Or are you righteous?

The gospel of truth is a clear fact and reality that has nothing to do with mood or feeling.

Christ died on the cross and rose again to be born again us so that we may have a living hope in Christ.

He is seated in heaven, the hope of heaven.

Therefore, salvation is not whether I am doing well or not, but belonging.

There is a gentleman in Adam and a poor man in Christ.

With the word, "In the last days, those who are called, chosen, and faithful by God will overcome (Rev. 17:14)", some developed the logic that if we follow him who come out of Babylon-like churches and overcome, we will win.

That's funny.

Christ died and rose again to redeem us from Adam and made us belong to the heavens. Those who deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow the Lord will overcome.

If we follow you who claim to be the winner, we will win?

This is sleep talk.

Q. Are all human beings really in sin?

“What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before  proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin.” (Romans 3:9)

A. Yes. All human beings born in Adam are under sin.

It means that he has said in advance that we are good or not, but all people are under sin.

There are no righteous people outside of Christ.

So, is Lot a righteous man?, isn't he?

Circumstantially, Lot was saved. With the help of Abraham.

But that is not the salvation of Lot's existence.

Because the word of God never came into him.

Look at his conclusion. Lot is not the ancestor of salvation.

The Bible teaches by contrasting Abraham and Lot.

There are positive beliefs and negative beliefs.

Then why is it called the righteous Lot (2 Peter 2:7) in the New Testament?

It was because Lot was in agony at the gates of Sodom.

In Genesis 6, it is said that Noah was also perfect in his generation.

When he said that he was perfect in his generation, he meant that he was perfect at that time, not that he was perfect before God.

However, he did not say that Abraham  was perfect in this generation, but Abraham was perfect before God.

Therefore, faith must be righteousness before God, not righteousness in its time.

Noah was also a righteous man of his time. Job was also a righteous man in the East at that time.

Of course, Job later saw God with his own eyes, whom he had only heard with his ears, and a new salvation was given to him.

But Abraham, a contemporary of Job, heard the word of God and believed in God, so God declared him righteous.

Likewise, the righteousness of the earth and the righteousness of heaven are different.

Abraham and Job are contemporaneous figures, and Abraham was made righteous by the word of God, but Job started as a righteous man on earth without the word and eventually gained salvation as the righteousness in heaven.

So, after the book of Job, it is the psalms of the righteous in heaven.

Jesus also acknowledged the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees because he said, 'That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees...' (Matthew 5:20).

But that doesn't mean that righteousness will save them.

So, 'the exceed righteousness' that the Lord is talking about does not mean to be cleaner and more honest than them, but to a different dimension of righteousness, namely the righteousness of God.

If we do not believe in and follow the atoning death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, there is no way to become righteous and be saved.

“There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.” (Romans 3:11)

It is said that there is no one who understands, that is, no one who seeks.

It's like a mollusk like an earthworm that never needs nail clipping.

“They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that does good, no, not one.” (Romans 3:12)

It means that they are biased and tilted in the opposite direction of God.

Everyone is crazy about futility.

Their tendency is never toward God.

There is no one who does good.

Even in our faith, God is first, the family is second, and the church is third.

In other words, the work we do in the Church should not take the place of our work as it ought to be done.

For those outside of Christ, everything becomes useless and worthless.

However, if we seek and find after realizing the truth of the gospel, deeds will be accomplished.

“Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; and the poison of asps is under their lips.” (Romans 3:13)

Why is it called the throat? It's an open tomb where only rotten things come out.

It means that even though the tongue and the lips are members to be offered before God, they are not offered to God at all, and a stench emanates from them.

Not only words, but if the element of death is in us, the stench of hatred, despair, and depression will constantly appear.

There are a lot of people like that.

So what effect does the life of Christ have on us?

“Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.” (2 Corinthians 4:10-11)

Obviously, the work of life appears in our personalities and also in our bodies.

Because of it, the smell of the body itself changes.

Even our breath stinks when we are under the shadow of death.

But if there is life, peace, joy, and pleasure in me, it will be fragrant.

“Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness” (Romans 3:14)

They kill others with their mouths. Take a look at the mouths of politicians these days.

It is said that language is the life blood of a society.

If the heart and mind do not change, the words do not change 

The Bible says that words are fruit.

Therefore, christians must drive out the smell of death from within them with spiritual thoughts.

“Their feet are swift to shed blood.” (Romans 3:15)

The foot that carries the mouth and lips now moves.

It go around with curses and venomous mouths.

What kind of results will these people bring?

It is salvation to change the existence of these people by testifying to the gospel.

Therefore, christians must be the feet that save others by testifying the gospel.

“Destruction and misery are in their ways.” (Romans 3:16)

The way means everywhere he goes.

Therefore, it is better for those who do not have the Gospel to go there as little as possible.

“And the way of peace have they not known” (Romans 3:17)

Even if they use the word peace in the world a lot, they don't know how to get peace.

They don't know the way.

However, when christians receive the light and are born again through Jesus Christ and become one spirit with the Lord in the Holy Spirit and become one with Heavenly Father, peace comes.

So, the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17), and the order of righteousness, peace, and joy must not be changed.

In the world outside of Christ there is no righteousness, no peace, no joy.

So, a Christian without joy must question the inner work.

“There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3:18)

It refers to the ignorance of humans who live by the grace of God's common grace.

They are  rude people who ignore the people around them and God.

People are especially serious these days.

They made themselves kings.

The Spirit of the Lord makes us fear of the Lord. (Isaiah 11)

Without the Holy Spirit, no one can fear God.

The Holy Spirit makes us fear God and fear Christ who dwells in us.

Written by Ptr. Yohan Kim.

Translated by  Nancy Chung

COME AND SEE WORLD MISSION