The Sinfulness of Man
“Wrath Surrounding, Grace Abounding” Series
18 January 2006
Pastor Matt Black
Midweek Service
Romans 5:20
Discipleship: I’d like to review last week’s discipleship question—
Q. What is the first commandment of God’s moral Law?
A. Thou shalt have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3).
This week’s question—
Q. What is the second commandment?
A. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image (Exodus 20:4).
I want to encourage you to be thinking about God’s Law this week. This Law will show sinners how sinful they really are, and it will bring them to Christ. Remember…
Galatians 3:24
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Introduction: Let’s Bibles to the book of Romans. Our text tonight is found in Romans chapter 5 and verse 20.
Romans 5:20, “Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound”
This evening we begin a series on this text. The title of the series is “Wrath Surrounding, Grace Abounding.” This week we will cover God’s wrath against sin and upon sinners, so the title of the message tonight is “The Sinfulness of Man.”
So let’s begin. As Christians, we love to speak about God’s grace and love, do we not? We experience God’s renewed mercies and faithfulness “every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23). His mercy truly does “endure forever” (1 Chronicles 16:34). And many lost people who have no claim to Christ have laid hold upon this truth unlawfully, because God’s mercy does not belong to everyone without distinction. In fact, Biblically speaking, the promise of God’s love and grace does not belong to anyone who does not name the name of Christ. Those who die without Christ have no right to His grace and mercy. We must make this clear to sinners. This is an important part of the Gospel presentation. If you tell sinners that God loves them to begin with, then why should they turn to Christ in broken repentance? They will think they already have God’s favor, so why should they repent? Listen to the words of actor Christopher Reeve—he said this:
“… [A]s a kid, religion seemed to be a bit scary, that …you were kind of guilty…And it sometimes made [me] feel bad.” But he says over time, he came to believe differently. He says “[I]t’s all inclusive and it’s about the goodness in people. That God…loves us and that he assumes that we are good. And also it…assumes we have a moral compass inside us. And we…know what’s right.”[1]
This is exactly what most people out on the street that you are going to witness to believe. And it is no surprise. Remember that “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness” (Proverbs 20:6). As Christopher Reeve said, he once felt as if he had done something wrong…that he was guilty. He instead rejected that, and laid claim to God’s love and wrongly applied it to himself.
Now let’s get right into our text tonight. The Scripture says:
Romans 5:20
“Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”
Wrath surrounds mankind. We cannot promise man God’s love until he first trembles under His wrath. Notice the order of this verse. Law is first, and then grace. To promise grace without the sinner knowing his need for grace makes the Gospel foolish! The offense of the cross is that the Cross makes clear that man is lost. Jesus was not crucified for His own sins—he “died for the ungodly.” The fact that we are ungodly is abundantly clear. There is “the offense.”
I. Our sin, as our text makes abundantly clear, is Offensive to God. Paul writes there was an offense against God, so much so that He brought the Law
.
A. God is not Indifferent to sin. He hates it. It is an abomination. Listen to God’s strong words against those who trespass against Him.
Psalm 5:5, "The boastful shall not stand before Thine eyes; Thou dost hate all who do iniquity,"
Lev. 20:23, "Moreover, you shall not follow the customs of the nation which I shall drive out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I have abhorred them."
Hosea 9:15, "All their evil is at Gilgal; indeed, I came to hate them there! Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of My house! I will love them no more; All their princes are rebels.”
B. God is not inactive toward sin. He not only hates sin and opposes it, but he has an eternal plan to deal with sin. He gave us a graphic illustration with the flood during Noah’s day.
We read in Jude 14 and 15:
14 Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
What does this tell us? It tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ is going to come in person to hold man accountable. We can ignore God all the days of our lives, but God is coming in judgment. When Christ comes, that will be Judgment Day. That is what Jude 15 says, He “cometh … to execute judgment.”
No action will be unaccounted for on that Great Day.
Matthew 12:36
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Every action will be dealt with exponentially—that is it all builds up as a mass of steel on a rotting bridge. Listen to Paul in Romans—
Romans 2:5
But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Christ said to the Pharisees and Saducees who had come to his baptism:
Matthew 3:7
O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Not only is God not indifferent nor inactive toward sin, we see thirdly,
C. God is presently and actively opposes sin. God’s wrath weighs down on the sinner.
Romans 1:18
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
We see also verses like this found in John 3
John 3:36
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
And also in the letter to the church at Colosse
Colossians 3:6
…[T]he wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
God is actively opposed to sin and sinners. To preach anything less is to not tell the truth. When we say “God is love” and “God loved the world” we must do so in context. To apply God’s love to an openly rebellious sinner who has not come to a brokenness and repentant heart about his sin is to misapply the love of God. Sinners are under the wrath of God. They are opposed by God. God will always oppose those who commit crimes against Him. This is not a popular doctrine, but it matters not if we approve of it—it is the Word of God.
The doctrine of God’s wrath against sin and upon sinners is probably the most neglected Biblical teaching in our present age. As we have seen, most of the world claims that God loves them, and most churches are telling sinners everywhere that God loves them without clarification. This is blatantly irresponsible. If we are to share the love of God, we must also speak of the wrath of God. We must deal with sin first. Anything else is a microwave Christianity. “Come as you are and stay as you are!” is the result. That is what most of our churches are becoming today. The truth is that God hates sin, and all sinners will be held responsible if they do not repent. Listen to what He calls lost people:
· He says they are under the “power of Satan” (Acts 26:18)
He calls them:
· “children of disobedience” (Colossians 3:6)
· “vessels of wrath fitted for destruction” (Romans 9:22)
· “His enemies” (Psalm 68:1)
· “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3)
As you can see, the Bible clearly reveals to us that God is actually not at all in favor of sinful men and their wicked actions, but is vehemently opposed to them and is storing up His wrath against them for the Day of Judgment. Lost humanity is at war with God, and they will most certainly lose that war. God’s wrath abides on them—it stays with them—it lives with them. God opposes every sin and every sinner. He notices it. He takes account of it. He hates it! He despises it! All those who sin against Him are an abomination and will be dealt with accordingly on the Great Day of God’s wrath (Romans 2:3).
Ok, so now we have seen that man’s sin is OFFENSIVE to God.
II. And what is also clear is that Man has an innate knowledge of his own sin. He’s not ignorant that he is a sinner. He knows he’s doing wrong. The clearest proof of this would be man’s conscience.
A. Even the self-righteous have knowledge of their sin. John 8 tells us that the Pharisees and Sadducees who had hoisted rocks to stone the woman caught in adultery. Jesus said in verse 7, “He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.” They all had to leave, “being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
They knew they had sinned. These were those who attempted to keep the Law flawlessly, and when it came right down to it, they knew they each had an innate sinfulness.
B. The Lawless have knowledge of their sin. Look at what Paul says about each man in Romans:
Romans 2:14-15
14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another
You see all men are at least vaguely aware that they are sinners. We all know we are guilty.
III. It is thirdly clear that man’s innate knowledge of his sin is never enough to drive him to the Saviour, but will lead him to do one of two things, or both:
A. He will hide his sin. What was it that Adam did when God came into the garden to call Adam to account for his sin?
Genesis 3:9
And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
B. Or, He will hold back (suppress) the knowledge of sin.
Romans 1:18
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
The word “hold” in this verse is katecw (katecho) means to hold back, or to suppress. Man does everything to hold back the knowledge of sin.
1. He numbs himself with substance, like alcohol or drugs.
Proverbs 23:31-35
Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. 32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. 33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. 34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. 35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
2. He distracts himself with entertainment and the “pleasure of sin for a season.”
1 Peter 4:3
For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:
3. He sears his conscience with vain reasonings and justifications.
Romans 1:21
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
I Timothy 4:1 speaks of those who “depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron”
This is the state of man—he numbs himself with substance, he distracts himself with entertainments, and he sears his conscience with vain reasonings. This is the state of everyone in the world without Christ. They are living in the “vanity of their minds” (Ephesians 4:17).
Conclusion: Tonight we have looked at man’s sinfulness. This is real. We need to pause for a moment and think of those we know who are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). Man’s knowledge of his own sin is not enough to drive him to God. The conscience is many times seared and excuses the most godless actions. Is this not true in our world? We need something that will magnify the sinner’s sin. Something that will make sin look as horrible as God sees it. That is what we are going to talk about next week. Without a sinner understanding the gravity of his sin, he will never bow under the grace of God. We want to see that happen in this church. Aren’t you glad that though you were once in this sad state, that God’s grace entered your heart and saved your soul? That is what we want to see in the lives of all those we come into contact.
Closing Hymn: 532 Christ Receiveth Sinful Men
[1] Christopher Reeve in Ray Comfort’s book, What Hollywood Believes (Genesis Publishing Group: Bartlesville, OK: 2004), 113.