Romans 3:5, Is God Unfair to Judge Sinful Men?
Romans 3:5 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)
God’s only salvation plan for mankind was inaugurated in the garden of Eden after man’s fall. This was the cure Genesis 3:15 when God said to Satan, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” The first enunciation of the gospel foretold the coming of Jesus Christ, the sinless, virgin-born, Son of God, seed of the woman, to take away the sin of the world.
God is holy. Sin defiles. God created man in holiness, without sin, until man fell. He enjoyed the beauty of holiness until pride overcame him when he sought to usurp his Maker’s place. Man wanted to be as god.
It was because of Adam’s sin that our good God acted to save him, and his wife and his posterity from His pronounced judgement which is physical death and eternal judgement in the lake of fire. Shall not man be grateful that he was not left to suffer eternal judgement? Alas, God gave man a choice. The gospel is freely given and freely saves all who would believe – Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Salvation began with the Jews. Apostle Paul has shown how the unbelieving Jews were not spared God’s judgement when they refused God’s gracious offer of salvation, much less the world at large.
This is the gist of Apostle Paul’s case – 1 Peter 4:17-18 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Indeed, there is justification for God’s rightful wrath upon man who refused God’s only way to holiness.
May God help us to see our place in His order with fear and trembling, with grateful acknowledgement of His salvation grace in our lives this day and forever more. Amen.