The Book of Romans: “God Is So Good”

 

The Book of Romans

Introduction:

Good morning friends. Welcome back to Eastern Shore Baptist Church. If you are visiting with us this morning, I’d really like to introduce myself to you. My name is Stuart Davidson. I am so thankful that you have chosen to worship the Lord with us this morning. For those of you that might be watching online, God bless you. If you are watching on YouTube or Facebook this morning, perhaps you are on vacation with your family. You might be sick. I know that there are many of you who are caring for a loved one who is homebound. We have members watching from assisted living facilities. No matter the “why” of your watching this morning, I am glad that you have tuned in. Members, visitors, folks online, I want to remind you of our prayer line. If you have a prayer request this morning and you would like to share that with a member of our prayer teams, text your prayer request to 251-222-8977. We have team members manning that light RIGHT NOW! We have friends that will pray for you at this very moment. Are you sick? Know someone battling an illness? Looking for a new job? Trouble in a relationship? Let us know about it. 

Now, let me catch you up with where we are this morning. Over the last several weeks, we have been reading verse by verse through Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. In our modern age, there are so many ways to communicate. You might send a text. Others may type an email. I had a church member send me a message on Facebook Messenger yesterday as I was traveling back from Birmingham. You can send messages through social media. It almost seems old fashioned to pick up the phone and call someone. The fine are of writing letters is nearly lost to modernity. In Paul’s day, there was really only a couple of ways to share information. You could play the dangerous game of telephone. You know what that is right? Where you share information with someone and tell that person to share it with another person, then that person shares it with another person, so on and so forth. That’s dangerous right? In that manner of communication, important information maybe lost, mistranslated, misconstrued, or outright changed. The other way to communicate was to write letters. In Paul’s case, he would write letters to one church and that letter would then be circulated to other churches in the area. That way, the most people could be encouraged, corrected, rebuked, and carefully instructed. 

So, why did Paul write Romans? He wrote the letter to the church in Rome to clearly explain the Gospel. 

He wrote the letter to the church in Rome to explain to both Jews and Gentiles that they were justified by their faith in Jesus Christ and nothing else. 

You see friends, people in those days like to do what we like to do today. We like Jesus plus other things in order to be saved. 

Jesus and good deeds. 

Jesus and good works.

Jesus and good giving.

Jesus and good church attendance. 

Paul attempts to realign the thinking of the readers in Rome. He wants to shift their faith away from salvation in works to justification in Christ in alone. He also wrote the letter to unify the church in Rome. There is nothing more tragic than a divided church. Paul, in his letter, was hoping to lay out the foundation of sound Christian doctrine. 

So, now that you know that, today’s message is entitled “God Is So Good”! 

Today’s Message: 

“God Is So Good”

Do you believe that this morning? I sure do. 

When I was a child, I prayed like a child. When I was a child, sitting at the dinner table, my parents would ask me to pray for the food. This is what I said. 

“God is great, God is good,

Let us thank Him for our food.

By His hands we all are fed,

Give us, Lord, our daily bread. Amen.”

You know, when I was a kid that simple prayer became very repetitive. I could say those words so fast that I could barely understand what I was even saying. Those words would just roll off my tongue without hardly any effort or forethought. Now when I look back on that simple childhood prayer, I see great power in it. I see great truth in it. 

God is great… He’s not just mildly impressive—He’s unmatched in power, glory, and majesty. The heavens declare it, creation reflects it, and our lives depend on it.

God is good… Not just occasionally nice or temporarily kind—He is eternally, perfectly, and unshakably good. He doesn’t just do good things, He is good.

Let us thank Him for our food… That simple line? It reminds us we’re not self-made—we’re God-fed. Every bite, every breath, every blessing flows from His hand.

That prayer may be short, but it preaches! It teaches theology in twelve words. It tells us who God is, what He does, and how we ought to respond—with gratitude and trust.

Sometimes it takes growing up to realize how much truth was hiding in our childhoods. When we say that prayer today, looking back at simpler times, we are not just reciting a trivial prayer, we are declaring a testimony:

God is great. God is good. Yes…He still is taking care of me…everyday. 

Ok, time for a second for some of you to participate. I do this from time to time. 

I want to know, how has God been good to you? Just stand up and shout it. How has God been good to you?

(Pause. Let people speak for a moment.)

Amen brothers and sisters. Amen. 

Do me a favor this morning. Fill in the blanks under “Today’s Thought”. God is always gracious, always good, even though we are guilty. 

Today’s Thought: 

God Is Always Gracious, Always Good, Even Though We Are Guilty!

Isn’t that amazing? In a world that is so reciprocal, God is good, He is gracious, even when we are sinful, wicked, and rebellious. 

Think about it for a second. Would you do good, be good, or treat well the person who constantly disregards you, disrespects you, rebels against you, curses you, and cheats on you? OF COURSE NOT! None of us would. Still God loves us. 

I like the way Paul puts it in Romans 5:8. 

Romans 5:8 CSB

But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The other day, a song by Chris Tomlin started playing in my office. Maybe you’ve heard it. 

I'm forgiven 

because you were forsaken

and I'm accepted 

you were condemned

I'm alive and well 

your spirit is within me 

because you died and rose again 

Amazing love how can can it be 

that you my king would die for me 

amazing love I know its true 

that it's my joy to honour you 

in all I do 

I honor you 

Amazing love! How can it be indeed?

One of my favorite authors is AW Tozer. Listen to this quote that he stated in his work, “Attributes of God”

Today’s Quote:

“No one has ever been saved except out of the goodness of God. Out of God’s grace, His mercy, His loving kindness, because God was good, and gracious and cordial and approachable and kindly, He saved people.”

AW Tozer’s— “Attributes of God #3: God’s Goodness”

Background and Context:

This morning, we are reading Romans 3:1-8. Let me tell you why Paul wrote this passage of Scripture. If you have been here the entire time, I mean if you have been here through Romans 1 and 2, Romans 3 add some real clarity to Paul’s thoughts. Paul knew that questions were coming after what he had written in the earlier parts of his letter. He had just said in chapter 2 that being Jewish, having the Law, and even being circumcised doesn’t save anyone—and that would’ve rattled his listeners. So in these verses, Paul steps in like a pastor answering the doubts of his people. He says, “Yes, God gave the Jews great advantages—but your unfaithfulness doesn’t cancel out God’s faithfulness.” In other words, God doesn’t stop being good just because we’ve been bad.

Paul is preaching this truth: God is always righteous, always just, and always faithful—no matter what. That’s why this passage matters. It shows us that even in our sin, God is still so good.

So, before we dive into our Scripture this morning, I want to remind you that…

Statement of Faith:

“We believe the Bible to be inspired, God breathed, infallible, and authoritative. We believe the Bible is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training believer’s in righteousness. God’s Word gives life. It provides peace in trouble and protection in tribulation. It is alive, active, and cuts to the core of the human soul. Since there is no other book like it, let us stand to show our reverence and respect.”

Today’s Scripture:

Romans 3:1-8 ESV

Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? [2] Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. [3] What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? [4] By no means! Let God be true though every one were 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 serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? ( I speak in a human way.) [6] By no means! For then how could God judge the world? [7] But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? [8] And why not do evil that good may come?-as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.

Pastor: This is the Word of the Lord.

Congregation: Praise His name. Praise His Holy name. 

God Is Still Good Even When We Fail!

I. The Privilege of the Jews (vs. 1–2)

Here is the good news this morning brothers and sisters. God is still good even when we fail. Fill in these blanks. 

The Privilege of the Jews. Go back to verses 1 and 2 this morning. 

Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? [2] Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.

Let’s walk back into Paul’s shoes for a moment. He’s just spent the last chapter flipping religious assumptions upside down. In chapter 2, Paul says loud and clear that being Jewish—being circumcised, having the Law, growing up in the right family—doesn’t guarantee salvation. That would’ve shocked the religious crowd. It would’ve made some people think, Well then, what’s the point? Is there any value to our history, our heritage, or our covenant with God?

Paul doesn’t dismiss their heritage—he honors it. He says, “Yes, it matters. It matters deeply.” Not because their ethnicity saves them, but because God gave them something sacred: His Word. His very voice. The promises. The covenants. The prophecies. The Law. They were chosen to be stewards of divine truth.

Here’s the key line again:

“Even though the law cannot save, God entrusted the Jews with the precious gift of His Word.”

That’s a position of privilege and responsibility. But also—grace.

Now to help this truth land, let me show you something.

Illustration: The $20/$100 Potential 

Now folks, in my hand is a $100 bill. It’s the biggest bill I could find this morning—and for the record, it’s not from the church budget.

Now let me ask you something: Is this bill valuable? Absolutely. If you lost it, you’d probably tear the house apart trying to find it.

Let’s pretend we all took a field trip to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing—the BEP. There are two of them in the U.S.—one in Washington, D.C., the other in Fort Worth, Texas. We don’t know where this particular bill came from, but let’s say D.C.

When it came off the press, it was flawless—clean, crisp, perfect. Then it went into circulation. It got handled. It got dropped. It got wrinkled. Maybe it got folded into a sweaty gym sock or passed through a vending machine at a high school.

And yet—how much is it worth?

Still $100.

Even if someone writes over it and crosses out the “100” and scribbles in “1”—how much is it worth?

Still $100. Because its worth is not determined by its condition—it’s determined by its creator.

What if I wad it up? What if I stomp on it? What if I abuse it, tear it, stuff it in a drawer and forget it?

Still $100.

Why? Because its value is assigned and backed by the authority that made it.

Now don’t miss this—that’s exactly what Paul is saying about the Jewish people. God gave them incredible worth by entrusting them with His Word. 

Not because they were perfect. Not because they always obeyed. But because He chose to use them as vessels of truth. That’s grace. That’s goodness.

And it’s not just about them—it’s about us too.

Maybe your life’s been wrinkled, dropped, stomped on, even abused. Maybe you’ve failed. Maybe you feel like your past disqualifies you. But hear me:

Your value doesn’t change because your Maker doesn’t change.

And He says—you still matter. You still have purpose. You still carry worth.

This is why Paul says in Romans 3:1–2:

Yes, the Jews had an advantage. Not a shortcut to salvation, but a calling to stewardship. They were given the truth so they could carry it to the world. That was a gift. A privilege. A responsibility.

Jesus put it this way in Luke 12:48b (CSB):

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be required.”

They were given much. And so are we.

We’ve been given the gospel. We’ve been given grace. We’ve been given His Word.

So, church, let’s not waste it. Let’s not hide it. Let’s not forget it. Let’s live it, speak it, and share it.

Because even when we fail…

God is still so good.

God Is Still Good Even When We Fail!

I. The Privilege of the Jews (vs. 1–2)

II. The Problem of Unbelief (vs. 3-4)

Again, God is still good even when we fail! Think of it like this…

“Our unfaithfulness does not cancel out God’s faithfulness—He remains true, even when we fall short.”

God is still good even when we fail. Now I know that instinctually we all may believe that. We may all believe that God loves us even when we fumble the ball. Even when we miss the shot. Even when we strike out. 

We may know that in our head, but our hearts often tell us something different. We way not say it out loud, but we feel that God loves us more when we do good things. God loves us more when say nice things. When we come to church. When we give to charities. When we serve. For those of us who are truly pursing Christ, we feel guilty when we push off prayer, when we lose our Bible reading streak, we we fall back on our Scripture memory. 

It is just so hard to believe that God loves us no matter what. He doesn’t love us more when we have all the pious works of the Pharisees and He doesn’t love us less when we deny Him like Peter. 

It is just not the way things work here on earth and it is certainly not the way things work between human beings. 

You know how things work here on earth? I will show you. Yesterday my middle son Jack played in two baseball games in Birmingham. Before my boys play or perform, I always pray for them. For Jay and Jack, I pray for them to do well, to encourage their teammates, to respect the other team, to obey their coaches, and to give God glory. I ask God to keep them safe. I pray a blessing over them. For Jett, when he is performing or singing, I ask the Lord to shine through him. My prayer is that Christ can be seen clearly in Jett and that he will give God glory for any success he may achieve. Yesterday I prayed for Jack. In that prayer, I said these words before I concluded the prayer…

“Lord, remind Jack that my love for him is not tied to his performance.”

Did you hear that church? 

“Lord, remind Jack that my love for him is not tied to his performance.”

I say that in my prayers for my kids because I want them know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my love for them is not tied to how well they hit a ball or sing a note. 

Game one, Jack strikes out twice and lines out. 0-3. Did my love for Jack change? No!

What does Jack do? He comes to me, unhappy because of his performance. 

Game two. What does Jack do? Single. Single. Double. Single. 4-4.  What does Jack do? Dad did you see that? What do you think Dad? Dad do you see what I did?

What is Jack really asking? He is asking what we would all ask. I’ll translate for you. Dad, my performance in the first game was not great. Even though you have told me that you love me no matter how I play, I feel that that cannot be true. Dad, my stats improved in the second game and even though you have told me that your love for me is not dependent on my performance, I somehow think that you will be prouder of me, that you will love me more, because I “did good”. 

That’s how human relationships work. That is NOT how God works. 

Church, that’s how we love—but not how God loves.

Our love is often performance-based.

God’s love is promise-based.

Your obedience doesn’t earn His love, and your disobedience doesn’t erase it.

Paul puts it this way:

Romans 3:3–4

“What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar…”

Let’s break that down.

Paul’s saying, “Just because some of God’s people blew it—does that cancel out God’s character? Just because humans mess up—does that mean God backs out?”

Friends this is where marriage should teach us about God’s love, His patience, and His promise. 25 years ago I gave my heart to my beautiful wife Angela. I promised to love and honor her. I promised to cherish her, protect her, provide for her. I promised to be faithful to her. Chances are many of you made the same vows. In 25 years, Angela and I have had three children, three homes, and 3 dogs. We have experienced job chances, difficulties, deaths, disease, and hardship. I would love to say that we have never argued, that we have never yelled at each other, than we have gone to bed more in love than the day before but that would be a lie. I have let her down. I have disappointed her. She has seen the absolute worst sides of me. She has seen me angry. She has heard me gossip. Here’s the secret, I have seen the worst sides of her too. Still, here we are. Still together. Still doing this think called life together. Why? Because our marriage was not based on performance. It was based on a promise. There are lots of days where Angela would probably like to kick me to the curb. She doesnt. She remains faithful. She remains true. She is better than I deserve. 

She made a promise. She is keeping that promise. Our marriage is not built on performance. It is built on a promise. No matter what, I’m not leaving. 

“Just because some of God’s people blew it—does that cancel out God’s character? Just because humans mess up—does that mean God backs out?”

Absolutely not! God’s faithfulness is not built on your track record—it’s built on His righteousness.

People change. God doesn’t.

People forget. God remembers.

People fail. God is still faithful.

Now look back at that verse I mentioned earlier:

2 Timothy 2:13 (AMP):

“If we are faithless, He remains faithful [true to His Word and His righteous character], for He cannot deny Himself.”

God is faithful not because of who we are, but because of who He is.

He doesn’t flinch when you strike out.

He doesn’t frown when you fall short.

He doesn’t fold up His love when you fail.

When you come to Him feeling like a disappointment, God doesn’t look down on you—He looks into you. He sees the image of His Son. He sees the finished work of Christ. He sees your worth, your value, your story—and He doesn’t throw it away because of your worst inning.

So maybe today you’re in “game one” mode—0 for 3, spiritually speaking. You’ve made mistakes. You’ve messed it up. You’re walking in with guilt and shame and wondering if God still delights in you.

Friend, let me speak straight to your heart:

God’s love for you has not changed. Not one inch. Not one ounce. Not one degree.

Just like I told Jack before he stepped up to the plate:

“My love for you is not tied to your performance.”

God says the same to you.

Because God is still good—even when you’re not.

And that’s not just a feeling… it’s a fact backed by the Word of God.

Let God be true, even if every other voice—even your own—tries to tell you otherwise.

God Is Still Good Even When We Fail!

I. The Privilege of the Jews (vs. 1–2)

II. The Problem of Unbelief (vs. 3-4)

III. The Praise of God’s Justice (vv. 5–8)

So, here is our last point this morning. 

God is still good even when we fail. Write in these blanks for me this morning. The praise of God’s justice. We see this again in verses 5-8. 

[5] But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? ( I speak in a human way.) [6] By no means! For then how could God judge the world? [7] But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? [8] And why not do evil that good may come?-as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.

Again, let me simplify it for you this morning. What is Paul really saying? He is saying that…

“God’s righteousness is not glorified by our sin, and His judgment is always just and holy.”

In verses 5 through 8, Paul is addressing a dangerous line of thinking:

“If my sin somehow highlights God’s righteousness, then isn’t my sin a good thing?”

You can almost hear the twisted logic, right? “If my mess makes God look more merciful, then maybe I should just keep messing up!”

Paul shuts that down hard.

He says in verse 6:

“By no means! For then how could God judge the world?”

In other words—God is never glorified by our rebellion. He is glorified in His righteousness despite our sin. God doesn’t need our lies, our mistakes, or our rebellion to shine brighter. His light is already perfect.

Here’s what Paul is correcting: a heart that tries to use grace as an excuse. A heart that says, “Well, if God forgives me anyway, why not sin a little more?”

That’s not grace—that’s abuse.

That’s why Paul later says in Romans 6:1–2a (NKJV):

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”

God is just. God is holy. God is gracious.

And because He is all those things, His justice is something we praise—not avoid.

We don’t get away with sin. We get rescued from it. And that rescue didn’t come cheap—it came through the cross.

God is good even when we fail. But that doesn’t mean we live like failure is the goal.

Grace is not a license to sin—it’s the reason we turn from it!

So today, let’s praise God—not only for His goodness, but for His justice.

Let’s thank Him that He doesn’t wink at evil. That He doesn’t let sin go unchecked. That He is righteous, fair, and perfect in all His ways.

Because if God is not just, then the cross is meaningless.

But because He is just—Jesus took our place, bore our wrath, and gave us righteousness instead.

Church, what can we say to this?

Thank The Lord Jesus For His Grace And Mercy!

Closing Prayer:

Father in Heaven,

We come before You today in awe of Your goodness. We’ve seen in Your Word that You are faithful—even when we are not. We confess that we often tie our worth to our performance. We stumble, we doubt, we fall short—and yet You remain constant, true, and full of grace.

Thank You for entrusting Your Word to people like us. Thank You for seeing value in us even when we feel like crumpled bills—used, worn out, and tossed aside. You declare our worth, not the world, and we praise You for that.

Thank You that Your love is not based on how we perform, but on the finished work of Christ. Thank You that Your justice is perfect, that Your judgment is holy, and that Your mercy is endless.

Lord, may we never abuse Your grace, but instead be transformed by it. Help us to walk faithfully, not to earn Your love—but because we already have it. Let us be a people who praise You not only when we succeed, but even more so when we fail—because it’s in those moments we see Your heart most clearly.

We give You all the glory today.

We trust in Your goodness.

We rest in Your mercy.

And we honor Your name.

In the strong and saving name of Jesus we pray,

Amen.