The Unadorned Gospel

THE UNADORNED GOSPEL
A Slow but Certain Journey
to Assure Salvation in Christ
copyright 2006 Jeffrey D. Smith

STEP TEN
Approaching True Conversion

Have you ever seen Tiger Woods tap in a birdie putt on a Par 5? He
makes it look easy. But in order to be in position for the short putt, he had
to hit a long drive off the tee, a nice approach shot, and a perfect iron to put
the ball within inches of the cup.

It's the same thing here. When we finally get to justification by faith, it's
going to be as easy as a 3 inch putt. But the approach makes all the
difference. We've had to do a lot of groundwork to be in position to
understand justification. Thankfully, at this point in our study, we're just one
perfect iron away from the goal.

The purpose of Step Ten is to present the final approach to the Watershed
Verse and justification by faith. To do this we take a look at 1) The Reality
of Judgment, 2) The Doctrine of Original Sin (Revisited), and 3) The
Doctrine of the Fall of Man (Revisited).

************************************************************************************************

First Scripture References

But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing
up wrath against yourself, for the day of God's wrath when His righteous
judgment will be revealed.
Romans 2:5

This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets,
as my gospel declares.
Romans 2:16

a. The Reality of Judgment

In history past, the reality of final judgment was taken for granted. Most people knew or assumed that,
after they died, they would stand before God. You lived. You died. You were judged. Then you went
on to either eternal life or eternal death.

These days that assumption is not so widely accepted. Many believe that death is simply the end.
Others embrace the Eastern teaching of reincarnation, which denies final judgment.

But it's best to face the facts. There is a Judgment Day. The Final Day of God's Wrath, as certain as
the sunrise, will one day come. It' only a matter of time until God will judge the secrets of our hearts.
One day, you and I will stand before God. This is a fact. This is reality.

On what basis will we be judged? Will it be by our national or racial identity? Or perhaps family or
religious affiliation?

Second Scripture Reference

God “will give to each person according to what he has done.”
Romans 2:6

As you might have suspected, men will not be judged by anything other than their deeds. It is by what
we do that God will judge us. It's that simple.

This should come as no surprise. The desire for justice is built into our basic nature. We want people
rewarded for doing right and punished for doing wrong. We are built that way. The world is built that
way.
We want it that way and that's the way it is! Justice will be served. Fittingly, it is by deeds that this
justice will come, not by family pedigree, social status, financial status, religious affiliation, skin color, etc.

We ought to have mixed feelings about the reality of judgment. We don't want O.J. Simpson and the
like to get away with murder. We want innocent victims avenged. We are glad to find out that,
ultimately, wrongdoers will be punished and innocent victims avenged.

But this, of course, is a double edged sword. We are glad to know that others will get their
comeuppance. But, alongside this pleasing reality is the fact that we also will get what's coming to us.
We will pay for every wrong thing we do, and be held accountable for every person we wronged.
Wouldn't it be nice if you could look back over your life, and realize you have done nothing wrong?
Wouldn't it be nice if you could honestly say that there was not a single person you wronged? But...oh
well...what a nice fantasy!

Which leads us to the next point, "the impossible task".

******************************************************************************************************************************

Third Scripture Reference

To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life.
Romans 2:7

Having established that men will judged by their deeds, we next get to a statement that makes perfect
sense. Those who do good will be given eternal life. Simple.

But look at the wording – “...those who, by persistence in doing good, seek glory, honor, and
immortality... “ Do alarm bells go off in your head? Do the words glory, honor, and immortality cause
you to remember anything from what we've studied before? Do you remember the fall of man from
Step Six? How many people actually persist in doing good? How many people seek glory, honor, and
immortality? None! Instead, people exchange the glory of God for the things of earth. We exchange
immortality for the few short years we have on earth.

This leaves us in a world of hurt. Yes, judgment is by deeds. Yes, those who seek glory, honor, and
immortality will receive eternal life. But you and I do not seek these things. Because of the innate flaw
passed on to us from Adam and the consequences of the fall of man, immortality cannot be gained in
this fashion. That door is already closed. It is an impossible task.

Here is another unanswered question worthy of meditation. Think on it. How are we going to get
righteousness into our lives? How are we going to do the good deeds necessary to be judged
favorably at the end of time?
We'll find out the answer to this question in due time. For now, let's go on.

*************************************************************************************************************************

Fourth Scripture Reference

But for those who are self seeking, who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.
Romans 2:8

Here,we find another statement that makes perfect sense. First we saw that those who do good will be given
eternal life. Now we see that those who do evil will get wrath and anger. Again, simple. Do good – get
eternal life. Do evil – get wrath and anger.

Romans 2:8 is a verse that gives a little softening to the doctrine of the fall of man. Notice the progression.
1) Self seeking. 2) Reject truth. 3) Follow evil. This is an important progression because it shows that men
are not so much born evil as they are born selfish. Selfishness is the primary trait of human beings, not evil.
But this innate selfishness inevitably causes a problem. For selfishness always conflicts with Truth. Truth,
just like the gospel, always conflicts with human pride. When faced with God's Truth, men naturally choose
their own way, their selfish way, and reject the truth. We may want to do good. But selfishness is a trump
card that overrules any desire to persist in doing good. We stubbornly stick with our selfishness, rather than
turn to God's truth.

After this, the next step comes quickly. Having rejected truth, what else is there but following evil?

Do you see this progression? It's important. It's not that men are born evil. You can't believe that a tiny,
precious infant is evil. But you can believe that it is selfish. That selfishness, unfortunately, will one day
result in the rejecting of truth and the following of evil. So pray for them and teach them the gospel, that they
may reject their selfishness, reject evil, and follow Christ!

Now to summarize.

Last Scripture Reference for Section a

There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, first for the Jew, then for the
Gentile,
but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good, first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
For God does not show favoritism.
Romans 2:9-11

Here we see a concise summary of judgement. There will be trouble and distress for every human being
who does evil. But glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good. But the big problem is...how can
we do good? How can we get righteous deeds into our lives? How can we do the things we should in
order to avoid trouble and distress, and receive glory, honor, and peace? Stuck with this dilemma, we
move on to another look at the doctrine of original sin.

b. The Doctrine of Original Sin (Revisited)

Scripture Reference

What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness?
Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar!
As it is written:
“So that you may be proved right when you speak
and prevail when you judge”.

But if our unrighteousness bring out God's righteousness more clearly, what shall we say?
That God is unjust in bring His wrath on us? (I am using a human argument?) Certainly not!
If that were so, how could God judge the world? Someone might argue,
“If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases His glory,
why am I still condemned as a sinner?” Why not say –
as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say -
“Let us do evil that good may result”?
Their condemnation is deserved.
Romans 3:3-8

Romans 3:3-8 is an intriguing passage. The underlying thread of these verses is the doctrine of original
sin. But that's not obvious on first glance. Let's look at it and see what we find.

First, we see in these verses another reaction to the fall of man. We have already seen three other
reactions, 1) the "not me!" reaction, 2) the "shift the blame onto others" reaction, and 3) the "religious
exemption". Now we see the fourth and final reaction. From a careful reading of Romans 3:3-8, we can
summarize the fourth reaction as follows:

"Hey, I understand original sin! I know I am a child of Adam. I know Adam passed the sin nature to me. I
know that my unrighteousness makes God's righteousness shine more clearly. I know God is true, and
every man, including myself, is a liar. I see the horrible effects of the fall of man. I see how the doctrines
of original sin and the fall of man explain the world that we live in.

But hey! We are all God's children! He created us and He loves us! He loves us just the way we are! In
fact, my unrighteousness increases His glory! I may do evil, but God makes everything work out for the
good! Therefore, He won't condemn me as a sinner. He won't judge me for my actions. He is going to
give me a free pass into Heaven."

It's an interesting reaction, very close to the truth in some ways. But those who put their hope in this type
of spin deserve their just condemnation.

************************************************************************

Next, since it's not obvious that original sin is the subject of these verses, we'll go through them step by
step.

First, in Romans 3:3, we see the question, "What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify
God's faithfulness?" This refers to the previous section where Paul has revealed the existence of the two
types of Jews, physical one and true ones. This question can be paraphrased - "Will the existence of
physical Jews, who do not have faith in God, do anything to hamper God's faithfulness?"
The answer is..of course not!

Next, Paul says, "Let God be true, and every man a liar!". Because of the phrasing, it took me a while to
realize that Paul is making a declaration of truth. God is true! Every man is a liar!
How do we know that every man is a liar? Because of the doctrine of original sin! In our basic human
nature, inherited from Adam, we are liars. Some are worse than others. Some try hard to tell the truth,
the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Some don't try at all. But every man on earth has told a lie. (In
fact, many lies! You know it's true!)

So, in answering the question of physical Jews besmirching God's faithfulness, (or, in modern times, the
physical Church besmirching God's faithfulness), Paul responds by going back to the doctrine of original
sin. God's name may be blasphemed because of the physical followers of God, but those who blaspheme
are no better. In fact, they are using their hatred of God as an excuse to rail against the people of God.
God is true! Every man is a liar!

Next, Paul back up this emphatic statement about truth and liars with a quotation from Psalm 51. "As it is
written: 'So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge'." What does this
mean? Why does Paul quote from Psalm 51 at this point? What is the connection?

To establish the connection, let's make a quick review. 1) God's faithfulness is not hampered by the
unfaithfulness of the physical Jews, 2) God is true, every man a liar, 3) as it is written: 'So that you may
be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.' This is the progression so far.

Since Paul only quotes part of Psalm 51:4, let's take a look at the entire verse.

Scripture Reference

Against you and you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak,
and justified when you judge.
Psalm 51:4

(Side note on translation differences: The Old Testament was written in Hebrew. It was translated into
Greek, around 200 B.C., in a version called the Septuagint, which both Paul and Jesus quote from. Most of
the New Testament was written in Greek, then translated into English for you and I to read today. Some
wordings get changed along the way. But, don't worry, the meaning stays the same.)

Here's the story behind Psalm 51. David was king of Israel. He committed adultery with Uriah's wife,
Bathsheba, who conceived a child. He then sent Uriah to the front lines of battle, with instructions to Joab
(the Commander of the forces) to see to it that Uriah was killed in battle. Then, when Bathsheba gave
birth, the baby died.

David makes a puzzling statement in Psalm 51:4. He says it was against God and God only that he sinned.
Yet, at the very least, David sinned against Uriah, whom he murdered, Bathsheba, whom he committed
adultery with, and the baby, who died. He also sinned by involving Joab in the crime. And he sinned
against the entire nation because, as king, the punishment for his crime would be felt by everyone!
So, the question is...how could David possibly say that it was against God and God alone that he had
sinned? Think about it. (This is a good question to mull over for a while.)

There are other possible explanations, but the best one is this. There was only one man, ever, who sinned
against God and God alone. That man was Adam. Adam had communed directly with God in the garden,
and had been given one simple command. He did not have a sinful nature. Unlike his posterity, he was
free to obey that command. So, when he broke the command in the garden, he sinned directly and only
against God.

Thus, when David says, against you and you only have I sinned, he is speaking as a child of Adam. At the
most elemental level, just like his ancestor Adam, he sinned only against God.

In this respect, all of us, when we sin, sin against God. He is our Maker. We know Him. Yet we turn from
Him. "Although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God, nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking
became futile, and their foolish hearts were darkened." (Romans 1:21-22)

This interpretation makes the whole passage make sense. Original Sin is the glue that binds these verses
together. It coincides with what we've learned previously.

-God is true.

-Every man is a liar.

-God is always right when He speaks.

-He will always prevail when He judges.

-He is righteous.

-We are not.

-From the evidence of our own imperfection, we see God's perfection.

-Our unrighteousness makes His righteousness stand out more clearly.

-My lack of integrity makes God's integrity shine brighter, thus increasing His glory.

These are true statements, understood perfectly in the context of the doctrine of original sin. These truths
solidify our understanding and serve to make our foundation more firm.

Of course, to twist these truths to justify ourselves and seek an exemption from the fall is useless. It
doesn't work. God doesn't buy it. As Paul concludes, people who try to wriggle out from judgment by
twisting these truths deserve their just condemnation. ("Their condemnation is deserved".)

We will return once more to the doctrine of original sin when we get to Romans 5. Personally, I love this
doctrine because it goes deep and provides an underlying unity to much of the gospel. It's companion
doctrine, the doctrine of the fall of man, is harder to love, but it also goes deep and explains a lot. To this
tough doctrine, the fall of man, we will go once more, before arriving at the Watershed Verse.

c. The Fall of Man (Revisited)

Did you get offended in Step Six when I compared you to Hitler, Stalin, Manson, and Bin-Laden? The fall of
man is, admittedly, a tough teaching. Most of us have not become pure evil like these four. Nevertheless,
we share a tainted flesh, a body in which no good dwells.
The doctrine of the fall of man is tough but necessary. You can't get to true salvation without it. So, one
last time, before getting into the good news of justification by faith, the Apostle Paul takes us into the bad
news of the fall of man.

This is the position that the fall of man brings us to. Woe to us! We are ruined!

Isaiah summarized the fall of man: I am a man of unclean lips, living among people of unclean lips.
Oh, woe! I am ruined!

Please notice that Isaiah mentions his lips. When he appeared before God, he was silenced. This
takes us directly to Step Eleven.

Scripture Reference

What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge
that
Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.
Romans 3:9-10

Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. All men are under the power of sin. We see how this
happened when we contemplate our ancestor Adam, as we studied under the category of original sin.

Paul could go directly to the Watershed Verse from Roman 3:8, but instead goes to the Old Testament
to support the doctrine of the fall of man. His first verse is one we used in Step Five, Part 5, in the
section on the twin sins. (Don't forget the twin sins: men, who owe their existence to God, know that
they ought to honor Him with praise, admiration, and worship, and give Him thanks. But they don't.)

Paul's First Old Testament Reference

There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.
All have turned away, they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good, not even one.
Romans 3:10-12, Psalms 14:1-3, Psalm 53:1-3

This passage is written twice in Psalms, and once more in Romans. It must be important to appear three
times in the Bible! And important it is. If there could be a summary of how original sin and the fall of man
go together to explain man's predicament, this is it.

-"There is no one righteous, not even one". Adam passed on the innate flaw to every single one of his
descendants.

-"There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God." They don't want to. They are now caught up
in their own selfish ways.

-"All have turned away." After Adam, men naturally turn their back on God. Like sheep, we follow our own
way.

-"They have together become worthless." Their thinking became futile, and their foolish hearts were
darkened. Thinking themselves wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for
images of the temporal earth.

-"There is no one who does good, not even one." Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. Adam passed
the sin nature to all of his descendants, i.e. everyone.

Paul's Final Old Testament Reference

There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Romans 3:18, Psalm 36:1

Paul's Old Testament References # 2, 3, and 4

Their throats are open graves, their tongues practice deceit.
Romans 3:13, Psalm 5:9

The poison of vipers is on their lips.
Romans 3:13, Psalm 140:3

Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.
Romans 3:14, Psalm 10:7

In these three verses, first notice the underlined words: throats, tongues, lips, mouths.
Man's innate sinfulness begins in our hearts and minds, as we turn away from the God who created
us. Then the sin moves from our hearts and minds to our throat, tongue, lips, and mouth, that is, to
our speech.

Next notice the italicized words. (Once again, studying the fall of man fills me with dismay). Open
graves, deceit, poison, cursing and bitterness. This is reminiscent of "senseless, faithless, heartless,
ruthless.", from Romans 1.

Have you been around the block a time or two? Have you seen the rotten behavior of people
throughout your life? When you were young, you may have dismissed bad behavior with a shrug.
Maybe they were just having a bad day. People are basically good at heart, you might have believed,
but just need an attitude adjustment.
But you were wrong weren't you? For the problem goes way deeper than attitude. The problem
begins in our hearts and minds as we turn from God. It then spreads to our speech. Then it moves
to our actions, as we practice deceit, spread poison, and spew out cursing and bitterness. Oh my!

Paul's Old Testament Reference #5

Their feet are swift to shed blood, ruin and misery mark their ways,
and the way of peace they do not know.
Romans 3:15-17, Isaiah 59:7-8

It starts in our hearts and minds, spreads to our speech, and then continues in our actions. Our feet
are swift to shed blood. Ruin and misery mark our ways. The way of peace we do not know.

This is the human experience, like it or not. No amount of spin changes the fact. The "spin doctors" of
the world do their best, and convince many of their lies. But the truth is, men are not basically good.
Men start selfish and become rotten and evil. The world is a rotten place, full of rotten people, who do
rotten things. I would like to tell you different. I would rather paint a different picture. But this is the
truth. This is reality.

And finally, there is no fear of God before our eyes. What a great summary of the people of the temporal
world in which we live!

To conclude Step Ten, let's go to the place Isaiah went when he appeared before God.

Isaiah's Lament

Woe to me! I am ruined!
For I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips...
Isaiah 6:7