City Line Church Sermons
Every Mouth Stopped
Romans 3:9-20 Paul now brings his case about sin to its conclusion. Jews and Gentiles alike stand under the power of sin. One by one, the Scriptures testify that no one is righteous, no one naturally seeks God, and no one escapes the corruption of sin. The purpose of the Law, then, is not to provide a ladder by which we climb to heaven but a mirror that reveals our true condition. Before God's holiness every excuse falls away, every defense collapses, and every mouth is stopped. This is one of the darkest passages in Romans, but it is also one of its most necessary. Until we understand that salvation cannot originate with us, we will never fully appreciate that it comes entirely from God. The gospel begins where human achievement ends. The God who justly exposes our guilt is the same God who graciously provides the righteousness we cannot produce ourselves. Conviction is never God's final word for those who come to Christ in faith.
