LOST CHURCH MEMBERS
Jerry Vines
Romans 2:17-29
6/24/2001
The opening chapters of the book of Romans are like a
trial. The Apostle Paul is like the prosecuting
attorney. He is bringing a case against the whole
human race. His purpose is to prove that all of us are
sinners and in desperate need of a Savior. You will
find this all the way from the introduction of the
book of Romans to the middle of the 3rd chapter. One by
one he brings every segment of the human race before
the trial and finds every one of them guilty. It's
like you were laying down a black velvet showing that
all of us are sin. The black velvet represents sin.
You can put the beautiful, glistening diamond of the
good news of the Lord Jesus Christ that though we are
sinners the Lord Jesus died on the cross for our sins.
The gospel is the good news, but before you are ready
for the good news, you have to hear the bad news. The
bad news begins "for all have sinned and come short of
the glory of God." Having established the bad new,
then you become ready for the good news that Christ
died on the cross for our sins.
One by one Paul puts the whole human race on trial. He
starts off with the total pagan—the person who has no
interest whatsoever in the things of God. He proves
that the total pagan is a sinner who desperately needs
the Lord Jesus Christ.
From there he brings the good moral person to the
trial. He shows that the good moral person—the person
who tries to live a good life, the person who tries to
be a good parent, who tries to be a good employee.
Even the good moral person is a sinner who desperately
needs a Savior. In this 17th verse which I have read to
you, he kind of pulls us up short and takes us by
surprise.
Now, he takes the church member to trial and he proves
that mere church membership does not save anybody
either. You say, "Now, preacher, I didn't see that
when I was looking at verse 17." In verse 17 ...
Jerry Vines
Romans 2:17-29
6/24/2001
The opening chapters of the book of Romans are like a
trial. The Apostle Paul is like the prosecuting
attorney. He is bringing a case against the whole
human race. His purpose is to prove that all of us are
sinners and in desperate need of a Savior. You will
find this all the way from the introduction of the
book of Romans to the middle of the 3rd chapter. One by
one he brings every segment of the human race before
the trial and finds every one of them guilty. It's
like you were laying down a black velvet showing that
all of us are sin. The black velvet represents sin.
You can put the beautiful, glistening diamond of the
good news of the Lord Jesus Christ that though we are
sinners the Lord Jesus died on the cross for our sins.
The gospel is the good news, but before you are ready
for the good news, you have to hear the bad news. The
bad news begins "for all have sinned and come short of
the glory of God." Having established the bad new,
then you become ready for the good news that Christ
died on the cross for our sins.
One by one Paul puts the whole human race on trial. He
starts off with the total pagan—the person who has no
interest whatsoever in the things of God. He proves
that the total pagan is a sinner who desperately needs
the Lord Jesus Christ.
From there he brings the good moral person to the
trial. He shows that the good moral person—the person
who tries to live a good life, the person who tries to
be a good parent, who tries to be a good employee.
Even the good moral person is a sinner who desperately
needs a Savior. In this 17th verse which I have read to
you, he kind of pulls us up short and takes us by
surprise.
Now, he takes the church member to trial and he proves
that mere church membership does not save anybody
either. You say, "Now, preacher, I didn't see that
when I was looking at verse 17." In verse 17 ...
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