The same law that condemns you will be the one that will also save you
Romans 3:1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what is the profit of circumcision? 2 Much every way: first of all, that they were intrusted with the oracles of God.
Are there people who have heard from God? Perhaps in a dream or a vision? Maybe their prayers were answered? We have many instances of this in the Bible. So let's say this is your experience. Wouldn't you want the oracles of God? Imagine how confusing it would be to have God speaking to you in a world where no one else knows God. It would be like floating in the middle of the ocean. You are alive, but for how long? But finding a people with the oracles of God would be like finding a boat where they pull you out of that sea.
3 For what if some were without faith? shall their want of faith make of none effect the faithfulness of God? 4 God forbid: yea, let God be found true, but every man a liar; as it is written,
That thou mightest be justified in thy words,
And mightest prevail when thou comest into judgment.
When you get on this boat guess what, you will discover that some of the Jews that were born and raised with the oracles of God are without faith. So what, you have faith, you discovered God, and now you have the oracles of God, and you can find some of the people on this boat do have faith. Your situation just went from hopeless to full of hope.
5 But if our unrighteousness commendeth the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who visiteth with wrath? (I speak after the manner of men.) 6 God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?
God is working to deliver us from sin. It is a given that we are all in sin, no one has any advantage over anyone else. In order to rescue us He has thrown us a lifeline, the word of God, the gospel of our salvation, which includes being delivered from sin. If we grab the lifeline it proves we do not want to be sinners. If we refuse the lifeline it proves that we do want to be sinners. This is God's righteousness, He judges according to the heart.
7 But if the truth of God through my lie abounded unto his glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner?
We have brothers and sisters who were notorious sinners before being pulled out. Saul of Tarsus was consenting to the death of Steven. Murderers, pimps, prostitutes, and all sorts of sinners have been pulled out. But the fact that they grabbed hold of the lifeline and they repented of their sinful life tells you what their heart is. If I love the Lord and pursue the Lord why do you judge me as though I loved the world and pursued sin?
8 and why not (as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say), Let us do evil, that good may come? whose condemnation is just.
Think how absurd that is. I am now pursuing the Lord, not evil. I have repudiated the works of darkness. If I fall and sin I confess and repent. Fifty years ago I did horrible sins, today the things I repent of I would not have even considered as sin fifty years ago. A curse word, that would be devastating to me. Just speaking in a tone that the Lord does not approve of would cause me to repent today.
9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we before laid to the charge both of Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin; 10 as it is written,
There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none that understandeth,
There is none that seeketh after God;
12 They have all turned aside, they are together become unprofitable;
There is none that doeth good, no, not so much as one:
13 Their throat is an open sepulchre;
With their tongues they have used deceit:
The poison of asps is under their lips:
14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace have they not known:
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
That is the cess pool that I was rescued from. That is the cess pool that we all were rescued from. Anyone who pretends to be holier than thou in that cess pool is simply a bigger liar and more deceitful than thou. God judges the hearts and pride is the one thing you want to get rid of because you will suffer greatly for any pride you hold onto.
19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it speaketh to them that are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God: 20 because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for through the law cometh the knowledge of sin.
There is only one way to the Father, only one way to the throne room of God and that is Jesus Christ. Unless you die to your self and your flesh and your old man you cannot be saved. My goal as a Christian is to be someone like Elijah who when he prays God answers the prayers. God is not going to answer your prayers because you are telling him about the good works you have done. The only way God answers your prayers is if you are justified, and the only way you can be justified for your sins is if you paid the full price for them, and that price is the blood of Jesus. You are not justified by the sweat of your own brow, you are justified by the blood of the lamb who gave His life for you.
21 But now apart from the law a righteousness of God hath been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ unto all them that believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; 24 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 whom God set forth to be a propitiation, through faith, in his blood, to show his righteousness because of the passing over of the sins done aforetime, in the forbearance of God; 26 for the showing, I say, of his righteousness at this present season: that he might himself be just, and the justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus.
A lot of people are confused by "there is no distinction". Really, no distinction between a murderer and a guy who stole and another who lied? Paul's sin was very great and as a result Acts talks about him having to suffer quite a bit in the flesh. Jesus tells a Pharisee that if he forgives one person who only owes him a little and another who owes him a lot, the one who was forgiven the most will love the most. No, there is a distinction in sins, and there is a distinction in punishments. Take a guy who is a convicted felon, he must go to prison for life, but while in prison he gets saved. That doesn't mean he gets to walk out of the prison. His mission field will now be in that prison. No, the point is there is no distinction in how you are to deal with your sin. Everyone, regardless big sin or small sin, must offer a sin offering and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. Suppose you want to buy a car. The car dealers sells little cheap cars for $12,000, and cars for $30,000 and for $60,000 and for $100,000. There is no distinction in the process that you go through to buy the car. The amount you pay is different, but the process is the same. Paul had to pay $100,000 but the blood of Jesus was more than enough, you may only pay $12,000 but you are broke and the only way you can pay is with the blood of Jesus.
27 Where then is the glorying? It is excluded. By what manner of law? of works? Nay: but by a law of faith.
Paul doesn't get to boast about his $100,000 faith, because he didn't earn it by his own work rather Jesus was the one who paid the price.
28 We reckon therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yea, of Gentiles also: 30 if so be that God is one, and he shall justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith.
If you are born a Jew and embrace the faith, and hold to the covenant that God made with you then you are justified by that faith. On the other hand if you are a gang member who sold drugs, murdered people, and did all kinds of heinous things but have since repented and embraced the Lord we see the change in you through the faith that you are living out.
31 Do we then make the law of none effect through faith? God forbid: nay, we establish the law.
This is why we need the oracles of God. The law tells us that if we sin, and all have sinned, we need to give God a sin offering in order to be forgiven. We also will have to pay restitution. The Lord giving Himself as our sin offering is not making the law of none effect it is establishing the law. Yes Jesus loves you and died that you could be saved. But unless you receive that sacrifice and take the Lord's blood to wash you of your sins then you will be judged as a sinner by the same law that would have saved you had you taken the Lord's sacrificial offering.