Men’s Class at Tabernacle – The Gospel: Man the Sinner

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CALLING ALL MEN… plan on joining us this Sunday morning at 9:15 in our Men’s Sunday School class as we continue our study on The Church.

We are taking a deep dive into the marks of a healthy and biblical church. We are utilizing 9Marks Ministry as the springboard for our discussion. This week we are in THE GOSPEL and over the next several months work through all the marks. Check out their website to learn more 9Marks Ministry

Week 3 – Man the Sinner

GETTING STARTED

  1. When you share the gospel with others, are there any concepts that people seem just to not understand?
  2. When you share the gospel with others, are there any concepts that people seem to get downright angry about?

One core component of the gospel that people often either don’t understand or angrily reject is the Bible’s teaching about what humanity’s basic problem is. So, we’re going to devote our entire study to that topic.

MAIN IDEA

Humanity’s fundamental problem is that we are all sinners by nature and by choice, and are therefore subject to the wrath of God.

DIGGING IN

Romans 3:9–20 is one of the clearest discussions of humanity’s most basic problem in all of Scripture. In it, Paul writes,

Romans 3:9–20

No One Is Righteous

[9] What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, [10] as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one;
[11]    no one understands;
    no one seeks for God.
[12] All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
    no one does good,
    not even one.”
[13] “Their throat is an open grave;
    they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
[14]    “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
[15] “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
[16]    in their paths are ruin and misery,
[17] and the way of peace they have not known.”
[18]    “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”


[19] Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. [20] For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (ESV)
  1. According to this passage, how many people are righteous in God’s sight?
  2. In verses 11 through 18, Paul gives several different examples from the Old Testament of the ways we sin. List as many as you can.
  3. What does Paul’s extensive catalogue of sins teach us about human nature?
  4. In verse 11, Paul asserts that “no one seeks for God,” and in verse 18 Paul finishes his catalogue of sins by saying, “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” How do you think these sins relate to all the others Paul mentions?
  5. Many people in our culture think that there is no standard of what’s morally right and wrong for all people. They think that individual people or cultures simply decide what’s right for them. In light of this passage, how would you respond to someone who believed that? (See especially v. 19.)
  6. Read verse 19. What does it mean to be held accountable to God? Why will every mouth be stopped?
  7. Read verse 20. In light of this verse, how would you respond to someone who said, “I’m generally a pretty good person. I’m sure that God will accept me in the end because I’ve done better than most people”?

As we saw in verse 19, the Bible teaches that sin is not just a problem for us simply because it has bad consequences in our own lives. Rather, consider what Paul says in Ephesians 5:

Ephesians 5:5-6 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

  1. What does Paul say will happen to those who practice sexual immorality, impurity, or covetousness?
  2. Upon whom does God’s wrath come (v. 6)? Why?
  3. In light of both of these passages, how would you describe humanity’s natural condition before God?
  4. As we’ve discussed in previous studies, the gospel is the good news about what God has done to save sinners through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Why is it important to understand the Bible’s teaching about our sin and God’s wrath in order to understand and embrace the gospel?
  5. Because we are all sinners before God, it is useless to compare ourselves with others in order to appear to be better than them before God. What does that say about our temptation to measure our spirituality by others?
  6. What are some ways that the Bible’s teaching on sin and God’s wrath should impact the life of the church? Consider the following areas: a) Corporate Worship
    b) Preaching
    c) Discipleship relationships
    d) Evangelism
  7. How should a biblical understanding of humanity’s fundamental problem cause us to rejoice in the gospel?

Bobby Jamieson, God’s Good News: The Gospel, ed. Mark Dever, 9Marks Healthy Church Study Guides (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012), 23–24.

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