7 For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just.
Verses seven and eight set forth the answer to the objector in verse six. If the objector’s opinion was valid, he could claim exemption from God’s judgment and that would imply that it is right for the end to justify the means. It would be right to do evil that good might come.
3:7
For if [and it is true] the truth of God has increased through my [the Jews’] lie to His glory,
Verse seven is the same kind of argument as verses five and six except that the argument turns on the issue of truthfulness or falsehood. The contrast is between the falseness and sin on the one hand and the complete trustworthiness and truth of God on the other hand. Falsehood does not show truthfulness in any way.
why am I also still judged as a sinner?
If lack of truth enhances God’s truthfulness, how can God judge fairly? How can he turn about-face and condemn sins for the Jews’ sin? If sin benefits God in some way, it is inconsistent that He judges sinners for their sin.
All this has its source in God’s faithfulness to unfaithful Israel. God maintains His faithfulness to the unrighteous Gentile and the unfaithful Jew alike. The Jew and the Gentile are in the same boat.
3:8
And why not say, “Let us do evil that good may come”?
Some used this false accusation against God to do evil so that good might come to them. This is the end-justifies-the-means argument.
—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say.
This rationalization of the end justifying the means was a slander against how God operates and what Paul argued.
Their condemnation is just.
People who attribute to God something against His unchanging character are judicially judged by God.
PRINCIPLE:
Sinners have a proclivity to rationalize their sin.
APPLICATION:
There will always be those who try to justify their sin because of some twist of thinking about God’s character. “My sin served a good purpose.” It is important to identify, acknowledge, and deal with sin. Anything less would put the believer out of phase with God. We would subvert ourselves before God.
