3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? 4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. (Romans 3:3-4 KJV)
William Burkitt’s Commentary
Here follows a second objection: Some might say, “True, the Jews had the oracles of God, but some of them never believed them, nor gave any credit to the promise of the Messias contained in them; therefore, they had no advantage by them.” Be it so, saith the apostle: yet shall the unbelief of some make the faith or fidelity of God in his promises of no effect to others?
God forbid! that such a thought should enter into our hearts: But, on the contrary, let God be acknowledged true and faithful to his word, though all men should prove liars.
Learn hence, 1. That whether we believe the fidelity of the promises, or assent to the veracity of God in his threatenings, or not; his word standeth fast forever. The promise shall be fulfilled, the threat executed; only with this difference, we cannot personally find the comfort of the promise without faith, but we shall experimentally feel the terror of the threat whether we believe it or not.
Learn, 2. The wonderful condescending grace of God towards those who have any measures of true faith, though with great mixtures of unbelief.
Oh how faithful is God to us (if in truth believers) in the midst of our unfaithfulness to him! The unbelief of men shall not make fidelity or faith of God of no effect.
Learn, 3. That as God is a God of truth, so all men are false and liars, compared with God: As God cannot lie, nor deceive, nor be deceived, so every man is fallible and false; that is, under a possibility of deceiving, and being deceived. Let God be true, but every man a liar.
Learn, 4. That a good man under afflictions, if very careful to justify and clear God from dealing unjustly with him in any of his severest dispensations towards him. The apostle here quotes That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and clear when thou art judged Ps 51:4. As if David had said, “I know the men of the world when they see me afflicted will be ready to judge hardly of God for it; therefore, to stop their mouths, to clear the justice of God, that he may overcome when he is judged for dealing rigorously with me, I do freely confess my sin to him, with all the aggravating circumstances of it, that all the world may justify him, how great soever my sufferings may be from him.” A child of God, under the rod of God, desires nothing more than to justify him in all his severest dealings with, and dispensations towards him.