23.276 | None Is Righteous | Romans 3:9-18 | God’s Word for Today with Pastor Nazario Sinon

Text: Romans 3:9-18 ESV
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.”
-Rom 3:9-18 ESV
NONE IS RIGHTEOUS
Once more, Paul asks the question, "What then, are we Jews better off?" Paul claims that he too is a Jew, He says they are not. Paul points out once more that every person is "under sin," whether Jewish or Gentile.
Paul begins to substantiate his claim with a series of quotations from the Old Testament. This means that this idea of the universal sinfulness of mankind is not a new idea. Paul quoted David who wrote Psalm 14:3, "There is none who does good, not even one." He moved on to quote Psa 14:2, “The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God."
God was not glancing at the worst attitudes and actions of humanity. In a figurative way, He "searched" to see if there was anyone who understood God or looked for Him. Nobody did. This is a crucial reality, which is fundamental to the gospel. Nobody seeks after God without God’s working through the Spirit’s conviction. Our nature is corrupted so we cannot and do not know God by ourselves.
Paul continues as he paraphrases David's words in Psalm 14:3. All have turned aside from following God's righteous path. All become worthless and corrupt. Not a single person is found to do good, with respect to the standards of a holy and perfect Judge.
As a caveat, Paul is not saying that man could not do anything good. What, he means is that the standard of man’s goodness isn’t acceptable before God. An act of man may help the needy and is in accordance with the bible. And, it is good. But, the heart is inclined to a self-serving motive. The bottom line is that humans are capable of doing good, but we universally choose not to, by God's standards. We want what we want and not what He wants.
Paul is highlighting the sins of through our tongues and mouths as he quoted Psa 10:7. That is who we are apart from God's help and power. He described man’s feet as quick to shed blood. Paul references this to Isa 59:7-8. Sadly, every place where sinful people has been is corrupted unto ruin and misery, desolation and destruction. Indeed, there is nothing good the flesh can produce but corruption. Thus, peace for him is elusive. It's not our nature to walk away from sin and conflict for we create it along the way.
This is the longest string of quotations from the Old Testament that Paul did. He has shown how human beings use our bodies to express our sinful natures. When we speak, sin comes out. Paul concluded with a quote that comes from Psalm 36:1, where David describes "the wicked" as having no fear of God before their eyes. Paul insists that all human beings, Jews and Gentiles alike, meet this description (Rom 3:10). Certainly, we are not righteous. We deserve God’s anger and judgment for our sinfulness.
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