1Then what advantage does the Jew have? Or what is the profit of circumcision? 2Much in every way! Because first of all, they were entrusted with the revelations of God. 3For what if some were without faith? Will their lack of faith nullify the faithfulness of God? 4May it never be! Yes, let God be found true, but every man a liar. As it is written,
“that you might be justified in your words,
and might prevail when you come into judgment.”
5But if our unrighteousness commends the righteousness of God, what will we say? Is God unrighteous who inflicts wrath? I speak like men do. 6May it never be! For then how will God judge the world? 7For if the truth of God through my lie abounded to his glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? 8Why not (as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say), “Let’s do evil, that good may come?” Those who say so are justly condemned.
9What then? Are we better than they? No, in no way. For we previously warned both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. 10As it is written,
“There is no one righteous;
no, not one.
11There is no one who understands.
There is no one who seeks after God.
12They have all turned away.
They have together become unprofitable.
There is no one who does good,
no, not so much as one.”
13“Their throat is an open tomb.
With their tongues they have used deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is under their lips.”
14“Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
15“Their feet are swift to shed blood.
16Destruction and misery are in their ways.
17The way of peace, they haven’t known.”
18“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19Now we know that whatever things the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God. 20Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight; for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
21But now apart from the law, a righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified by the law and the prophets; 22even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all those who believe. For there is no distinction, 23for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; 24being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God’s forbearance; 26to demonstrate his righteousness at this present time, that he might himself be just and the justifier of him who has faith in Jesus.
27Where then is the boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28We maintain therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29Or is God the God of Jews only? Isn’t he the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30since indeed there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
31Do we then nullify the law through faith? May it never be! No, we establish the law.
10 As it is written,“There is no one righteous;no, not one.11 There is no one who understands.There is no one who seeks after God.12 They have all turned away.
They have together become unprofitable.There is no one who does good,no, not so much as one.”
In this chapter, Paul aims to emphasize that all humans, regardless of their good deeds, are under the power of sin and are deserving of God's wrath. Most ancient cultures felt that something had gone awry. They were constantly dreaming up new things that they felt would make them right with God. Many of the “solutions” for this innate sense of deficiency produced horrific results. The ancient Canaanites burned their children on roasting pits to the god Molech. They felt there was nothing more precious to give up to a ghastly god than their own precious offspring. The Aztecs believed that their wrongdoing had angered the gods, who were responsible for bringing prosperity and productivity to their fields. To assuage this monstrous group of gods, they brutally cut the hearts out of other human beings in hopes of somehow ridding themselves of the guilt they felt. Men do some bizarre and horrible things. Those awful practices were attempts to deal with a spiritual reality: “None is righteous, no not one.”
The observant reader will recognize that Paul is quoting Psalm 14:1-3. The psalmist, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, states the reality that no human being is righteous. In the realm of perfection, all of us are imperfect. Down underneath it all, nobody is really a “good guy”. We have a glitch within us. It is what I think of as the “sin gene”. It was passed down to us from our rebellious forefathers, Adam and Eve. There is a certain comfort in this realization as well. We’re no better nor worse than any other person. We are all broken. We are all in need of repair and restoration.
We have all sinned and fallen short of what God expects of us. When we reach this realization, we naturally seek a solution. God, in His love for us, provided that solution in coming to earth, and He died for you and me on a cross. He didn’t require our children. He didn’t need us to take the life of our neighbor. He did it all for us. It is over. It is done. He succinctly stated it in those final moments on the cross when He said, “It is finished.” Walk in that grace today and be joyful. As the old hymn states, “We have heard the joyful sound, Jesus saves! Jesus saves! Spread the tidings all around, Jesus saves! Jesus saves!