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9 So are we Jews better than others? No! We have already said that Jews and those who are not Jews are all guilty of sin. 10 As the Scriptures say: “There is no one who always does what is right, not even one. 11 There is no one who understands. There is no one who looks to God for help. 12 All have turned away. Together, everyone has become useless. There is no one who does anything good; there is not even one.” ~ Romans 3:9-12
Today, we return to our study of Romans 3 where the Apostle Paul delivers a final convincing indictment that all mankind, including the Jews, are sinful and therefore guilty before God. Romans 3:9-20 is Paul’s summary statement of his whole discourse of the bad news of the Gospel. In today's passage, v.9-12, he begins this final argument by pointing us to several verses out of Psalms and Isaiah, levying a 14 count indictment with the pounding of the gavel of God.
In v.9-10 of today's passage we read, "9 So are we Jews better than others? No! We have already said that Jews and those who are not Jews are all guilty of sin. 10 As the Scriptures say: “There is no one who always does what is right, not even one."
Having already established the universal fact that both Jews and Gentiles are thoroughly deserving of God's righteous anger, the Apostle Paul now establishes the fact that morally self-righteous people, who pride themselves on their good conduct and clean living, are no better off than the unenlightened pagans of the world. The pinnacle of Paul's reasoning is to repudiate the Jewish opinion that Jews are superior to Gentiles and that they automatically receive salvation because of their Jewish lineage.
In this section, Paul gives count after count against us all that finds us all in desperate need of a savior. Four times the word “none” is used in v.10-18. Three times the word “all” is used establishing the fact that no one escapes this indictment.
In v.10 Paul quotes Psalm 14:1 and his point is there is no one who is good enough through our actions. Most when asked if they are going to heaven inaccurately say something to the effect that they hope to get to heaven because their good behavior will outweigh their bad. This response clearly shows that their understanding of their sinfulness has not be influenced by the Bible. And, it makes sense that Paul would make the argument that he is making since this book of Romans is about how to be made right with God.
In v.11 of today's passage we read, "There is no one who understands. There is no one who looks to God for help."
In this letter to the Romans, Paul sets out the most exhaustive essay on salvation and covers every question that might be raised by both unbelieving skeptics and maturing believers alike. The indictment he delivers in the first three chapters is divided into three parts: the first part deals with sinful man’s character, the second part deals with sinful man’s speech, and the third part deals with sinful man’s conduct.
In v.11, Paul quotes Psalm 14:2 where God establishes the point that all of mankind has no true perception of divine reality, and, we totally lack right apprehension of God and His goodness. Whether we were born a Jew or a Gentile, we are ALL under the control of sin and subject to its power.
The unsaved man has rationalized God out of his life. And, since we lack this understanding, we do not look to God for help regarding our need. This gets to the root to our problem, which is our sin which has separated us from God. We are at our best when we are most needy because we do not naturally look to God for help until we have been convinced that He is our only hope.
In v.12 of today's passage we read, "All have turned away. Together, everyone has become useless. There is no one who does anything good; there is not even one."
Again, Paul quotes Psalm 14. This time he dips into v.3. When man rebelled against God, we welcomed a condition that blinded us to the truth. The first three words of this verse literally means we have all run away from God as fast as we could, thinking He was our problem. Poor and unwise choices such as gambling, lying, cheating, sexual immorality and gossiping are sinful, but sin is more than just about right and wrong.
The phrase, "Together, everyone has become useless," literally was used to describe milk that had gone sour. Soured milk can only be thrown out because it is useless. This means mankind is rancid and in our sinful state we can not serve our God-intended function. This smacks in the face of a world that is bent on telling everyone nice things. Ignoring the fact that man's positivism contains lies, lost man has no room for the truth anymore. It is as if man was bent on being told lies, knowing them to be lies and then choosing to be defined by the lies. Foolishness! But, it is the truth that sets us free.
For two whole chapters, Paul systematically lays out the shocking reality that everyone who comes into this world is born dead to the truth and alive to sin. This deadness has separated us all from the life of God. In fact, everyone comes into this world as an enemy of God. All are filled with unrighteousness and all are under God's eternal condemnation. A biblical anthropology renders the understanding that mankind is bad, ignorant, rebellious, wayward, and useless. We are all in need of a savior.
Therefore, we must all admit, there is something deeply wrong with us. This understanding makes satisfying the fact that God who knows all of our flaws to the deepest level, still says to us, "I love you." This is what God has done for us in sending His Son to pay the penalty for our sin. All of this bad news that Paul has given and will yet give about our true condition is great news because this understanding redirects us to God who has provided the remedy. The only question that remains is: Will you receive the remedy which is the application of God's righteousness freely given to all who choose to trust in Christ?
