No One Is Righteous: Romans 3:9-20 (Sermon)
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WELCOME / CONTEXT
Good morning! We are coming to the end of Chapter 3 in the book of Romans. Paul was writing to the church. Some of the recipients had Jewish heritage, while others had pagan heritage. Some were religious and others were not. Paul was sharing the good news about Jesus Christ before he arrived on his way to Spain in the first century. The church knew this good news, but there is a way that the truth of Jesus can steep into the soul and get into the depths of one’s being that transcends mere information. Paul’s letter helps God’s people marinate in the truth of the extraordinary reality that through faith in Jesus, people can be right with God, saved from his punishment and anger. That truth has a transformative power in life, resulting in unity with others and gifts of grace. For that truth to have its full effect, we need to be aware of our spiritual needs. Chapter 3 helps us to that end.
TEXT
I am going to have J.D. read for us. If you are able, would you please stand with us in honor of God’s Word?
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,
as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:9–20, ESV)
PRAYER
The Word of the Lord, thanks be to God. Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word. We are sinners through and through. We need your grace and mercy to keep on living. Please help us become the men and women you want us to be. We ask that you would touch us, encourage us, comfort us, and motivate us to follow you in these difficult days. Thank you for sending your One and only Son, Jesus, to die in our place. Thank you for his sacrifice, resurrection, and ascension. Thank you for his Spirit that opens our eyes, hearts, and minds. We pray all this in Christ’s name, amen. You may be seated.
STRUCTURE
The passage this morning has three points consisting of a statement, evidence, and a measure:
(9) The Jewish people are not better.
(10-18) The evidence is Scripture.
(19-20) And the Law is the measure.
MAIN IDEA
The Old Testament is clear that every single person, non-religious and religious, is not right with God from the get-go. All of us have been part of a global rebellion operating against God consciously and unconsciously. Inherently, people don’t think, speak, and do the things God likes. They do the things that he prohibits. There are sins of omission and commission, things we do and don’t do. Texts like Romans Chapter 3, verses 9 through 20, invite us to reflect on our nature, our past, present, embrace humility, and counter the lies of the Devil and the world that would excuse our wickedness through the camouflage of religion. The bottom line is that whether you are a billionaire or unemployed, whether you are a guy doing construction or a mom trying to get the laundry done, whether you are a student starting classes or retired and wondering where your time went, this text relates to us today. These verses help identify our dependence on God’s mercy.
COUNTER CLAIM
Point one,
(9) The Jewish people are not better.
(10-18) The evidence is Scripture.
(19-20) And the Law is the measure.
I love Jewish people. They have had a profound impact on our society. Some of you are Jewish. You are in good company. Albert Einstein, Irving Berlin, who wrote God Bless America, the composer Mendelssohn, Niels Bohr, who pioneered Atomic theory, the pastor Richard Wurmbrand, thinker Mortimer Adler Jr., and the baseball star pitcher Sandy Koufax were all Jewish. Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg, and some of our funniest comedians are Jewish. Jesus, Paul, the Apostles, Mary, and the patriarchs were Jewish. But does being Jewish mean one is better off? That is the question Paul posed in Romans Chapter 3, verse 9.
“What then? Are we Jews any better off? (Romans 3:9, ESV).
Paul was continuing his train of thought and not asking this question to gather information. He was using a rhetorical question to get his audience to stop and think. In Chapter 2, verse 25, he wrote that there was value in circumcision, which is a distinguishing mark for the Jewish people. In that vein, he wrote there was value in being Jewish. How so?
VALUE OF JUDAISM
Do you recall? You can cheat and look at your Bibles at Chapter 3, verses 1 and 2. What was the value and advantage of being Jewish? Are they more evolved or superior? No. Yet, Paul said they had many reasons for this advantage. First and foremost, they had the oracles. Which were what? Some versions translate this as the revelation or the Word of God. God gave the Jewish people the Old Testament, the first part of the Bible.
OLD TESTAMENT
The Old Testament contains wonderful texts like Genesis 1:1:
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1, ESV).
It also has the Ten Commandments and familiar stories like Jonah in the belly of the great fish and David and Goliath. There are poignant Psalms like Psalm 23,
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures” (Psalm 23:1–2, ESV).
Then there are the profound Proverbs like Proverbs 3:5 and 6:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5–6, ESV)
They include words people put into popular songs, like,
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die” (Ecclesiastes 3:1–2a, ESV).
WORD OF GOD
Such verses are platinum records, as in the music industry. They are classics that ring through the halls of history. Not only do they sound beautiful, but they, along with the other 23,000 verses, detail our origin, ethics, and purpose. The Old Testament is just as much God’s Word as the New. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He doesn’t change. His Word is true. To be one of the people whom God gave those exact words is an honor. But at the end of the day, does that make the Jewish people better off? How did Paul answer that? Look back at verse 9.
“No, not at all” (Romans 3:9a, ESV).
Why? Why are they not better off but have this advantage and others? What did Paul mean that they were not better off? Keep reading.
“For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin” (Romans 3:9b, ESV).
That means that both the Jewish and non-Jewish people will face God’s judgment. One day, time will end as we know it. And on that day, we will meet our Maker and give an accounting. And either we put trust in God’s work for our salvation, or we will have to pay, which we do not have enough capital to cover. Paul knew some of his readers would ask, “How is that the case?” He answered that question using his extensive knowledge of the Bible in the following nine verses. He paraphrased and quoted familiar passages to the Jewish readers. Paul could do that because he was a Pharisee of Pharisees, a Hebrew of Hebrews. He studied under the eminent scholar Gamaliel. Regarding adhering to the Law of Moses and the Old Testament, he was blameless. Then God opened his blind eyes to the truth of the gospel. He converted to Christianity. He went on three missionary journeys, traveling from Jewish houses of worship to convince his people. He courageously took his faith into the public sphere. He faced his detractors, proclaiming the good news about Jesus and how people can be better off with him. They called Paul names, slandered him, ran him out of town, stoned him, left him for dead, and when that didn’t work, they sent him to prison, where he was killed for his faith. Jesus was the most important thing to Paul. He knew from all his debates, from both sides, that one of the stumbling blocks of his people was their sense of being better off because of the Scriptures. They were not.
EVIDENCE
This brings us to the evidence:
(9) The Jewish people are not better.
(10-18) The evidence is Scripture.
(19-20) And the Law is the measure.
In the entire letter of Romans, Paul cited as many as seventy-four Old Testament passages. And a few of those he mentions in verses 10 through 18 of Chapter 3. Pastor Mike grouped them in four ways: verses 10 through 12 demonstrate the extent of sin, while verses 13 through 18 expose how God’s people sinned in word, deed, and thought. I think that makes sense.
EXTENT
Go to verses 10 through 12. Paul wrote,
None is righteous,
no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one. (Romans 3:10–12, ESV)
This loose paraphrase is a song from Psalm 14:
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
there is none who does good.
The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one. (Psalm 14:1b–3, ESV)
I don’t know how David’s songs sounded, but I can imagine they were in minor keys. As to the truth of the matter, it may not resonate with all here. I believe the ring of truth depends on one’s reference. If we have Bin Laden or Jeffrey Epstein as our standard of goodness, then everyone is a saint. But if God is our standard, then we are in trouble. Religious people can mask guilt and shame with the trappings of religion. The Jewish people were a bit like churca seeker movement has emerged h folk, basically good people, in the right, understanding things, seekers of God, and do-gooders with worth. Paul decimated this sense with ancient evidence from their holy book.
SEEKERS
Their text teaches that no one seeks God. I have to put a caveat here. Over the last thirty years, there has been a seeker movement within the church. Evangelicals have dumbed down services to appeal to the masses and draw a crowd. How do we account for those who seem to be seeking? Perhaps, it is God who helps people seek, and it is not categorically wrong to think of people as seekers. Well, what was Paul’s or David’s point? I believe it was that seeking God apart from God is not adequate. People can go to church, read their Bibles, sing, give, volunteer, become members, get baptized, even become pastors, and still go to Hell if their hope is in religion, not Jesus.
NO ONE IS GOOD
Paul wrote that no one is good. How do we reconcile that people seem to be good? How do we account for that? How do we understand it? Indeed, people are not as bad as they could be. Yet, the Bible clearly teaches that all people are broken, enslaved to the power of sin. Sin is not an opiate of the powerful to control the weak. It is real. Look at the news. It is not a social construct that parents and society impose on little innocent blank slates. No one is truly innocent before the holy, perfect God. All are guilty. All. There is no tabula rasa, blank slate. We can learn to do evil, yes. But our default operating system is not Linux, Windows, or IOS, but SIN: sin. Paul alluded to a passage in the previous one, of the sinful state of infancy (51:5). Even babies need God's mercy. And Biblically, they will find it. That said, from birth to death, our only hope is God. God doesn't weigh us on a scale or pit us against each other. We are pitted against perfection, and all of us fall short and need God's mercy found in Christ Jesus. Paul turns to cite specific examples from the Bible of that need.
SPEECH
Look at verse 14. Here is an example of how God’s people sinned in word:
Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.
The venom of asps is under their lips.
Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. (Romans 3:14, ESV)
Paul connected God’s people to his enemies, the uncircumcised. Previously, he did this. There is a sense that before God converted our hearts, we were enemies of God. Paul wrote to the Ephesian church, Jews and Gentile believers alike:
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. (Ephesians 2:1–3, ESV)
Friends, the Bible teaches us that we were unconsciously following Satan and his ways, rejecting God, and leading to his anger with us. We were God’s enemies. Paul documented how God’s people used their lips to deceive and curse. They sinned in their speech.
OUR SINFUL SPEECH
Are there other ways you have sinned in speech? I have. Paul was not being exhaustive. He has already mentioned how people in the world sin by spreading gossip and slander. Our heavenly Father cares about what we say to each other. We will have to give an account for every careless word. He wants us to stop our,
Vitriol,
Name-calling,
Crude joking,
Disrespect,
Prideful rhetoric,
And hate speech,
Instead, he demands encouragement, uplifting, kind, and benevolent words. We are to use language to worship and share the good news about Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. He wants us to speak the truth in love. And every time we don’t because we are jealous, selfish, faithless, or have other sinful motivations, we sin. So that was an example where God’s oracle highlighted his people’s need for his mercy.
ACTION
But his readers and his opponents might go back and grab the context of his quotes. They could say to Paul, “Hey, man, all your quotes are about King David’s enemies.” They would be true. But not the following quote that David brings up. God’s people went so far as violence and murder. Look at verses 15 through 17:
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known” (Romans 3:15–17, ESV).
The history of any one nation has never been pure, including God’s chosen people. They rebelled so much that God sent them into exile for seventy years. He banished them from the Promised Land. It is easy to throw stones at others. We can sit back and watch the news and neglect the logs in our eyes. We can be disgusted by politicians, pundits, celebrities, and criminals. For the Jewish people, the sin in the metropolis of Rome was easy to see. Romans worshipped physical idols. They sold and killed people for sport. They were sexually promiscuous and perverse. You think our society is corrupt; we would be shocked by Rome. However, Paul was not coming to Rome to run a political campaign or call for a revolution. He came to bring a subversive force that would change the world, not just an empire. Paul wanted people to realize that they had a problem and Jesus was the solution. The gospel is the power of God for salvation for all who believe, to Jew and Gentile: the Roman and Judean.
HEART
Paul ended his quotes that went to the heart. Go to verse 18:
“There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3:18, ESV).
Paul wrote that they had no fear. The Proverbs taught that fear is the beginning of wisdom. Jewish people didn’t always have it. And if we are honest, things haven’t changed. People live on autopilot, satisfying appetites, getting to-do lists done, and going through the routines of life without thinking. How do we break this cycle of unbelief? How do we fear God and give him the glory and respect he deserves? Sunday morning is an excellent opportunity to pause, reflect, and move in that direction. We cannot keep ignoring God. The oracles of God show God’s people that they and their enemies sinned and face condemnation alike without the power of the gospel. The goody-two-shoes and the prodigal are brothers. No one is right with God.
JOE
Joe reminded us pastors this week of the Rich Young Ruler. He came to Jesus and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” I would love that question, and think of someone coming up after a message asking that same one, “Wow!” How would you respond? How did Jesus react? Did he say, “Pray with me. Read this verse. Here is a tract.” No, he critiqued the question. He said, “Why do you call me good? There is no one good but God.” Jesus wasn’t denying his deity, but he knew this man’s heart. He told him that he needed to obey the law to get eternal life. The young man responded, “Yeah, I have done that.” Really? Did he? The young man thought he had. So, Jesus commanded, “Go sell everything you have and give the money to the poor.” Why? He said that to highlight that this person was not as good, understanding, right, worthy, and innocent seeking God as he thought. He needed God’s mercy. I believe some in Paul’s Jewish audience thought their roots ran deep enough to get them into heaven. They were incorrect. In fact, their own sacred writings demonstrated that every single human being comes up short in God’s measure.
VOLUNTEER
The law is a measure. It doesn’t make you better; it only shows you where you fall short. I need three kid volunteers. Come on up here. Okay, I have this tape measure. I want you to measure up to this rule. This tape will document your ability. Picture this as a life-or-death game. Okay, are you ready? On the count of three, I am going to have you all jump at the same time. Don’t worry. We are pretending that if you don’t measure up to the right height, you perish, but just pretending. On the count of three, I am going to have you jump. One... Oh, I need to tell you this. When you jump, I have a standard you need to meet. There is a cut-off. You are not competing with each other. It is against a standard. Do you understand? Okay. Let’s start over. One, Two… Wait. I need to tell you the standard. You need to reach the ceiling on your jump. You get one try. How do you feel about that? Maybe you can make it. Let’s give it a whirl. One, Two, Three… Hmmm. That didn’t work. I am going to give you mercy. You get one more try. Maybe you can make it. You just have to believe. Believe in yourself. Think positive. Try harder. You can do it. Picture the ceiling right above you. Envision it. One, Two, Three. Are you trying? Really? Well, thanks anyway. Remember, this is pretend. Let’s give a round of applause to our volunteers. They illustrated well the incredible standard God put out there for us to adhere to. It is quite simple. How do we boil down the Old Testament laws? Jesus summed it up: love God, love people. How difficult could that be? It’s really difficult. We are in trouble. This is what Paul wants us to comprehend.
THREE
(9) The Jewish people are not better.
(10-18) The evidence is Scripture.
(19-20) And the Law is the measure.
Paul went back to the law in verses 19 and 20:
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:9–20, ESV)
The law offers clear boundaries and direction on what it looks like to obey and disobey. The measuring tape doesn’t make us better; it just marks where we are off. In the end, the entire globe and all of humanity will have to face the facts. People have enough of a sense of right and wrong in their conscience that everyone is without excuse.
HANDICAP LAWS
If I couldn’t read English and parked my car in the handicapped parking spot without a sticker, would that mean I was not breaking the law? No. I couldn’t go to Ronny and say, I can’t read English. Not knowing the native language of what is right and wrong doesn’t mean that we are exempt from keeping the rule of law. In the same way, we are all without excuse, guilty based on our conscience. We have sinned in what we have thought, said, and done. We are in the wrong enough that if there were no other person on the planet. We wanted to be saved from God’s righteous wrath; we would still need God’s one and only Son to live a perfect life and die the sinner’s death on our behalf. God is justified in his judgment. The value of the Law is that it offers knowledge of sin. However, it doesn’t empower obedience or offer forgiveness. It spotlights where the line is, but only Jesus can save us from our sin.
APPLICATION
Where is your hope these days? Do you feel genuinely good about your standing before God, or not? Why is that? Have you been putting your hope in your proximity to God but not God himself?
Maybe you trust in your performance. What do you think about trying to live up to God’s standards?
Do you trust in the rules or the rule giver?
Over your lifetime, how have you wandered spiritually from God’s ways in speech, action, and thought?
What do we do with guilt and shame?
Friends, cling to Jesus. Cling to the mercy found at the cross. I don’t want to leave you without hope. Jesus is our hope. However, if you want a fuller picture of that hope, come back next week and read ahead. God is good and merciful.
PRAYER
Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for your Law. Thank you for showing us our sin. We are not right with you. Even when we think we have done well, there is room for improvement. You are perfect, and we are not. Forgive us our sins. Please help us to follow after you and your teaching. You are worthy of all our efforts. We pray this in Jesus’s name, amen.
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