Village Schools of the Bible

ROMANS: Heart & Soul of the Gospel
A Devotional Study of Romans
by Max Frazier, Jr.

ROMANS 3:9-20: Condemnation of the Whole World

This section concludes the long argument from Paul that mankind is so estranged from God and is totally unable to do anything in his own strength to rectify that estranged relationship. In this section, Paul deals with both Jews and Gentiles - the only two classes of people in the world in the eyes of God. How many Jews and Gentiles are there who are righteous? The answer is alarming - NONE! Four times Paul uses that word in answer to the question of how many righteous there are. Three times he uses the word ALL in answer to the question of how many sinners there are. The problem is indeed a universal one affecting people in Hungary as well as in Haiti, in India as well as in Israel, in Poland as well as in Palestine. Let's break this text down just a little more clearly.

VERSE 9: THE CHARGE.

Paul had proven his charge in the first three sections of this book. The charge is "all are under sin." They are not only under sin, but they are under all that goes with sin: guilt of sin, power of sin, condemnation of sin, and the doom of sin. Return to Study Notes Index

VERSES 10-18: THE INDICTMENT

Paul presents a 14-count indictment:

1. "There is none righteous" (verse 10) -righteousness is being perfectly right

2. "There is none that understand" (verse 11)-spiritual incomprehension

3. "There is none who seek after God" (verse 11)

4. "All have turned away" (verse 12) - picture of a desert caravan that has gotten off the route; men have deviated from the right way ofGod.

5. "They have together become worthless" (verse 12) - the word is a Greek word for the Hebrew word used to speak of milk that had turned sour; God did not make us that way -we became worthless

6. "There is no one who does good" (verse 12)-meaning a course of life, not just single acts

7. "Their throats are open graves" (verse 13)-sometimes in the east a grave was left open and it became dangerous for those walking at night; we defile ourselves and others with what we say

8. "Their tongues practice deceit" (verse 13)-they may speak nicely to you while at the same time they are intending to insinuate deadly poison

9. "The poison of vipers is on their lips (verse 13) -the poison of the asp was stored in a bag under the lip; so is human speech

10. "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness" (verse 14) - each one of us has this potential when we are born

11. "Their feet are swift to shed blood" (verse 15) -swift to do violence

12. "Ruin and misery mark their ways" (verse 16) -wherever man walks, there are destruction and misery

13. "The way of peace they do not know" (verse17)-the WAY and PEACE are Christ, but He is unknown to the vast majority in the world

14. "There is no fear of God before their eyes" (verse 18) - source of all other sins is here; without reverential fear of God, there is the absence of wisdom, increasing mental confusion, and moral and spiritual darkness

We can summarize this indictment this way:

1. Man is depraved in his character (verses 10-12) -"What a man is"

2. Man is depraved in his speech (verses 13-14) - "What a man says"

3. Man is depraved in his conduct (verses 15-18) - "What a man does"

VERSE 19 - THE DEFENSE

Every mouth is stopped. It is a silent world. There is no defense. The only reason human courts permit a defense is to protect against a mistake. But when God brings a charge against a man, He makes no mistake.

VERSE 20 - THE VERDICT - GUILTY!

It means not only that he committed the crime, but that he obligated to suffer the penalty for doing it. Man is guilty for two reasons: 1) He is a sinner, and 2) By the deeds of the Law shall no flesh be justified in God's sight. Paul is leaving the specific Law of Moses here. (There should be no definite article before the word law in this verse. Paul includes all law here: moral law, ceremonial law, law of conscience). You cannot be justified by the Law of Moses, but you can be by the law of Christ. There is only one thing the Law can do: provide a knowledge of sin.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS:

In our previous studies we have noticed that Paul made a strong case that both Gentiles and Jews had difficulties in approaching God on the basis of their own merit. Religion, morality, and national heritage failed. In this text Paul proceeds to share the reasons for that failure.

The universal problem of man is related to his sin nature. We are all born with this nature, thanks to Adam. David, in Psalm 51:5 stated that he had been born in sin. An infant may appear innocent, but lying hidden within is the potential to be the next Adolph Hitler or Al Capone.

In verses 9-18, Paul carefully presents the case that we are all sinners. He excludes no one...not even himself. As a person reads this text despair can set in. The picture Paul paints is a dismal one. There is this sense of total rejection. I cannot please God! I have nothing to offer to God! I only have my sinful nature and its visible expressions in what I say and what I do!

To counter this dismal sense, Paul is driven to consider the validity of the Law (verses 19-20). Perhaps, in the keeping of some system of rules and regulations a person just might appear before God. But Paul is driven to the following conclusions: the more a person is aware of the Law, and seeks to live under the Law, the more that person becomes aware of his or her own sinfulness. The Law is very good at showing us our errors, but is not as successful in helping us to overcome those errors. The Law tells me when I am driving beyond the posted speed limit on the highway, but it does not help me to stay within that speed limit. So it is with all types of rules and regulations. They tell us what is right and what is wrong, but are powerless to assist us to always do what is right.

As Paul draws to a close this section (Romans 1:18-3:20), he has presented a convincing case that man has a problem if he wishes to encounter a holy God. And, seemingly there is nothing that he can do to overcome this obstacle. At least Paul says it cannot be overcome through any moral or religious basis. The problem then must be handled by God.

And that brings us to the next section in our study.

QUESTIONS TO PONDER AS YOU READ THIS SECTION:

Read these verses and make a list of the characteristics of a sinful world. How can these verses be used to refute the belief that man is just getting better and better all the time? Also, do these verses teach that man's evil acts are a product of the environment in which he lives? Why or why not?

Romans 2:17-3:8 Return to the Table of Contents Romans 3:21-31