Everyone is Lost in Sin - Romans 3:1-18

Romans 3:1-18

God's Judgment Defended

1 What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? 2 Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God. 3 For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? 4 Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written:

"That You may be justified in Your words,
And may overcome when You are judged."

5 But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) 6 Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world?

7 For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still judged as a sinner? 8 And why not say, "Let us do evil that good may come"?—as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just.

All Have Sinned (Ps. 14:1–3; 53:1–4)

9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.

10 As it is written:
"There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.

12 They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one."

13 "Their throat is an open tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit";
"The poison of asps is under their lips";
14 "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness."

15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not known."
18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

God is faithful to His people in spite of the fact that we are all born in sin.  Nobody is sinless except for the Lord who suffered and died for our sin as a perfect man united with the divine as Son of God and Son of Man who alone is the perfect spotless lamb sacrificed for us.  The Jewish nation of Israel had been chosen and set apart as a channel of redemption for themselves and people from every nation as promised to Abraham and so they had an advantage in hearing the word of God and has been entrusted with that message to be fulfilled in the Messiah, Jesus Christ.  Many did not believe God’s word and so disobeyed what they read and had read to them.  This did not change God’s character or effective faithfulness to His promises even if every man and woman is born a liar because He is always true and true to His word (Numbers 23:19) even when we make hollow promises (Joshua 24:22-24) which we always fail to keep perfectly.  He never falters or fails us as we do to Him.  We can judge God when we do not have our prayers answered to meet our wants but we can never justify that nor overcome Him and His word to us.  In our unrighteousness we see the righteousness of God demonstrated bodily integrity Jesus Christ and understand that His wrath on our sin is entirely justified and cannot blame God for our sin or its consequences.  Yes, everyone is lost in sin from birth as even the man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22) said in Psalm 51:5 for us to consider.  We also cannot say “Let us do evil that good may come” as we are often accused of because we are sinfully imperfect still even after conversion.  We are no better than those who have rejected Christ in the past because Jews and non-Jews are all under the condemnation of sin’s penalty.  There are no righteous ones born on this earth and nobody seeks God in Christ unless He first brings us to life and opens our eyes and ears to see and hear clearly the gospel.  This as said long ago and still rings true as the many passages of scripture are quoted here to make the truth clear.  There is no fear of God for the lost and there are only people found by God calling and drawing us to know Him through repentance and faith in the fear of accountability to Him for our sin, both inherited and daily committed in our hearts and minds and actions.  This truth that there is nobody able to earn or deserves salvation and heaven is crucial to understanding the gospel to believe and receive the good news in light of this bad news we are born with.