Category: Understanding Romans
Therefore what? Are we superior? Not at all! For earlier we accused the Jews and also the Greeks all to be under sin, as it has been written, "There is none righteous, not even one. There is not an understanding man, there is not a man who seeks out God. Everybody turned away, they became worthless together. There is not a man who does kindness; there is not one for a time. Their larynx is a tomb which has been opened. With their tongues, they dealt treacherously; the poison of asps is beneath their lips, whose mouth is full of curse and bitterness. Their feet are quick to pour out blood, ruin and wretchedness are in their tracks, and the track of peace they did not know. The fear of God is not before their eyes.” Now we know that as much as the Law says it speaks to those in the Law, so that each mouth will be stopped and all the cosmos will become liable to trial by God. For this reason, from works of the Law no one of all flesh will be declared righteous in the sight of Him, for by means of the Law is full knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:9-20)
Therefore what? Are we superior?… The question—Are the Jews superior to the Gentiles? The answer—Not at all. And here the apostle reminds his readers of the original point, namely, that everyone who has sinned will be condemned: sinning Jews will be judged by the Law, sinning Gentiles will perish without the Law. How many people are sinners? All Jews and Gentiles. Since everybody is either a Jew or a Gentile, this leaves no one outside of the sinner group.
Convincing Jews that Gentiles were sinners was like convincing children that monsters are scary. However, persuading the Jews that Jews were sinners was an arduous task, therefore, Paul quotes from the Old Testament Scriptures to prove his thesis.
As it has been written, "There is none righteous… God inquires as to how many men on earth are devoted to His truth and His ways; He finds that there is not even one (Jews included). This is a deplorable comment on mankind.
There is not an understanding man… "Understanding" and "seeks" are parallel in the Psalm(s) and convey the same basic thought. What God finds lacking in men is a careful consideration of His character and His desires. The Hebrew word translated 'seeks' means "to seek with care." This kind of seeking includes a search into the details of a matter trying to obtain a thorough comprehension. There may be multitudes of men and women who seek after a god or some kind of divine spirituality. Yet no one is ardently striving to know the true, living God. No one!
Everybody turned away… One of the common metaphors for sin in the Old Testament is "turning to the left or to the right," figuring a person who leaves the straight path and goes astray. God sees that all men have abandoned the highway and have, instead, taken one of the off-limits side roads.
They became worthless together… This is similar to the statement earlier that men have become futile in their speculations. Because men are not interested in careful examination of God, they have become depraved in their thinking.
There is not a man who does kindness… Most English translations render this phrase something like, “There is none who does good.” The Hebrew word for good is a broad term which can communicate a variety of aspects, similar to the English word 'good' (good hamburger, good dog, good girl, good God, and good grief.) The Greek word translated 'good' is used more narrowly to mean "honesty" or "kindness". Paul employs it two other times in Romans, each connoting the gracious or merciful kindness of God. It would seem then that God's charge is that men do not act with kindness and mercy toward one another. "He has told you, O Man, what is good…to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God." How many men do this? Not even one.
Their larynx is a tomb which has been opened… The throats of men are ready to swallow other people whole, and death resides there. They intentionally mislead and seek to inject their verbal venom into others.
Whose mouth is full of curse and bitterness… Turn on the television and count how many times you hear a form of the word 'damn' or any profanity or hate-filled term. If what comes out of the mouth defiles the man, then truly we are a defiled race.
Their feet are quick to pour out blood…Killing is not a last resort, it is something pursued with eagerness and haste. Calamity and ruin are part of the journey for men; peace is unusual and short-lived, if at all. Again, a quick glance at the newspaper or tuning in to the evening news will offer proof of this claim.
The fear of God is not before their eyes… This is the underlying cause of the previous conditions—men do not respect God, nor are they afraid of Him.
Now we know that as much as the Law says… Paul brings his argument to a close with a statement directed to the Jews, followed by a universal pronouncement of accountability, followed by another statement to the Jews. Those who were "in the Law," were the Jews, and the Law shouted to them that they were sinners (even if some refused to listen).
So that each mouth will be stopped… Every man, whether Jew or Gentile, will appear before the tribunal of God, and when it comes time to present his defense to the Judge there will be a deafening silence, for he will have nothing worth saying. He will simply bow his head and walk around behind the woodshed.
For this reason, from works of the Law… Since everybody has sinned and every Jew has broken the Law, it should be obvious that no one will be declared righteous for his Law-keeping.
For by means of the Law… Now the apostle introduces a theme that he will develop in various ways later: the purpose of the Law was to amplify sin. From the bird’s-eye view of redemptive-history, God did not give the Law to the children of Israel in order to show them the way of blessing, rather He gave it to show them their wickedness, and thereby, their need of a Redeemer.