Jul 16 – Amos 3, Amos 4 Romans 3:9-31 Psalm 85:8-13

Rom 3:9-12

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.”

There is not one who is righteous. No, not one. This is a powerful statement. It’s one we often use in witnessing to those who think they are good enough for heaven. And it’s a good usage, although strictly speaking a little out of context.

What Paul is saying to the Jews in Rome is this Yes, we are God’s chosen people, but we are still under sin. We still are sinners, just as the gentiles are – we are still lost, so are we actually any better off?

He’s saying that we all have need of the cross – there no special stays for any that gets us away from our sin.

This is important for people who see themselves as culturally Christian to understand. Or people who call themselves Christian because their parents are. God has many children, but no grandchildren. We all must make our own choice.

There’s no free pass to anyone that leads outside of the cross. We have all messed up, no matter how good we are. You can’t get to heaven on someone else’s coat tails, just at Paul is telling the Jewish people that they were no better off than anyone else.

There is not one who is righteous. None can stand before God and say they are good enough.

Which is why all of us need to depend on the only righteous man ever to live, Jesus Christ. He’s the only hope any of us have. As Paul will go on to say:

“ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”