All Have Sinned
Romans 3:9-20
All are guilty before God. There is none righteous. All are under sin.
#righteous
#guilt
Published January 24th, 2017; Updated April 15th, 2022
Main point summary
Arc
Notes
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notes
Main point summary
Good works cannot justify man in God's sight. The fact that the Jews received the oracles of God does not change their guilt before God because of their failure to obey it. The whole human family failed to live up to the righteous standard of God.
Arc
editing
NT
Romans 3:9-20
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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.
ground
As it is written: *
“There is none righteous, no, not one;
There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
series
They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
inference
ideaexplanation
“Their * throat is an open tomb;
With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; *
“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
“Whose * mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
“Their * feet are swift to shed blood;
Destruction and misery are in their ways;
And the way of peace they have not known.”
“There * is no fear of God before their eyes.”
comparison
Now we know that whatever * the law says, it says to those who are under the law,
that * every mouth may be stopped,
and all the world may become guilty before God.
progression
actionpurpose
Therefore * by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight,
for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Chiastic structure? A(B-C) & (C'-B')A'
discourse
Notes
v. 9 All are under sin. The Jew is not better than the Greek. "under sin" is a legal term. It's like to be a citizen of Israel or Greece. So, you are either a citizen of sin or of grace (cf. 6:14). v. 10-18 Paul speaks of the fallen man as David wrote in Psalm 14 and 53. None who understands. Selfishness distorts the right view of reality. Everything has to be interpreted by the truth and not by any distorted selfish motives. None seek after God. Where the Jews not seeking God? Aren't many people searching for God today? Sad to say, but people are after what they can get out of God, and not to truly know, enjoy and live with and for God. It is a miracle when someone seeks God! All turned aside. All went their separate ways apart and without God. v. 19-20 Refers back to 3:1-2, 9. Even though the Jews had the privilege of receiving the oracles of God, yet they are not better because they broke the law. (Rm 2:24) Someone who receives much is in danger to think better of himself in comparison to others. The truth is that God grads gifts not based on men's performance, rather He keeps men accountable for what they did with what He gave them.
Bracket_2022APR15
Romans 3:9-20
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What then? Are we better than they? Not at all.
Though we have been God's chosen people, we Jews are not at all better than the Gentiles in the eyes of God.
For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that * they are all under sin.
Because we have previously proven that both the Jews and Gentiles are under the power of sin.
As it is written: *
Just like it is written:
“There is none righteous, no, not one;
"No one has a righteous standing before God;
There is none who understands;
because their minds are corrupted by the suppression of truth;
There is none who seeks after God.
and there motives appose God.
They have all turned aside;
In other words, they have all left God's way
They have together become unprofitable;
and have followed their own will to a self-destructive path.
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
Hence, there is no one who does always good and meets God's perfect standard of righteousness.
“Their * throat is an open tomb;
The manner of their unrighteous standing before God is seen in there speech.
With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; *
They deceive with lies to protect their own interests,
“The poison of asps is under their lips”;
cause harm with words
“Whose * mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
in bitterness and with cursing.
“Their * feet are swift to shed blood;
Their actions are breaking relationships
Destruction and misery are in their ways;
in their destructive and miserable ways.
And the way of peace they have not known.”
They do not know peace with God and know not peace with people.
“There * is no fear of God before their eyes.”
And all of their evil speech and action springs from a lack of reverence for God.
actionmanner
Now we know that whatever * the law says, it says to those who are under the law,
Again , the law, whether written on stone or on the heart of the conscious, applies respectively to ALL people
that * every mouth may be stopped,
so that no one will be able to talk themselves out and find an excuse
and all the world may become guilty before God.
and all people of the world may become guilty before God.
Therefore * by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight,
Now this proves that the performance of people's law-keeping cannot merit righteousness in the sight of God,
for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
because the laws purpose is to reveal and make known sin.
Chiastic structure? A(B-C) & (C'-B')A'
First time Paul mentions "sin". In previous chapters he described sin. An example of how to preach sin.
Comments
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