Romans 3:9-18 - No Fear of God

9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin;
10 as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;
12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE."
13 "THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING," "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 PATHS,
17 AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN."
18 "THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES."

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All Are Under Sin

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V. 9 - “Are we better than they?” - I struggled for a while with this statement. Who is the ‘they’? Who is the “we”? Look at the line of argument in 1:18 - 2:29. The world (Gentiles) is depraved. The Jews are without excuse. Their history, their Law and circumcision are of no benefit. The last statement is hyperbole - The Law cannot and does not save your soul for eternal life. The Law does emphasize that God's grace is needed - grace provided Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. Does that make Christians better than Gentiles or Jews? Are Jews better than Gentiles?

“Not at all.” - That was simple. Does it matter if someone is Jewish or not? No. Does it matter if you are an American, or Canadian, or German, or Arab, or Hispanic, or Indian, or Black, or Asian? Of course not. We all stand before God without hope except for Jesus Christ.

Verses 3:10-18 are all quotes from the Old Testament, Psalms and Isaiah, to show that no one is innocent of sin.

V. 10 - Quoted from Psa. 14:1-3, 53:1-3. No one does good. No one understands God.

V. 11-12 - Quoted from Psa. 14:2, 3. Everyone turns away from God. All their efforts to meet God’s standards are useless.

V. 13 - Quoted from Psa. 5:9, and Psa. 140:3. Because they do not understand God, they are lying to themselves and others. Nothing good comes from an open grave.

V. 14 - Quoted from Psa. 10:7.

V. 15-16 - Quoted from Isa. 59:7. Like marauding bandits, they cause people to die. Because of their teachings, we are led away from saving grace.

V. 17 - Quoted from Isa, 59:8. In Christ we have the peace of God and peace with God. There is no other path.

V. 18 - Quoted from Psa. 36:1. They do not understand God (v. 13, above) They do not know they are in danger. Not recognizing their impending doom, there is no fear. If you step to the edge of the Grand Canyon there is a slight frisson, for you know a misstep would lead to a fall and death. For some reason they do not sense the danger.

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