Romans 3:9-18 - The Jews and Gentiles Alike; Under Sin

Written by Juli Camarin on .

"What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." "Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit."  "The poison of vipers is on their lips." "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." "Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know." "There is no fear of God before their eyes." ( Romans 3:9-18

Wow! This statement is the pinnacle of the entire case against humanity. Paul is the prosecuting attorney building his case against mankind. The first chapter of Romans showed the Gentiles guilt before God because of their innate knowledge of Him. The second chapter of Romans showed that the Jew were worst off then the Gentiles because they had the Word of God but did not keep it. And finally the beginning of chapter 3, concludes that everyone is guilty before God, citing back to Old Testament scripture supporting this claim.

This is not a new concept. They condition of mankind was hopeless before Christ. The Amplified Bible describes the state as 'under sin, held down by and subject to its power and control.' The grasp of sin so tight that we had no hope of defeating it. By looking at this collage of Old Testament scripture that Paul shared, it is evident that man was destitute to save himself. We needed a savior.

The truth expressed in this passage of scripture is crucial to understanding the Salvation message. Since we were never capable of reconciling ourselves to God by atoning for our own sin, God did it for us. He paid the price with His precious blood shed on the cross.

We have to recognize this in order to move pass the condition that we are in. Once we accept the terms that Paul has laid out over these many verses, we are free to move into the next section of scripture. Paul will move from being the prosecuting attorney to the defense attorney acquitting us on the bases of Christ.

Today, it is my prayer that you will join me on this journey of faith. I pray that God will enlighten your heart to the truth of His word. God Bless you!