Bird's-eye view
In this section of his argument, the apostle Paul brings his prosecution of the human race to its devastating climax. Having already demonstrated the guilt of the pagan world in chapter 1 and the guilt of the moralistic Jew in chapter 2, he now puts everyone in the same courtroom dock. He poses the question of Jewish superiority and answers it with a thunderous no. To prove his point, he does not rely on his own apostolic authority alone, but rather unleashes a torrent of quotations from the Old Testament Scriptures. This catena of verses functions as an unanswerable indictment, demonstrating the universal and radical nature of human sinfulness. The purpose of this overwhelming evidence is not to induce despair for its own sake, but rather to silence every human excuse and to show the entire world its true position before a holy God: guilty and accountable. The law, Paul concludes, is not a ladder for us to climb to God, but a mirror that shows us how dirty we are. It reveals our sin, and in so doing, it prepares the ground for the gospel of grace that he is about to unfold.
Outline
- 1. The Universal Verdict: All Under Sin (Rom 3:9)
- 2. The Scriptural Indictment: A Mosaic of Quotations (Rom 3:10-18)
- a. Universal Unrighteousness (Rom 3:10-12)
- b. Universal Corruption of Speech (Rom 3:13-14)
- c. Universal Propensity for Violence (Rom 3:15-17)
- d. The Root Cause: No Fear of God (Rom 3:18)
- 3. The Purpose of the Law: To Silence and Convict (Rom 3:19-20)
Commentary Verse by Verse
9 What then? Are we better? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin;
Paul anticipates the objection. After laying out the privileges of the Jews at the beginning of the chapter, the natural question arises: "Are we better?" Do our covenant advantages, our possession of the law and the promises, place us in a superior category when it comes to sin? Paul's answer is an emphatic and absolute denial. "Not at all." The playing field is entirely level. He has already brought the charge, acting as a prosecuting attorney for God, and the charge is that all humanity, Jew and Gentile alike, are "under sin." This is a crucial phrase. It does not simply mean that everyone sins occasionally. It means that all of humanity is under the jurisdiction, the authority, the dominion of sin. Sin is the tyrant king, and all unregenerate men are its subjects, its slaves. There is no high ground, no safe territory. All are occupied territory.
10 as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
Now Paul brings his star witness to the stand, which is the Scripture itself. He is not making this up. He is not offering his personal opinion as an apostle. He is showing that this doctrine of universal sinfulness is what God's Word has taught all along. He begins with this sweeping declaration from Psalm 14 and 53. Righteousness is the standard for acceptance with God, and on this count, humanity scores a perfect zero. "None righteous." And just in case we are tempted to find a loophole, to imagine some rare exception, he adds the hammer blow: "not even one." This is total. This is absolute. This is not about the worst of humanity; it is about the best of humanity. Apart from the imputed righteousness of Christ, there is no one who meets God's standard.
11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;
The problem is not merely behavioral; it is cognitive and volitional. The mind is affected. "None who understands." The natural man, as Paul says elsewhere, does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. He cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The fall has darkened our reason. And because the mind is dark, the will is rebellious. "None who seeks for God." This verse singlehandedly demolishes the sentimental notion of man as a noble spiritual seeker, climbing the mountains of religion in a sincere search for God. The Bible's teaching is the precise opposite. Fallen man is not seeking God; he is hiding from God. God is the great seeker, the one who comes looking for Adam in the garden, the shepherd who leaves the ninety nine to find the one lost sheep.
12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME WORTHLESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”
This is the collective result of our individual condition. We are not just isolated sinners; we are a fallen race. "All have turned aside." We have all left the path God laid out for us. And in doing so, "they have become worthless." The word here means to be rendered useless, like spoiled milk or rotten fruit. Sin is not an unfortunate addition to an otherwise good humanity; it is a corruption that has ruined us for our intended purpose, which is to glorify God. And so the verdict is repeated for emphasis: "There is none who does good, there is not even one." Even our best deeds are tainted by mixed motives and pride, and fall short of the perfect standard of God's glory.
13 “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN TOMB, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,” “THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”;
From the general principle, Paul moves to specific symptoms, and he begins with our speech. The mouth is the overflow of the heart, and here Paul shows us what is in the unregenerate heart. The throat is an "open tomb." An open grave emits the stench of death and decay, and so the speech of fallen man reveals the spiritual death within. Our words are filled with lies and deception. We use our tongues, which were made to praise God, to manipulate and mislead. And beneath it all is a deadly venom. "The poison of asps is under their lips." Our words can kill. Gossip, slander, and malicious talk are not minor sins; they are the verbal equivalent of murder.
14 “WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”;
Continuing the theme of corrupt speech, Paul quotes from Psalm 10. This is not just about profanity, though it includes it. It is about a fundamental orientation of the heart. Cursing is the opposite of blessing. The mouth that should be used to bless God and our neighbor is instead filled with imprecations and ill will. Bitterness is a poison of the soul that defiles everything it touches, and it inevitably spills out through our words.
15 “THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD,
From words, Paul moves to actions. Quoting from Isaiah and Proverbs, he shows that the violence of man against man is a direct consequence of our rebellion against God. "Their feet are swift to shed blood." We are quick to violence. One only has to read the headlines of a newspaper or survey the history of the twentieth century to see the truth of this. Mankind, left to himself, is murderous.
16 DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS,
Sin always leaves a trail of wreckage in its wake. It promises freedom and pleasure, but its end products are always "destruction and misery." Wherever sin goes, it breaks things: relationships, families, communities, lives. It is a force of entropy, of decay, of chaos.
17 AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.”
Because man is at war with God, he cannot be at peace with himself or with his fellow man. The "path of peace," the way of shalom, of wholeness and flourishing, is a path he does not know how to find. All of our human efforts to create utopia, to build a lasting peace, are doomed to failure because we are trying to build on the foundation of our own rebellion.
18 “THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”
Here, with a quote from Psalm 36, Paul gives us the root cause of the entire diseased condition. This is the source from which all the other bitter streams flow. The fundamental problem of man is that he does not fear God. He does not live with a constant awareness of God's holy presence, His sovereign authority, and His coming judgment. To fear God is the beginning of wisdom. Therefore, to lack the fear of God is the beginning of all folly and wickedness. Every sin described in the preceding verses is a symptom of this foundational atheism of the heart.
19 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are in the Law, so that every mouth may be shut and all the world may become accountable to God;
Paul now applies this devastating scriptural testimony. A Jew listening to this might be tempted to say, "Yes, that's a perfect description of those wicked Gentiles." But Paul cuts off that escape route. The law, including the Psalms and the Prophets he has just quoted, speaks first and foremost to those to whom it was given: the Jews. If this is God's assessment of His own covenant people, the people with every spiritual advantage, then what does that imply about the rest of the world? The purpose of the law's indictment is twofold. First, "that every mouth may be shut." The law silences all our excuses, all our self-justifications, all our boasting. Before the bar of God's justice, we have nothing to say in our defense. Second, that "all the world may become accountable to God." The law brings the whole world into the courtroom and demonstrates that it is guilty and liable to judgment. No one is exempt.
20 because by the works of the Law NO FLESH WILL BE JUSTIFIED IN HIS SIGHT, for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
This is the grand conclusion of the entire argument that began back in chapter 1. If everyone is under sin, and if the law's own testimony confirms this, then it is impossible for anyone to be justified, or declared righteous, by trying to keep the law. "By the works of the Law no flesh will be justified." This is one of the central truths of the Christian faith. The law is good and holy and just, but it cannot save us. Why? Because we cannot keep it perfectly. So what is the purpose of the law? Paul tells us plainly: "through the Law comes the knowledge of sin." The law is not a ladder to get us up to God; it is a mirror to show us how desperately we need a savior. It is a diagnostic tool. It reveals the cancer of sin, but it cannot cure it. By shutting every mouth and proving our guilt, the law prepares us for the good news that is to follow, the news of a righteousness from God that is apart from the law.