Romans 3:10
As it is written, “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not, one.”
Overview
In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he states that “there is no one righteous, not even one.” All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. Nevertheless, God offers his grace and forgiveness to all who repent and put their trust in Jesus Christ.
Context
Romans 3:10 is part of Paul’s larger argument that all people, both Jews and Gentiles, are under God’s curse. In this section, he is specifically addressing the Jews who thought they were exempt from judgment because of their special covenant relationship with God.
To illustrate his point, Paul quotes from the Old Testament book of Psalms 14:1-3 and 53:1-3. These passages speak of the universality of sin and the resulting judgment of God. No one is righteous or does good deeds; all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. As a result, all are subject to God’s wrath.
Paul’s point is that no one can be saved by their own efforts; salvation can only come through faith in Jesus Christ. This is true for both Jews and Gentiles. Therefore, all people need to repent and turn to Christ for forgiveness and salvation.
Analysis
In Romans 3:10, Paul is emphasizing the fact that there is no one righteous, not even one. This is in contrast to what the Pharisees believed, that they were righteous because of their good works. But Paul says that it’s not about our works, it’s about faith. And even our faith is a gift from God, not something we can take credit for. So no one can boast about their righteousness.
Romans 3:11
There is no such thing as ‘several types of righteousness.’ Either a man is righteous or he is unrighteous. If he is unrighteous, he is under condemnation; if he is righteous, he is not. This is a very simple and straightforward proposition, yet it is one of the most misunderstood in all of Scripture.
Overview
Romans 3:11 is a familiar Bible verse that has been quoted and referenced many times. It’s a popular choice for Wedding Ceremonies and funerals, and it has been called “the Gospel in miniature.” This verse is significant because it contains the testimony of Paul- an eyewitness to the risen Christ.
Context
In Romans 3:11, the Apostle Paul is continuing his explanation of the gospel. He has just shown in verses 9-10 that both Jews and Gentiles are under sin, and now he explains why this is so. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God because all are born with a sinful nature. This is true of everyone, both Jew and Gentile.
A person’s sinful nature is passed down from their parents (see Psalm 51:5). We are all born with a tendency to do evil (see Genesis 8:21). This tendency is not removed when we become Christians. It remains with us throughout our lives. We will always have to struggle against it.
Paul goes on in verses 12-18 to show that the only way we can be saved from our sins is through faith in Jesus Christ. Our good works cannot save us. Salvation is a gift from God that we receive by faith when we trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior.
Analysis
There is no one righteous, not even one;11 there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
This passage starts with a shocking statement: There is no one righteous. This is an astounding thing to say. Surely there must be some people who are good, some people who are righteous? But Paul says that there is not even one. And he goes on to say that there is not even one person who understands, or seeks after God. All have turned away from him. He then sums up his point by saying that all people are worthless. There is not a single person who does good.
So what does this mean for us? It means that we are all sinners. We have all fallen short of God’s standard. We have all turned away from him and become worthless in his sight. We cannot earn our way into heaven by doing good works because we don’t even have the capacity to do any good works apart from God’s grace. We all need Jesus to save us from our sin.
Romans 3:12
In Romans 3:12, Paul is discussing the sin of man and how there is none who is righteous. He states that all have turned away from God and have become worthless. He is emphasizing the need for man to be saved through Christ.
Overview
In Romans 3:12, Paul speaks of the sins of man and how they are justified by faith in Christ. He says that no one is righteous, not even those who have the law. Rather, our righteousness comes from Christ. In order to be justified, we must have faith in him.
Context
In context, Romans 3:12 reads as follows: “All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” This verse is part of a larger section in which Paul is discussing the sinful nature of humanity. He has just finished saying that both Jew and Gentile are alike in their sinfulness, and in this verse he goes on to say that there is no one who is good. All have turned away from God and become worthless. This is a strong statement, but it is in keeping with what Paul has been saying throughout this letter.
Analysis
Romans 3:12 is a famous Bible verse that has been quoted and referenced many times. In this verse, Paul is emphasizing the fact that there is no one who is righteous, not even one. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. This verse is often used to emphasize the need for salvation through Jesus Christ.