As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one. Romans 3:10 WEB
With these words, “there is no one righteous,” Paul directs our attention to a famous Psalm of King David. David wrote in Psalm 14:1, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt. They have done abominable deeds. There is no one who does good. WEB” The great King follows this in Psalm 14:3 saying, “They have all gone aside. They have together become corrupt. There is no one who does good, no, not one. WEB”
Paul begins Chapter three of his letter to the Romans teaching the faithfulness of God. In this he makes the clear distinction between those entrusted with God’s word, the Jews, and God himself. Paul points out that although there is no one righteous, that does not nullify the faithfulness of God.
Justly Condemned
The main argument that Paul uses here is that God is just to judge sin and condemn the unrepentant. The contrast between the corruption of man and the righteousness of God is stark. If the unrighteousness of man makes more clear the righteousness of God, some argued, and falsely accused Paul of teaching, that human sin made the distinction between God and man more clear and therefore glorified God.
This argument led some to claim that, in effect, they were doing God a favor by falling short of his glory. Paul corrects this false doctrine by answering a charge against him in Romans 3:8 as he writes, “Why not (as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say), ‘Let’s do evil, that good may come?’ Those who say so are justly condemned. WEB”
The Atoning Sacrifice
And so, the issue remains, there is no one righteous, but what are we to do about that? Paul emphasizes that both Jew and Gentile are under the corruption of sin. For this reason, we need our repentance and forgiveness of sin. To this end, God sent our Savior, Jesus Christ, that he might himself be just and the justifier of those who believe in the name of Jesus.
We read the answer in Romans 3:23-25 which says, “for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice, through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God’s forbearance. WEB”
Prayer: “Father God, I know there is no one righteous but Christ. Thank you for convicting me of my sin. Thank you for my salvation. Help me to live according to your word and your will. Guide me to make the most of my redeemed life for the kingdom of heaven. In Jesus’ name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: I Go to the Father
