Not Even One
Romans 3:9-18
October 14, 2007
There is a misconception that bounds across our world today.
It is dangerous, and it leads countless thousands to destruction.
It is the misconception that man is basically “good”.
We hear it at funerals – how he was a good person
We hear it in the court room – “I’m a good person”
Another misconception is how man achieves that goodness.
Man is convinced that the reason they are good,
Is because they have done something good to achieve that status.
And quite often, it is far less than you would think.
Going to work…
Paying their taxes…
Helping their friends…
Still others do noticeable deeds like:
Give to charity…
Volunteer in the community…
Support good causes…
THE POINT IS, MAN THINKS HE IS GOOD
WHEN HE DOES GOOD THINGS
And this attitude is seen in Scripture.
Matthew 19:16 “And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?”
And that sounds like sound logic.
If I do good things, I am a good person.
BUT WHAT IF AFTER I DO A GOOD THING, I THEN DO A BAD THING?
You would think that would negate the goodness, wouldn’t you?
We maintain our goodness
Through the masterful art of human comparison.
In short, our standard is moveable.
We convince ourselves that we are good
By finding someone who is not as good as us.
We call them bad, and that makes us good.
If you want a technical term, we call it: SELF-JUSTIFICATION
CERTAINLY THIS IS WHERE THE JEWS FOUND THEMSELVES
All of their good deeds…
All of their religion…
Compared to the goodness of the Gentiles…
Certainly the Jews had nothing to worry about.
THE BIBLE TEACHES OTHERWISE.
(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;”
• Paul has already spent all of chapter 2 revealing to the Jews That their religion or their ancestry didn’t save them.
• He then spent the first 8 verses of chapter 3 fending off their arguments.
But what Paul does here is really the lowest of the low.
BECAUSE UP UNTIL NOW, THE JEW
STILL HAD THE COMPARISON GAME GOING ON.
Maybe our religion isn’t acceptable…
Maybe being Jewish doesn’t save us…
Maybe circumcision is a false hope…
But I’m still a good person, because I’m better than…
That is exactly what Paul attacks here.
“What then? Are we any better than they?
Are Jews better than Gentiles?
“Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin;”
And this is really the point Paul has been driving for.
Every man is sinful.
No man is good enough.
No man has done enough.
In chapter 1 Paul condemned the Gentile.
Romans 1:18-19 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.”
In chapter 2 Paul condemned the Jew
Romans 2:1 “Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.”
All are under sin,
But to make sure, none of us are still seeking to justify ourselves
Paul records this next section of Scripture.
Verses 9-20 of Romans 3 are the great leveler.
Paul throws all men together and reveals the worth of mankind.
THIS IS MAN THROUGH GOD’S EYES
When God looks at man, this is what He sees.
It doesn’t matter what you think you are,
It matters what God thinks you are, and this is it.
6 passages to reveal 6 characteristics
#1 MANKIND IS DEPRAVED
Romans 3:10-12
He is actually quoting a passage of Scripture that is found in two places.
Psalms 14, and Psalms 53
Psalms 14:1-3 “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good. The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there are any who understand, Who seek after God. They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one.”
No doubt Jews had read and sang that Psalm for years,
And had always applied it to the Gentile.
But God is applying it to all men, Jew and Gentile alike.
And the idea is that all of mankind is depraved.
When God created this world, He used one phrase over and over.
“God created the heavens and the earth…and it was good”
God said, “Let there be light”…and it was good”
Genesis 1:31 “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”
And of course that included the creation of man.
So even God was saying that man was good.
And then we hit Genesis chapter 3.
Genesis 3:6-7 “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.”
Genesis 3:22-24 “Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” — therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.”
And from this day on man would look different to God.
Mankind was no longer “good”. Man had developed a new nature.
Genesis 6:5 “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
Now of course that was before the flood.
BUT EVEN AFTER THE FLOOD
Genesis 8:21 “The LORD smelled the soothing aroma; and the LORD said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.”
MANKIND HAS A DEPRAVED NATURE
It is the nature that Paul referred to in:
Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”
And if you want to get the picture of that depravity,
Look at what Paul says here in verses 10-12.
MAN IS WICKED
(10) “There is none righteous, not even one”
Man today argues their worth before God, but not a single man has it.
MAN IS STUPID
(11a) “There is none who understands,”
Man today thinks he understands God. That is not true.
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.”
MAN IS SELFISH
(11b) “There is none who seeks for God”
Man doesn’t seek the will and benefit and glory of God,
Man seeks the will and benefit and glory of man.
MAN IS FUTILE
(12a) “All have turned aside, together they have become useless;”
People have this misconception that God needs them. WRONG.
We turned aside from God, and we have become useless.
MAN IS EVIL
(12b) “There is none who does good, there is not even one.”
Despite our self assurance, no one does good at all.
“not even one.”
IN OUR FALLEN WORLD, THERE IS NONE GOOD, NOT EVEN ONE
I don’t care how much money is given to charity…
I don’t care how well you take care of your family…
I don’t care if you are the greatest citizen ever…
I don’t care if you served your country…
I don’t care if you have “Yard of the Month”…
“There is none righteous, not even one.”
As God looks down, He doesn’t see a world that is basically good
He sees a world full of men who are wicked,
Who don’t seek Him, Who don’t follow Him, Who don’t fear Him, Who don’t love Him, and Who are useless to Him.
MAN IS DEPRAVED
#2 MANKIND IS DECEPTIVE
Romans 3:13a
Here Paul is quoting from
Psalms 5:9 “There is nothing reliable in what they say; Their inward part is destruction itself. Their throat is an open grave; They flatter with their tongue.”
All that comes out of their mouth is “death” and “uncleanness”.
“Their throat is an open grave,”
What they say does not benefit men, it swallows men,
It deceives men, it destroys men.
James 3:5-9 “So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God;”
Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.”
And if you want to get specific as to what Paul meant.
“with their tongues they keep deceiving.”
They are liars.
They don’t tell the truth.
THE BOLD FACED LIE
Some people just enjoy lying to you.
THE COVER UP LIE
Many people will lie to get out of trouble.
THE WHITE LIE
Forest Gump says this doesn’t hurt anybody (EXCEPT YOU)
Because the mouth reveals the heart.
Matthew 12:34-35 “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. “The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.”
John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
THE USEFUL LIE
The lies used to get ahead (FLATTERY)
Flattery is when you say something to somebody’s face that you wouldn’t say behind their back.
IT’S DECEPTION.
And when God looks down from heaven this is what He sees.
A bunch of liars going at it.
Mankind is not good, we are depraved, we are deceptive.
#3 MANKIND IS DEADLY
Romans 3:13b
Psalms 140:3 “They sharpen their tongues as a serpent; Poison of a viper is under their lips. Selah.”
This is “DEADLY FORCE”
It started thousands of years ago.
Genesis 4:8 “Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.”
And it continues on through today.
Daily murders…
Assassinations…
School shootings…
When God looks down from heaven,
He sees men filled with deadly rage.
WE SAY, YEAH BUT NOT EVERYONE HAS KILLED SOMEONE.
We kill people with what comes out of our mouth.
“The poison of asps is under the lips”
Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.”
We might not shoot someone (go to jail)
But we’ll cut them up with our tongue
We are reminded that the serpent isn’t at all
The most wicked creature of God’s creation.
Mankind is not good. We are depraved, deceptive, deadly
#4 DISGRUNTLED
Romans 3:14
Psalms 10:7 “His mouth is full of curses and deceit and oppression; Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness.”
EVER MEET SOMEONE WHO IS DISGRUNTLED?
THAT IS MANKIND.
When is the last time you had a conversation about how good the president is?
We love to complain…
We love to gripe…
Everything is wrong, getting worse, and can’t possibly get any better.
This was Solomon.
Ecclesiastes 4:1-3 “Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them. So I congratulated the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living. But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.”
Ecclesiastes 9:2-6 “It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as the swearer is, so is the one who is afraid to swear. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead. For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten. Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun.”
And you say, so what if a man is filled with “bitterness”.
It’s no crime to be disgruntled is it?
WHAT DOES GOD COMMAND?
Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
IN SHORT, GOD SEES MEN
THAT AREN’T GRATEFUL FOR ANYTHING.
If it’s dry, when is gonna rain?
If it rains, when is gonna stop?
Man is not good we are depraved, deceptive, deadly, disgruntled
#5 MANKIND IS DEGENERATE
Romans 3:15-17
Isaiah 59:7-8 “Their feet run to evil, And they hasten to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, Devastation and destruction are in their highways. They do not know the way of peace, And there is no justice in their tracks; They have made their paths crooked, Whoever treads on them does not know peace.”
The idea here is not just what they do, but where they are headed.
AND THE IDEA IS THAT WE ARE ONLY GETTING WORSE.
Mankind is not gravitating closer to God.
Every second mankind is gravitating further away from God.
That is why Paul wrote
2 Corinthians 6:2 “for He says, “AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.” Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION”
“POST-MILLENNIALISM”
• Jesus returns after the Millennium
• The world just keeps getting better until Jesus comes
BASED ON THE PREMISE THAT “GOOD” IS CONTAGIOUS
“Random acts of Kindness”
“Pass on a good deed”
“Chain of Love”
Sounds great, but it doesn’t work.
BECAUSE MANKIND AREN’T HEADED TOWARDS GOOD,
WE ARE HEADED TOWARDS EVIL.
Look at what God said through Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 22:23-31 “And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, say to her, ‘You are a land that is not cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation.’ “There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have devoured lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in the midst of her. “Her priests have done violence to My law and have profaned My holy things; they have made no distinction between the holy and the profane, and they have not taught the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they hide their eyes from My sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. “Her princes within her are like wolves tearing the prey, by shedding blood and destroying lives in order to get dishonest gain. “Her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ when the LORD has not spoken. “The people of the land have practiced oppression and committed robbery, and they have wronged the poor and needy and have oppressed the sojourner without justice. “I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. “Thus I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; their way I have brought upon their heads,” declares the Lord GOD.”
We are depraved, deceptive, deadly, disgruntled and getting worse.
We are degenerate.
#6 MANKIND IS DARING
Romans 3:18
And this one may really drive the nail in the coffin.
Psalms 36:1 “Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is no fear of God before his eyes.”
NOT ONLY IS MAN HEADED IN THE WRONG DIRECTION
But the fact that man doesn’t even fear God,
Means there is no turning the ship around.
Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
But if man doesn’t fear God, then what can turn the ship around?
It is man’s lack of fear of God
That spins them even further away from God.
Romans 1:32 “and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”
AND HOPEFULLY YOU SEE THE POINT.
MANKIND IS NOT BASICALLY GOOD
MANKIND IS TOTALLY EVIL
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
GOD DOESN’T SEE “GOOD” PEOPLE, HE SEES LOST PEOPLE
Man doesn’t love Him, Doesn’t follow Him, Doesn’t seek Him,
Doesn’t obey Him, and Doesn’t fear Him.
THERE IS NOTHING GOOD THAT ANY MAN HAS TO OFFER GOD
NOT EVEN ONE
THERE’S NO REASON WHY GOD
SHOULD LET ANY MAN INTO HEAVEN.
BUT THERE IS A WAY HE WILL.
Through Jesus Christ.
He came to this earth and lived the way man was supposed to live.
1 Peter 2:22 “WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH;”
Peter was quoting
Isaiah 53:9 “His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.”
This sinless man gave His life as a ransom for those who are sinful
Now through faith in Jesus,
You can be forgiven, and have eternal life.
Not because of anything you do, but because of what He did.
You are not good.
But Jesus is good, and you can be saved through Him.
Romans 5:8-9 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”
