God’s Word on the Matter

Paul now begins to summarize the first major point in his exposition of the Gospel, his assertion that all people, Jews and Gentiles alike, are in rebellion against God and therefore subject to His judgment. Ironically, this summary may be the most powerful and devastating part of his argument for this point, because Paul saves the last word for God Himself.

“What then?” Paul writes, signifying that a conclusion is coming. “Are we better than they? Not at all.” It is difficult to understand who the “we” and the “they” of this verse are, but Paul’s point is clear: No one has an inherent advantage before God’s bar of justice. Jews have no advantage over Gentiles, and Gentiles have no advantage over Jews. All alike are “under sin,” naturally subject to its power and deserving of the condemnation it brings. Then Paul adds, “As it is written,” the classic Scriptural introduction to a quotation from elsewhere in God’s Word. Quoting loosely from Psalms 14 and 53, as well as Ecclesiastes 7, Paul begins painting a picture in today’s passage of the “total depravity” of humankind. This picture, according to Dr. James M. Boice, “portrays human beings as unable to do even a single thing either to please, understand, or seek after God.” The picture is not one of spiritual health or even spiritual sickness, but spiritual death. While we may not like to gaze at this picture, we are wise to do so, for this is a portrait of the human race as God sees it.

First of all, Paul tells us that God sees “ ‘none righteous, no, not one.’ ” In other words, all humans are unrighteous, for they “suppress the truth” (1:18) and commit other atrocities against God. Simply put, no person lives up to God’s standards; therefore, they need “God’s righteousness” (10:3). Second, no one “ ‘understands.’ ” Rebellious human beings are “futile in their thoughts” (1:21) and cannot grasp the ways of God. Third, no one seeks for God. Indeed, no man naturally wants anything to do with Him (1:18–23); they prefer to worship the creature rather than the Creator, though this is the behavior of “fools” (1:22–23). “None,” “none,” “none”—again and again Paul hammers the truth that no one is naturally right with God.

In our studies for Tuesday and Wednesday, we will continue to examine this divine indictment of human depravity.