ADVANTAGES DON'T MAKE US BETTER
Romans 3:9-20
“THEY ARE ALL UNDER SIN”
Advantages are simply that – advantages. But they cannot remedy our condition due to sin. They cannot make a sinner a saint. They cannot make the unrighteous righteous. They cannot cause a dead man to be born again. They cannot regenerate the corrupted man. Whether a person has the advantages or not, he needs a righteousness from God and a new birth. Everyone is under sin. The Jews sin under the law and the gentiles sin without the law. The Jew had many advantages such as the oracles of God, the covenants, the fathers, the blood line of the Messiah, and more but they still fell short of the glory of God and are still under sin just as the rest.
The Spirit is going to quote some of the oracles of God, in which the Jews thought they had life (John 5:39), and use them to point out their unrighteousness and need of God. Predominantly, He is going to point out that this righteousness of God is manifested apart from the Law by faith in Jesus! What exciting and liberating news for man.
“THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE”
Psalm 14:1-3 OR 53:1-3; Psalm 5:4-10
No one is righteous – not even one. Righteousness is needed to be in heaven and righteousness is only going to come from God. To be righteous is to be “right with God”. Righteousness cannot come by law (Galatians 2:21; 3:21). Works of righteousness doesn’t make someone justified (Romans 9:31-32). Works of righteousness doesn’t make someone saved (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). Many think they are righteous and are not (Luke 18:9; Romans 10:3). But some are described as being righteous (Genesis 30:33; 2 Samuel 22:21; Luke 1:6; Hebrews 11:4; 2 Peter 2:8). In the final analysis, apart from God, His creation is best described as unrighteous. Whether they have had blessings and benefits and advantages from Him or not, they are all unrighteous – every one.
“THER IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD”
This is a general statement concerning man apart from the working of God. For otherwise why would Jesus have told us to seek and find (Matthew 7:7). Or why would Isaiah 26:9 say, “At night my soul longs for You, indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently.” And it seems as though this is the purpose for man as Paul told the men of Athens about creation saying, “and He (God) made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each on of us” (Acts 17:26-27). Also, David himself, who wrote this psalm, said that he sought for God (Psalm 27:4; 34:4; 63:1) and other did as well (Psalm 22:26; 24:6; 34:10; 40:16; 69:6, 32; 70:4).
But the foolish and wicked man (Psalm 14:1) who has his mind set on the flesh does not understand or seek after God. Even man focused on God’s laws rather than God Himself could be in this condition. In the general sense, man, sinful man is not seeking for God and the Spirit uses this verse to describe all men. Does this mean that no one can be saved? May it never be. Rather of his own volition man will not seek God. But God is seeking for hearts in tune with Him; “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His” (2 Chronicles 16:9). God is drawing men to Jesus and no one will come to Him without God drawing Him (John 6:44) and no one will come to the Father but by Jesus (John 14:6).
“ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS”
Once again the Spirit is describing all of man by statements previously spoken of concerning the rebellious nation of Israel. Turning aside refers to a departing of the ways in which a man is instructed or expected to go. Jehoshaphat didn’t turn aside from the way of his father Asa (1 Kings 22:43) nor did Josiah “turn aside to the right or to the left” from the way of his father David (2 Kings 22:2). Our text says that all have turned aside from the ways of God but 1 Kings 15:5 says that David “did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.” As a whole, man has turned aside from the ways of God, everyone has and therein lies the need of reconciliation.
Also, man has become useless to God. This doesn’t mean that God cannot use them, for God has often used His own enemies to carry out His will. But God doesn’t like to use the useless or preserve the useless as Jesus stated, “throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30). We are going to need help to be useful. There the Spirit declares that we are “God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:10). In Christ we are members of His body and useful just as Mark was to Paul (2 Timothy 4:11) as well as Onesimus (Philemon 11).
“THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD; NOT EVEN ONE!”
Isaiah said our good works are like filthy rages (Isaiah 46:4). While by the world’s standards and man’s standards we can do many things that are “good” and we usually go as far as to say that people are “good” which Jesus didn’t even want said of Him (Matthew 19:17).
The man in Christ, however, does good works and is created in Christ Jesus for them (Ephesians 2:10). Women are to adorn themselves with good works rather than outward adornments (1 Timothy 2:10). The widow indeed is known for her good works (1 Timothy 5:10). The rich are to be rich in good works (1 Timothy 6:18). The word of God equips a man for good works (2 Timothy 2:17). Titus was told to be an example in good works (Titus 2:7). We have been redeemed and purified to be zealous for good works (Titus 2:14). Those believing in God are to maintain good works (Titus 3:8). The saints of God assemble to spur each other on to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24). Through our good works God is glorified (Matthew 5:16; 1 Peter 2:12). Our good works are not seen as merit for which we are rewarded with heaven but rather as a result of the relationship and condition we have entered into by the grace of God. We are His work!
“THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING, THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS; WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS. THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD”
Men and women living in the flesh or even followers of Christ “resurrecting” the old self show it by their speech. They speak more about the world than about God and when they talk about God they do not have much to say. They speak about dead things and there is no life in their words. Remember that out of the mouth flow the things of the heart. A person who is not “alive to God” (Romans 6:11) cannot speak of things pertaining to life and godliness for it is foreign to his situation.
He speaks in deceiving and poisonous words. The things of the flesh are not truth but are deceptive and poisonous – they bring about death and conceal truth. Man by himself without help of God is described this way. His speaks of things of death and deception and poisonous things. He is full of cursing and bitterness. There is no good that spews out of his mouth because there is no good in his heart.
Not only is his speech corrupt but his actions are too as his “feet are swift to shed blood”. There is no love like that in the church and among God’s people. Some people do not agree with this because of the way they have been hurt by those professing to be Christians. But those who are God’s people are not this way. Not, they SHOULDN’T be this way; they ARE not this way.
“DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS, AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN”
God spoke beforehand of a “highway of holiness” (Isaiah 35:8). This is the path of peace that we can enter on by the grace of God. By ourselves and in our sin we will not enter for “the unclean will not travel on it” and “fools will not wander on it”. No unclean or sinful person will travel this roadway but instead they are destined to travel on the “broad way that leads to destruction” (Matthew 7:13). Many are on that road and think that it is God’s road. Solomon wrote, “there is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). But the “narrow gate” is the way of God. It is the path of peace and it is highway of holiness. No one will wander or stumble onto it and no one on it will stumble from it. It is a sure path. Those entering or exiting will do so deliberately.
“THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES”
Unbelief and denial of who God is leads to sin. In this case they did not fear Him or revere Him. All the preceding descriptions of the man under sin are a result of him not being regenerated, born again, redeemed, reconciled, cleansed, justified, sanctified, or glorified to name a few and his mindset can be summed up by saying “there is no fear of God before their eyes.” Fear of God and a heart for God and “ears to hear” God will permit a man to come to God or at least hear the call through the gospel. This will not happen in a person who does not fear God. The divine appraisal of this man is that he is without knowledge and without wisdom (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10). Listen to what else Proverbs has to say concerning the “fear of the Lord”