Romans 3:10-12

As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one" [Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Ecclesiastes 7:20].

Our condition is in our hearts. Paul in v.10-12 says that our sin runs deep into the core of our being. We talked about total depravity a while back, and this is it again. There is no one righteous, not even one. All our righteous acts or good deeds are like filthy rags to the Holy One of Heaven. There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. This is the big one. And in the Greek, ekzeteo (ek-ze-TAY-o), and in the Old Testament Hebrew, Darash (daw-RASH), it means exactly what it says: “to seek out, search for; to seek out for one’s self, beg, crave; to resort to, seek, seek with care, enquire, or require.” Nobody craves the One, True God, and it’s due to our sinful heart condition.

There is no one who seeks God. Now this is hard to grasp in our day and age of seeker-sensitive church movements. But what Paul is saying here is that no one desires the One, True God. He’s too demanding, He’s too Holy, He’s a consuming fire that will undo us at His presence.
Remember what Job said after being confronted by God? “I am unworthy—how can I reply to You? I put my hand over my mouth. I have no answer; I will say no more….I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” Look what happened to Isaiah when he was brought into the presence of God. He was undone, literally turned inside out and cut open at the sight of the Theophany. Look what happened when Peter was confronted by Jesus Christ while fishing in Luke 5. He was convicted that Jesus was more than a mere man, and he said, “Go away. I am sinful.” Look again in Luke 8 when Jesus calmed the sea. Those with Him were filled with “fear and amazement.” “Who is this?” they asked. So no one, with the exception of those already believers, desires our God. Isaiah 53:2-3 “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him; there was nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him; He was despised and rejected, like one from whom we would hide our faces; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.”

Unbelievers do not seek this God. Paul makes that very clear. We do not become God-seekers until we are found by Him. Once we are made believers, then it is true that we seek Him. He has made us willing, and because of that, we want Him; we desire Him. Because we have been changed, we do good; but still, even then, it is God Who works in us. I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So it’s God working through us. It’s never just us. Paul concludes this point: All have turned away and become worthless; no one does good, not even one. We must understand this to properly understand grace. There is nothing valuable in me. I contribute nothing to the equation of salvation. It’s all of grace. It has nothing to do with me. These are hard words to hear, but that’s exactly what Paul has been saying since Romans 1:18.

Romans 3:9

What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.

All are under sin. Paul comes now to his closing argument. He made it clear that the Gentiles were under condemnation and in need of God’s saving grace with chapter 1:18-32. He said the same thing about the Jews in chapter 2, overcoming four misunderstandings about: the law, the national election of Israel, the purpose or the will of God for the Jews, and the covenant sign of circumcision. The Jews put forth these arguments trying to avoid the gospel. Then with verses 1-8 of chapter 3, Paul refuted four more objections to his gospel (questioning the benefits of being a Jew, questioning God’s faithfulness in judging the Jews who turned away, questioning God’s righteous judgment presuming He is glorified by sin, and ridiculously presuming that more sin would be best since it would glorify God more). Now Paul, if he hasn’t made his point yet (which he has, as he says, “we have already made the charge”), he does so in the following verses. He doesn’t beat-around-the-bush, trying to woo the people to like him or his position. He tells the people what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. And he speaks the truth in love; he loves people and wants all to be saved. He says everybody is “under sin.”

Sin is mainly a condition of rebellion against God. This is why it is so sad and pointless when people argue that they are pretty good people and don’t need the Gospel. What they mean is that they treat other people decently: they don’t steal, kill, lie or swear too much, and, oh yeah, they give money to some charities. But that is not the main question. The main question is: Do they love God with all their heart and soul and mind and strength? Do they love His Son, Jesus Christ? Is God the most important Person? It is not virtuous to do nice things for people while having no love or reverence or passion for God. Sin is, first and foremost, a resistance to God. And that resistance results in a darkened mind that then suppresses the truth and does not understand God. So the person “under sin” does not seek God and does not know God and does not fear God.

One of the most important truths to hold up in the world is that all human beings, even though created in God’s image, are corrupted by the power of sin. We are not morally good by nature. We are by nature morally bad. In Ephesians 2:3, Paul says we are all “by nature children of wrath.” The attitudes and thoughts and actions that deserve the wrath of God come from us in and by our nature. We see it again from Paul in Colossians 3:5-7. “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming [against the sons of disobedience]. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.” Plain and simply put, we are by nature sinful. Sin is like a master or a king, and it reigns over us and in us. Not that it coerces us to do what we don’t want to do, but it makes us want to do what we ought not to do. We are not innocent victims of sin. We are co-conspirators with sin against God. Next week, we'll see Paul’s point through his quoting of six Old Testament passages.

Romans 3:7-8

Someone might argue, "If my falsehood enhances God's truthfulness and so increases His glory, why am I still condemned as a sinner?" Why not say--as we are being slanderously reported as saying and as some claim that we say--"Let us do evil that good may result"? Their condemnation is deserved.

In order for God’s grace to increase, let us sin more. Here’s what the Jews say: “If my unfaithfulness highlights God’s truthfulness, then why should I not be more unfaithful? Why not do evil that good may come. Paul, your teaching leads us to the idea that we ought to do evil in order that good might come from it. Or Paul, your view of salvation means go ahead and sin to your heart’s content in order that grace may have its chance to do its work.” But once again here you see that a depraved heart will do anything rather than repent. It will call in to question doctrine; it will call in to question God’s fairness; it will call in to question God’s existence; anything, so long it does not have to repent. He considers the suggestion that we do evil so grace may increase as blasphemous. And he announces here the justice of the condemnation of those who would say it. The most stupendous blunder a man ever made was to think that he could gain anything by sinning.

We see again the repeated tendency to change the subject: Jesus ran into this kind of thing at the woman at the well. He’s talking with this woman about a sin that is very, very close to the center of her heart when he says to her, “Woman, go bring your husband.” She says, “Well, I have no husband.” And He says, “You’re right. The man that you’re living with is not your husband, and you’ve had five previously.” And immediately she becomes interested in having a theological discussion about worship. “Well, let’s talk about the theories of appropriate worship. It is here in Samaria or is it in Jerusalem?” Immediately she wants to talk about something else. Have you ever experienced this type of thing?

So the Jews have said, “God can’t judge those whose sin magnifies His righteousness when He judges them, and therefore, we may as well all just go on sinning.” Because Paul’s whole point is that their sin glorifies God’s righteousness in judgment, they tried to convince themselves that they were not really sinners but God-glorifiers, and therefore safe from His wrath. And Paul, to that kind of convoluted, weaseling use of language and theology, says, “Their condemnation is just.” On the one hand, God is faithful and righteous and true to His glory, and on the other hand, God judges His very own chosen people and condemns them along with the Gentile world: Two truths, for them irreconcilable. So they try to reject one of these truths. And the result is sophistry—tricky reasoning, word games. Today we might call it spinning. Ever watch O’Reilly and the No Spin Zone? Paul treats this ridiculous, yet prominent theological objection elsewhere in Romans, under different contexts, so we’ll look more at it then.

Conclusion: Paul in chapter 2 cut off the four legs of the stool of false assurance that the Jews were standing on, trying to deny their need for the gospel: (1) failing to see the purpose of the law, (2) misunderstanding their national election, (3) misusing their calling to serve God by revealing the light to the Gentiles, and (4) merely outwardly observing the outward sign of circumcision. And here in the beginnings of chapter 3, Paul refutes the four claims the Jews tried to use to deny the accuracy of Paul’s gospel: If what Paul said in chapter 2 was true, then (1) God and His chosen people and His established covenant signs were of no use, (2) that God would be unfaithful to condemn the Jews, (3) that God is unrighteous to judge the Jews, because His punishment of their sin glorifies Him, and (4) I should sin more often, so that His grace can flow more and ultimately to bring Him more glory.

Favorite Christmas Tunes

Bring in the season! Here are the first three of my favorites, with more likely to follow in the days to come - leading up to celebration of God's greatest gift to mankind, His One and Only Son.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Said the night wind to the little lamb,
do you see what I see
Way up in the sky, little lamb,
do you see what I see
A star, a star, dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite
With a tail as big as a kite

Said the little lamb to the shepherd boy,
do you hear what I hear
Ringing through the sky, shepherd boy,
do you hear what I hear
A song, a song, high above the trees
With a voice as big as the sea
With a voice as big as the sea

Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
do you know what I know
In your palace warm, mighty king,
do you know what I know
A Child, a Child shivers in the cold
Let us bring Him silver and gold
Let us bring Him silver and gold

Said the king to the people everywhere,
listen to what I say
Pray for peace, people everywhere!
listen to what I say
The Child, the Child, sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light

Little Drummer Boy

Come they told me
Pa rum pum pum pum
A new born King to see
Pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring
Pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King
Pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum
So to honor Him
Pa rum pum pum pum
When we come

Little baby
Pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too
Pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring
Pa rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give our King
Pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum
Shall I play for you
Pa rum pum pum pum
On my drum

Mary nodded
Pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time
Pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him
Pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him
Pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum
Then He smiled at me
Pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay, Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day; To save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray.

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy; O tidings of comfort and joy

In Bethlehem, in Israel, this blessed Babe was born, And laid within a manger upon this blessed morn; The which His mother Mary did nothing take in scorn.

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy; O tidings of comfort and joy

From God our heavenly Father a blessed angel came; And unto certain shepherds brought tidings of the same; How that in Bethlehem was born the son of God by name.

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy; O tidings of comfort and joy

"Fear not, then," said the angel, "Let nothing you afright This day is born a Savior of a pure Virgin bright, To free all those who trust in Him from Satan's power and might."

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy; O tidings of comfort and joy

The shepherds at those tidings rejoiced much in mind, And left their flocks a-feeding in tempest, storm and wind, And went to Bethl'em straightaway this blessed Babe to find.

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy; O tidings of comfort and joy

But when to Bethlehem they came where our dear Savior lay, They found Him in a manger where oxen feed on hay; His mother Mary kneeling unto the Lord did pray.

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy; O tidings of comfort and joy

Now to the Lord sing praises all you within this place, And with true love and brotherhood each other now embrace; This holy tide of Christmas all others doth deface.

O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy; O tidings of comfort and joy

God bless the ruler of this house, and send him long to reign, And many a merry Christmas may live to see again; Among your friends and kindred that live both far and near--

That God send you a happy new year, happy new year, And God send you a happy new year.