Oh brother. If I had a dollar for every Protestant who misunderstood Romans 3...
It is taken out of context, and that is crystal clear when we go to where Paul was quoting, the Psalms of David, in where the Psalms ALSO talk about RIGHTEOUS people who follow God. In a nutshell, Romans 3 is talking about WICKED people - and in context, wicked JEWS.
This passage doesn't just speak of wicked Jews.Romans 3:9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;The passage ultimately says that all humanity (besides the God-man Christ) have fallen short of God's expectation of their lives.
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;The passage doesn't say that all are wicked ... merely that All have sinned (to a more or less extent ... in their lives).
Don't confuse them with facts. They are on a roll. Particularly since it fosters an anti-Semitic view that a few of them apparently hold.
"As it is written: There is not any man just. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. All have turned out of the way; they are become unprofitable together: there is none that doth good, there is not so much as one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have dealt deceitfully. The venom of asps is under their lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery in their ways: And the way of peace they have not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes" Rom 3:10-18
These words are spoken about the wicked in the Psalms that Paul is quoting, not man in general, brother.
While NO ONE can say they are sinless, I believe the point Paul is making is that the Judaizers were no better than the Gentiles. The Jews were proud in their Law and their customs and their circumcision. They felt that one had to become a Jew first before coming to Christ. This defeats the purpose of Christ's efficacious death on the cross. Paul defends some of the Gentiles in chapter 2, saying some were spiritually circumcised and followed the Law written on their hearts. This is NOT what the Judaizers thought about their Gentile "brothers". Thus, Paul quotes from the Psalms of David, who attacks JEWS (wicked ones, of course)... Thus, as David was frustrated by wicked Jews, so, too, was Paul. God is not a respecter of persons. Even Jews. God is a God of Jews AND Gentiles. Thus, I believe that Paul's primary point in Romans 1-4 is to say that the Jews are not without the need of Jesus Christ's saving work AND that for one to receive Christ's redemptive grace, one didn't have to become a Jew first - because man is saved by faith. Even Gentiles with faith in God!
Merry Christmas, brother