The Indictment...Romans 3

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood:Destruction and misery are in their ways:And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.(Romans 3;10-17)

The summary of the teaching of Romans 1-2, is a Divine, fourteen count indictment of the human race, all are included in it, Jew and Gentile. Drawing from Isaiah and the Psalms, the whole human race is declared by God to be ‘under sin’.

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;(Romans 3:9)

The very phrase,’under sin’ is revealing, because it causes us to understand that sin itself is more than an action it is a state of being, a spiritual status. One is either ‘under grace’ or ‘under sin‘. The Law of God that Paul cites, is testimony that all, gentile and Jew are ‘under sin’, and in need of salvation.

There is none Righteous- This is a quote from Psalm 14, where the Lord actually searches the earth for even one good man, and declares that no one, not even one is good enough…

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

There is none that understandeth-This probably comes from the same Psalm, as well as incorporating Proverbs 9- which declares that “By the Knowledge of the Holy is understanding”. Those who have a sense of God’s holiness, that leads to worshipful awe and reverence, have ‘understanding’.

There is none that seeketh after God-This dispels the oft repeated myth about false religions such as Islam, Bhuddism, and Hinduism, that those who practice such are for the most part seeking after the true God and unable to find Him. Nothing could be further from the Truth- There is none that seeketh after God!

These religions and all false religion and irreligion are manifestations of God rejection. Man would worship anything but the true God, whose wrath is revealed from heaven, and who made us in His Image and claims sovereignty over our lives!

Since it is true that “There is none that seeketh after God”, how does anyone ever ‘find God’ ? Those who come to the saving knowledge of God didn’t seek Him until He himself put it into their hearts to seek Him. As Jesus said in John 15,

They are all gone out of the way…-This means that everyone is turned away from God, His will, desire for Him, literally it means that we all lean away from Him. We were created to know and enjoy God forever, but since the fall of man, we have all inclined ourselves away from God as much as possible.

They are together become unprofitable- The word for a useless slave, a horse with a broken leg, spoiled merchandise. God has declared that in our natural state, there is not one person that He can actually use as they are.

There is none who do good-God’s evaluation is what counts, not man’s.Man says something like, ‘Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, or Ghandi sure do a lot of good in this world.”But God has said there is none that doeth good !

This is hard for people to accept, because deep in the heart of the human race, there is the false belief that there is still a lot of ‘good’ in the human heart, in spite of all of our glaring ‘faults’. My hope at one time was that my “good deeds would out weigh my bad deeds” so that I could get to heaven.

What a bitter pill to swallow, that there is none that doeth good… then as if to emphasize it to the humanistic hopers among us, he states, …no, not one.Do you believe in God’s indictment of you? can you justify the one who brings such a damning charge against you? We will continue this tomorrow…

Hello PBR! Now that this thread has been around a few days I thought I would offer some observations.

Your exegesis is good but the problem is, you are exegeting on eisegetically derived passages. Why? Everytime Paul is referencing verses out of the Tanakh, he is taking them completely out of context. He is taking a verse, such as Psalm 14 and 53, 1-3, taking one sentence out of the verse and applying it universally to all men. That is blatant eisegesis.

In nearly every Psalm that Paul is quoting, David makes it clear that he is speaking to A) Atheists B) Fools C) Baalists D) Ungodly wicked evil men etc. David is applying it to a specific group of people, not universally.

David then explains, in everycase, either before or after the verse Paul uses, that there ARE INDEED righteous people who seek G-d, love G-d. The exact opposite of what Paul is trying to say. What Paul is doing in these passages is deplorable and wrong. Here are the verses all in there complete context:

Psalm14 1The fool has (A)said in his heart, "There is no God "(fools and atheists) They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is (B)no one who does good. 2The LORD has (C)looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there are any who (D)understand, Who (E)seek after God. 3They have all (F)turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is (G)no one who does good, not even one.(who? fools and atheists) 5There they are in great dread, For God is with the (K)righteous generation. 6You would put to shame the counsel of the afflicted, But the LORD is his (L)refuge. 7Oh, that (M)the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD [a](N)restores His captive people, Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad. 15: 1O LORD, who may abide (A)in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your (B)holy hill? 2He who (C)walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And (D)speaks truth in his heart. 3He (E)does not slander with his tongue, Nor (F)does evil to his neighbor, Nor (G)takes up a reproach against his friend;

Psalm 53 1(A)The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God," They are corrupt, and have committed abominable injustice; (B)There is no one who does good. 2God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there is (C)anyone who understands, Who (D)seeks after God. 3(E)Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one. 4Have the workers of wickedness (F)no knowledge, Who eat up My people as though they ate bread And have not called upon God? 6The righteous will (L)see and fear, And will (M)laugh at him, saying, 7"Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, But (N)trusted in the abundance of his riches And (O)was strong in his evil desire." 8But as for me, I am like a (P)green olive tree in the house of God; I (Q)trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever. 9I will (R)give You thanks forever, because You have done it, And I will wait on Your name, (S)for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones.(None righteous? Not one?)

Psalm 5 5The (I)boastful shall not (J)stand before Your eyes; You (K)hate all who do iniquity. 6You (L)destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors (M)the man of bloodshed and deceit. 7But as for me, (N)by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house, At Your holy temple I will (O)bow in (P)reverence for You. 8O LORD, (Q)lead me (R)in Your righteousness (S)because of my foes; Make Your way straight before me. 9There is (T)nothing reliable in what they say; Their (U)inward part is destruction itself Their (V)throat is an open grave; They flatter with their tongue. 10Hold them guilty, O God; (W)By their own devices let them fall! In the multitude of their transgressions (X)thrust them out, For they are (Y)rebellious against You.(a specific group, not all men) 11But let all who (Z)take refuge in You (AA)be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And may You (AB)shelter them, That those who (AC)love Your name may exult in You. 12For it is You who (AD)blesses the righteous man, O LORD,(again, none righteous? yes there are!) You (AE)surround him with favor as with a shield.

Psalm 140 1(A)Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men; Preserve me from (B)violent men 2Who (C)devise evil things in their hearts; They (D)continually stir up wars. 3They (E)sharpen their tongues as a serpent; (F)Poison of a viper is under their lips. Selah. 4(G)Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; (H)Preserve me from violent men Who have purposed to [a](I)trip up my feet. 12I know that the LORD will (Y)maintain the cause of the afflicted And (Z)justice for the poor. 13Surely the (AA)righteous will give thanks to Your name; The (AB)upright will dwell in Your presence.

Psalm 10 3For the wicked (E)boasts of his (F)heart's desire, And [a]the greedy man curses and (G)spurns the LORD. 4The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, (H)does not seek Him All his thoughts are, "(I)There is no God." 5His ways (J)prosper at all times; Your judgments are on high, (K)out of his sight; As for all his adversaries, he snorts at them. 6He says to himself, "(L)I will not be moved; Throughout all generations (M)I will not be in adversity." 7His (N)mouth is full of curses and deceit and (O)oppression; (P)Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness. 17O LORD, You have heard the (AI)desire of the [c]humble; You will (AJ)strengthen their heart, (AK)You will incline Your ear 18To [d]vindicate the (AL)orphan and the (AM)oppressed, So that man who is of the earth will no longer cause (AN)terror.

Isaiah 65:7(O)Their feet run to evil, And they hasten to shed innocent blood; (These are the Baal worshipers) (P)Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, Devastation and destruction are in their highways. 8They do not know the (Q)way of peace, And there is (R)no justice in their tracks; They have made their paths crooked,

Psalm 36:1Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is (A)no fear of God before his eyes (Who? the ungodly, not all men). 2For it (B)flatters him in his own eyes Concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it. 3The (C)words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has (D)ceased to be wise and to do good. 4He (E)plans wickedness upon his bed; He sets himself on a (F)path that is not good; He (G)does not despise evil. 7How (L)precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men (M)take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. 8They (N)drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; And You give them to drink of the (O)river of Your delights. 9For with You is the (P)fountain of life; In Your light we see light. 10O continue Your lovingkindness to (Q)those who know You, And Your (R)righteousness to the upright in heart.

So, once again, we have Paul creating theology by taking the Holy Tanakh out of context. His work is not of G-d. Shalom

"Sin certainly is universal, these passages in no way deny it"

Yes, sin has been universal from Gan Eden. But again, look at the verses in context. Context determines meaning. David says:

3They have all (F)turned aside....Who are they? the sons of men, which sons of men?

1 The fool has (A)said in his heart, "There is no God " They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds;( The atheists, the workers of wickedness)

4Do all the workers of wickedness (H)not know,..

Just a few verse later the picture is complete by G-d.

1 LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?

2 He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness.....(As I have listed previously, there are those who are righteous, to say otherwise is one scripture fighting another, contradicting another, one lies, one tells the truth?), And speaks the truth in his heart; 3 He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; 4 In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the LORD; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change; 5 He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

Paul is taking these verses out of context, selectively applying them to justify his new Torah, which G-d forbids.

Abraham was an idolater-

Abraham smashed his father idols and thus began the great walk with G-d. And G-d saw that Abraham DID do good!

Genesis 26: 4"(I)I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and (J)by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;

5because Abraham (K)obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws."

Abraham kept the Torah even before there was a Torah. So, Paul is wrong again.

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