the verdict: all are guilty!

Romans 3:9-20

Observation:
The words "no one" and the idea of "righteous" are repeated. Paul uses a list of verses from the OT that speak of the depravity and brokeness of all of humanity. The theme is that no one is righteous, not even one. "Law" is also a key word that is repeated a few times.

Interpretation:
The main argument of the passage is that there is no one who is righteous - it doesn't matter wether you are a Jew and have access to the Scriptures or a Gentile and don't. All of humanity prefers sin to the fear and glory of God and rushes to sin rather than to obey God. The law does not make people righteous - the law acts as a mirror, making us aware of our unrighteousness and sinfulness. The law is the instrument that God will use to measure our lives and everyone will be found lacking.

Application:
Any righteousness that I have "gained" is not from my own efforts because I could never be good enough to earn it. Any righteousness I have achieved by my own efforts is self-righteousness and is empty and futile. I am fallen. This means that rather than running to do what is good, my feet are swift to shed blood and my tongue practices deceit. Any decently close examination of my life will show this to be true. This is not just what I do but my character has been twisted so this is what I prefer and any time I do something good, it is a miracle because it is God breaking through my falleness and depravity. The miracle is not just that I don't perform the bad act but that God is starting to change my preferences and fix my depravity.
If it takes God's intervention to change me, then I need to stop expecting that other people will change apart from the intervention of God. Rather than beating them up (emotionally. I usually avoid throwing punches!), I need to introduce them to Jesus, offer them grace and pray that God would intervene in my life as he has in theirs. I also need to seek the intervention of God in my own life more. Jesus said in John 15 that apart from him I can do nothing of eternal value, I can bear no fruit. My goal is to bear fruit and the way that I do that is not to try to produce fruit on my own but to seek the divine intervention, the life-giving source that flows through me as I abide in Christ.