Human Race is Unrighteous

19 May 2013 AM – Romans 3:9-20 – Scott Childs

Introduction: So far in the book of Romans, as the Apostle Paul is laying a foundation for the Gospel, he gave evidence that the heathen (those who reject God) are unrighteous, that the hypocrites (those who are good on the outside but sinners at heart) are unrighteous, and that even the Hebrews (religious Jews) are unrighteous.

Transition: In today’s text, Paul shows us that the entire human race is unrighteous. This morning we will examine the evidence that he presented.

I.              The Common Problem (9)

A.     Jews are no more righteous than Gentiles

1.      Jews had an advantage by having God’s law, but this only made them more accountable. Having the law of God and being religious does not remove one’s sin.

2.      Man’s problem is not in his actions but in his heart. Your actions may be good or religious, but God looks deeper into your heart.

3.      Thus, God charges both Jew and Gentile with sin.

B.     All men are trapped under sin

When I was a teenager, I spent the night at a Christian friend’s house. The next morning as we ate breakfast, news came that the neighbour boy just got hurt. We ran over and discovered that the teen boy had lost control of the tractor and it flipped over and landed on him. He was trapped under the tractor. Thankfully, men got him out and the Lord spared his life. Just as he was helplessly trapped under that tractor, all people are helplessly trapped under the weight of sin.

1.      Being under sin means we are all are controlled by sin. We were caught in sin’s trap from birth as we were all born with a sin nature.

2.      Being under sin means we are all cursed by sin. Sin never makes a person truly happy. Yes, sin has some pleasures, but note what we read in the book of Hebrews.

Hebrews 11:24-25 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

3.      Being under sin means we are all condemned by sin. Jesus himself verified this fact.

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

II.            The Clear Proof (10-18)

A.     The Bible contains the proof

1.      Paul quotes from the Bible to prove his point.

2.      The Bible is God’s standard of right and wrong.

Today people claim there is no standard of right and wrong. They place personal opinion above the Bible. However, opinions cannot be our standard because opinions differ.

B.     The Bible proves that there is none righteous

1.      First, the Bible describes man’s character. Paul quotes from Psalm 14.

Psalm 14:1-3 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.

a)      None understands. Man has no spiritual understanding about God, no true sense of his sinfulness, and no understanding of the way of salvation.

b)      None seeks after God. No one is naturally godly. Man is naturally selfish; he does not naturally seek God.

c)      All have gone out of the way. Every person has strayed from God’s perfect way.

Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

d)      All are unprofitable. This word means “useless.” The Psalmist used the word “filthy” which means “morally corrupt.” We were all born with corrupt hearts.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

e)      None does good, not even one. Man’s idea of good is far from God’s perfect standard.

Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

2.      Second, the Bible describes man’s conduct. As God examines man’s conduct here is what He sees.

a)      His throat is an open sepulchre or grave (Ps 5:9). Out of his throat comes foul words, filthy talk, and dirty jokes like stench from a dead man’s grave.

b)      His tongue uses deceit (Ps 10:7). His tongue is full of lies. He is untruthful and cannot be trusted. He covers his sin by deceit.

c)      His lips contain poison (Ps 140:3). Like a deadly snake, he bites with hateful, bitter, cruel, cutting, unkind, slanderous words that poison those bit by them.

d)      His mouth is full of cursing and bitterness (Ps 10:7). He curses and blasphemes God. His mouth is full of harsh words for God, superiors, parents, and all authority. He pours out bitterness and anger.

e)      His feet are swift to shed blood (Isa 59:7-8). He aborts his unwanted children. He kills his unwanted elderly. His children play murder games. He delights in violent entertainment.

f)       His way is destruction and misery. He breaks up marriages, ruins lives, destroys happiness, and makes others miserable.

g)      He knows nothing of true peace. He focuses on himself and pursues happiness but enjoys no inner peace.

h)     He has no fear of God before his eyes (Ps 36:1). He cares nothing about God and thinks he is a product of evolution.

III.           The Certain Plight (19-20)

A.     All men are all guilty (19)

1.      All that the Old Testament says about the sinfulness of man is true. (See the above quotes).

2.      The entire world is guilty before God. Not one man or woman in his or her own merit is right with God. Every single one is a sinner.

B.     No one can justify themselves (20)

1.      Therefore (based on the above facts), not one person can say he is just or righteous in the sight of God.

2.      No person can keep God’s law flawlessly from birth until death. It is impossible.

3.      Rather, the main purpose of the Old Testament Law is to show us clearly that we are sinners.

Conclusion: Whether God-rejecting heathen, pious hypocrites, or religious Hebrews, we have a common problem with sin. No human is exempt. The Biblical proof is very clear. From our mind to our mouth, from our attitudes to our actions, we are sinful people. We hopelessly fail to keep God’s laws. We stand guilty and condemned before our holy, sinless, divine Creator. We cannot fix our problem. We need God’s grace.

Next week we will examine the solution to our problem – faith in Jesus Christ. However, if God is convicting your heart of your sinful guilt, you need not wait until next week to seek His cleansing. Jesus died on the cross to pay the debt of your sin. If you will admit your guilt and trust Him to cleanse you, your sins can be washed clean today.

Song: Only Trust Him – 252