Romans 3:9-10

Romans 3:9-10 What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;

Here Paul lays out the hard truth that One hundred percent of Jews and Gentiles are all under the power of sin.  The end result was the same whether they had the written code [Law of Moses, Ten Commandments] or the works of the law written on their heart.  This means the Law including the Ten Commandments cannot produce the perfect righteousness needed to be right with God and neither can the works of the law on the heart. 

 

Over and over in this passage of bad news that begin in verse 18 of chapter one Paul makes it clear that human beings on their own are totally incapable of achieving the righteousness required to have a right standing before God.  It is totally impossible as Paul emphatically points out. 

Yet many people believe their righteousness and basic goodness will be sufficient to present to God on judgment day.  In our day there is a great emphasis on the social gospel where striving for love, tolerance, good works, morality, etc. is the goal and focus of this viewpoint…  This passage speaks to the probability of success for such a plan to make a person right with God.  It is nothing but fools gold to think a person can become righteous enough on their own to be justified before God.