Scripture
9 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. 10 As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11 there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
13 “Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 ruin and misery mark their ways,
17 and the way of peace they do not know.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
Reflection
“Well. I’m not too bad. I’m a pretty good person. At least I don’t do this or that. Compared to him or her, at least…”.
Have you ever looked down on anyone? Judged or compared? Or maybe you are on the other side of the coin where you feel unworthy, “too far gone” to come to God.
Paul is clear. There is no one righteous, not even one. Is there any hope for us, then? YES! The Law condemns us, but the Law is not the basis of our hope. God Himself is. Hold on to His Redeeming Grace (Su).
Thoughts for the day
- Is there an area in your life that you feel you don’t really need God and that you have it all figured out?
- What do you feel God is telling you through this passage?
- What is one way you can apply this truth to your life today?
- Who can you encourage with this story/message?
Prayer
Pray for those who are in prison.
