All Together
Have you ever been reading through any of the books written by Paul and wonder how he could have been so harsh with the Jews? But then have you ever sat and realized that you are under the same correction that Paul is describing? There is an issue that seems prevalent in a lot of churches right now, and that is we tend to think that our sins are “less” or “don’t matter as much” simply because we go to church. Or we see an issue that a brother or sister in Christ is struggling with and think that is bigger than our own struggles, that we are “better Christians” because we don’t have the same issues. If you have experienced this, or even thought it yourself; I ask that you read Paul’s words in Romans 3:9-20.
“What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; 10 as it is written: “There is no righteous person, not even one; 11 There is no one who understands, There is no one who seeks out God; 12 They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, There is not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave, With their tongues they keep deceiving,” “The venom of asps is under their lips”; 14 “Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”; 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood, 16 Destruction and misery are in their paths, 17 And they have not known the way of peace.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” 19 Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; 20 because by the works of the Law none of mankind will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes knowledge of sin.”
In today’s common speech it would sound something like this, “What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that all are under sin.” And what I mean by this is that everyone is all under the bondage of sin, there is no man, woman, or child who has not committed some sin. It is why God sent His Son, because only the Son of God could live a perfect and untainted life. What separates individuals now is some have come to understand that they will never be “good” enough to not sin, they acknowledge that they need a Savior; and then there are those who have not come to this knowledge and continue to practice sin.
The issue comes in when born-again believers forget that at one point they were seen just as guilty in the eyes of God as those who are practicing sin; this can create a mentality that we are better than those who have not come to know Christ. Which is why Paul then begins to pull verses from Psalm 14, to remind everyone that apart from Christ no matter race or social status you are under sin’s guilty verdict. None of us do good, our works on our own are as filthy rags to God. “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our wrongdoings, like the wind, take us away.” Isaiah 64:6. It doesn’t matter what our sins were, if they were “minor” or if they were “major” in the eyes of mankind, all sin is sin as a major offense to God! There is no small or big sins, they are all equal!
For the believers who are reading this who may have found themselves looking and comparing themselves to those around them. Remember, you were seen just as guilty as they are. Do not let pride seep in and convince you that you were in any way better then they. Then, go out and be like Christ! He sat with the worst of mankind and sought to rise them up, to bring them to a saving faith in God, and to serve them! He lived a perfect life but still washed the disciples feet! Be like Christ and serve!
For the non-believers, there is hope and that hope can be found in Romans 3:21-26.
“But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 but it is the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in God’s merciful restraint He let the sins previously committed go unpunished; 26 for the demonstration, that is, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
We cannot receive eternal salvation on our own rights. We have all fallen short of God’s glory; we are all equal in that sense. But what separates the believer from the non-believer is the understanding that we cannot receive salvation based on our works. It comes only through the works of Jesus Christ! He is the author of our salvation, He is the one who lived the perfect life, who died and was resurrected, it is His actions and not ours that brings mankind to be rectified to God!
Seek the truth and encourage one another,
Alex