Can Anyone Claim to Be Good? (Romans 3: 9-20)

Introduction:

Have you ever listened to someone speak and wondered, "Where is this going? What are they really trying to say?" When I first read these opening chapters of Romans, I found myself asking the same question of Paul. His argument is tightly woven, deeply theological, and ultimately leads to an unavoidable conclusion: No one is righteous before God.

In this episode, we dive into Romans 3:9-20, where Paul brings his opening argument to a stunning climax. He has spent the previous chapters demonstrating that all people—whether obviously unrighteous or self-righteous—are under God's judgment. Now, he delivers his final verdict: "No one is righteous, not even one."

Key Takeaways:

1. Paul’s Three-Step Argument:
2. The Meaning of Being ‘Under Sin’:
3. The Law’s True Purpose:
4. The Hope Beyond Judgment:

Final Thought:

Romans 3 strips away every illusion we have about our own righteousness. It forces us to face the sobering truth that we cannot justify ourselves before God. But as we will soon see, this prepares us for the greatest news of all: the righteousness of God made available through faith in Jesus Christ.

Join us next time as we continue our journey through Romans and explore the hope that follows the judgment.

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Transcript

Can Anyone Claim to Be Good? (Romans 3: 9-20)

Transcript: 

There have been times when I’ve listened to someone speak, unsure of where they were going or how their reasoning is connected. Sometimes I would ask myself, “What are you getting at? What’s your conclusion, what are you really trying to say?”

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of studying and teaching through this book of the bible several times before. I think the first time I did this was way back in the mid-late 1990’s 

When I read these opening chapters of Romans for the first time, I  must confess I wished I could have asked Paul the same question. 

What are you getting at?

Few sections of scripture are as tightly and densely woven and as complex as these first three chapters of this book. Because of that, in going through it together so far I have made a habit of reviewing what Paul has been saying to ensure we follow his overall argument as we’ve progress through each individual section of the book.

Today, as we come to the conclusion of his introductory section so it’s especially important to see where he has been leading us.

Remember Paul began back in Romans 1:18 by declaring:

“The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.”

From that point on, he made it clear that all people are sinners, all are unrighteous, and all are under God’s judgment.

In chapter 2, he then turned his attention from the clearly unrighteous position of everyone to those people who would claim to be self-righteous.

No one, he argues, can look down on others and say, “I am better than you.” Why? Because all will be judged by the same standard, and that’s God’s standard.

By the end of the chapter, it becomes explicit that even the Jews of his day, along with everybody else will face judgment. Even circumcision, that sacred sign of their covenant with God that they bore on their flesh, would not exempt them from accountability before God.

Now, in chapter 3, Paul moves toward his conclusion. 

We saw yesterday that he began by addressing a potential issue, taking the form of a question that asked: Well then, do Jewish people have any advantage? His answer is nuanced. Yes, they had an advantage, because they were entrusted with God’s Word and his law.

But that advantage ultimately becomes no advantage if you fail to live by it.

At this point, we might ask, where is Paul going with all of this? What is his final conclusion?

Which brings us to today passage, Romans 3:9-20, where Paul states his case and asks the question.

What shall we conclude then? Do anyone have an advantage?  

And if so, what then? 

Well, he will He tell us today….

Are some people, or groups of people, better than other when it comes to standing before God?

Here’s Paul’s answer.

Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and 

 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.

Not at all! He writes. Emphatic! He continues.

“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.”

(Romans 3: 10-18)

Paul continues, painting a devastating picture of humanity’s spiritual condition: Lying tongues and poisonous deceitful words, the desire to shed blood, lives marked by destruction, and an utter lack of fear of God. 

Finally, he brings it all together:

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.

(Romans 3: 19-20)

Paul’s argument has unfolded before us here in three stages:

1.     He starts with his general conclusion (v. 9) – Are Jews better off before God? No. Both Jews and Gentiles are under sin.

2.     Then he offers biblical proof (vv. 10-18) – He is quoting from Scripture, demonstrating that no one is righteous—not even one.

3.     The he gives his formal conclusion (vv. 19-20) – The law does not save; it only reveals sin. No one can be justified by works.

One key phrase summarizes Paul’s point: “Everyone is under sin.” Not merely sinful or guilty, but under sin—enslaved to it, ruled by it, and condemned because of it.

This is Paul’s final word on humanity’s condition before God. Left to ourselves, he says, we are helpless. No one is righteous. No one seeks God. No one is good. We are all under sin.

However, this devastating truth sets the stage for the greatest news of all—what God has done through Jesus Christ.

This phrase carries profound meaning. It does not simply mean that people sin or that they are guilty of sin—though both are true. Rather, he describes everyone as specifically being "under sin." He suggests that all humanity is under sin’s power, enslaved to its influence, and subject to its judgment and condemnation.

To substantiate this claim, he now turns to Scripture. In verses 10–18, he compiles a series of quotations from the Old Testament, primarily quoting from the Psalms, to prove that no one is righteous. 

Notice all the individual quotations marks in our modern translations. That is because most modern translations format these verses, as a collection of citations one after the other.

Verse 10 begins this scriptural proof: “As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.” This is drawn from Psalm 14:3, His point is that, when measured against God’s standard of righteousness, all fall short.

In verse 11, Paul continues, quoting Psalm 14:2–3: “There is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God.” This highlights humanity’s spiritual blindness. People do not naturally understand God's truth, nor do they seek His will. 

This does not mean people are not religious, far from it. Humanity is deeply religious by nature. However, rather than pursuing the true God, people settle for a form of superficial religion and self-justifying answers.

People don’t want truth; they just want answers to the question they want to ask.” That is, they seek explanations that make them feel comfortable rather than the hard reality of God’s truth.

Verse 12 continues: “They have all turned aside; they have together become worthless. There is none who does good, no, not one.” Again, quoting Psalm 14, Paul uses the word "unprofitable or worthless," which in Hebrew refers to something spoiled—like sour milk that has become useless.

The image is striking just as sour milk is unfit for consumption, humanity in its sin is unfit for God’s service.

Some may object, arguing that unbelievers can still perform kind or charitable acts. While this is true, Paul is addressing the core of human nature. Even acts of kindness are often motivated by self-interest, or virtue signaling.

These verses systematically dismantle any notion of human righteousness. Four times, Paul repeats the phrase “there is no one,” emphasizing that no one is exempt from sin’s power to corrupt. He is not merely making an abstract theological point—he is giving us a devastating indictment of the human condition.

In the next section Paul's then shifts from general statements about sinfulness to a detailed, almost anatomical examination of how sin manifests in human speech and actions.

Paul begins with saying the corruption of the heart is revealed in the words people speak. Then he uses imagery from the Psalms to describe the throat as "an open tomb," the tongue as deceitful, and the lips as venomous, like a serpent’s fangs (Psalm 5:9, Psalm 140:3). These metaphors exposes the moral and spiritual decay hidden behind human speech. 

Cleaver human words are often used to conceal the reality of sin.

From speech, Paul moves to actions, specifically our feet, using the walk through life as a metaphor symbolizing how people conduct themselves in the everyday. 

He quotes from Isaiah 59:7, showing that human nature is inclined toward violence and destruction. The sinful heart harbors anger, hatred, and a willingness to see others eliminated for personal gain. 

Jesus echoes this in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:21-22), equating hatred with murder in its embryonic form.

The final indictment is the lack of reverence for God: "There is no fear of God before their eyes" (Psalm 36:1). Without the fear of the Lord, there is no moral compass. The “eye” was considered the part of the body through which a person was led, yet here, it is devoid of reverence for God.

In the Old Testament, the phrase “fear of God” encapsulates an individual’s entire relationship with Him—reverence, trust, and obedience.

God is not a consideration in most people’s thinking. And this is the root of the problem: humanity has left God out.

Paul is not suggesting that every person has committed every sin listed, but rather that these sins are representative of what is latent in every human heart.

The difference between a person in prison and a person walking free is not necessarily who they are, but what they have done. Both possess the same sinful inclinations, but one has acted upon them while the other has restrained them, perhaps only due to circumstances.

Sin is often masked by societal restraints, but given the right conditions, the true nature of the human heart is revealed. Beneath the polite exterior, sin lurks, waiting for an opportunity.

A modern illustration of this reality of when we have seen power blackouts in cities people will go out, sometimes in their thousands and looted stores, stealing items they never would have taken if they thought they could be caught.

The Universal Verdict of Paul is: We are Guilty Before God

Paul’s answer/ God’s answer, is found in these verses today

“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.” 

(Romans 3:19)

Paul references the law to show that even the Jewish nation, who had the advantage of knowing God’s commands, are under sin. If those with the law are guilty, then surely the entire world is condemned.

The word guilty here is a legal term, indicating that all humanity stands before God’s judgment seat with irrefutable evidence against them. The image is that of a person caught red-handed, standing silent before the Judge because the evidence is overwhelming.

No excuse remains—every mouth is stopped.

Paul then delivers a devastating conclusion in verse 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.”

(Romans 3: 20)

The law was never intended as a means of justification but as a mirror to reveal sin to us. Its role is to expose humanity’s sinful nature, proving our need for salvation rather than providing salvation in and of itself. 

The same law, had now become something religious people had come to rely on for felling right before God.

This is the awesome/awful conclusion: not only that people are sinful, not only that they are under sin, but that they stand before God condemned, speechless, and powerless to change their condition through anything the do. 

But now, he says in knowing this we are hopefully ready to receive the revelation that only God’s intervention can provide a way out. The gospel!

Friends, that’s a staggering reality. 

Now, pay close attention—because that phrase under sin I talked about earlier in verse 9 ties directly to the conclusion in verses 19 and 20. 

What does it mean? It means we stand silently, guilty, before God. We cannot be justified by doing what God required in the law because the law only brings knowledge of sin. No flesh can be justified—not yet.

Let me put it another way:

In verse 9, we are under sin.

In verse 19, we are guilty before God.

In verse 19, our mouths must be stopped/silence.

In verse 20, we cannot be justified by our own efforts.

This passage moves from sin to guilt to judgment to wrath.

These opening chapters of Romans strip away every illusion we try and hold on to about ourselves. 

You can fool your parents.

You can fool your friends.

You can even fool your priest or minister.

But when you stand before God, there will be no excuses. There will be no defense. 

And that is what makes this passage so awesome—so utterly overwhelming.

Because there is a solution.

And here it is, it tells us that Jesus Christ died to deal with all of that.

If you put my trust in Him—

If you believe in Him—

Not only will I survive the judgment…

You won’t even be at that judgment.

You’ll be standing with Him, so to speak.

Romans 3:21 and following gives one of the most magnificent explanations of this. But that’s for tomorrow.

But for now, let me remind you again: the first three chapters of Romans are about the wrath of God and the judgment of God. 

This is all to bring us to the conclusion of mankind’s spiritual condition.

·         All are sinners

·         All will stand before God.

·         All will face judgment.

Some don’t like the idea of judgment.

It makes them uncomfortable.

They would rather we only talked about the love of God.

But whether we like it or not, this book called the bible, this very book of Romans teaches that all men will stand before God.

And when they do, they will be found without excuse.

There was a farmer once who loved to mock Christians. His farm was right across from a little country church, and every Sunday morning, while the congregation gathered to worship, he would take his tractor and deliberately plow his field—right in front of the church.

He worked seven days a week. And at the end of the season, he harvested a bumper crop.

So, he wrote a letter to the editor of the local paper.

He said, “I’ve worked hard all year. I’ve even worked on Sundays—deliberately, right in front of that little church. And guess what? I had the best harvest of my life this year. I’ve made more money than ever before. All of which proves—there is no God.

But a member of that church wrote back and responded.

What our farmer friend forgot is that God does not settle all of His accounts in October, his harvest is still to come.

Just because you’re getting away with things now doesn’t mean you’ll get away with it when you stand before God.

Because one day—He will settle His accounts.

And when He does, let me tell you: you will be without hope unless you know Jesus Christ as your Savior.