Romans 3:10-18

As it is written:

"There is no one righteous, not even one;

there is no one who understands,

no one who seeks God.

All have turned away,

they have together become worthless;

there is no one who does good,

not even one."

"Their throats are open graves;

their tongues practice deceit."

"The poison of vipers is on their lips."

"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."

"Their feet are swift to shed blood;

ruin and misery mark their ways,

and the way of peace they do not know."

"There is no fear of God before their eyes."

(v10-18, NIV)

All in all, what is this saying to us? Clearly, Paul is making the point about what it means to be under sin. Furthermore, he has made the point that we are all under sin. Here is strung together a number of different ways in which being under sin has its effects on us. Taking another step back, we recall this bouncing back and forth between Jews and Gentiles. Jews will be judged and their circumcision becomes uncircumcised when they break the law. However, there are still advantages to being a Jew. One of the advantages is that Jews were entrusted with the words of God. Even though there are advantages to being a Jew, it doesn't change the fact that we are all under sin. If there was any boasting on either side for any advantages or differences, it should be done away with now. Regardless of if you are a Jew or a Gentile, all of us are in the same boat. Everyone is under sin and this description of it Paul gives us when quoting from the Old Testament gives us a clear picture. We are all really helpless and worthless and don't have a leg to stand on to say anything. This is our condition and we need not compare to one another.