Romans 3:9-20

"What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all! For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written:

'None is righteous, no, not one;

No one understands;

No one seeks God.

All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;

No one does good,

Not even one.'

'There throat is an open grave;

they use their tongue to deceive.'

'The venom of asps is under their lips.'

'Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.'

'Their feet are swift to shed blood;

in their paths are ruin and misery,

and the way of peace they have not known.'

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

Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those that are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by the work of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes the knowledge of sin."

Thursday night in my SWI class we talked about this passage and the depth of sin. Here Paul is showing us just how horrific sin is! No one is righteous. All have turned aside. No one seeks God. No one does good. Our tongues deceive. Venom is under our lips. Our feet are swift to shed blood. No one does good. Our throats are open graves.

This is true of all humanity. Sin is gross and disgusting. It is so perverse and it fills every molecule of our being. We cannot save ourselves and the law shows us how deep our sin is. We deserve nothing but God's wrath and judgement. We do not deserved to be saved. 

God saves us because He is gracious, not because we deserve it.