(Article for publication week of 6-6-2012 AD)
“There is none righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:10). The
Epistle of Paul to the Romans is one of the most theological books in the whole
Bible. The great Theme of this book is the Righteousness of God. Paul
introduces this theme in chapter 1, verses 16 and 17. After his introduction,
he begins to open up the great doctrine of justification. The first major
section of Romans is from chapter 1, verse 18 through chapter 3, verse 20. In
this section Paul shows us why we need the justifying righteousness of Christ,
that being the fact that none of us have any righteousness of our own. After he
shows us why we need a better righteousness than our own, he then proceeds to
show us that justification is by grace alone through faith alone, in Christ
Alone. But first he wants to be sure that we understand our desperately lost
condition.
Our text this week is a quote from the Old Testament. Paul
had absolute confidence in the inspiration, authority and preservation of the
scriptures. So he says, “it is written.” The 14th Psalm to which Paul refers speaks of God
looking down on the people on the earth. And as God looks down on the human
race, He says, “none righteous.” God looked down on the Jews, and He said,
“unrighteous.” He looked at the Gentiles, and He said, “unrighteous.” God
looked down on white people, and He said, “unrighteous.” God looked down on
black people, and He said, “unrighteous.” God looked down on brown people, and
He said, “unrighteous.” God looked down on Simpson County and He said, “none
righteous.” God looked down on YOU, and He said “not righteous.” There are none
righteous in God’s estimation.
There is none righteous among the descendents of Adam and
Eve. The most moral person on earth cannot stand in the Day of Judgment on his
own standing. The most religious person that has ever lived cannot stand before
God by his own merits. We saw last week that “all have sinned, and come short
of the glory of God.” Whatever you may
think of yourself, or whatever others may think of you, God’s pronouncement is
that you are unrighteous.
“None righteous”! What an awful indictment of us all! We are
in bad shape! God requires perfect righteous, and all of us, in and of
ourselves are totally unrighteous. Not a person descended from Adam and Eve can
ever say they are righteous. But there is a Person Who is perfectly righteous.
The only Person Who is as righteous as God requires is the Lord Jesus Christ,
the eternal and coequal Son of God. Poor sinner, your only hope for
righteousness is in this Blessed Person. May the Holy Spirit give you faith to
believe in Him for your whole and sole righteousness.
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