Romans 3:9-18
Scripture: Romans 3:9-18 (ESV) “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 for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’ ‘Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.’ ‘The venom of asps is under their lips.’ ‘Their mouth is full of curses 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.'”
Devotion: In a world that loves to draw lines of division – by race, nationality, or moral standing – Paul pulls the rug from under our feet. He points out a simple, yet often hard-to-swallow truth: when it comes to sin, we’re all in the same boat. No one is naturally better, purer, or closer to God. It’s like we’re all in a boat that’s supposed to reach the shore of righteousness, but we’ve lost the paddles. Our efforts to paddle with our hands only spin us in circles.