“What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we
have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;” Romans
3:9
This is a great question because it equates all of mankind.
People must understand who they are, and God does an outstanding job at describing
all mankind as He lumps them into one single bracket of deplorables. It matters
not who you are or where you come from, you are a sinner and you deserve the
greatest of God’s wrath. People are people and we all come from Adam and Eve,
the two people who sinned against the very God that created them. If you do not
understand the fall of these two sinners, then just think of it as a betrayal
to God. Mankind has betrayed the Lord ever since, and unworthy of anything God
has to offer except eternal damnation. If you read Romans chapter 3 you will
find out just what God thinks about people. We do not see ourselves or others
as God see’s us, because we are sinners looking at sinners. We judge by morality
and God judges by sin (the breaking of His law). God said in 1 John 3:4 “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also
the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” It matters not
which law you break, because if you ever broke one you are guilty of all. James
2:10 “For whosoever shall keep the
whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” The
law of God was created to condemn us not to justify us and condemns us it does.
Romans 3:20 “Therefore by the
deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the
law is the knowledge of sin.” It is therefore concluded, people who believe
the keeping of the law (or works of any sort) will save them, they are only
condemning themselves in an attempt in something that is impossible to accomplish.
If we observe Romans chapter 3 in its proper context we will find not one
single soul is righteous nor can be. We are sinners, not because we have sinned,
but we are born sinners. God said we come from our mother’s womb
speaking lies. Psalms 58:3 “The wicked
are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born,
speaking lies.” Oh, be not tricked by the word “wicked” it means the
condemned which is ever living soul ever born of a woman with a human father.
God said of us all in Romans 3 things like: There
is none righteous, there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh
after God, they are together become unprofitable, there is none that doeth
good, no, not one, their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness, destruction
and misery are in their ways, the way of peace have they not known. And the
Lord concluded with verse 20 “Therefore
by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for
by the law is the knowledge of sin.” This is who people are, it matters
not if you are Jew or Gentile this is who you are. You cannot change who you
are no more than a leopard can change its spots, or a person can change their
skin color. Whatever you were born, you will die as regardless what you do to
change yourself. You cannot change your sinner status, because you really do
not want too. You cannot “turn over a new leaf, make a choice to change, make a
decision,” or any other unbiblical religious created way of salvation. You can
only change if the Holy Spirit convicts you and causes you to believe in Jesus
Christ as you Saviour. If God never touches your heart, then you will die lost
and spend eternity in the un-quenchable fires of hell. If you never care enough
to listen to God’s word and believe on His Beloved Son Jesus Christ, then you
will never be saved. All of us must understand who we are, those lost and going
to hell, and those who are saved and going to heaven. We, even us that are
saved need to remember who we are to God and not who we are to each other, we
are either sinners or sinners saved by grace. God said in Romans 12:3 “For I say, through the grace given unto me,
to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he
ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every
man the measure of faith.” That is, remember who you are, I am what God’s grace
hath made me, I am no better than anyone else, not even the lost. 1 Corinthians
15:10 “But by the grace of God I am
what I am…” The Apostle Paul spoke this of himself. Humility is the
greatest asset a saved person has, understanding that only God has blessed me,
and I am the least of them all. “…and his
grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more
abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”
If this was Paul’s humility, then shouldn’t it also be ours. Let us always remember,
no matter who we are, we are on equal ground and still sinners.
