Following the close of chapter 2—where Paul emphasized that circumcision in itself means nothing apart from a transformed heart—he continues in chapter 3 to press home the reality of man’s condition before God. In chapter 2, Paul made it clear that outward religious rituals are powerless to save; what God requires is an inward transformation—a circumcision of the heart by the Spirit. Now, in chapter 3, he turns the spotlight entirely on the universality of sin and the absolute necessity of the gospel.
In verse 9, Paul declares that both Jew and Gentile alike are “under sin.” This is worth pausing on. It’s not merely that we commit sinful acts from time to time; it’s that we live under sin’s power, dominion, and curse. Sin is our master. We are not just spiritually unwell—we are spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1). Sin is not only what we do; apart from Christ, it is who we are.
Then, in verses 10–12, Paul strings together several Old Testament quotations—mainly from Psalms and Isaiah—to drive the point home:
“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.”
This is not hyperbole—it is God’s own verdict on humanity. From Adam onward, no human being, in their own merit, has ever stood righteous before Him. We are born in sin (Psalm 51:5), we walk in sin, and unless God intervenes, we die in sin.
We must grasp this truth if we are to rightly understand our salvation. Paul is laying out the doctrine of total depravity. Sin has corrupted every part of our being—our minds, wills, emotions, and desires. No one is good. No one understands. No one seeks after God. No one can make a decision for God. No one can choose Him apart from His initiative. Salvation must be 100% the work of God.
If left to ourselves, we would never desire Him, never pursue Him, and never submit to Him. As Jesus Himself declared in John 6:44, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” The initiative in salvation must come from God. The solution has to come to us—it will never arise from within us. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot, of our own will, decide for Christ. Scripture says the gospel is “foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Corinthians 1:18). It is God who awakens the dead heart, grants spiritual sight to the blind, and gives both faith and repentance (Ephesians 2:8–9; 2 Timothy 2:25). Salvation is all of grace, all of God, and He alone receives the glory.
Paul captures the human condition in verse 23 with stunning brevity:
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
The word “all” leaves no exceptions—no one escapes this indictment. And the phrase “fall short” is not a matter of barely missing the target; it means falling infinitely short of the infinite holiness of God.
When Paul says that none do good, that all have turned aside, and that apart from God we are worthless, he is not denying that unbelievers can perform acts that are outwardly good. Of course unbelievers can give to the poor, volunteer their time, serve their communities, and even show great care and compassion. But what makes the difference? Aren’t these good deeds good? Yes—saving a life, easing someone’s pain, teaching children right from wrong—these things have value in society. But the point Paul is making is that no deed, no matter how noble it appears, is truly good in the ultimate sense unless it springs from a heart made new by God and is done for His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Jesus said, “No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18), and James writes, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). This means that every true good—whether it’s a word spoken in kindness, an act of mercy, or a sacrifice for the benefit of another—ultimately comes from God. He is the source of all goodness. He uses both believer and unbeliever to accomplish His purposes, but apart from Him, the human heart remains spiritually bankrupt. Without God’s saving grace, we are not just imperfect—we are worthless in the sense that we produce nothing of eternal value. Apart from Him, we are wicked at the core, incapable of pleasing Him (Romans 8:8).
But praise God, the chapter does not end with condemnation. In verse 24, hope bursts through the darkness:
“…and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
To be justified means to be declared righteous—not because of what we have done, but because of what Christ has done on our behalf. And this justification is “by His grace as a gift.” A gift cannot be earned; it can only be received. Grace is undeserved, unmerited, and unrepayable. It is God’s free and sovereign favor toward the guilty.
Paul drives the point home in verse 28—a verse that became the rallying cry of the Reformation:
“For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.”
This is the gospel in its purest form. We are not justified by keeping the law, performing religious duties, or piling up good works. We are justified by faith alone—resting entirely in the finished work of Christ alone.
Here, in Romans 3, the heart of the gospel shines in brilliant clarity:
This truth should humble us, silence all boasting, and fill us with gratitude. It strips away every illusion of self-sufficiency and magnifies the glory of Christ. He lived the perfect life we failed to live, died the death we deserved to die, and rose again to secure our justification.
The takeaway is inescapable: if you are in Christ today, it is not because you sought Him on your own—it is because He sought you (Luke 19:10). And if you have not yet trusted in Him, Romans 3 leaves you without excuse. You are guilty before God, yet His grace is extended freely. The question is not whether you are guilty—you are—but whether you will receive the only righteousness that can stand before God: the righteousness of Christ, given to you by grace through faith.