Romans 3:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: no one understands; no one seeks for God.

NIV: there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.

NASB: THERE IS NO ONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NO ONE WHO SEEKS OUT God;

CSB: There is no one who understands;there is no one who seeks God.

NLT: No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.

KJV: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

NKJV: There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.

Paul is citing Psalm 14 to back up his statement that all people, both Jews and Gentiles, are "under sin." The previous verse is one of the most-often quoted in the Bible, which states clearly that no person—not even one—is righteous before God on their own merits. That verse began a quote that continues here. Paul's version here shortens what David wrote in Psalm 14:2: "The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God."

The point of David's original statement was that God did not declare all of humanity guilty of sin after a quick glance. God was not merely noticing the worst examples of humanity. He symbolically "searched" to see if anyone understood God or looked for Him. Nobody did. This is a crucial truth, one fundamental to the gospel: nobody seeks after God without help from Him to do so. We don't get it, and we don't want to. That's our nature.

Romans 3:9–20 contains a string of quotes from the Old Testament Scriptures. Paul uses these to demonstrate that both Jews and Greeks alike are under sin. After establishing that ''there is none who does good'' from Psalm 14:1, Paul uses quotes from Psalms and Isaiah to show ways we have always used our bodies—throats, tongues, lips, feet, and eyes—to express our sinfulness. He concludes the section with his strongest statement, yet, that no human being will be justified in God's sight by following the works of the law. The law can only show us our sin, not save us from it.

Romans 3 begins with a question-and-answer scheme. These are responses one might expect from someone opposed to what Paul wrote in Romans 2. Next, Paul quotes from a series of Old Testament passages. These Scriptures show that those writers also agreed that nobody, not one person, deserves to be called righteous. Paul declares emphatically that no one will be justified by following the works of the law. Finally, though, he arrives at the good news: righteousness before God is available apart from the law through faith in Christ's death for our sin on the cross.

The prior chapter explained that God's judgment on sin will come to all men, whether or not they understand the literal law. Faith in God, in the heart, matters more to God than rote obedience. At the start of this chapter, Paul answers a series of questions from an imagined objector to those teachings. Next, he quotes a series of Old Testament passages which support His teaching that human beings are by nature sinful. Each of us turns away from God. Nobody can be justified by the law, Paul insists. Fortunately, it is possible to attain God's righteousness: but only by His grace, through faith in Christ's atoning sacrifice for our sin on the cross. We must come to this by faith, and it is available to Jews and Gentiles alike.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.

Accessed 5/2/2024 7:29:06 AM