Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Romans 3:10

"as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one;" — Romans 3:10 (ASV)

However, there is another argument waiting to be brought into play to seal the verdict. It is the testimony of Scripture. Writing to those who were for the most part Gentiles, Paul does not set down Scripture first and then work from that as a base for exposition; rather, he uses a minimum of references to the OT to substantiate what he has already established. Leaving a string of OT references to the conclusion of the argument is calculated to increase the respect of the Gentiles for Scripture as being able to depict the human condition accurately and faithfully. Both Jews and early Christians often drew up collections of Scripture passages relating to various topics as proof texts for instruction or argumentation.

The present list serves a double purpose: (1) to affirm the universality of sin in the human family, and (2) to assert its ramifications in every facet of human existence. “There is no one righteous, not even one.” The language is devastatingly clear and sharp. No exception is allowed. Again, it can be put positively: “All have turned away,” which seems to echo the thought of ch. 1 that people had an opportunity to know God but discarded him to their own detriment and confusion. Paul wants the full impact to register. He does not turn aside to answer the objection that the OT does speak of the righteous as a class of people over against the wicked (Psalms 1) or as individuals (Job 1:8). From the standpoint of the divine righteousness, they all fall short, as Paul has affirmed of both Jews and Gentiles.

The latter half of the OT list, beginning with v.13, reflects the second emphasis mentioned above. As far as relationship with God is concerned, the rupturing power of sin has been noted (vv.11–12). But what effect does sin have on the sinner? The effect is total, because one’s entire being is vitiated. Paul selects texts that refer to various members of the body: the throat, the tongue, and the lips (v.13); the mouth (v.14); the feet (v.15); and the eyes (v.18). This list affirms what theologians speak of as total depravity, i.e., not that humans in their natural state are as bad as they can possibly be, but rather that their entire beings are adversely affected by sin. Human relations also suffer, because society can be no better than those who constitute it. Some of the obvious effects —conflict and bloodshed—are specified (vv.15–17).

The chain of Scriptures closes by giving the root difficulty: “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (v.18). This is the same observation gleaned from the study of ch. 1. Being out of step with God causes conflict and chaos in human relations.