Day 8 of 59

Romans 3:10-20

🎧 The Indictment of the Jews and Gentiles (Romans 3:10–20) — A Sermon by R.C. Sproul — R.C. Sproul
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The Indictment of the Jews and Gentiles (Romans 3:10–20) by R.C. Sproul. © Ligonier Ministries 2025. Used by permission of Ligonier Ministries. All rights reserved.

The sermon above is from another teacher. StoryReserve's own channel is youtube.com/@storyreserve.

📖 The Passage

Romans 3:10-20 (WEB) As it is written, "There is no one righteous; no, not one. There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after God. They have all turned away. They have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, no, not so much as one." "Their throat is an open tomb. With their tongues they have used deceit." "The poison of vipers is under their lips"; "whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." "Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways. The way of peace, they haven't known." "There is no fear of God before their eyes." Now we know that whatever things the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be closed, and all the world may be brought under the judgment of God. Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

🔑 Key Points

1. Universal Sinfulness

Paul strings together Old Testament citations (Psalms, Isaiah) to demonstrate that no one is righteous — not one. Both Jew and Gentile stand equally condemned before God. Religious privilege does not excuse moral guilt.

2. Total Depravity of Human Nature

The indictment covers every faculty: the mind ('no one understands'), the will ('no one seeks after God'), the speech ('throat is an open tomb'), and the actions ('feet are swift to shed blood'). Sin corrupts the whole person.

3. The Law's Purpose Is to Silence, Not Save

The law does not justify; it exposes. Paul says the law speaks so that 'every mouth may be closed.' Its function here is diagnostic — to bring the whole world under God's judgment and shut down every human excuse.

4. No Justification by Works

'By the works of the law no flesh will be justified.' This is the hinge on which the gospel turns. If the law cannot make us righteous, righteousness must come from another source — and that source is the grace of God in Christ, which Paul unveils next.

💬 Discussion Questions

  1. Why do you think Paul piles up so many Old Testament quotations here instead of simply stating 'everyone is a sinner'? What does this approach accomplish?
  2. In what areas of life do you find yourself most tempted to believe you are 'good enough' before God? How does this passage challenge that assumption?
  3. If the law cannot save but only exposes sin, what is the proper role of God's law in the life of a believer today?
The dark diagnosis of total sinfulness makes the coming cure of grace all the more glorious — stay with Paul, because Romans 3:21 is just around the corner.
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