Spend time in prayer and silence with God, asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
What shall we conclude then? Are we better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, and no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips.” Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
– Romans 3:9-18
Devotion
Paul has been painting a picture of the human condition. Now he culminates his description using a string of Old Testament quotations to pronounce God’s guilty verdict. These quotes fall like thunderous blows upon the human heart. We may think there is enough good in the human heart to get by, but there is not. Paul is talking about everyone here, himself included. There are no exceptions. Something is broken in our world, and it is all of us. The first three chapters of Romans provide the fullest explanation anywhere of the biblical doctrine of sin. Sin is a condition of alienation from God. Sin is a heart condition that every human being has, and a condition that must be changed before a human being can begin moving in the right direction.
The Big Question
Why do you think Paul focuses on the dire state of the human heart in this passage? Was is the difference between self-righteousness and God’s righteousness? Whose standard of righteousness do you adhere to? How does this passage impact how you view lost humanity? Lost friends? Lost family members? Lost neighbors?
Conclude your time in prayer and silence, reflecting on what God revealed to you today.