Romans 3:9-20
Every Mouth Stopped
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9What then? Are we any better? Not at all. For we have already made the charge that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin.
10As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.
11There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.
12All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
13“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.”
14“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16ruin and misery lie in their wake,
17and the way of peace they have not known.”
18“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
20Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Paul asks whether Jews are better off and answers that all are under sin. He gathers a series of Scripture quotations: no one is righteous, no one understands, no one seeks God, and all have turned aside.
The quotations describe throats, tongues, lips, mouths, feet, and eyes used for deceit, poison, bloodshed, destruction, misery, and failure to fear God. Paul is not offering a polite account of isolated mistakes; he is describing sin's reach through the whole person and community.
Whatever the law says, it speaks to those under the law so that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world held accountable to God. No one will be justified by works of the law, because through the law comes knowledge of sin.
The words come from the Psalms and Isaiah. Destructive speech is pictured through open graves and snake venom; feet run toward violence, while eyes show no fear of God. These images make the damage sin does impossible to dismiss as a harmless imperfection. They expose both our relationship with God and the harm we bring to our neighbors.
The law tells the truth about that guilt, but it cannot turn our record into righteousness. Paul is preparing us to hear the gift announced next: righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. Our hope will come from God's mercy, not from finding someone whose record looks worse.
How We Know
Paul's chain includes the universal turning away of Psalm 14, deceitful speech in Psalms 5 and 140, violent paths in Isaiah 59 and the absence of fear of God in Psalm 36. These sources show him drawing the indictment from Scripture rather than merely asserting a bleak opinion of humanity.
Questions
1 What conclusion does Paul reach about humanity?
AnswerHe says all are under sin. Neither Jewish possession of the law nor Gentile life outside it provides a basis for boasting before God.
2 Which parts of the body appear in the quotations?
AnswerThroats, tongues, lips, mouths, feet, and eyes appear. The images show that sin affects speech, movement, desire, perception, and the harm people do to one another.
3 What does the law do in this section?
AnswerIt makes sin known and holds those under it accountable. It cannot be used as a platform for claiming personal righteousness before God.
4 Why is every person accountable?
AnswerThe whole world is accountable to God, so no group can boast that it has earned a better standing. The passage levels human pride before it announces God's remedy.
What This Means for Us
The point is not that every person commits every listed act in the same way. The point is that no one can stand before God by comparing his record with someone else's.
When you are tempted to excuse a wrong by pointing to someone else's behavior, name your own part plainly. Offer the apology or correction that is needed. Another person's guilt does not erase ours, and admitting ours does not excuse what someone else has done.
God's verdict gives us reason to seek mercy rather than hide. Read on toward His gift in Christ, allowing the law to expose the need instead of using it to defend our reputation.
Prayer
Merciful God, silence our boasting and make us honest about sin. Keep us from comparing ourselves into false innocence, and lead our household toward confession, repair, and the righteousness we cannot manufacture. Amen.
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