Romans 3:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He says: “What then? Do we have an advantage? For we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin.

As it is written: There is none righteous, no, not one. There is none who understands, and there is none who seeks God.

All have turned aside. Together they have become unprofitable. There is none who does good, no, not one” (Ps 13:2-3).

“Their throat is an open tomb. With their tongues they practiced deceit. The poison of asps is under their lips” (Ps 139:3).

“Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness” (Ps 9:28).

“Their feet are swift to shed blood” (Prov 1:16). “Destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace they have not known” (Isa 59:7-8).

“There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Ps 35:2).

In what was interpreted before this, the Apostle compared circumcision and uncircumcision and added: “What advantage then has the Jew?” (Rom 3:1).

Here also, intending to show the superiority of evangelical grace, he said: “What then? Do we have an advantage?” For we have proved that both those outside the law and those under the law have sinned.

He also joined to this the testimony of David, since it is most fitting for the present subject.

He does this chiefly out of concern for brevity. Otherwise, to accuse the Jews he would have summoned all the prophets, who said things similar to this and still more severe about them.

Therefore the Apostle added: see Rom 3:19.

“That every mouth may be stopped” does not mean that the Jews sinned in order that their mouths might be stopped. Rather, they were exposed so that they might recognize their sin (Chrysostom).

Note. The Apostle’s teaching about the sinfulness of all men does not contradict the Old Testament’s mention of many persons who were righteous before God and did what was right.

The Apostle himself, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 11, presents a whole series of righteous persons from the Old Testament. But they were righteous by faith, not by works of the law.

When he depicts those under the law in dark colors, the Apostle does not touch those justified by faith. More precisely, he does not touch their righteousness from faith.

He says that all men, even the righteous, could not be justified so long as they hoped for salvation from works of the law.

The Apostle often unfolded these thoughts about the law for those who boasted in the law. He did this to show its true worth and meaning, and thereby restrain the pride of the foolish Hebrews.

The Apostle used the expression “all flesh” shall not be justified to show where the source of weakness lies. It is not in the law, but in us.

“As men bearing flesh, we cannot fulfill the law. Therefore there is no thought that anyone could be justified by the old law,” says Bishop Theophan.

In listing the kinds and forms of sinful men’s depravity, the Apostle points to a general turning away from the desire to know God and serve Him. He points to the wish to walk in one’s own ways, to please only oneself, and not to serve others.

He also points to mutual deceit, hidden ill will, slander, cunning and malicious treachery, and readiness for the most terrible murders. In all this, the fear of God the Rewarder is wholly forgotten.

It is clear that sinners of this kind not only cannot receive justification from God by themselves. Little by little, they also bring corruption into the whole earthly world.

Everywhere they produce discord, disorder, and malice. Men became like beasts and deadly serpents to one another, as many Roman writers of that time clearly testified.

But the Apostle Paul depicts human sinfulness on the basis of more ancient and more reliable God-inspired writings. In this way he removes every foundation for the arrogance and haughtiness of the Hebrews, who vainly boasted in the works of the law.

He also urges all to hasten to God with full repentance and to receive grace through faith.

By this he wishes to put a strong bridle on his hearers. Once every way has been shut against each of them by the accusations of the Prophets, none can break loose or escape when the doctrine of faith is fully revealed.

The Prophets set forth three very grave charges: first, that all without exception did evil. Second, that they did evil without any admixture of good, giving themselves solely to vices. Finally, that they did evil with all their strength” (Chrysostom).

“As it is written” corresponds more directly to the translation: “we have already charged,” that is, we have already accused. Saint Paul takes the prior accusations from the Psalms and from the Prophet Isaiah.

First he cites prophecies that expose unrighteousness in general. Then he cites those that expose the chief forms of unrighteousness: impiety before God, lack of love, and evildoing toward neighbors.

It is noteworthy that impiety before God is placed both at the beginning and at the end. It should be understood as the source and fruit of unrighteousness toward neighbors.

The words “There is none righteous, no, not one” are not found literally in the passages cited. They express their general meaning and belong to the holy Apostle as a heading for the prophetic sayings gathered together.

Understood in this way, the word “righteous” must be given a broad meaning: righteous in everything, both before God and before men. By contrast, “unrighteous” likewise means unrighteous in everything, before God and before men.

Therefore in “there is none righteous,” one should not see the thought that someone sometimes sins or is sometimes unrighteous. The thought is that he is entirely sunk in unrighteousness.

He devises nothing and does nothing except unrighteousness. And all are such, without any exception.