OUR FATHER WHO SEARCH FOR THOSE WHO SEEK HIM

In Roman chapter 3 verses 10 - 20, the Apostle Paul presents Psalm 14 to establish the benchmark of the human condition where all humans, without exception, are in a state of corruption and have become unusable for their intended purpose.

9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.

1O As it is written:

“There i none righteous, no, not one;

11 There is none who understands;

There is none who seeks after God.

12 They have all turned aside;

They have together become unprofitable;

There is none who does good, no, not one.”

13 “Their throat is an open tomb;

With their tongues they have practiced deceit”;

“The poison of asps is under their lips”;

14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”

15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;

16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;

17 And the way of peace they have not known.”

18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 2O Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Paul strongly asserts that there cannot be justification by following the law because the law is mere a tool that provides a metric for our sinfulness by simply having knowledge of it and finding that we have no capacity to fulfill it.

Amen.

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