What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is 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.” "Now 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. Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.”

Paul goes back to this Old Testament writing to show that the law exposes sin, both the sin of what people did, as well as the standing we have when the Lord judges us. We will face the judgment, each one of us for sin against a Holy God. This is not a pretty picture, but it is a true one and one that cannot be ignored.

One pastor summarized these verses this way, “Sin is in our character --- no one does right. Sin is in our mind --- no one understands. Sin is in our heart --- no one does good. Sin is on our lips --- tongues practice deceit. Sin is in our feet --- feet swift to shed blood. Sin is in our eyes --- no fear of God in their eyes.”

No one is capable of fully obeying God’s law. So, Paul’s verdict is given in verse 20: “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in [God’s] sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” We are guilty and desperately need a savior.

One problem with politicians is that they work very hard covering up their sins and mistakes pretending they are perfect when they are not. When we start making sin so common that it is normal, we no longer call it sin, but that does not mean a thing according to God’s laws. God’s laws do not change with time or opinion.

Sin has its consequences. That was clear in Romans 1 when God said, “I’ll give you up to your desires and what you sow you shall reap.”

This is not how it is advertised in our world. I wished what all the Casino ads of the winners would include the 10,000 losers photographed losing their savings, houses, jailed for embezzlement and family fights because of money lost they could not afford.

How about a billboard for a liquor ad with some broken down wino, unshaven, in a broken-down apartment, with empties scattered all around, sitting on the edge of an unmade bed, slurring, "It just doesn’t get any better than this."?

Satan always uses the most attractive people, the most beautiful music, the most passionate circumstances to sell sin. Even if media thinks they can redefine God’s laws, God does not change the rules. We are guilty and fall short of His glory.

Many years ago, there was a famous correspondence in The Times under the subject “What is wrong with the world today?” The response was also the shortest, and read—“Dear Sir, I am. Yours faithfully, G. K. Chesterton.”

What God knows about you is far different than what you think. We are all guilty, but praise the Lord, His grace and forgiveness are always available - if we accept it by repentance and faith according to His will.

Dale