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Romans 3:10


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"None is righteous, no, not one"

Rom 3:10  as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one;
Rom 3:11  no one understands, no one seeks for God.
Rom 3:12  All have turned aside, together they have gone wrong; no one does good, not even one."
Rom 3:13  "Their throat is an open grave, they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips."
Rom 3:14  "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness."
Rom 3:15  "Their feet are swift to shed blood,
Rom 3:16  in their paths are ruin and misery,
Rom 3:17  and the way of peace they do not know."
Rom 3:18  "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

There are some who misinterpret St. Paul's words in his Letter to the Romans to mean that the 'people of God' can not be righteous!
Is that what St. Paul is saying here?

No!

St. Paul never takes a verse and uses it out of context.
He couldn't possibly be considering the fact that Christians are incapable of being righteous.

In his Letter to The Romans, chapter 3, St. Paul is referring to non-believers when he states; "None is righteous, no, not one".

St. Paul is referring back to Psalm 14. In Ps 14, we see that Psa 14:3  "They have all gone astray, they are all alike corrupt; there is none that does good, no, not one"...  refers back to non-believers, Psa 14:1  [...] "The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none that does good."

The righteous, on the other hand, are those who are called "my people" Psa 14:4  "Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people", Psa 14:5  There they shall be in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous.

So, we see, again, through the teachings of St. Paul, that those who follow God are "righteous" and the non-believers are the ones who "are not righteous".

The full text for Psalm 14 (RSV)
Psa 14:1  To the choirmaster. Of David. The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none that does good.
Psa 14:2  The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any that act wisely, that seek after God.
Psa 14:3  They have all gone astray, they are all alike corrupt; there is none that does good, no, not one.
Psa 14:4  Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon the LORD?
Psa 14:5  There they shall be in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous.
Psa 14:6  You would confound the plans of the poor, but the LORD is his refuge.
Psa 14:7  O that deliverance for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, Israel shall be glad.

For more on St. Paul's Letter to The Romans:
Once Saved, Always Saved? - By Jason Evert


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