What does it mean that both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin?

When Paul says Jews and Gentiles are all under sin, he means every kind of person in the world is ruled by sin and guilty before God. Jews had special privileges like the law and God’s promises, but that did not make them better or cleaner inside. Gentiles, who did not have the law, were also guilty. So no one can say, “I am naturally right with God.” All stand in the same need of mercy and a way of salvation that does not rest on their own goodness.

What does “There is none righteous, no, not one” mean in this passage?

“There is none righteous, no, not one” is Paul’s way of saying that, left to ourselves, no human being meets God’s standard of goodness. He strings together several Old Testament lines to show this. People do not truly understand God, they do not naturally seek him, and they wander from his ways. This does not mean every person is as bad as possible in every moment, but that no one is truly upright before God or able to claim a clean record on their own.

Why does Paul say there is none that seeketh after God?

Paul is showing how deep our sin goes. On our own, we do not really look for the true God or want to submit to him. We may be religious or curious, but our hearts resist his rule. Any real seeking of God starts with God first reaching out to us and opening our eyes. This verse reminds us that coming to God is not about us being wiser than others, but about God’s grace waking us up and turning us toward him.

What is meant by the throat as an open sepulchre and poison under the lips?

These word pictures describe how sin shows up in our speech. An “open sepulchre” is like an open grave, hinting at death and decay. Paul is saying that what comes out of people’s mouths often carries corruption inside, such as lies, foul words, and harmful talk. “Poison under their lips” points to speech that hurts, misleads, or destroys like snake venom. The idea is that sin is not only in actions but also in words, which can spread harm very quickly.

Why does Paul say their feet are swift to shed blood and they do not know the way of peace?

Paul is describing how sin affects human behavior. “Feet swift to shed blood” shows how quickly people can move toward violence, conflict, and hurting others when sin rules them. “The way of peace have they not known” means people do not naturally walk in God’s path of peace, either with him or with each other. Instead of a life marked by justice, mercy, and reconciliation, our paths are marked by destruction and misery unless God changes our hearts.

What does it mean that there is no fear of God before their eyes?

Having no fear of God means people live without a real sense of God’s holiness, authority, and judgment. They do not take him seriously in their thoughts or choices. When God is not honored, sin feels safe and normal. This line sums up the whole description in the passage: wrong thinking about God leads to wrong living. A healthy fear of God is not terror without hope, but a deep respect that leads us to turn from sin and listen to him.

What is the role of the law when Paul says every mouth may be stopped?

When Paul says the law speaks so that every mouth may be stopped, he means the law removes all excuses. The law shows clearly what God requires. When people compare their lives to that standard, they cannot honestly claim innocence. Their “mouths are stopped” because they have nothing left to say in their own defense. The law exposes sin and proves the whole world guilty before God. Its role is to reveal our need for forgiveness, not to provide that forgiveness by itself.

Why can no one be justified by the deeds of the law in God’s sight?

No one can be justified by the deeds of the law because no one keeps the law perfectly in heart, word, and action. God’s standard is complete obedience, and every person falls short. The law is good, but we are not. So if we try to be declared righteous based on our own obedience, we will only end up condemned. Paul says that in God’s sight, where nothing is hidden, no flesh can stand on its own record and be accepted as righteous.

What does it mean that by the law is the knowledge of sin?

“By the law is the knowledge of sin” means that God’s commands act like a mirror. The law shows what is right and wrong, and when we see ourselves in that mirror, we realize how often we disobey. Without the law, we might think we are fine. With the law, our sins come into the light. So the law does not wash us; it reveals the dirt. This prepares us to see that we need grace and a different way of being made right with God.

How should believers today respond to the message of this passage?

Believers should respond with humility and honesty. This passage reminds us that we were not saved because we were better than others, but because God was kind to us when we were under sin like everyone else. It keeps us from boasting in our own works and pushes us to trust God’s way of making people right, which is through faith in Christ. It also helps us be patient with others, knowing we share the same natural condition and all need God’s grace.

Rom.3.9

Romans 3:9

KJV

What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

There Is No One Righteous

What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

Their feet are swift to shed blood:

Destruction and misery are in their ways:

And the way of peace have they not known:

There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Cross References

No cross references available for this verse.