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Pathways Through Paul
Daily Devotional
January 29
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Today's Pathway:
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In today's passage Paul begins an in depth explanation of the sinfulness of mankind. In verse 9 he continues with his argument that there is no difference between the Jew and the Gentile as far as sin is concerned. He asks the question: "Are we (Jews) better than they (Gentiles)". His conclusion - "No, in no wise". All are guilty of being sinners. In verses 10-12 he spells out the extent of men's sinfulness. These verses are a quote from Psalms 14:1-3. There David wrote,
"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one."
The picture here is of God looking down from His throne in Heaven and conducting an investigation into the hearts, minds, and lifestyles of humanity. He searched high and low for someone who was righteous, but found no one.
In verse 10 Paul states that there is no one who does righteousness. This is the primary purpose of the passage. The word "righteous" simply means, "that which is in a right relation to another." This describes being in line with what God requires. The righteous man is the person who conforms to the standard, will or character of God. Paul says that there are no men who measure up to this standard, and then proceeds in the next verses to prove it. In verse 11 he shows that men's minds do not understand God and that their hearts do not seek after Him. In verse 12 they willfully choose to leave the path that the Lord has established for them to walk in. Because of this they are "unprofitable", which means that they are useless and spoiled like rotten fruit. In verses 13-14 Paul reveals the wickedness of their speech. He continues quoting from Psalms to prove his point; here using statements from Psalm 5:9 and Psalm 140:3. In Matthew 12:34 Jesus says that "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.", so the vileness of a man's words is simply the revealer of the vileness of his heart. In verses 15-17 Paul shows the wickedness of men's actions. He again goes to the Old Testament for his proof by quoting from Isaiah 59:7-8. He wants the Jews to understand in no uncertain terms that they are every bit as sinful as the Gentiles that they looked down upon. He points out that the end result of man's natural sinful behavior is always "destruction and misery" (vs 16), and they will never know peace. Isaiah 57:20-21 says,
"But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked."
Finally, in verse 18 Paul states that there is no fear of God. Men do not respect God nor fear Him, and thus they do whatever their hearts desire.
We need to understand that the verses we have just looked at are a picture of every human being, including you and me. All of us were in the same boat, and the only solution was Jesus Christ. I'm thankful that He saved me in spite of my rebellion against Him. Have you received His offer of salvation?
Pastor Mark J Montgomery
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