Romans 3:9-11 is a passage many know by heart, especially those in Reformed circles. It expresses one of the building blocks of the Christian faith and is a part of a masterful work by the apostle Paul. In the context of his argument for the Gospel, these verses were used by Paul to show that all of humanity, without exception, is totally depraved and not able to seek after God.

This passage finds itself in the New Testament, right after the Gospels and Acts, in the book of Romans. Romans is one of the thirteen epistles of the apostle Paul. In fact, it is the first of Paul’s epistles to appear in the order of the canon because of its length. Many consider the book of Romans to be Paul’s magnum opus. It is a masterful work of theology, expounding many key doctrines of the Christian faith, especially concerning the Jewish people. 

Chapters one through two of Romans provide a greeting from Paul to the church in Rome. He then launches into a discussion of general revelation, explaining how all know about God and have no excuse for their sin, and that the just judgment of God is coming for all. Finally, he explains to his Jewish readers that physical circumcision is of no value unless one has the circumcision of the heart, leading directly into Romans 3. After chapter three, Paul continues to explain the importance of faith, most pointedly when he appeals to Abraham being justified by faith, not by any work or outward sign like circumcision. 

At the end of verse ten and into verse eleven of chapter three, Paul quotes Psalm 14:1-3 and Psalm 53:1-3. Verses 10b and 11 are not word-for-word citations, but as William Hendrikesen said, they are ad sensum, or according to the meaning of the passages.¹ It could also be possible that Paul is at least alluding to Ecclesiastes 7:20 as it carries a similar idea, but these two Psalms are much more probable. What is fascinating is that both of these Psalms of David are almost entirely identical in content and structure, with slight adjustments towards the end. Either way, both of these passages are Psalms that would have likely been memorized by Paul and many of his Jewish readers, especially since both of these were used for worship. Thus, it could be inferred that Paul means to include the entire context of these Psalms, in which case the point is clear; mankind is completely sinful and in desperate need of salvation from God. 

Romans 3:9 begins with the question, “What then?” which imports the immediate context of at least chapter three, but probably the whole of Paul’s argument up to this point. There is debate among scholars as to who the “we” is that Paul is referring to. Hendrikesen says Paul is referring to himself and all the Church in Rome since Paul had already addressed the Jews, especially since he addressed them in the third person until this point.² However, the majority of scholars believe Paul is further emphasizing his point that, as Charles Hodge says, “the Jews as sinners have no advantage over the Gentiles.”³ Either way, Paul’s main point is clear. By asking this question, “Are we better off?”, he gives a definitive answer, “No.” All of humanity, whether Jew or Greek, is under sin. As David E. Garland says, “both the self-acclaimed righteous and infamous sinners, are also in [sin’s] unrelenting clutches. Jews and Gentiles are united in this human morass.”⁴ Paul is setting all of humanity on an equal playing field, which was not present for the self-righteous, religious Jews of the day. 

After laying the foundation for his argument, beginning in verse ten, Paul grounds his claims in Scripture. As Calvin says, this is objectively the highest source to base an argument on, especially for the Jew whose highest authority is Scripture.⁵ This quotation progresses from bad, to worse, to worst, clearly underlining how depraved humanity truly is. Paul says “none is righteous,” then “no one understands,” and finally “no one seeks after God.” The picture Paul is painting puts humanity in an utterly degenerate state, leaving no room for exceptions. Dare the reader think surely someone must be righteous, Paul responds, “There is no one… no one… no one… no one… not even one.”⁶

This is the true point Paul is making; Jews are not better off than Gentiles because all of humanity, without exception, is totally depraved and unable to seek God. Verse ten says, “no one is righteous.” As Hodge points out, the original Hebrew reads, “There is no one doing good.”⁷ Even humanity’s outwardly good deeds are tainted by their depravity, stemming from sin. Verse eleven pushes this, saying, “no one understands.” Humanity does not have the ability to even understand what ought to be done. The goodness of God is foreign to them even though God clearly revealed Who He is to them. Instead, humanity has exchanged the truth of God for a lie of foolishness (Rom. 1:25 [ESV]). Finally, because of this, humanity cannot seek God. They are not good, they do not understand, and they are left in a self-perpetuating darkness they could never get themselves out of.

Here, Paul lays out the doctrine of total depravity. As Grant R. Osborne says, “People want nothing to do with God; and in fact, whenever they choose between God and their selfish desires, they always choose against God.”⁸ Fallen humanity is unrighteous and foolish because they do not seek God. Instead, they seek their own sinful desires, leading them into further and further depravity. Paul desires the reader to understand the weight of this problem. He says “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness” (Rom 1:18), no one can escape it (Rom. 2:3), all of humanity has done exactly what they need to incur it upon themselves, and they are so depraved that they cannot get themselves out of it.

There is no hope for humanity unless God acts. That is what Paul is working towards. He desires his reader to have all hope of a self-reliant, works-based salvation crushed. Humanity’s works are as nothing, never able to reach any level of righteousness on their own. He is showing his Jewish and Gentile readers their need for Christ. Paul puts humanity in a position of full desperation, with no way of escape by anything humanity could do. Humankind is truly cornered and with no hope. But God instead has worked for humanity, providing a way of salvation where it was not deserved, as Paul will show in the subsequent chapters. 

This fact has massive implications for humanity throughout all of history. It was true in the time of David, it was true in the time of Paul, and it is true two thousand years later; humanity is fully depraved and deserving of the wrath of God. Depraved so much that they cannot do any work to save themselves. This means that a lifelong devotion to doing good things is nothing apart from the saving work of God. The debt is already owed and the payment is of eternal value. Understanding this brings immense awareness of the need for a savior. Humanity desperately needs Jesus Christ, He is truly their only hope; there is no other way. Jesus had to come, die, and be raised for humanity’s sins. Praise God that He, only by His grace, provided a way of salvation, otherwise, none would be saved.

Overall, Romans 3:9-11 provides sharp support from Scripture to Paul’s argument for the need of Jesus Christ for all of humanity. His use of the Psalms is helpful for his Jewish readers, showing that human depravity has always been an emphasis in the Scriptures. Thus, he sets humanity on equal footing, with both Jews and Gentiles needing salvation from God. In this way, Jesus’ sacrifice is seen with eternal value and only due to the tremendous grace of God.

Footnotes

1.  William Hendriksen, Exposition of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, 2. Print., New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Book House, 1984), 121. ↩︎
2.  Hendriksen, Exposition of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, 120. ↩︎
3.  Charles Hodge, A Commentary on Romans (Edinburgh, Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1986), 77. ↩︎
4.  David E. Garland, Eckhard J. Schnabel, and Nicholas Perrin, Romans: An Introduction and Commentary (Downers Grove, Ill., London: InterVarsity Press ; Inter-Varsity Press, 2021), 125. ↩︎
5.  John Calvin, Commentaries on the Epistle of Paul The Apostle to The Romans, trans. John Owen (Grand Rapids, Michigan: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1959), 125. ↩︎
6.  Hendriksen, Exposition of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, 121. ↩︎
7.  Hodge, A Commentary on Romans, 78. ↩︎
8.  Grant R. Osborne, Romans, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2014), 87. ↩︎