There Is No One Who Does Good, No, Not One

The Bible, from Genesis through Revelation, blantantly asserts an obvious truth about ALL HUMAN BEINGS--namely, "There is no one who does good, no, not one."

I. Here are three of many passages which declares this truth.
a. Psalm 14:1-3=53:1-3:
Fools say in thier hearts, "There is no God."
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
THERE IS NO ONE WHO DOES GOOD.
The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind
to see if there are any who are wise,
who seek after God.
They have ALL gone astray, they are ALL alike perverse,
THERE IS NO ONE WHO DOES GOOD,
NO, NOT ONE.

b. Proverbs 20:9:
Who can say, "I have made my heart clean;
I am pure from my sin"?
Obviously, this question requires a negative reply.

c. Romans 3:9-12, 23:
What then? Are we any better off? No, not at all; for we have already charged that ALL, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin, as it is written:
THERE IS NO ONE WHO IS RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;
there is no one who has understanding,
there is no one who seeks God.
ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, together they have become worthless;
there is no one who shows kindness,
THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE. . .
ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD.

II. But, some people say, the Bible refers to human beings as "perfect" or "blameless."
a. For example, Job 1:1, 8; 2:3 says Job was "blameless and upright."
b. Titus 1:7 says a bishop or shepherd must be "blameless."
c. Paul says in Philippians 1:10 that Christians are to be "pure and blameless."

III. How can the Bible teach that ALL have sinned against God, and yet the Bible affirms that people should be and are "blameless." Here are a couple of thoughts.
a. "Blameless" does not mean "sinless." Rather, blameless means a person whose "tenor of life" "consistently" is above reproach. We all sin against God and against others, but, viewing one's life overall, many people should and can be godly people.
b. Being "blameless" is NOT a human achievement, but a GRACIOUS gift of God through Jesus Christ. Think of Paul's constant references to his persecutions to Christians before he became a disciple of Jesus. Paul declares that Paul is WHO he is ONLY because of WHOM God has made him. Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:12-16:
"I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinner--of whom I am the foremost. But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life."

How vast and enduring and patient and loving is our God!!! His mercy is unfathomable. I hope YOU appreciate God's grace.

NOW--let us be consistent!!! IF it is really TRUE that ALL of us are SINNERS, whom can we exclude? Over the centuries, we human beings have erected GREAT WALLS separating this group from that group. God is the creator of ALL human beings. God loves all human beings. We need to open our hearts and embrace people of all religious groups, not just this narrow group or that narrow group. Will we EVER agree on every issue or every understanding or every belief? NO WAY. But we can still love others, just as God SOMEHOW brings himself to love us.

How do YOU respond? Where do YOU stand before God? What are YOUR attitudes toward others--who differ with your beliefs and understandings and traditions and views? Share your thoughts with others. Let me hear from YOU.

John Willis