Romans 3:10-12 NLT - "As the Scriptures say, "No one is righteous--not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. 12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one."
Paul is quoting extensively from the OT showing how the Jews were sinful at all times and under every condition. The OT is full of, Hyperbole (the employment of exaggerative language to emphasize a point) so this should not be taken to mean each individual person all the time. Paul’s OT quotes are talking about nations and not every individual and yet all mature adults do sin is the point.
Albert Barnes wrote this on Ro. 3: In regard to these quotations from the Old Testament, we may make the following remarks.
(1) They fully establish the position of the apostle, that the nation, as such, was far from being righteous, or that they could be justified by their own works. By quotations from no less than six distinct places in their own writings, referring to different periods of their history, he shows what the character of the nation was. And as this was the characteristic of those times. it followed that a Jew could not hope to be saved simply because he was a Jew. He needed, as much as the Gentile, the benefit of some other plan of salvation.
(2) These passages show us how to use the Old Testament, and the facts of ancient history. They are to be adduced not as showing directly what the character of man is, now, but to show what human nature is. They demonstrate what man is when under the most favorable circumstances; in different situations; and at different periods of the world. The concurrence of past facts shows what the race is. And as past facts are uniform; as man thus far, in the most favorable circumstances, has been sinful; it follows that this is the characteristic of man everywhere. It is settled by the facts of the world, just as any other characteristic of man is settled by the uniform occurrence of facts in all circumstances and times. Ancient facts, and quotations of Scripture, therefore, are to be adduced as proofs of the tendency of human nature. So Paul used them, and so it is lawful for us to use them.
(3) It may be observed further, that the apostle has given a view of human depravity which is very striking. He does not confine it to one faculty of the mind, or to one set of actions; he specifies each member and each faculty as being perverse, and inclined to evil. The depravity extends to all the departments of action. The tongue, the mouth, the feet, the "lips," are all involved in it; all are perverted, and all become the occasion of the commission of sin. The entire man is corrupt; and the painful description extends to every department of action.
(4) If such was the character of the Jewish nation under all its advantages, what must have been the character of the pagan? We are prepared thus to credit all that is said in Rom. i., and elsewhere, of the sad state of the pagan world.
(5) What a melancholy view we have thus of human nature. From whatever quarter we contemplate it, we come to the same conclusion. Whatever record we examine; whatever history we read; whatever time or period we contemplate; we find the same facts, and are forced to the same conclusion. All are involved in sin, and are polluted, and ruined, and helpless. Over these ruins we should sit down and weep, and lift our eyes with gratitude to the God of mercy, that he has pitied us in our low estate, and has devised a plan by which "these ruins may be built again," and lost, fallen man be raised up to forfeited "glory, honor, and immortality."
Paul in all of Romans and especially in Chp. 3 is showing Jews and Gentiles are equal, since all have sinned.
John 6:44 LSB - "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day."
This is an often-quoted scripture to try and proof election and/or OSAS. We have banquette parables that show us what “draw” means, since the Master is not kidnapping guests to come to his party. They still have free will to accept or reject the invitation (which has a huge draw to it). Evweryone at the party was invited.
Being controlled by the Spirit, is the most Gracious thing God can do for us. On our own, it seems that we're in big trouble.
Yes, on our own we can do nothing of value, worth, glory, holiness, righteousness and/or anything worthy of anything good. We are sinful disobedient cruel kidnappers, keep a child of God away from God and His Kingdom, but as kidnappers, we can selfishly decide to accept the undeserving huge ransom payment (Jesus Christ and Him crucified) and allow the child to go free. Is a Kidnapper accepting an undeserved ransom payment doing something righteous?
