“NO, NOT ONE!”

Romans 3:9-10; 21-26                                                    (ESV)

“10 as it is written: "None is righteous, “NO, NOT ONE”; 

11 no one understands; no one seeks for GOD.”

“21 But now the RIGHTEOUSNESS of GOD has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-

22 the RIGHTEOUSNESS of GOD THROUGH FAITH in JESUS CHRIST for ALL who believe. For there is no distinction:

23 for ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of GOD,

24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in CHRIST JESUS,

25 WHOM GOD put forward as a propitiation by HIS blood, to be received by FAITH. This was to show GOD’S righteousness, because in HIS divine forbearance HE had passed over former sins.

26 It was to show HIS righteousness at the present time, so that HE NIGHT BE JUST AND THE JUSTIFIER of the one who has FAITH in JESUS.”

One of the greatest misnomers regarding people who CLAIM to be going to Heaven is that “I have basically been a GOOD PERSON”.  Most want to convince themselves, first of all, that they aren’t as bad as the mass murderer on the news.  Jim Jones is one of the most recognizable of my lifetime, leading almost 1,000 people to death in northern Guyana in 1978.  Even a U.S. Congressman was reportedly “fooled” by the foolishness espoused by the “Peoples Temple Agricultural Project”, better known as Jonestown.  

So why do we try to live lives that are HOLY in our own eyes since we have no ability to produce holiness?  The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 7:15-25 that he serves the law of GOD with his mind, but in his flesh he serves the law of sin! To exhibit true FAITH, we must realize that we are broken and wretched, in need of propitiation (substitution) for our unholiness, for our failures to reflect GOD’S Holiness with our lives.  

There have been 45 Presidents of these United States and EVERY one of them are imperfect.  Police officers are humans.  My wife, who is as saintly as anyone, even has shortcomings!  Most of them are displayed when she is putting up with her flawed husband!  The very people who are written about in the Bible, without fail, have been in need of forgiveness for their failings.  There is NONE RIGHTEOUS, “NO, NOT ONE!”

It can be deceivingly easy to get fooled by the enemy and his tactics.  When our focus is on the problems of “this world” and off of our CREATOR we are not where we were CREATED to be.  There is NO ONE on earth that is faultless, NO ONE that is above sin.  Scripture says there is NONE RIGHTEOUS, “NO, NOT ONE!”  Don’t be “fooled” by the great deceiver.