There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. (Romans 3:10-11)
Equality. It’s something we see as right, good, and fair. If a team playing football tries to gain an unequal advantage over another team they are often penalized (like the New England Patriots). Fair is fair. In America, everyone is afforded equal protection under the law. It’s something Americans have in common and is recognized in the Constitution of the United States (14th Amendment). However, our laws are our laws. Our constitution only extends to the U.S. However, the Bible also says that under God’s law we are all equal, but that’s not as good as it might sound.
In Romans 3:9-11 Paul writes this: What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.”
What Paul is addressing is the idea that some people had that because they had God’s explicit commands as written in the Bible that they were somehow better than other people. Paul’s response is that under God’s law all no one is better off because all have violated God’s law. That’s what it means to sin. Paul knows that under God’s law no one is righteous and everyone has violated God’s standard and deserves to be punished. In keeping with the metaphor, we are all the Patriots, guilty of violating the rules of the game.
So what recourse do we have? What Paul will go on to say is because we are all sinful we have two options. Either we receive the punishment we deserve for our sin which is death. Or we can turn to Jesus who took the punishment we deserved. All people are sinful. You can try to cover it up and be found out anyway, or you can walk in the light, admit your sin, and enjoy the forgiveness that can only be found in Jesus. You choose.