None is Righteous

(Titus 3:3 – None are Righteous)

This scripture is a stark reminder for all of us. Every person starts from the same base. It is important that we realise and remember that this was our starting place too.

The scripture today makes the point that none are righteous. At least none are righteous when they come to Christ.

In Christ we receive the free gift of righteousness by faith. But the starting point for every person was that none are righteous and we were all sinners.

None are righteous when they start

every person that has ever lived (Christ being the only exception), started from the place of sin. All were sinners before they came to Christ. This scripture is a powerful reminder of this very thing.

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by men and hating one another (Titus 3:3)

Add to this the scripture that I have been quoting as the title for this post and we see just how deep and how bad this situation is for all of mankind.

9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all; for I have already charged that all men, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin, 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands, no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside, together they have gone wrong; no one does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave, they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” 14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood, 16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they do not know.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:9-18)

This is a pretty damning situation. And it goes all the way back to Adam and Eve who committed the first sin. Their action consigned all of mankind to lives of sin and death.

But this seems to have been the purpose of God. He understood that this would happen. And He made a way for mankind to be redeemed and return to the original state of perfection.

God consigned all people to sin

The plan of God was to provide a way for man to be reconciled and returned to His grace. But before that could happen, He consigned all of mankind to sin through the actions of Adam and Eve.

For God has consigned all men to disobedience, that he may have mercy upon all. (Romans 11:32)

The plan of God was to consign all man to sin and to disobedience.

You may wonder why He would do such a thing. The scripture above gives us an answer. It was done so that He could show mercy to all mankind.

But there is a big, hidden “IF” in this statement. God also gave man a free will. Man can choose whether he wants to seek God and be redeemed, or reject God and be lost.

It is not the desire of God that any be lost, as we are told in 1 Timothy 2:3-4. Seriously, if God had His way, He would save everyone. But that would not be the same because He wants people to choose Him.

And He gives us every opportunity to come to Him.

Power in the Grace of God

There is tremendous power for redemption and release in the grace of God. If we will choose God and follow His Son, Jesus Christ, then God will forgive and forget every possible sin we may have committed in our former life. Look at the list of sins and sinners in this next scripture.

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV)

This is nowhere near a complete list of all sins or sinners, but it shows how deep the grace of God and His love goes. All of these are people who began from the place of, “None is righteous.” And there are some terrible sins in this list, several of which were punishable by death under the Laws of Moses.

But look at the last verse in this section. It shows that some of those in the Corinthians church had previously practiced these sins. This was before coming to Christ.

And we see that the grace of God was poured out even to these most vile of sinners. They were cleansed of all their sins and both sanctified and justified. To be sanctified is to be made holy, like God, and to be justified is to be made righteous.

This is the redemptive power in the grace of God.

Do not gloat but remember none is righteous

One of the things that really rankles is when some Christians judge others for what they have done. They judge them and consider them unworthy.

And yet Christ died for the people they were judging, just as He died for those who were judging. The judges all started from the same place as those they are judging. We all started from the place of, “None is righteous.”

We cannot and must not judge others, because we were there once too. Holier than thou attitudes have no place in the true church of God. In fact when we judge we are standing in the place of God, because He is the only one who has the right to judge.

Those who boast and peer down their noses at other Christians need to be careful too. God has brought them into His church based upon their faith. But if they reject their faith and become judgemental, God can just as easily put them out of the church, or worse.

17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place to share the richness of the olive tree, 18 do not boast over the branches. If you do boast, remember it is not you that support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 You will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast only through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off. (Romans 11:17-22)

It is only by the grace of God that we stand in His good grace. We have done nothing to deserve it except believe in Jesus Christ.

But if we get too cocky and think we are better than others, and if we are arrogant, God will step in and discipline or remove us.

So, remember that we all started in the same place. Even the Apostle Paul, the twelve Apostles, and every other great and righteous man who ever lived started from the same place as you and I.

We must never forget this. We must remember and be humble because we are no different from anyone else. And we stand only because God has shown us grace through faith in His Son.

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