Non est iustus | No one righteous

"There's no one righteous, not even one." - Romans 3:10

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A lot of people anywhere in the world like to do good things for various reasons. Usually because they are a part of the humanity, they feel better in doing it. The other reason is mostly for a religious purpose. 

Religions often suggest people to do certain good things to impress God and perhaps open the heavenly door. It could be to live in poverty and refuse much pleasure in order to achieve a level of perfection in life, to collect good deeds to be eligible for an eternal life, to live a kind of holy life and do good things to earn a certain predicate, etc. This is on the contrary to Isaiah 64:6 that portraits our righteousness as filthy rags.

As Christians, we preach Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross for redeeming the mankind from the wrath of God. Isaiah 53: 5-6 says, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." 

On the other side, we often have people say, "I am a good person. I don' t need God". And this is exactly what the Devil wants as this attitude will keep these people away from the love of God in Jesus Christ and thus cannot be saved. They fall into arrogance and self dependence. 

In today's passage, verse 10, it says, "There's no one righteous, not even one." Nine verses (verse 10-18) there consecutively describe how fallible human beings are. Nothing to brag about, to rely on, or to secure us. 

But God understands our weaknesses. He knows we are only dust. That's why Jesus was close to many sinners who came to Him for a new hope. Sin is not a difficult thing to Jesus. Because He would redeem every one who believes in Him. But those who rejected and do not believe Him that He criticized that they would die in their sins (John 8:23-24). 

Verse 20 says, "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin." As we try to be perfect by ourselves in performing all the laws and rules, at some point we come to realize how imperfect we are. Heaven is too high, too holy, too difficult to claim easily.

Jesus says, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." He is the Only One who reconciliates us with God the Father so we can enter the rest in the heavenly kingdom. Let's believe and rely on Him and not on ourselves. 

Reflection on Romans 3: 1-20 by Desire Litaay

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