Reading through Romans-Guilty Before God

"What then? Are we Jews any better off?2 No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,"

Are we better than they? Not at all: Since Paul was Jewish by birth and heritage (Philippians 3:4-6), when we says "we" he means "we Jews." The point is that by nature, the Jewish person is no more right with God than the pagan or the moralist. Paul has demonstrated that the pagan, the moralist and the Jew are all under sin and therefore, under condemnation.

“None is righteous, no, not one;" 

There is none righteous, no, not one: When God finds none righteous, it is because there are none. It isn't as if there were some and God couldn't see them. There has never been a truly righteous man apart from Jesus Christ. "Even Adam was not righteous: he was innocent - not knowing good and evil."

"11  no one understands; no one seeks for God."

There is none who seeks after God: We deceive ourselves into thinking that man, on his own, really does seek after God. Don't all the religion and rituals and practices from the beginning of time demonstrate that man seeks after God? Not at all. If man initiates the search then he doesn't seek the true God, the God of the Bible. Instead he seeks an idol that he makes himself.

"12  All have turned aside; together they have become unprofitable; no one does good, not even one.”"

They have together become unprofitable: The word unprofitable has the idea of rotten fruit. It speaks of something that was permanently bad and therefore useless.

Paul calls virtually every part of man's body into guilt: throat,tongue,lips,mouth,feet,eyes are all shown to be filled with sin and rebellion against God.

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 have not known.

18  “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

There is no fear of God before their eyes: This summarizes the entire thought. Every sin and rebellion against God happens because we do not have a proper respect for Him. Wherever there is sin, there is no fear of God.

Dear God, I have rebelled against you and every part of my body has sinned against you.  I stand guilty before you.