After building his case piece by piece, Paul delivers the conclusion: “None is righteous, no, not one.” He strings together a series of Old Testament quotes to show that all people—regardless of background—are under the power of sin.  We are all guilty as charged.

No one seeks God on their own. No one does good perfectly. Our speech, our relationships, and our priorities all show the marks of sin. The law, Paul says, doesn’t make us right before God—it makes us aware of how far we’ve fallen short. Its purpose is to shut every mouth, removing all excuses and pride.

This is where the gospel shines most clearly. The bad news is worse than we often think: sin isn’t just a behavior problem, it’s a heart and nature problem. But it sets the stage for the good news that Paul will, and we’ll unpack next time starting in verse 21—that righteousness comes not through works, but through faith in Jesus Christ.  Jesus will come in and declare us “Not guilty!”

Key Takeaways:

• Paul’s final argument: everyone is under sin’s dominion.
• Scripture testifies to humanity’s total inability to save itself.
• The law reveals sin but cannot remove it—it silences us before God.
• This passage flattens all human pride. There is no “good enough.”
• Without understanding this, we won’t truly value the cross or grace.

Know that there’s good news coming.