RUSHWAVE: Establishing Believers in the Christian Faith

from The Judgment God Desires to Withhold

Chapter 5: God’s Verdict on Mankind

God sees all men as hopelessly corrupt and evil.

Since God knows all things, including Himself, He not only knows the works and deeds of every person who has ever lived. He also knows His reaction when presented with all those facts. And in keeping with His infinite knowledge of all things, He has allowed us mortals to hear His authoritative verdict at the trial — we can actually know what the future holds for us. And this is His verdict:

There is none righteous, not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for god; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one. Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they keep deceiving, the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. Romans 3:10-18

There are two important observations from these scriptures.

God’s verdict is man is unrighteous as manifested by his murderous, destructive ways. Man neither understands nor pursues the things of God for “there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God.” Man does not fulfill the purpose for which he was created because he has “turned aside” and thereby “become useless.” Just as we are revolted by the stench of a decaying corpse, even so God deems man’s mouth “an open grave” because of the evil that rises from it. Man practices lying for “with their tongues they keep deceiving.” Man’s words are exceedingly vicious. Just as venomous snakes spew poison from their mouths, so man spews verbal poison from his for “the poison of asps is under their lips” and man’s “mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” Man is murderous for “their feet are swift to shed blood.” Man is destructive and causes distress for “destruction and misery are in their paths” and “the path of peace they have not known.” Man has no reverence of God for “there is no fear of god before their eyes.”

God’s verdict of man’s character and works is universal. It applies to all people. “There is none righteous, not even one … there is none who understands … there is none who seeks for god … all have turned aside … there is none who does good, there is not even one …” This means when the eternal, all-knowing God examines all people, throughout all time, from the beginning of the world unto its end, the verdict is the same: no one is righteous, and there is not one good person, not even one.

The fact that God sees man as not only depraved, but also universally so, is an exceedingly damning indictment. And it is far different than the estimate man has of himself. Why this difference in perspective exist will be thoroughly explained in subsequent chapters. For now it is important to process the full import of this verdict.

God’s verdict applies to men in all periods of time. Typically, modern people and cultures view themselves as more advanced both morally and technologically than those civilizations that existed long ago. But this is man’s perspective, not God’s. While man has certainly advanced on the technological front, morally he is still depraved. And God’s verdict will still hold irrespective of any future scientific breakthroughs purported to revolutionize man and make him a good person. God already knows those advances, and His conclusion is the same.

God’s verdict applies to all men irrespective of their temperament. Without question there are degrees of vice when comparing one individual against another, and there is no reason to take God’s verdict to mean all men are equally devious or rebellious. But the reality of degrees does not change the verdict. One man may be much more devious than another, but both can still be correctly classified as devious. One man is devious, the other is just very devious.

God’s verdict applies to all men irrespective of their efforts to change. There are countless “good” decisions men make in the course of their lives, and these are mistakenly deemed as reflective of their core character. We may make a resolution to be a better person, engage in acts of kindness and self-sacrifice towards others, determine to unselfishly give aid to the poor, resolve through sheer will power to stop a destructive habit, embark on various self-help programs to adopt a positive attitude, and participate in therapy sessions to understand root causes and be delivered from destructive behaviors. But all these actions do not change God’s verdict: man is universally depraved, and there is not one person who is good.

God’s verdict applies to all people no matter how they are grouped. Some deem certain nationalities, ethnic groups, or family lines as morally superior. But from God’s perspective there is no difference; all are depraved. There are an infinite number of ways to categorize human beings: by age, language, sex, height, physical strength, intelligence, or anything else. But no matter how they are grouped, God’s verdict is the same: all have venomous tongues and murderous hearts.

A verdict is only as reliable as the character and competence of the person giving it. But the verdict heretofore described is from God. And in keeping with His righteous character, it is reliable and truthful. The verdict is not an overstatement or exaggeration; there truly is not one good person who has or will ever live. The verdict is also not born of bias or prejudice; there is nothing in God to distort His judgment. The verdict is perfect, accurate, and conforms to all those perfections that exist within God Himself.

From God’s perspective you along with all other human beings are murderous, treacherous, useless, and unrighteous. This assessment is true of all people irrespective of age, sex, nationality, ethnic group, family line, or any other conceivable category. No matter how good, honorable, moral, and upright you may perceive yourself or someone else to be, in reality and before God you both are dishonorable and unjust. While there may indeed be a difference in degree of how corrupt you are when compared to someone else, that in no way negates the fact you are both evil.

from The Judgment God Desires to Withhold

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