“All have turned away; all alike have become useless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one” (Romans 3:12 HCSB).
Most definitions of “good” depend on someone’s interpretation of that word according to its context. However, a few personalized questions can help determine if human beings are really in the best position to serve as the supreme arbiters of moral goodness. For instance…
- Have you ever had an intense desire to possess someone or something that belonged to someone else?
- Have you ever told a lie?
- Have you ever stolen anything, even something small or inconsequential?
- Have you ever been involved in an inappropriate sexual relationship in thought or deed?
- Have you ever ended the life of another human being without just cause, either in thought or deed?
- Have you always honored your parents or guardians without fail?
- Have you always set apart one day a week to honor God?
- Have you ever referenced God in a frivolous, inappropriate, or disrespectful manner?
- Has there ever been a person, object, or possession that you loved, respected, or feared more than God?
- Has anything ever taken the place of God as the first priority in your life?
As some may have guessed, these questions represent an inverted list that rephrases the Ten Commandments from Exodus chapter twenty. This list is inverted because the second table of the commandments seems to be the relatively “easy” ones to keep. Yet how many of us have failed to keep the least of those commandments?
Jesus went through a similar exercise with the rich young ruler of Mark chapter ten. When the man asked Jesus, “…what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” He responded by saying…
“‘You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’ ‘Teacher,’ he declared, ‘all these I have kept since I was a boy'” (Mark 10:17-20 NIV).
This man must have thought, “I’ve lived an exemplary life. I’ve never murdered anyone. I don’t cheat on my wife. I don’t steal from anyone. I’m not a liar and I always treat my parents with respect.” But it was not until Jesus said, “Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor…” (Mark 10:21 GNT) that the truth was revealed: “…the man was dismayed at this statement and went away saddened, because he had many possessions” (Mark 10:22 CEB).
This response exposed the rich young ruler’s affinity for material wealth. Even though he thought he was following the Commandments, he was actually guilty of violating the very first one: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). His response thus serves to illustrate our text from Romans 3:12: “…there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (KJV).