What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin;
as it is written,
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 (Psalm 14:1).
Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they keep deceiving (Psalm 5:9).
The poison of asps is under their lips (Psalm 140:3).
Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness (Psalm 10:7);
Their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their paths, and the path of peace they have not known (Proverbs 1:16).
There is no fear of God before their eyes (Psalm 36:1).Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the World may become accountable to God;
because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
All this is saying that just because the Jews were privileged to receive God's Law, so that they would be shown how to live their lives pleasing to God so he could bless them, it doesn't mean that they're any better than anyone else from any other part of the World.
It meant that He wanted to use them as His example of how good He is to those who followed His ways, as He blessed them with the abundance of this Earth, which was the consequence of their following the way He designed the World to work.
So that others in other Nations could also come to Israel and become a proselyte, following God's ways and also being blessed.
Today there is no difference between a Jew or a Greek or a Barbarian in God's eyes, because He made the whole Human race to be His children, so everyone has an equal chance to turn to Him, repent, and be saved from sin.
And anyway, following rules and precepts and commandments never saved anyone, anyway, even the Jews the Law was given to. It's always been a matter of the heart, which gets its direction on how to feel about things from the mind, how we think.
And it's always been impossible to actually follow every detail of every Law all the time, because our own human nature draws us away from doing what is right when it's easier not to. And it's almost always easier not to.
That's why people can be so mean to one another, how we can talk trash and do awful stuff, even to extremes, like mass murderers and such.
And even when we do good, even all of our most righteous deeds are no better than filthy, uncleanable menstrual rags in God's sight, because they are polluted by our sinful human flesh (Isaiah 64:6).
So the Law shows us our need for forgiveness, which only comes through the blood of sacrifice. (Numbers 35:33 says that the Land cannot be cleansed, expiated, from innocent blood shed on it, "but by the blood of him that shed it." And Hebrews 9:22-23 says that, "without shedding of blood there is no remission" of sin, or any cleansing of anything, including the duplicates of the things in Heaven that Moses built, the whole Tabernacle.)
So God gave the Law to show us how to cooperate with how He designed this Earth, so that by obeying Him, He could bless all those who believed He wants the best for us all. Then we will follow His ways of loving Him by worshiping only Him, and loving one another by thinking the best of one another and wanting the best for each other regardless of the cost to ourselves.
That's what Jesus meant when He said that "On these two commandments [loving God and loving one another] hang all the Law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:40).
But we still aren't able to actually live our lives this way without Jesus' Blood shed for each of us to cleanse us, and God's Holy Spirit living in us to make our spirits alive to communicate with God and understand His Word, and to give us the power, the ability to live a Christian life according the Law He has now placed into our own hearts and minds.
O my Father, Your Plan is so perfect! You have thought of every detail of every situation that could happen to everyone everywhere. You see all the smallest parts as well as the Big Picture, and You have determined how every part makes up the whole.
Father, that helps me to realize that all the little things in my every day are all important, because all these little things build into the big things in my life.
Thank You so much for calling me to faith, for showing me that Jesus took my place on the Cross, and for taking control of my life that day so long ago. And You have never left me. Through all the decades, through all the marriage and the kids and widowhood and now grandkids, and You are still with me.
Help me, Father. I still need You every day. It seems like I still need You more each day, Father. You are still so good to me, and I am still in this weak, frail flesh that can do nothing. All I can do is through Your strength, Father.
Please put Your blessing on my endeavors, so that I can give You the credit and glory for all You do for me, and for others through me. You know my heart's desire, Father.
Send me, send all Your children out into Your fields, fallow for Your seed, and ripe and ready for harvest. Father, let every living person hear and understand that You Love them so much that You have already met all their needs, and all those who want You will turn to You, and Your house will be full.
Every place at Your great Banquet Table will be filled,
and every creature which is in Heaven, and on the Earth, and under the Earth, and such as are in the Sea, and all that are in them, saying "Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sits on the Throne, unto the Lamb for ever and ever" (Revelation 5:13).
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, and every tongue in every language will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord God Almighty, King of the Universe, to the eternal glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
