The Scripture behind the Scripture

There Is None Righteous

Psalm 14 declares that there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Paul gathers this with a chain of texts in Romans 3:10 to prove that all are under sin.

“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.”Psalm 14:1

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”Romans 3:10

In its own place

In its own place. Psalm 14 is a psalm of David that surveys human corruption. It opens, The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God, and describes such people as corrupt, doing abominable works, with none that doeth good. God looks down from heaven to see if any understand and seek him, but the verdict is that they are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy, there is none that doeth good, no, not one. In its original setting this is a lament over the pervasiveness of human sin and folly, especially the practical atheism of those who live as if God does not see or judge. The psalm is not a detached doctrine of total depravity so much as a cry over a world full of evildoers who devour God's people and ignore him, coupled with confidence that God is with the righteous and will finally vindicate them. The sweeping language, none that doeth good, no, not one, dramatizes how deeply corruption has spread. Yet the psalm also speaks of the generation of the righteous and of God as the refuge of the poor, so it holds together a stark picture of human sinfulness and a hope for God's deliverance of his people. Its closing longs for salvation to come out of Zion.

Where the New Testament takes it up

This is a direct quotation, forming the opening of Paul's great chain of Old Testament texts on universal sin. In Romans 3:10 to 18 Paul assembles a catena, a string of citations, to prove that both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin. He begins, As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one, drawing on the language of Psalm 14 and its near twin Psalm 53, then continues with lines from other psalms and from Isaiah about throats like open sepulchres, mouths full of cursing, feet swift to shed blood, and no fear of God before their eyes. Paul follows the Greek text of these passages. His purpose is to close every mouth and make the whole world accountable to God, so that no one can claim to be righteous by their own works. By stringing these Scriptures together, Paul shows that the verdict of human sinfulness runs throughout Israel's own sacred writings, not just as an occasional complaint but as a settled testimony. The point is not that literally every individual is as wicked as possible, but that sin is universal, that no one is righteous before God on their own, Jew or Gentile alike. This clears the ground for the gospel of righteousness by faith, which Paul unfolds immediately afterward.