The Need for the Gospel

The usual suspects are the obvious offenders. (1:18-32)

Romans 1:18-19
18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.

Romans 1:24
So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies.

Romans 1:32
They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

The usual suspects aren’t the only offenders. (2:1-3:9)

Romans 2:1
You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things.

Romans 2:11-13
11 For God does not show favoritism. 12 When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it. 13 For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight.

Romans 3:9
Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin.

We do not want Christ naturally, but we need Him desperately. (3:10-20)

Romans 3:19-20
19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

Job 9:32-33
32 “God is not a mortal like me,
   so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial.
33 If only there were a mediator between us,
   someone who could bring us together.