Many decades ago when Britain was ravished by war, the government called for citizens to evacuate the country as quickly as possible. In the midst of the mayhem, a pilot was able to board a small group of school boys onto an airplane and escape. Tragically, the plane crashed, killing the pilot and stranding the boys on an uninhabited tropical island. Left alone, far from modern civilization, the boys initially reveled in their new-found freedom: No rules, no laws, and no adult supervision! But they soon realized that life on their own had challenges.

            Can you imagine a bunch of adolescent boys forced to figure out how to survive on their own? What do you think happened to them? Perhaps this sounds like a plot you’ve heard before. Well, let me continue the story!

            Despite their recent adversity, all of the boys were well-mannered, came from good homes, and naturally sought order and peace in all they did. After a brief meeting, they all agreed that it was in their best interest to form three labor divisions: one group to build shelters, one to hunt and gather food, and one to maintain a fire signal in hopes that a passing ship would find and rescue them.

            As it turned out, all three groups fulfilled their responsibilities dutifully. In no time at all, they were living in plush shelters, enjoying an abundance of tropical fruit and barbequed wild pig meat, and the thick grey smoke signal constantly wafted into the sky. The boys all worked hard, shared their resources equally, and they got along with one another admirably. They practiced the virtues of kindness, compassion, and generosity. By the time a rescue ship showed up, the boys had constructed such a beautiful utopian society that they decided to stay on the island where they lived happily ever after.

            This doesn’t sound right, does it?  Do you want to know what really happened?  

Actually, the group of boys split into two factions because they could not agree on priorities. One group, led by a boy named Ralph, thought that they should all focus on making the smoke signal, so they could be rescued quickly. The other group, led by a boy named Piggy, thought they should focus on survival. As both boys attempted to set up a system of rule, the whole group of well-educated students regressed into a primitive state. Soon, these “normal” children showed their depravity by descending into petty conflict, war, and even murder.

            By the time a British naval officer arrives with a rescue ship, he thinks the boys have only been playing games, and he scolds them for not behaving in a more organized and responsible manner according to British custom. As the boys prepare to leave the island for home, Ralph weeps for the death of Piggy and for the end of the boys’ innocence.     

            Now that sounds more familiar, doesn’t it? Many of you recognize the story as William Golding’s 1954 novel “Lord of the Flies.” The underlining premise of the book is that depravity is part of humankind’s composition, manifesting itself even in children. Some critics have suggested that the story is a response to other works of the time in which authors showed belief in the inherent goodness of human nature. Golding’s book is a dismantling of the Marxist utopian dream that was so pervasive throughout the previous century. The novel actually depicts a similar image of human depravity that the we find in Romans 3:9-20.

 

Romans Recap (Romans 1:18-3:8)

Before we jump into today’s text, allow me to recap what we have learned from the Book of Romans so far. As Paul shared the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Christians in Rome, he began by sharing the bad news of the gospel. As we saw in Romans 1-2, Paul described the sinfulness of the Gentiles. He explained that, even though the Gentiles did not have God’s law, they still suppressed God’s natural law and their own consciences by engaging in sinful sexual behavior and a plethora of other immoral and unethical practices.

Then in Romans 2-3, Paul took the Jews to task for their sin. Even though the Jews had God’s law, they took it for granted and became proud and arrogant. They thought were morally superior to everyone else in the world, but in fact, they engaged in the same idolatrous and hypocritical behavior as the Gentiles.

Now, in Romans 3:9-20, Paul comes to the climax of this showcase on sin. He brings the Jews and Gentiles back together to paint a grim picture of universal nature of human depravity.

            Now I realize that these sermons on sin beat us up a little bit. I doubt if any of you have left church over the past few weeks saying, “Wow, what an inspiring message! I feel so much better about myself! Pastor Jason fills my tank with self-esteem; I should take him out to breakfast today to thank him!” No! No! My goal has been the same as the Apostle Paul’s: to help us understand the bad news of the gospel so that we can truly appreciate the good news. If we don’t understand how sinful we are in God’s sight, we will never recognize our need for a Savior—and we will face the penalty of our perversion on Judgment Day! So, for one more week, let’s delve into Paul’s description of the depths of human depravity!

 

The Depths of Depravity (9-20)

            In verse 9, Paul begins with a question of comparison, “What then? Are we Jews any better off?” He is asking if the Jews are any better than the Gentiles when it comes to breaking God’s law. Then he offers the emphatic answer, “No, not at all!” He has already stated that Jews and Greeks are all under sin. But notice that Paul doesn’t just say that all people commit sins or that all are sinners, but he says that “all are under sin.” This term suggests that sin is far more than just a problem that people deal with—it speaks to a situation of dominance or even slavery. For Paul, the human plight is not that people commit sins or even that they are in the habit of committing sins; the central problem is that people are helpless prisoners of sin. Their nature is not good; it is depraved. (Moo 121-122)

Paul, then, substantiates this truth with a mashup of Old Testament texts. He begins with clear statements about the universality of human depravity. No one is righteous…no one fully understands God…no one naturally wants to know God or his ways…all have turned their backs on their Creator…no one does good, not even one. (10-12)

Then Paul uses graphic images to single out sins of speech—their throats are like gaping graves, tongues of deception, the venom of vipers under their lips, mouths full of curses and bitterness. (13-14) Has anyone ever wounded you with their words? Has anyone ever lied to your face or spread rumors behind your back? Are you guilty of gossiping, cursing, or assassinating someone’s character?

Paul then moves on to sins of violence—their feet are swift to shed blood, their paths are ruin and misery, and they don’t know the way of peace. (15-17) Do we need to look any further than our recent epidemic of school shootings to verify the violence in our culture? Probably not, but you might find this statistic interesting. Will Durant, in his book Lessons from History, writes: “In the last 3,421 years of recorded history, only 268 have not seen war.” During World War II, it was estimated that it took $225,000 to kill one enemy soldier. I wonder how much is spent by nations today? Man loves violence!

In verse 18, Paul sums up the cause of all of this sin and shame in one line: “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Paul’s charge still stands today. The entire human race—Jews or Gentiles, religious or irreligious, pious or pagan—is utterly depraved! (Hughs 73)

            Why does Paul go to such great length to this explain the depths of human depravity? Mainly because our understanding of a problem dictates the answer to the problem. For example, Marxists believes that the basic human problem is unequal distribution of wealth. Their solution, then, is to exert state control over the economy so that there will be no rich or poor. Likewise, many of the great philosophers and moral teachers throughout history have been convinced that the basic problems of human beings is that they are ignorant. The solution? Knowledge! If you just educate people better, the problems of the world will disappear.   

            But the problem with these solutions is that they misunderstand the problem! Ignorance and inequality are only symptoms of a deeper human problem: sin! Think about it! Communism is a great idea; it just doesn’t work. We have witnessed this in the U.S.S.R., Cuba, and China. Everyone sharing their possessions equally sounds wonderful, that is, until you have to sacrifice for someone else. Communism it does not account for human greed! The same is true for knowledge. Education is great, and I personally advocate for it, but we are sadly mistaken if we think it will fix all of society’s problems. Let me prove by asking you one simple question: Do you know any highly educated degenerates? 

This is why I always snicker when I see some starry-eyed hippie singing John Lennon’s song “Imagine” with conviction:

 Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace… You…

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world… You…

 You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

            The song is really catchy, and it sounds so right, but it’s rubbish! It describes a communistic utopian pipedream that doesn’t account for human depravity. Paul tells us that all people, by nature, are addicted to sin. They are imprisoned under it, unable to free themselves by anything they can do.

            This is the reason why there are so many shootings in our schools! This is the reason why racism is still rampant in our streets! This is the reason why sexual harassment is widespread in the workplaces! This is the reason why political corruption is so common in our capital! This is the reason why fighting is so familiar in our families. This is the reason why so many of our youth get hooked on heroin and other substances! This is the reason why communism always fails, and capitalism has winners and losers. And this is precisely the reason why we are in such a need of a Savior!

 

            Friends, the fundamental human problem is that we have a depraved nature that is addicted to sin! This is why God did not send us a political problem-solver, an economic advisor, or an educational consultant. Instead, he sent a spiritual liberator—one who could set us free from sin. Paul is going to unpack it for us next week but let me jump ahead of him for just a moment: Jesus Christ is the only answer to human sin. He is the only one who has lived a sinless life! He is the only one who could atone for our sins! He is the only one who can deliver us from our depravity and offer us life beyond the grave! He is our only hope for a utopian existence—it’s a place called heaven!