Section 17
religious, we see that religion is vanity. We must stay away from religion and have nothing to do with it. We need the living Person of the Triune God.
THE CONDEMNATION ON ALL THE WORLD— THE TOTALITY OF HOPELESSNESS
Now we come to the condemnation on all the world, a condemnation that unfolds the totality of hopelessness (3:9-20). The world situation is hopeless. Do not try to cure it, correct it, or im prove it. Give up your hope. The world condi tion is incurable.
In this section of Romans, Paul portrays man as totally evil and gives several proofs that the condition of the world is hopeless. Not one per son seeks God and no one understands God (3:11). All have turned away from God and have become useless (3:12). No one is righteous (3:10) and no one practices good (3:12). Do you know the difference between a righteous man and a good man? If I work for you for one month at a salary of five hundred dollars per month and you refuse to pay me, you are unrighteous. How ever, if you pay me, you are a righteous man. If I did not work for you at all and you gave me