Compare Psalm 53:4 with Romans 3:10-12. What similarities do you find? The Passages Side by Side “Will the workers of iniquity never learn? They devour My people like bread; they refuse to call upon God.” “As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.’ ” Shared Themes at a Glance • Universal sinfulness—no one gets a pass • Willful ignorance of God’s ways • Active rejection of seeking or calling on the Lord • Harm done to God’s people as a symptom of deeper rebellion • The need for divine intervention, not self-reform Sin’s Universal Reach • Psalm 53:4 singles out “workers of iniquity,” but the broader psalm (vv. 1-3) affirms that “there is no one who does good.” • Romans 3:10-12 repeats and expands that verdict: “no one righteous…all have turned away.” • Together, they erase any notion that sin is limited to a few especially bad individuals—every descendant of Adam falls under the same indictment (cf. Genesis 6:5; Isaiah 53:6). Refusal to Seek God • Psalm 53:4 — “they refuse to call upon God.” • Romans 3:11 — “no one seeks God.” • This is more than passive neglect; it is an active suppression of the truth (Romans 1:18-22). Devouring God’s People • Psalm 53:4 pictures evildoers “devouring” the faithful “like bread,” everyday, matter-of-fact cruelty. • Romans 3:12 implies that when people stop doing good, harm toward others inevitably follows (cf. Micah 3:1-3; Galatians 5:15). Paul’s Use of the Psalm • Romans 3 quotes Psalm 14:1-3 verbatim, and Psalm 53 is almost identical to Psalm 14. • By blending these texts, Paul shows that the Spirit’s message has been consistent from David’s day to his own: humanity’s condition is hopeless apart from grace. Implications for Today • Our greatest problem is not lack of information but lack of inclination to seek God (Jeremiah 17:9). • The gospel answers the universal diagnosis with an all-sufficient cure: “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). • Having been rescued, believers are called to live differently—no longer “devouring” others but walking in love (Ephesians 4:32; 5:1-2). |
    |