The sermon text this morning is taken from Romans chapter 3 verses 9-323.

What then are we Jews any better off? No, not at all.

For I have already charged that all men, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin, as it is written.

None is righteous, no, not one. No one understands. No one seeks for God.

All have turned aside.

Together they have gone wrong.

No one does good, not even one.

Their throat is an open grave. They use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips.

Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. And their paths are ruin and misery. And the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law,

so that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world may be held accountable to God.

For no human being will be justified in his... may be held accountable to God.

For no human being will be justified in his sight

by works of the law, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from law.

Although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

For there is no distinction since all have sin and fall short of the glory of God.

Now turn to chapter 6, begin with verse 20.

When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

But then what return did you get from the things of which you are now ashamed?

The end of those things is death.

But now that you have been set free from sin and have

become slaves of God, the return you get is sanctification and its end

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