#71. Romans 3:12 – There Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked

Part II: The Conduct of Humanity

“All avoid Him: at the same time they were useless. Not one is doing kindness: there is not even one!”

Sounds Like a Good Idea

Since Adam’s first offense, mankind has avoided God by any means necessary. When God asks, “Adam, where are you?” Adam replies that he hid himself. See, Adam’s problem, upon eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, was that he thus knew good and evil. He had realized critical facts – he realized that he had done wrong, as his conscience informed him. He knew of God’s goodness, for God had placed him in the garden, had given him bountiful food, the most beautiful woman, and the entire animal kingdom in a state of peace and prosperity. Adam’s only solution was to run.

He first attempted to craft clothing from fig leaves – a sort of pseudo shelter for his wrong. He likely did this so as to appear more presentable to the good Yahweh when He arrived for a walk. Thereafter, he and Eve chose to hide within bushes, as a means of blending in with the environment. Instead of confronting Yahweh, then, and admitting to their wrong, Adam and Eve were consumed by their shame, and believed that hiding would resolve the issue.

Over the last 6,000 years, we have not realized the fundamental error of our ways. We do not like being told that we are guilty. Most of us are not emotionally prepared to be confronted by righteousness. All our lives, we make excuses. We tell ourselves that we are actually doing pretty well, thank you very much! And since the pain brought us to a better place, our infirmities are actually a good thing! Yet disguising the shame does not refute it. Internalizing shame, burying it down, so that pride forms as a sort of shell to guard it, does not discard it. It is primarily for this reason that the true God is avoided. Since He first begins by pointing a mirror at you, it is evident that facing our shame and our guilt is the beginning.

In the words of a good friend of mine, “I know I’m guilty. I don’t need God to affirm that for me.” It is a painful ordeal, realizing our faults, and dwelling on them to any degree. We must create “positive affirmations,” send “good vibes,” take “pride,” anything to distract from our pressing conscience, weighing our guilt.

Many of us cannot fathom a God Who knows of these faults, and yet loves us anyway (Rom. 5:8.)

In this, we project our feelings of guilt onto God. “If I am like this, God could not…” So begins our many reasonings. So, we avoid Him. Though He has made it painfully clear that He will be judging those hidden things we believe we have brushed aside, we cannot help but hide anyway. Though shame has brought us nowhere, we still treat it as a foundation to try harder to change, instead of accepting the truth that comes with it: we are screw-ups. We will never perfect ourselves in this flesh, and we should accept the label. We are sinners, having no right to impeach God. We are fools, with no intellectual integrity on which to trap Him. And, the longer we hide, the brighter the spotlight will be when we are caught.

The practical effect of this, in the meantime, is that we must bide our time. Hence our pride is aroused, and we become preoccupied with ourselves. It’s the great commercial lie of America – what would you like? What do you think? How do you feel? Our corporations feed on this internal insecurity, and it has built a shallow society dependent on grocery stores and low gas prices.

Pride is the primary reason for our pitiful perspective on God. When we are pre-occupied with self, we cannot possibly consider God. And since God does not immediately submit to self, and give self all that he/she desires, or conform to the views and opinions of self, the self acts as though God is unnecessary, daring to claim that He has it wrong, that He cannot do what He is already doing!

I know, it’s pessimistic. In fact, Romans 1:18-3:20 arguably contains the most depressing news in the entirety of scripture. But, as we already know, our sin actually commends God’s righteousness. Since the evangel points at God’s righteousness (1:17, 3:21,) it follows that the evangel deals with mankind’s sin of avoiding accountability. Instead of condemning the individual, God justifies them. Thus there is no rational reason for mankind to continue avoiding Him; He does not threaten eternal doom. He points out that there is either a “hard way,” or a “harder way.” Yet neither abandon you. Instead, both educate you, so as to resolve the shame, absolve your guilt, and mature you into the best you that you will be.

Consider Adam, before we move on again. Paul will later express that Adam’s disobedient act will soon be justified by God (5:18-19.) When this occurs (through the great white throne judgment,) then he will realize the futility (and silliness) in avoiding God. Adam will know that he was not justified by fig leaves, nor was he conciliated by hiding. God achieved what his flesh could not! Adam, too, will enjoy the evangel of God, and partake of its great honors, at the hand of his Maker. He will know this, and, with his shame resolved, he will glorify God (Phil. 2:10-11.)

Uselessness

If we are pre-occupied with the self, we are avoiding God, and are simultaneously useless to Him.

It is startling, how unabashedly our apostle declares this. To the angry free will fan, this verse seems to “prove” free will. “If God is controlling all, then how can one be ‘useless’ to Him?” they ask. The answer is that the word “useful” is not the same as “purposeful,” or “intentional.” Whether the objector likes it or not, Paul has already declared that the avoidance of man is caused by God (1:22, 24, 26, 28.) He even more plainly states this in Romans 11:32, that “God locks up all together in stubbornness, that He may be merciful to all.” God is the Cause of man’s injustice, for the purpose of commending His righteousness (3:5.)

To juxtapose this truth with the simultaneous fact – that God does not use unrighteous means – including individuals, celestial authorities, and others – to effect His goals, as if the two are contradictory, displays further ignorance on the part of the objector, not Paul himself.

Keep the basis on which Paul states that one is useless in mind – avoidance of God. This is, in turn, avoidance of righteousness, which makes one useless to righteousness. For example, the moon is useless to the sun. The sun does not use the moon to keep burning. The sun is a giant star. It glows, whether there is a moon or not. The moon, in turn, finds no use for the sun. The greatest relationship between the two is found in the fact that the moon involuntarily reflects the light which the sun thrusts upon it. This may exemplify the strength of the light of the sun, yet this is hardly of use to the moon. The moon keeps revolving around the earth, caught in its gravitational pull, regardless of the nearby star.

So also with righteousness and unrighteousness. Righteousness does not use unrighteousness to be righteousness. Righteousness is self-reliant. It operates whether unrighteousness exists or not. Unrighteousness, in turn, finds no use for righteousness. The greatest relationship between the two is found in the fact that unrighteousness involuntarily conveys the qualities of righteousness – yet this is hardly of use to unrighteousness. Unrighteousness trudges on, head down, ignorant to righteousness.

To be “useless” to righteousness is, arguably, the most troubling thought to our moral foundations. Most of us recognize that we are not perfect – yet most of us also do not wish to accept that this makes us unrighteous. Yet this is the truth. We are useless, in that we persist in our unrighteous evasions. We seek to avoid God’s indignation and judgment (2:5,) knowing that we are condemned, and deserving of death.

Yet this further enhances the necessity for the evangel (go figure!)

Since the evangel begins with an affirmation of the righteousness of God, given to us through Christ’s faith, we become useful to Him, since the premise on which we were useless – unrighteousness – has vanished from the picture (Rom. 12:1-15:7, Eph. 2:10.) And, on a much larger scale, if we consider the practical reality of the evangel – that, since it is to all (1:16,) it will inevitably reach all – it follows that all will eventually become useful to God, and not one will remain in a useless state, for His glory (Phil. 2:10-11!)

Lacking Kindness

The former thought of “uselessness” and “kindness” are related. Both terms, achreioo (UN-USE,) and chrestotes (USEness) in Greek have the similar element “USE.” As previously mentioned concerning Romans 2:4, “kindness” is a fruit of the spirit (Gal. 5:22,) is identified with His grace (Eph. 2:7,) and appears in Christ (Tit. 3:4.) Here we read that humanity is not doing kindness.

I admit that this verse is one of the hardest pills for me to personally swallow. I fully concur – if God says not one is doing kindness, I will only agree. It bothered me for years, since it came across as though God was invalidating every “good” deed mankind has ever committed.

I heard a few arguments from brothers and sisters in Christ. One of the most popular was that “Only God does kindness, so of course no human does kindness, since, when we act kindly, it is, in reality, God.” Yet I found this answer unsatisfactory, obscuring the line between God and man. We are entreated twice to be kind (Gal. 5:22, Col. 3:12.) Paul also attests to the kindness of him and his brothers (2 Cor. 6:6.) We do have wills that God gives us; the purpose for Paul’s argument here is not to convey that we have no will, but to show that we are not able to effect a righteous will.

This is because we are disposed to the flesh. Even as we are unable to “do” the law, we are unable to “do” kindness. This limits the kindness, by trying to force it through dying bodies. This immediately re-contextualizes even our most sincere and modest tendencies. Our sacrifices are imperfect, our compassions are shortsighted, and are often only conducted with a view to building up the self. Yet again, the Old Testament shows us this reality, as early as Genesis 4. Abel did what was “useful” to God, in providing an offering. Yet Cain was incensed by this, and murdered his brother. Abel could only do this kindness through faith (Heb. 11:4,) while Cain considered material gain first. It’s a tale as old as the race, its message aging like fine wine.

This means, worst of all, that we are intuitively being unkind to ourselves – we are forcing a stress on these dying bodies which are destined to die, and this will always taint any kind intention. Whenever I point this out to people (it’s not a hobby, I promise,) they say, “Stephen, why are you so nihilistic and depressing?” Yet this, I have found, is a form of projection one commits when they are faced with this fact. People don’t like to think about these facts because they often impose on the “meaning” they gave life when they supposed that contentedness is best found in their personal accomplishments. I, for one, am not “depressed” by these facts anymore. I appreciate what God says about these facts, and in turn, what they teach us about Him. We can only become kind when we let go of material gain on this earth – not merely the pursuit of it, but the sorrow from its lack – and are given faith. Only then may we see the true gain of the spirit, and enjoy its fruits.

Not Even One

I find, most impressively, that scripture is bold, and doubles down on our lack of kindness – almost as if God knew that this conclusion would especially frustrate us.

Nevertheless, objections abound. Paul’s conclusion, men argue, “Is ridiculous. You simply cannot look at verses 10-18 and assume that this is speaking of everyone without exception. There are many points – ‘sharp are their feet to shed blood,’ ‘defrauding people,’ ‘being unkind’ – that simply do not apply to everyone in the race!”

This objection is… rather deflective, I think. As in, it doesn’t sound like a “real” objection, but an intentionally stubborn one. If someone makes this objection (after the general info in Romans 1-2 has been conveyed,) it generally makes me hesitant toward sharing the evangel with them. If they are unwilling to grasp the elements of this argument, then they are great, demonstrable proof of God’s point in the argument.

But, for kicks and giggles, I will briefly answer it. The argument, at this point, is charging all together. The point, as with Romans 1:29-31, is not that you are guilty of every single action God is charging mankind with, here. The point is that you are a part of the mankind which is being charged with irreverence and unrighteousness (“men” is plural in the initial charge, 1:18.) The irreverence and unrighteousness partake of the same spirit, which has had varied impacts on all of us. In this sense, indeed, we are all avoiding God, or doing kindness. We are unable to maintain “kindness” during every waking moment. Many greater than you have tried, and failed, to do this.

Thus Paul can double down, o human, who is defenseless. Not even one under sin can lay claim to an endurance in kindness. No one will step forward on the day of judgment to claim such a reward, and any who suppose that they can are in for quite the rude awakening. In truth, none are doing kindness, since all fight for themselves, and do not trust in the One Who gives them life, and breath, and all, for Him to be tending their true growth, in spirit.

There ain’t no rest for the wicked. Money don’t grow on trees. We’ve got bills to pay; we’ve got mouths to feed, and nothing in this world is free. We can’t slow down. We can’t hold back. Though you know we wish we could, you know there ain’t no rest for the wicked, until we close our eyes for good.

- GerudoKing