What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. Romans 3:12-18

So who needs to be saved? We all need to be saved, as the Apostle Paul reveals here “Jew and Gentile, that they are all under sin” As Paul tells us “there is nobody righteous” This should be a humbling revelation for us all, we are all guilty of sin, breaking Gods Law and are worthy of eternal damnation. However most of the world doesn’t see it this way, most believe they are a “good person”, most people believe they deserve to be in Heaven, however as Jesus said “Nobody is good, except God alone” (Mark 10:18)

This is the whole point of the Law of God (The Ten Commandments) As the Apostle Paul states later “through the Law comes the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20) If you don’t believe you are a sinner, just walk through the Ten Commandments, Have you ever lied? Have you ever stolen? Have you ever used Gods names in vain? Have you ever looked upon someone with lust? (Matthew 5:28) Have you ever hated someone? (Matthew 5:22) The reality is you are a sinner, God is holy and you have broken his holy laws, and as the Apostle Paul will reveal later “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23)

As the Apostle Paul continues “there is nobody who seeks God, they have all gone their own way, there is none that does good, with their tongues they have practiced deceit, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness, their feet are swift to shed blood, and there is no fear of God before their eyes” Now that you have been beaten up by The Law, hopefully you are coming to the understanding that you need Jesus Christ

And this is the good news (gospel) that God made a solution for guilty sinners like us all. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became flesh and died for the penalty of our sins on the cross. Then Christ rose again defeating sin and death, to give us eternal life. (1 Corinthians 15) When the Apostle Peter was preaching at Pentecost, the crowd was pricked at the heart, and they asked Peter what shall we do? Peter said ““Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:37-38)

Everyone need Jesus, including you, including myself. This is why Jesus commanded us to share the gospel to everyone (Matthew 28:19) Tell someone the good news today, that there is hope for guilty sinners like us, Amen!

For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. Romans 2:25-29

The grace of God through Jesus Christ is a beautiful and mysterious thing, many have a hard time understanding it by Gods grace we are saved and not by our own works. Consider what the Apostle Paul said  “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9) We are saved by Gods grace through our faith in Jesus Christ, its not by our works, its by Christ works that he completed on the cross

So many people have a hard time accepting and understanding this concept of Gods grace, so the topic of circumcision would routinely come up to challenge Gods grace. Now you can substitute circumcision and insert and work that you believe will save you, and while this was a popular debate back in the 1rst century, this same topic is still being debated today. 

The confusion begins as God required circumcision , which is a sign of the Abrahamic covenant, to be part of the Mosaic Covenant. (Leviticus 12:2-3) As the Apostle Paul is saying here “if you are a breaker of the Law (sinner) your circumcision has become uncircumcision” The Jews were under the impression the act of circumcision saves you and makes you righteous being a child of Abraham. However Paul is revealing we are all sinners (Romans 3:23), and nobody can keep the law (Galatians 3:11) therefor when it comes to salvation, the act of circumcision will not save you, only faith in Christ can save you

Many people today still have this same attitude, if I do this and that, I will be saved. But the reality is, all our good works are filthy rags to God (Isaiah 64:6) we are only saved by the works of Jesus Christ. Then the Apostle Paul teaches us about the circumcision of the heart (Colossians 2:11) As Jesus said “ You must be Born Again or you will not see the Kingdom of Heaven” (John 3:3) We must be regenerated by the Holy Spirit, we need a new heart and mind of Christ.

 As Paul says here “He who is a Jew (Child of God) who is one inwardly , and circumcision is of the heart,  in the Spirit, not the letter (Law) The only way to salvation is Jesus Christ (John 14:6, Acts 4:12) and not ourselves. The Law is written on our hearts, and we live for Christ because we love and obey him. Some people try to use this scripture to say the Jews have been replaced, that’s not the point of this teaching. Point is we are all Children of God (Jew and Gentile) through faith in Christ and not of ourselves, Amen