Attributes Following "No One" in Romans 3:12

Romans 3:12 states, "All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one" (BSB) ^[1]. This verse is part of a larger catena of Old Testament quotations that Paul employs in Romans 3:10-18 to establish the universal sinfulness of humanity, encompassing both Jews and Gentiles ^{[3, 4]}.

The immediate context begins with Romans 3:9, where Paul asks, "Are we Jews any better off?" and answers, "No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin" (ESV). He then supports this claim by drawing from various Psalms and the book of Isaiah ^[4]. Romans 3:10, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE," (NASB) sets the stage, directly quoting Psalm 14:1 ^{[2, 3]}. The subsequent verses, including 3:12, continue this theme, emphasizing the pervasive nature of human depravity ^[3]. The entire series of quotations in Romans 3:10-18 is neatly concluded by Romans 3:18, which refers to the same Greek words (οὐκ ἔστιν, ouk estin, "no one is") that introduced the first quotation in 3:10 ^[6].

The phrase "no one who does good, not even one" in Romans 3:12 is taken from Psalm 14:1-3 (also Psalm 53:1-3) ^[3]. John Gill notes that while the apostle's wording may not always be a literal expression of the Old Testament text, the sense is consistently maintained ^[4]. Adam Clarke explains that this statement applies to "every soul of man, considered in his natural and practical state, previously to his receiving the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ" ^[3]. He further clarifies that in this natural state, there is "no righteous principle" within individuals, and therefore, "no righteous act can be expected from them" ^[3].

The interpretation of "no one who does good" has been a significant point of discussion in Christian theology. Augustine, in his anti-Pelagian writings, addressed this passage directly. He noted that the testimony "There is none that doeth good, no, not one" was quoted against those who argued that some persons do good, and he engaged with attempts to reconcile this statement with other passages that seem to suggest otherwise ^[8]. This highlights the ongoing theological tension regarding the extent of human capacity for good apart from divine grace.

John Gill further elaborates on the implications of these verses, noting that "There is none that understandeth" (Romans 3:11) is rightly concluded from Psalm 14:2, where God looks down to see if any understand, and finds none ^[5]. This suggests a comprehensive lack of spiritual understanding and moral rectitude in humanity's natural state ^[5]. The cumulative effect of these Old Testament citations in Romans 3:10-18 is to demonstrate that humanity, left to its own devices, is universally fallen and incapable of achieving righteousness before God ^{[3, 4]}.

The theological implications of Romans 3:12, along with the surrounding verses, are foundational to understanding the Protestant doctrine of total depravity, which asserts that sin has affected every aspect of human nature, rendering individuals unable to save themselves or perform truly good works in God's sight without divine intervention ^{[3, 4, 9]}. This universal condemnation sets the stage for Paul's subsequent exposition on justification by faith in Christ, emphasizing that salvation is entirely a gift of God's grace rather than a result of human merit ^[7].

Sources

Romans “Romans 3:12 (BSB) — All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.””
Romans “Romans 3:10 (NASB) — as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;”
Romans (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Romans 3:10: As it is written - See Psa 14:1-3; from which this and the two following verses are taken. There is none righteous - This is true, not only of the Jews, but of the Gentiles; of every soul of man, considered in his natural and practical state, previously to his receiving the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no righteous principle in them, and, consequently, no righteous act can be expected from them; see on Rom 3:12 (note). God himself is represented as looking down from heaven to see if there were any that feared and sought after him; and yet he, who cannot ”
Romans (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Romans 3:9: As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. The several passages cited here, and in some following verses, are taken out of the Psalms and Isaiah; and are brought to prove, not only that the Jews are no better than the Gentiles, being equally corrupt and depraved as they; but also to show the corrupt state and condition of mankind in general: and the words are not always literally expressed, but the sense is attended to, as in this passage; for in the original text of Psa 14:1, it is, "there is none that doth good"; from whence the apostle rightly infers, "”
Romans (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Romans 3:10: There is none that understandeth,.... This is rightly concluded, from what the Psalmist says, Psa 14:2, "The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men", on all the children of men, Jews and Gentiles, "to see if there were any that did understand"; and it appears, upon this survey of them, there was not one understanding person among them: man thinks himself a very wise and understanding creature, though he is born a very ignorant one: true indeed, he has not lost by sin the natural faculty of the understanding, so as to become like the horse and mule, whic”
Romans (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Romans 3:18: 3:18 They have no . . . : This concluding quotation from Ps 36:1 neatly ties up the whole series (Rom 3:10-18) by referring to the same Greek words that introduced the first quotation (ouk estin, translated in 3:10, “No one is”).”
Galatians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Galatians 3:28: There is in this sonship by faith in Christ, no class privileged above another, as the Jews under the law had been above the Gentiles (Rom 10:12; Co1 12:13; Col 3:11). bond nor free--Christ alike belongs to both by faith; whence he puts "bond" before "free." Compare Note, see on Co1 7:21-22; Eph 6:8. neither male nor female--rather, as Greek, "there is not male and female." There is no distinction into male and female. Difference of sex makes no difference in Christian privileges. But under the law the male sex had great privileges. Males alone ”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 5: Augustine — Anti-Pelagian — CHAP. XIII. (31.) THE THIRD PASSAGE. IT IS ONE THING TO DEPART, AND ANOTHER THING TO HAVE DEPARTED, FROM ALL SIN. "THERE IS NONE THAT DOETH GOOD,"--OF WHOM THIS IS TO BE UNDERSTOOD. (part 1): He has likewise propounded another question, as we shall proceed to show, but has failed to solve it; nay, he has rather rendered it more difficult, by first stating the testimony that had been quoted against him: "There is none that doeth good, no, not one;"(1) and then resorting to seemingly contrary passages to show that there are persons who do good. This he su”
CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 109: 3:6 3:7 3:8 3:14 3:17 3:18 3:18 3:18 4:4 4:4 4:4 4:4 4:6 4:6 4:6 4:7 4:7 4:8 4:8-9 4:10 4:10 4:10 4:13 4:16 5:1 5:2 5:4 5:5 5:6 5:6 5:6 5:6 5:6-7 5:6-7 5:10 5:10 5:10 5:10 5:18 5:18 5:18-19 5:18-21 5:19 5:19 5:19 5:19-20 5:19-21 5:20 5:20 5:20-21 5:21 5:21 5:21 5:21 5:21 5:21 5:21 6:7-8 6:8 6:16 6:16 6:16 7:1 7:1 7:1 7:1 7:2 7:2 7:10 7:10 8:16-17 9:6 9:7 10:4 10:4-5 10:4-6 10:8 11:2 11:14 11:14 12:2 12:7 12:7 12:8-9 12:9 12:21 13:4 13:4 13:4 13:5 13:13 Galatians 1:1 1:6 1:8 1:18 1:18 2:1-2 2:3 2:3-5 2:6 2:8 2:9 2:11 2:14 2:16 2:19”

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