Thesis: Man doesn't realize how bad he really is. Before a holy, righteous and perfect God, our standing before him is far worse than we think or can comprehend.
In chapter 3, Paul expounds on his already idea of man's universal guilt in God's sight after having detailed three reasons for the gospel - God's revealed wrath; His irrevocable judgment; and the culpability of both Jew and Gentile.
Paul demonstrates universal condemnation by:
I. ASKING RHETORICAL QUESTIONS * Why Jewish advantage if they failed * Is God unjust in lawgiving * Why does God condemn in using sin * If no salvation in law, why use it
II. ANSWERING IMAGINARY DIATRIBE * Israel's disobedience vs God's covenant * Not God's fault they failed - shows God's righteousness and perfection of law * Sin shows our failure, vindicates God
III. APPEALING TO SCRIPTURE * Gentiles guilty because they broke law revealed in conscience * Jews guilty because they broke law revealed to them by Moses * "All have sinned"
CONCLUSION: The law shows us our sin. It reveals how bad we are in every aspect of our being - action, thought, desire . . . . well beyond what we think and understand. It should lead us to come before God in total hopelessness in self, to trust in the One who kept the law perfectly for us.
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