Did the Jews have any real advantage over the Gentiles? Paul says yes — they were entrusted with the very words of God — but that privilege didn't exempt them from judgment. In this section, Paul builds an airtight case that every person, Jew and Gentile alike, stands guilty before God. Drawing heavily from the Old Testament, he shows that no one seeks God on their own, that sin corrupts our attitudes, our words, and our actions, and that the Law, rather than saving anyone, serves to expose and define sin. The conclusion is sobering: by the works of the Law, no one will be justified in God's sight.
