Romans 3:11
This verse, along with the surrounding verses, is “used” to teach and/or reinforce the doctrine of “total depravity” and the reformed/calvinistic theology of spiritual inability. While we wholeheartedly agree with Romans 3:23 that ALL have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, we do NOT agree that 3:11 (nor the surrounding verses) are correctly understood to mean that man CANNOT seek after God, but rather that man DOES NOT seek after God. While to some that may seem to be a matter of semantics, we believe the difference is a significant one. We hope to share just a brief explanation, as we try to let the Scriptures explain what the Scriptures DO say and what they DO NOT say.
We believe that this verse and those surrounding it, in context, are simply a statement of the condition of people who have refused to do what God has commanded. We believe the key to properly understanding this passage is to understand that that the text does not say: none CAN seek God, but rather, none DO seek (or ARE seeking) God! If I were to single out any segment of the population and make a statement that none of them are doing what they ought, that does not mean they CANNOT do what they ought, it simply observes that they ARE NOT doing what they ought. More specifically, in context, Paul is addressing the Jews and stating they are no better than the Gentiles, despite the advantages that the Jews had! And this string of verses from the Old Testament Scriptures is designed to show the Jews what was said by God thru the prophets about THEM!
Romans 3:11 states that “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.”
This verse is a paraphrase, if you will, of both Psalm 14:2 which states: “The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, [and] seek God”; and Psalm 53:2 which states “God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were [any] that did understand, that did seek God”.
Inasmuch as Paul uses the Greek word ekzēteō for “seek” in Romans 3:11 to translate the Hebrew word darash found in both Psalm 14:2 and Psalm 53:2, we can compare the usage of those words in other Scriptures while also taking into account the context in which the words are used.
We would ask that you consider these verses which use these same words:
Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” It would seem strange that God rewards those who diligently seek, but yet nobody is able to do so.... ?
Psalm 10:4 says “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek [after God]: God [is] not in all his thoughts.” This verse seems to support the idea that the wicked WILL NOT, i.e. choose not to, seek after God, not that they are unable to do so.
Psalm 119:155 says “Salvation [is] far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes.”
Psalm 34:4 “I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”
Psalm 119:2 “Blessed [are] they that keep his testimonies, [and that] seek him with the whole heart.”
Isaiah 11:10 “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.”
Isaiah 31:1 “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because [they are] many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!”
Isaiah 58:2 “Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.”
Jer. 29:11-14a “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find [me], when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD:…”
Lam. 3:25 “The LORD [is] good unto them that wait for him, to the soul [that] seeketh him.”
Hos. 10:12 “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for [it is] time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”
Amos 5:4-6 “For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live: But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought. Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour [it], and [there be] none to quench [it] in Bethel.”
1 Chr. 28:9 “And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off forever.”
2 Chr. 15:2-4 “…The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.”
It seems interesting that this Hebrew word darash, translated here as “seek”, is often translated as “enquire of”. To repeat the verse cited earlier, “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek [after God]: God [is] not in all his thoughts.”(Psalm 10:4). The problem seems to NOT be their inability to enquire of God, but that they (willfully) live ignoring God rather than turning TO Him. Consider Isaiah 8:19 “And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? …”
Here are additional verses:
Acts 17:27 “That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:”
Deut. 4:29 “But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.”
1 Chr. 16:10-11 “Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.”
1 Chr. 22:19a “Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God”
2 Chr. 12:14 “And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.”
2 Chr. 15:12-13 “And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; That whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.”
Ezra 8:22 “…The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.”
Psalm 9:10 “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.”
Psalm 69:32 “The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God.”
Prov. 8:17 “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.”
Is. 55:6 “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:”
Amos 5:8 “Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name:”
There are quite few more verses that could be added to the above…
Matt. 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God…”
As for the first part of Romans 3:11, regarding lack of understanding, may we remind you that James 1:5 tells us “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” The book of Proverbs opens with these words: “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. A wise [man] will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Solomon goes on to write in Proverbs 4:5-7: “Get wisdom, get understanding: forget [it] not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”
Is it impossible to get understanding? No.
God says in Jeremiah 9:24 “But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I [am] the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these [things] I delight, saith the LORD.”
You CAN know God - see link here
You can accept His invitation to come to Him and to go His way, which leads to life, or you can continue to go your own way, a way that leads to death, apart from God.
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”(John 17:3)
Our premise that the Romans passage, in its full context, is NOT talking about spiritual inability is perhaps further advanced by consideration of the previous verse, Romans 3:10, which states that “there is none righteous, no not one”. To be consistent with the reformed/calvinistic thinking, this verse would appear to be best understood in absolute terms. However, we find elsewhere in the Bible verses that name specific “righteous” people, and quite a few other verses which refer to unnamed “righteous” persons. Consider:
Gen. 6:9 “…Noah was a just [same Hebrew word translated “righteous” in the next verse] man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”
Gen. 7:1 “And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.”
James 2:23 “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.”
Heb. 11:4 “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts:...”
2 Peter 2:7-8 “And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)”
Luke 1:5-6 “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”
Luke 2:25 “And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just [righteous] and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.”
Job 1:1 “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.”
Ezek. 3:21 “Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.”
Matt 13:17 “For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.”
Romans 5:7 “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.”
Psalm 1:6 “For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”
Psalm 7:11 “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.”
Psalm 34:17 “The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.”
Psalm 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.”
Psalm 37:16 “A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.”
Psalm 37:25 “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”
We could go on with this list… however…
Re-stating our premise that these verses are often misinterpreted and really are a pronouncement of the condition of the people, not stating that they CANNOT come to Him, but rather that they WILL not come to Him. That would seem to relate to other texts, such as:
Luke 18:8 “…Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”
Matt 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” [not that they COULD not].
This verse, along with the surrounding verses, is “used” to teach and/or reinforce the doctrine of “total depravity” and the reformed/calvinistic theology of spiritual inability. While we wholeheartedly agree with Romans 3:23 that ALL have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, we do NOT agree that 3:11 (nor the surrounding verses) are correctly understood to mean that man CANNOT seek after God, but rather that man DOES NOT seek after God. While to some that may seem to be a matter of semantics, we believe the difference is a significant one. We hope to share just a brief explanation, as we try to let the Scriptures explain what the Scriptures DO say and what they DO NOT say.
We believe that this verse and those surrounding it, in context, are simply a statement of the condition of people who have refused to do what God has commanded. We believe the key to properly understanding this passage is to understand that that the text does not say: none CAN seek God, but rather, none DO seek (or ARE seeking) God! If I were to single out any segment of the population and make a statement that none of them are doing what they ought, that does not mean they CANNOT do what they ought, it simply observes that they ARE NOT doing what they ought. More specifically, in context, Paul is addressing the Jews and stating they are no better than the Gentiles, despite the advantages that the Jews had! And this string of verses from the Old Testament Scriptures is designed to show the Jews what was said by God thru the prophets about THEM!
Romans 3:11 states that “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.”
This verse is a paraphrase, if you will, of both Psalm 14:2 which states: “The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, [and] seek God”; and Psalm 53:2 which states “God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were [any] that did understand, that did seek God”.
Inasmuch as Paul uses the Greek word ekzēteō for “seek” in Romans 3:11 to translate the Hebrew word darash found in both Psalm 14:2 and Psalm 53:2, we can compare the usage of those words in other Scriptures while also taking into account the context in which the words are used.
We would ask that you consider these verses which use these same words:
Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” It would seem strange that God rewards those who diligently seek, but yet nobody is able to do so.... ?
Psalm 10:4 says “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek [after God]: God [is] not in all his thoughts.” This verse seems to support the idea that the wicked WILL NOT, i.e. choose not to, seek after God, not that they are unable to do so.
Psalm 119:155 says “Salvation [is] far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes.”
Psalm 34:4 “I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”
Psalm 119:2 “Blessed [are] they that keep his testimonies, [and that] seek him with the whole heart.”
Isaiah 11:10 “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.”
Isaiah 31:1 “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because [they are] many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!”
Isaiah 58:2 “Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.”
Jer. 29:11-14a “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find [me], when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD:…”
Lam. 3:25 “The LORD [is] good unto them that wait for him, to the soul [that] seeketh him.”
Hos. 10:12 “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for [it is] time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”
Amos 5:4-6 “For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live: But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought. Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour [it], and [there be] none to quench [it] in Bethel.”
1 Chr. 28:9 “And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off forever.”
2 Chr. 15:2-4 “…The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.”
It seems interesting that this Hebrew word darash, translated here as “seek”, is often translated as “enquire of”. To repeat the verse cited earlier, “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek [after God]: God [is] not in all his thoughts.”(Psalm 10:4). The problem seems to NOT be their inability to enquire of God, but that they (willfully) live ignoring God rather than turning TO Him. Consider Isaiah 8:19 “And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? …”
Here are additional verses:
Acts 17:27 “That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:”
Deut. 4:29 “But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.”
1 Chr. 16:10-11 “Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.”
1 Chr. 22:19a “Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God”
2 Chr. 12:14 “And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the Lord.”
2 Chr. 15:12-13 “And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; That whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.”
Ezra 8:22 “…The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.”
Psalm 9:10 “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.”
Psalm 69:32 “The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God.”
Prov. 8:17 “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.”
Is. 55:6 “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:”
Amos 5:8 “Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name:”
There are quite few more verses that could be added to the above…
Matt. 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God…”
As for the first part of Romans 3:11, regarding lack of understanding, may we remind you that James 1:5 tells us “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” The book of Proverbs opens with these words: “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. A wise [man] will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Solomon goes on to write in Proverbs 4:5-7: “Get wisdom, get understanding: forget [it] not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”
Is it impossible to get understanding? No.
God says in Jeremiah 9:24 “But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I [am] the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these [things] I delight, saith the LORD.”
You CAN know God - see link here
You can accept His invitation to come to Him and to go His way, which leads to life, or you can continue to go your own way, a way that leads to death, apart from God.
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”(John 17:3)
Our premise that the Romans passage, in its full context, is NOT talking about spiritual inability is perhaps further advanced by consideration of the previous verse, Romans 3:10, which states that “there is none righteous, no not one”. To be consistent with the reformed/calvinistic thinking, this verse would appear to be best understood in absolute terms. However, we find elsewhere in the Bible verses that name specific “righteous” people, and quite a few other verses which refer to unnamed “righteous” persons. Consider:
Gen. 6:9 “…Noah was a just [same Hebrew word translated “righteous” in the next verse] man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.”
Gen. 7:1 “And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.”
James 2:23 “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.”
Heb. 11:4 “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts:...”
2 Peter 2:7-8 “And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)”
Luke 1:5-6 “There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”
Luke 2:25 “And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just [righteous] and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.”
Job 1:1 “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.”
Ezek. 3:21 “Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul.”
Matt 13:17 “For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.”
Romans 5:7 “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.”
Psalm 1:6 “For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”
Psalm 7:11 “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.”
Psalm 34:17 “The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.”
Psalm 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.”
Psalm 37:16 “A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.”
Psalm 37:25 “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”
We could go on with this list… however…
Re-stating our premise that these verses are often misinterpreted and really are a pronouncement of the condition of the people, not stating that they CANNOT come to Him, but rather that they WILL not come to Him. That would seem to relate to other texts, such as:
Luke 18:8 “…Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”
Matt 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” [not that they COULD not].