Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and doesn’t sin.For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.Surely there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
3 sermons cite this verse
… but roughly seven or eight different passages, depending on how you count them. Verses 10 through 12 come from Ecclesiastes 7.20, from Psalm 14, from the parallel passage in Psalm 53, verse 13, from Psalm 5.9, Psalm 140, verse 3, verse 14, from Psalm 10, verse 7, verses 15 and 16 from Isaiah 59, 7 and 8, and verse 18 from Psalm 36, verse 1. So, Paul has amassed together, likely from some previous study, but he may be reciting them from memory. We know at the very end of the book that he has a scribe who's writing this down. I'd sure like to think that Paul had some notes, but he's Paul, so maybe he just was doing this all, but this is likely the sort of thing that he taught in different contexts. Remember, he had been a teacher for many years. He had given these kinds of instructions. And this is likely the list of Scriptures that he used in other settings to convince the Jews about the universality of sin. So, that's the first thing. These nine verses are drawn from Scripture. Here's the second observation. …
Awakening considerations for self-examination. We come now to mention some things, in order to convince those who, upon examination, find that they do live in some way of sin, of the importance of their knowing and amending their manner of life. You have had directions laid before you, how to find out whether you do live in any way of sin or not; and you have heard many particulars mentioned as proper subjects for your examination of yourselves. How then do you find things? Do you find yourselves clear of living in any way of sin? I mean not whether you find yourself clear of sin; that is not expected of any of you; for there is not a man upon earth that doeth good, and sinneth not, 1 Kings viii. 46. But is there not some way of sin in which you live, which is your stated way or practice? There are doubtless some who are clear in this matter, some “who are undefiled in the way, and do no iniquity,” Psal. cxix. 1, 2, 3. …
9. “But are there not assertions in Scripture which prove the same thing, if it cannot be inferred from those examples? Does not the Scripture say expressly, “Even a just man sinneth seven times a day?” I answer, No. The Scripture says no such thing. There is no such text in all the Bible. That which seems to be intended is the sixteenth verse of the twenty-fourth chapter of the Proverbs the words of which are these: “A just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again.” [Prov. 24:16] But this is quite another thing. For, First, the words “a day” are not in the text. So that if a just man falls seven times in his life, it is as much as is affirmed here. Secondly, here is no mention of falling into sin at all; what is here mentioned is falling into temporal affliction. This plainly appears from the verse before, the words of which are these: “Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place.” [Prov. 24:15] It follows, “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again; but the wicked shall fall into mischief.” As if he had said, “God will deliver him out of his trouble; but when thou fallest, there shall be none to deliver thee.” 10. “But, however, in other places,” continue the objectors, “Solomon does assert plainly, ‘There is no man that sinneth not;’ (1 Kings 8:46; 2 Chron. 6:36; ) yea, “There is not a just man upon earth that doeth good, and sinneth not.’ (Eccles. 7:20.)” I answer, Without doubt, thus it was in the days of Solomon. Yea, thus it was from Adam to Moses, from Moses to Solomon, and from Solomon to Christ. There was then no man that sinned not. Even from the day that sin entered into the world, there was not a just man upon earth that did good and sinned not, until the Son of God was manifested to take away our sins. It is unquestionably true, that “the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant.” [Gal. 4:1] And that even so they (all the holy men of old, who were under the Jewish dispensation) were, during that infant state of the Church, “in bondage under the elements of the world.” [Gal. 4:3] “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that they might receive the adoption of sons;” [Gal. 4:4] — that they might receive that “grace which is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” (2 Tim. 1:10.) Now, therefore, they “are no more servants, but sons.” [see Gal. 4:7] So that, whatsoever was the case of those under the law, we may safely affirm with St. John, that, since the gospel was given, “he that is born of God sinneth not.” [1 John 5:18] …