There Is No One Righteous

Paul answers his own question with a decisive no and then strings together Scripture's testimony. The quoted language describes a race turned aside: speech, action, and direction all show corruption, and the absence of God's fear stands at the end of the list.

W⁹hat then? Are we any better? Not at all. For we have already made the charge that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin. ¹⁰As it is written: ¹¹There is no one who understands, ¹²All have turned away, ¹³“Their throats are open graves; ¹⁴“Their mouths are full ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶ruin and misery lie in their wake, ¹⁷and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸“There is no fear of God

The law addresses those under it so that every mouth is silenced and the world is accountable to God. Its role is exposure rather than justification; it brings awareness of sin.

¹⁹Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. ²⁰Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin.