So are we Jews better than other people? No, we have already said that those who are Jews, as well as those who are not Jews, are the same. They are all guilty of sin. As the Scriptures say,
“There is no one doing what is right, not even one. There is no one who understands. There is no one who is trying to be with God. They have all turned away from him, and now they are of no use to anyone. There is no one who does good, not even one.” [Psalm 14:1-3]
“Their words come from mouths that are like open graves. They use their lying tongues to deceive others.” [Psalm 5:9] “Their words are like the poison of snakes.” [Psalm 140:3] “Their mouths are full of cursing and angry words.” [Psalm 10:7]
“They are always ready to kill someone. Everywhere they go they cause trouble and ruin. They don’t know how to live in peace.” [Isaiah 59:7-8] (Romans 3:9-17 ERV)
We tend to look for an exception to the rule, especially when we're lumped into a category we don't want to be in. I think it's like that when the subject of sin comes up. We all think we're the exception to the rule.
The rule is, "There is no one who does good, not even one." Of course, most of us want to question that. We do so with our own efforts at goodness. The problem is that these efforts fall short. The measurement guide is Jesus, and well, no one is going to measure up to a sinless life. No one, not even one.
Our sense of goodness is based on a sliding scale of comparisons. I suppose we can always find someone not as good as us, but it will still fall short of the one true measure of good, which is God.
We are by nature selfish—every one of us. God, by nature, is self-less and good. The amazing thing is that He lends us His goodness when we humble ourselves before Him to acknowledge our lack of innate goodness.
It's a really good trade. He gives us His goodness, when we surrender our poor attempts at goodness, because we trust in Him and His goodness alone. The only thing left to say is—thank you Lord! ©Word-Strong_2015