https://youtu.be/tsHTb027jaY
In our verse-by-verse study of Romans we are looking at Paul's references to the OT scriptures to support his statement that the entire human race is under indictment to sin. Last time we finished Rom 3:10; Expanded Translation: "As it stands written, there is not a righteous one, not even one."
Rom 3:11; "There is none who understands," "ouk estin syneimi." It includes the strong negative and the present active indicative of "eimi." The present tense is a static present representing a condition that perpetually exists in the human race before they are born again because of their status in spiritual death.
The active voice: the unbelievers in the human race produce the action of the verb because they are ignorant of spiritual things because they are dead to them. The indicative mood is declarative representing the verbal action from the viewpoint of reality.
We also have an articular present active participle from the verb "syniemi" connoting cognizance of technical knowledge. It means to comprehend or to know or understand the underlying principles and the meaning of a subject.
This therefore refers to gaining insight into something. "There is not one who comprehends." It is referring to Bible doctrine and specifically to the fact that in spiritual death the unbeliever cannot comprehend anything that is spiritual.
The unbeliever cannot understand the gospel so it is necessary for the ministry of God the Holy Spirit under common grace to make the information clear to them.
The definite article of "syniemi" is used as a relative pronoun referring to the entire human race as unbelievers. The present tense is a static present indicating that the condition of spiritual death exists for everyone who has ever been born into the world, or will be, except for the virgin birth of Jesus.
The unbeliever in spiritual death can understand Divine establishment but cannot understand the Gospel or Bible doctrine because they are spiritual.
Doctrine is the communication of God's integrity and unbelievers have no ability to understand God or His integrity. Part of spiritual death is not only that lack of God's perfect righteousness but it also includes the inability of man to properly understand God at all.
Unbelievers cannot understand God's attributes, how they function, how God applies the function of His attributes to His creatures, what His policy is, and how we can have a relationship with Him.
We see from this that believers give unbelievers way too much credit because unbelievers use the words but when it comes to God and spiritual concepts they have a lot to say about nothing because they don't understand a thing they are talking about.
The active voice: the unbeliever produces this ignorance. The participle is circumstantial that is used for a relative clause that explains again why God the Holy Spirit must act as a human spirit to make the gospel understandable that is to turn the gospel which is a blank to him into epignosis gospel. "There is not one who understands doctrine." Specifically the Gospel.
"There is not one understands doctrine" specifically the gospel. Therefore in the sense of knowing something there is no one who seeks for God. It must be understood that this phrase, seeking after God, has nothing to do with positive volition at God-consciousness.
This is talking about something else. In between God-consciousness and gospel hearing there is no way that you can understand anything about God the (gospel) and as a result seek for Him. In other words, because we are dead we can't seek God. Dead people do not seek; "there is none" "ouk eimi."
The present tense is a static present that represents a condition exists perpetually among unbelievers because of spiritual death. The active voice: unbelievers produce the action. The indicative mood is declarative representing a statement of reality.
Plus the articular present active participle of "ekzeteo" that means to seek out on the basis of cognizance. This condition perpetually exists for mankind after God-consciousness.
A person may have been positive at God-consciousness but he never learns anything more on his own without God. Mankind can reach God-consciousness by himself through the function of his own intellect but he does not have the ability to go beyond God-consciousness without enlightenment from God.
"the God" is the accusative singular direct object of "Theos," as well as the accusative singular direct object of the definite article "o" that is left out of the English translations that refers to Jesus Christ - "There is not one who searches for the God."
Expanded Translation Rom 3:11; "There is not one who comprehends doctrine, there is not one who searches for the God."
Rom 3:12; "They have all gone out of the way" "pantes exeklinan."
The nominative masculine singular plural subject "pas" that is an adjective. It refers to all unbelievers, who are all spiritually dead.
Then we have the aorist active indicative of "ekklino" that means to turn aside or to deviate. "All (unbelievers) have turned aside." This is a constantive aorist, it describes the action of unbeliever reversionism in its entirety, it recognizes that all unbelievers are in the state of spiritual death and it gathers them up into that hopeless situation.
The active voice: the unbeliever produces the action of the verb. This is a declarative indicative for the reality of the fact that the unbeliever in spiritual death in ignorance and lack of righteousness, seeks to find something that will gain God's attention.
What they do starts with arrogance that goes into to self-righteousness that God completely and totally rejects.
"together they become useless" the adverb "hama" denotes the confluence of two simultaneous actions. So the translation is: "at the same time."
" become useless" the aorist passive indicative of "achreioo" that means to become useless, worthless, depraved. The culminative aorist views the maladjustment and reversionism of the unbeliever in its entirety and regards it from the viewpoint of existing results.
This is unbeliever reversionism. They didn't start out depraved, they became depraved. When they started they were only spiritually dead, now they are spiritually dead and also depraved because of their religiosity.
The passive voice: as a result of maladjustment to God's justice at salvation the reversionistic, self-righteous unbeliever becomes worthless, useless, and depraved. This is what religion does to people because self-righteous arrogance adds depravity to death.