What did God prove about the human race in Romans chapters 1 through 3?
Through the apostle's pen, God proved the entire human race utterly sinful, rebellious, and opposite to the things of God. Paul built a case against the immoral, moral, and religious person, concluding in Romans 3:23 that all have sinned and come short in glory, with no difference.
Les explains that in the first three chapters of Romans, God used the apostle's pen to prove the whole race utterly sinful, utterly rebellious, and utterly opposite to the things of God. Paul builds the case against the gross immoral person, then the moral person, then the religious person, and puts all three categories together, saying there is no difference: they are all unprofitable, for all have sinned. That conclusion is Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and come short in glory." After this, Les notes, Paul moves into justification by faith—Abraham believed God, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness—and later says, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God."