Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Big Idea: Paul begins to bring this section of his letter to a close by making one truth unmistakably clear: no one is righteous before God.

​

To drive the point home, Paul strings together a series of Old Testament passages, showing that this verdict has always been God’s assessment; not a new idea.

• None is righteous. 

​

• Our unrighteousness shows up in our speech.�
• Our unrighteousness shows up in our actions.�
• Our unrighteousness flows from a deeper problem:

• None is righteous.

​

​

• None is righteous.
• Paul goes above and beyond to show no one will be able to achieve salvation by their own merit.

​

​

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

• None is righteous.
• Paul goes above and beyond to show no one will be able to achieve salvation by their own merit.

​

​

• None is righteous.
• Paul goes above and beyond to show no one will be able to achieve salvation by their own merit.
• Three ways to view our unrighteousness.

​

​

• None is righteous.
• Paul goes above and beyond to show no one will be able to achieve salvation by their own merit.
• Three ways to view our unrighteousness.
• The human heart is well.

“You’re not perfect, but follow your heart.”

​

​

• None is righteous.
• Paul goes above and beyond to show no one will be able to achieve salvation by their own merit.
• Three ways to view our unrighteousness.
• The human heart is well.
• The human heart is sick.

​

​

• None is righteous.
• Paul goes above and beyond to show no one will be able to achieve salvation by their own merit.
• Three ways to view our unrighteousness.
• The human heart is well.
• The human heart is sick.
• The human heart is dead. (John 6:44; Phil 2:13; 1 Cor 12:3)

​

• None is righteous.
• Paul goes above and beyond to show no one will be able to achieve salvation by their own merit.
• Three ways to view our unrighteousness.
• Paul uses a series of Old Testament quotes to validate the depth of our unrighteousness.

​

​

​

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Psalm 14:3-5

³ They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;�    there is none who does good,�    not even one.

⁴ Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers�    who eat up my people as they eat bread�    and do not call upon the Lord?

⁵ There they are in great terror,�    for God is with the generation of the righteous.

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Isaiah 59:7-8

⁷ Their feet run to evil,�    and they are swift to shed innocent blood;�their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity;�    desolation and destruction are in their highways.�⁸ The way of peace they do not know,�    and there is no justice in their paths;�they have made their roads crooked;�    no one who treads on them knows peace.

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Psalm 5:9-12

​

⁹ For there is no truth in their mouth;�    their inmost self is destruction;�their throat is an open grave;�    they flatter with their tongue.�¹⁰ Make them bear their guilt, O God;�    let them fall by their own counsels;�because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,�    for they have rebelled against you.

Psalm 5:9-12

​

¹¹ But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;�    let them ever sing for joy,�and spread your protection over them,�    that those who love your name may exult in you.�¹² For you bless the righteous, O Lord;�    you cover him with favor as with a shield.

• None is righteous.
• Paul goes above and beyond to show no one will be able to achieve salvation by their own merit.
• Three ways to view our unrighteousness.
• Paul uses a series of Old Testament quotes to validate the depth of our unrighteousness.

​

​

​

• None is righteous. 

​

• Our unrighteousness shows up in our speech.�

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

• Our unrighteousness shows up in our speech.
• Our words reveal what’s going on in our heart.

• Our unrighteousness shows up in our speech.
• Our words reveal what’s going on in our heart.
• Our words kill people.

• Our unrighteousness shows up in our speech.
• Our words reveal what’s going on in our heart.
• Our words kill people.
• Our words deceive people.

�

• Our unrighteousness shows up in our speech.
• Our words reveal what’s going on in our heart.
• Our words kill people.
• Our words deceive people.
• Our words hurt people.

• Our unrighteousness shows up in our speech.
• Our words reveal what’s going on in our heart.
• Our words kill people.
• Our words deceive people.
• Our words hurt people.
• Our words curse people.�

What ways do our words reveal our heart?

What ways do our words reveal our heart?

• Gossip
• Lying
• Anger
• Curse       
• Slander/Defame
• Name-Calling
• Non-verbal
• Sharing inaccurate views of God
• Excusing
• False Humility
• Flippant

Healthy Relationships (communication)

Healthy Relationships (communication)

Transparency

Confidentiality

Healthy Relationships (communication)

Transparency

Confidentiality

(over sharing)

”gossip"

(under sharing)

"secretive"

Healthy Relationships (communication)

Aggressive

Passive

Healthy Relationships (communication)

Aggressive

Passive

(excessive response)

“anger or explosive rage"

(withheld response)

“apathetic or indifferent"

• Our unrighteousness shows up in our speech.
• Our words reveal what’s going on in our heart.
• As our hearts are transformed, our words begin to follow.

​

As our hearts are transformed, our words begin to follow:

As our hearts are transformed, our words begin to follow:

• None is righteous. 

​

• Our unrighteousness shows up in our speech.�
• Our unrighteousness shows up in our actions.�

• Our unrighteousness shows up in our actions.

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

• Our unrighteousness shows up in our actions.

• Our unrighteousness shows up in our actions.
• The root cause of violence is not lack of education, financial inequality, or a poor justice system.

• Our unrighteousness shows up in our actions.
• The root cause of violence is not lack of education, financial inequality, or a poor justice system.
• The root cause of violence is sin, and it exists in all of us. �

• None is righteous. 

​

• Our unrighteousness shows up in our speech.�
• Our unrighteousness shows up in our actions.�
• Our unrighteousness flows from a deeper problem:

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Romans 3:9-18

⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,¹⁰ as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ no one understands; no one seeks for God. ¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” ¹³“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

• Our unrighteousness flows from a deeper problem:

• Our unrighteousness flows from a deeper problem:
• We do not fear God.

• Our unrighteousness flows from a deeper problem:
• We do not fear God.
• Not fearing God goes beyond words or actions; it is a condition of our heart.

MONDAY MATTERS:

MONDAY MATTERS:

• Why is embracing the truth that NO ONE is righteous so important?

​

MONDAY MATTERS:

• Why is embracing the truth that NO ONE is righteous so important?
• It grounds us in God’s view of reality, not the way we think it should be.

​

​

MONDAY MATTERS:

• Why is embracing the truth that NO ONE is righteous so important?
• It grounds us in God’s view of reality, not the way we think it should be.
• It annihilates any hint of self-righteousness, spiritual pride and legalism.

​

MONDAY MATTERS:

• Why is embracing the truth that NO ONE is righteous so important?
• It grounds us in God’s view of reality, not the way we think it should be.
• It annihilates any hint of self-righteousness, spiritual pride and legalism.

​

ACCUSE others and EXCUSE ourselves.

“Who among us would say to God - God, judge me using the same criteria with which I judge others?”

- Oswald Chambers

​

MONDAY MATTERS:

• Why is embracing the truth that NO ONE is righteous so important?
• It grounds us in God’s view of reality, not the way we think it should be.
• It annihilates any hint of self-righteousness, spiritual pride and legalism.
• It expands our understanding of just how gracious God truly is.

​

MONDAY MATTERS:

• Why is embracing the truth that NO ONE is righteous so important?
• It grounds us in God’s view of reality, not the way we think it should be.
• It annihilates any hint of self-righteousness, spiritual pride and legalism.
• It expands our understanding of just how gracious God truly is.
• It becomes the unshakable foundation of our joy in God.

​

MONDAY MATTERS:

• Why is embracing the truth that NO ONE is righteous so important?
• It grounds us in God’s view of reality, not the way we think it should be.
• It annihilates any hint of self-righteousness, spiritual pride and legalism.
• It expands our understanding of just how gracious God truly is.
• It becomes the unshakable foundation of our joy in God.
• It continually drives us back to Jesus as our greatest treasure.

​

​

​

​

​

MONDAY MATTERS:

• Why is embracing the truth that NO ONE is righteous so important?
• It grounds us in God’s view of reality, not the way we think it should be.
• It annihilates any hint of self-righteousness, spiritual pride and legalism.
• It expands our understanding of just how gracious God truly is.
• It becomes the unshakable foundation of our joy in God.
• It continually drives us back to Jesus as our greatest treasure.
• It is the catalyst and ever-increasing motivation to share our joy with others (Living Proof of a Loving God).

​

​

​

​

​

MONDAY MATTERS:

• Why is embracing the truth that NO ONE is righteous so important?
• How do I share the truth that NO ONE is righteous with others?

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​

​

​

​

​

MONDAY MATTERS:

• Why is embracing the truth that NO ONE is righteous so important?
• How do I share the truth that NO ONE is righteous with others?

Ask, “God, what are you inviting me into today?”

​

PRAY | WATCH | STEP

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​

MONDAY MATTERS:

• Why is embracing the truth that NO ONE is righteous so important?
• How do I share the truth that NO ONE is righteous with others?

Unhurried Time//Urgency

+ Proximity

+ Activity (usually with food)

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Conversation

X Over Time

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