THE TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF HUMAN LIFE

ROMANS 3:13b–18

The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes

(Romans 3:13b–18).

Yesterday we saw that man’s heart is a corpse, his throat an open gateway to it, and his tongue consumed with deceit. Now we come to the lips. Snake poison is on the lips, says Paul. Concealed in the lips is a poison as deadly as the venom of asps. This is a strong metaphor and illustrates that with the careless words of our mouths human beings have the power to inflict unbelievable pain and devastating wounds on other people.

The Cursing Mouth

Paul finishes his description of the head by saying that the mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. In our culture, cursing is often perceived as a sign of strength, as if by spewing forth comments that are caustic with cynicism and bitterness, we will somehow get respect as mature, advanced people. But biblically, the cursing, bitter mouth is a sign of depravity. God created the mouth to bless—to bestow praise and kindness upon both God and man.

The Man of Destruction

As we look at Paul’s portrait of humanity, an appropriate one-word description would be “hostile.” Paul describes the hostile, fallen man as hating God, his fellow man, and even himself.

The man filled with bitterness and consumed with hostility is swift to violence. He enjoys hurting others, sometimes in big ways and sometimes in little ways. He enjoys the sight of violence. He hates peace and lives in relationships characterized by discord and wrangling. In short, he is at war with himself and with God. Everywhere he goes he brings misery.

CORAM DEO

Is Paul describing pagan savages from other cultures and times, or possibly the criminal element of our own culture? Or, is Paul saying that all natural men, fallen in sin, are rightly described in these verses? Don’t be fooled by the veneer of cultural “goodness.” These verses describe the reality of all mankind apart from Jesus Christ. Seeing more graphically the need of the Gospel, ask God to give you opportunities today to share your faith.

For further study: Ephesians 2:1–3, 4:17–19; Mark 7:21–23

WEEKEND