Romans – A Treatise
Chapter Three
THE DIAGNOSIS
Scripture Reading: verses 10-18
There are evolutionary theories propounded today regarding man’s upward rise from the beast to take his place in deity, but some of these idealisms have been somewhat shattered by evidences from around the world confronting our eyes and horrifying our senses. Keep in mind that in these verses God is speaking about mankind in general, represented in Jews and Gentiles who have turned away from God, going their own way, dominated by sin. He is not singling out individuals, but rather setting forth a general indictment concerning unregenerate man. The terms of truth are anything but complimentary to the human race – verses 10, 11, and 12 speak of the general intent of human impulses. Then in verses 13-18 this brilliant lawyer for the prosecution, Paul, seems to suddenly step into the limelight as a great surgeon, who places the body of his criminal on the operating table, and, by skilful vivisection, he takes the anatomy apart, showing us the pathological symptoms of disease afflicting the organism. He goes over the entire man from head to foot, setting forth his diagnosis in unprofessional terms, so even the ignorant and unlearned may fully understand the case he presents.
First, he speaks of the throat. It is an open sepulcher. It is not what goes into a man that defiles him; it is what comes out (see Mark 7:18-23). As this master surgeon examines the throat, he gives us the spiritual diagnosis. Perhaps the figure of an open sepulcher is this: the corruption of the human heart pours out of the throat as the vile odors of a decaying dead body pour from an open tomb. The Eastern mind would readily grasp the significance of the analogy, because in that land it was customary to place the body of a deceased person in a tomb, a rocky cave; place a stone against the entrance and seal it. If anyone opened the door of such a sepulcher, the foul odors of the corruption within would pour forth. “Their throat is an open sepulcher.” Then he says: “With their tongues they have used deceit.” The tongue is an unruly member capable of playing great havoc. “The tongue can no man tame” (James 3:8). It is a little fire that can kindle a great conflagration, yet what we speak with our tongue is merely an expression of what is resident in our heart. The human heart is “deceitful above all things,” the Scripture says, “and irrecoverably wicked.” Little wonder that by nature we deceive with our tongue.
Then Paul says: “The poison of asps is under their lips.” Is it not true that sometimes the cruelty of the spoken word is astonishing? Remember this is what we are by nature, and even Christians can readily fall back into the exercise of what is true of the natural unregenerate heart. It is only as we are preserved by God Himself that we are kept from these evils. Little wonder we sometimes find even Christians having the poison of asps under their lips. By what is said they leave a sting that hurts and injures, so much so that often the wound is hard to heal. Then Paul continues: “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” Our civilized world is evidence of the truth of this statement. In a world where the Gospel of Christ has been preached for centuries, where men and women have been privileged to hear God’s Word for half a lifetime, it is surprising that one finds cursing so prevalent. Many who are otherwise decent in their disposition, feel it is smart to blaspheme the name of God and speak with curse and invective in their language, frequently intermingled with bitterness.
Having dealt with those members of our bodies that are an expression of what proceeds from the human heart, Paul then examines the feet. He says: “Their feet are swift to shed blood.” With all man’s evolutionary ideas about rising upward from the beast, is it not a tragic truth in our so-called modern world that murder and bloodshed, war and killing, are more prevalent than ever? Think of this tragic fact. During World War II, millions were put to death in Europe just because they were of the Jewish race. Armies fought around the globe and the blood of millions was shed. Man’s feet are swift to shed blood. Murder is the fruit of hatred, and hatred of others is one of the natural characteristics of the sinner.
“Destruction and misery are in their ways.” Feet that are swift to shed blood will soon spread destruction and misery everywhere, and today we look on a chaotic world where the ravaging hand of war and murder has left unspeakable ruin and wreckage; sorrow, anguish, privation, hunger, and heart-rending sufferings. These are the sad accomplishments of man after turning his back on God. Little wonder that verse 17 says: “The way of peace have they not known.” Our political world is torn asunder by intriguing factions, each one believing it knows the way of peace. Far too often, their schemes reveal a selfish aggrandizement and/or the subjugation of those around them. After centuries of Christianity and all the other advantages God has placed at man’s disposal, we must hang our heads in shame and confess that mankind still stands amid the debris of his own ruthless destruction, and the way of peace they have not known. Verse 18 touches at the root of the whole thing: “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Men have shut God out of their lives, out of their national and international affairs. They no longer fear God; they have discounted His power, His righteousness, His truth, and, above all else, they have either neglected or refused the gift of His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, saying: “Away with Him; we will not have this Man to rule over us.” They have chosen their own path of destruction leading inevitably to judgment. How grand it is to see further down in this chapter that “where sin abounds, grace doth much more abound.” To every sinner there is the opportunity to turn to God through Christ, finding in Him a hiding place from the coming storm of judgment. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).
