“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those under it so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight since through the law comes knowledge of sin.”
Romans 3:13-20
In a rapid-fire conclusion, Paul quotes in verses 10 to 18 a series of scriptures to support his point that everyone is a sinner. These verses mention various body parts: mind, mouth, throat, tongue, lips, feet, and eyes. The picture is that people are thoroughly evil:
- There is no one righteous, not even one [Ecclesiastes 7:20];
- There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.
- All have turned away; they have together become worthless (unprofitable);
- There is no one who does good, not even one [Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3].
- Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit [Psalm 5:9].
- The poison of vipers is on their lips [Psalm 140:3].
- Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness [Psalm 10:7].
- Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways and The way of peace they do not know [Isaiah 59:7-8].
- There is no fear of God before their eyes [Psalm 36:1].
Those scriptures are true about Gentiles, some Jews might say, but not about us. So Paul answers them in verse 19: “Whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law.” These Scriptures (the law in a larger sense) apply to people under the law — the Jews. They are sinners. Gentiles are too, but Paul doesn’t have to prove that — his audience already believed that.
Why do the scriptures apply to the Jews? “So that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.” Humanity will stand before the judgment seat of God, and the result is described in verse 20: “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by the works of the law.” By the standard of the law, we all fall short.
To many, this came as a complete shock! They trusted that it was through the law that they entered heaven. What does the law do instead? Paul says: “Rather, through the law, we become conscious of our sin.” The law sets a standard of righteousness, but because we sin, the law can never tell us that we are righteous. It tells us that we are sinners. According to the law, we are guilty.
Like the Jews, many view religion as a list of rules and regulations.
In short, the Law is powerless to bring change, which was never its purpose. Paul shocks everyone through this statement: “through the law, we become conscious of sin.” The Law strengthens sin in us, arousing the need for a Savior. It speaks to those under its power in making us accountable to God. It strips every excuse imaginable by making us conscious of sin, but in the end, it is powerless to do anything about it.
But this is good news for us because this awareness brings us toward repentance and faith. It breaks deceptive thinking that we can be good enough and takes away every hope of salvation, except trust in a savior.
It is also Paul’s closing argument against the condemnation of humanity. Throughout the first three chapters of Romans, he proves the impossibility of salvation apart from Christ. Paul laid the foundation for our need for a savior, and now he will start building the case for Christ.