The Doctor is In

"None is righteous, no, not one; 

no one understands; 

no one seeks for God.

All have turned aside; together they have soured;* 

 no one does good, 

not even one.

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."

Romans 3:10-18

I still remember one summer when, as a college student in between my second and third year, I tried starting a Bible Study at a pre-college prep program I was working for at Columbia University. No A/C, a bunch of high school students living in Manhattan dorms in the middle of a humid summer, and me with a Bible and a guitar and the driving sense that this was something I should do. 

And I decided to start with this passage. 

Looking back, I may have scared some people. (for the record, I chose this passage because of a friend's testimony: he heard the good news of God's grace in Jesus Christ through this passage)

The truth is, though, that this passage is like an expert doctor's diagnosis to a suffering patient. Often preachers make the mistake of either sugar coating the truth about sin, thus negating the magnitude of our need as human beings, or focusing on sin in such a way as to negate the truth of God's grace for us in the life, execution, and resurrection of his son, Jesus Christ. In fact, especially for those who trust in God's grace and know that they are unconditionally accepted because of Christ, this passage opens our eyes to some things that are really imprisoning us. 

This past Sunday we talked about how Paul uses this passage to help his people realize that though God's word has been given to them, they don't own it (i.e. it cannot be tamed). The indictments in it are just as much for them as for others. The same is true for those who follow Christ, and below I'd like to outline some ways this passage can speak to us as well. 

1. Throat, Tongue, Deceive, Venom, Lips, Mouths, Curses

Paul has chosen his Old Testament references wisely. Within the span of two verses there are seven words related to the mouth and, especially, speaking. Obviously for Paul unrighteousness/going against God has a lot to do with what comes out of your mouth, with what you choose to do with your voice. So, some useful questions for a follower of Christ: 

How often in the past 24 hours have you...: 

- encouraged someone or lifted them up? 

- thanked or adored God with your voice (and not just silently in your head)? 

- told someone you loved them (and meant it)? 

- brought someone down, talked about someone behind their back, or said something at another's expense? 

- complained or said something bitter? 

A word of caution: I don't think Paul is advocating "speech-police" or anything like that. He's just shining some light on a useful truth: the things that are wrong inside of us often show up in what we say, so we should pay attention to what comes out of our mouths and let it drive us back to the Cross in repentance and hope. 

2. Two Paths: Feet, Paths, Way

In the next three verses (vv. 15-17) Paul brings in travel related imagery. Specifically he references two paths: one the road on which the feet that are running to shed blood pound down, the other the way of peace. While shalom (Hebrew for "peace") is much more than the absence of violence, it is certainly not less than that (violence meaning the use of force to bend others to your will, to get your own way). Followers of Christ must seek the way and power of shalom, not power obtained through violence. This is the path of Christ. 

- how do you handle the world? do you try to bend it to your will, or do you submit your will to God and seek how you can serve him? 

- how do you handle people? do you manipulate them into doing what you want? do you play power games in order to accomplish your goals? 

- are you a pushover or are you willing to stand up for what is right, even if it means you lose the approval of others? 

- do you know what the "peace of Christ" is and do you have it in your life, or does it just sound like another Christian phrase?

3. Fear of God

Obviously the phrase "fear of God" is often misunderstood both inside and outside of the church. Far too often we react to it either by thinking that we should just ignore the phrase altogether, or by associating it with a mean-spirited God that is excited to one day pay everyone back big time. I disagree with both of these paths. To fear God in the biblical sense means to approach him as he is: both loving and just, both holy and incarnate, both eternal yet present and active in the world. God is both the Eternal King and Creator of the Universe, and yet also our most intimate and loving savior and friend. A being like that should send shivers (the good kind) down your spine. 

Yet those who lose this "fear" move comfortably into the path of bloodshed, ruin, and misery. They become their own gods, deciding the fates of others and themselves. Hollywood often makes such personas its heroes, and yet a world ruled by them would be a dark place indeed. Christ-followers know that God is God, and they are not. 

- how do you try to "play god" in your own life? do you regularly (once a day) say, "Thy will be done" and mean it, or do you live like God is just an accessory to your life? 

A final word: I am far from being able to answer these questions in a way that flatters myself. But by opening my eyes to these issues, God is actually freeing me from prisons that I didn't even know I was in. I encourage you to allow him to do the same work in you. 

*this is an adaptation I made to the original ESV rendering of "become worthless." According to one commentator, this phrase references the spoiling of food