Romans 3:13,14 – Human word versus GOD’s word 

“A sepulcher opened is their throat. With their tongues the defraud.” “ The venom of asps is under their lips”. Whose mouth with imprecation and bitterness is crammed.

The picture sketched here of the speaking of man is painted in the darkest shades. As throughout this passage, an extremely gloomy view of man is portrayed. Paul does not distinguish nuances here: he does not show a color – but a black and white photo.

The point is not that man cannot say nice, good, wise, and uplifting things. Thank God you can, and luckily we come across such examples every day. But it is about what humans are potentially capable of. And then the truth is that every person is weak and that all kinds of circumstances can lead him to deceit to spread poison with a ‘split tongue.’ No one is too good for that, we perceive it up to the highest regions. In fact, it is power that corrupts and makes people willing to establish and expand their own position through lies and deceit.

Here too we see the power of contrast. GOD versus man. As Paul wrote before (3: 4): GOD true and every man a liar.

Delen: