Romans 3.13-The Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Charges in a Thirteen Count Indictment Against Mankind
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday October 23, 2007
Romans: Romans 3:13-The Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Charges in a Thirteen Count Indictment Against Mankind
Lesson # 85
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 3:10.
We are currently engaged in a study of Romans 3:9-20, which can be treated like a court room trial and is divided into four parts: (1) The Arraignment: The entire human race is brought before the Supreme Court of Heaven to answer to the divine indictment (Romans 3:9). (2) The Indictment: The entire human race faces the charges of crimes against a holy God (Romans 3:10-17). (3) Motive: The motive for man’s crimes against God (Romans 3:18). (4) The Verdict: The entire human race stands condemned before a holy God (Romans 3:19-20).
Thus far in our studies of this court room trial, we have studied the arraignment of the entire human race in the court of heaven, which is contained in Romans 3:9 where Paul states that both Jew and Gentile are under the power of the old Adamic sin nature and thus under eternal condemnation.
In Romans 3:10-17, the apostle Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit employs six Psalms and Isaiah 59:7-8 to present a thirteen count indictment against the entire human race, which demonstrates that they are enslaved to the old Adamic sin nature and thus totally depraved and in need of salvation in the eyes of a holy God.
Thus, far we have noted the first six charges that appear in Romans 3:10-12, which emphasize the depraved character of the accused (the entire human race).
This evening we will note the seventh, eighth and ninth charges that appear in Romans 3:13, which emphasize the depraved character of the accused from the standpoint of their conversation with each other.
Romans 3:10-13, “As it is written, ‘THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE. THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD. ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE. THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING, THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS.’”
The first charge is an exact quotation from the latter half of the Septuagint version of Psalm 5:9 (LXX 5:10).
Psalm 5:9, “There is nothing reliable in what they say; Their inward part is destruction itself. Their throat is an open grave; They flatter with their tongue.”
In Romans 3:13, “THEIR” is the intensive personal pronoun autos (au)tov$), which refers to each and every member of unregenerate humanity without exception who are enslaved to the old Adamic sin nature and Satan’s cosmic system.
“THROAT” is the noun larunx (lavruvgc) (lar-oongks), which refers to the larynx or vocal cords where columns of air are converted into sound to form speech, thus the larynx is the organ of the human voice.
In Romans 3:13, we have the figure of “metonymy of the cause” where the throat or larynx of unregenerate members of the human race is put for the words that they speak or the conversations that take place between them.
“GRAVE” is the noun taphos (tavfo$) (taf-os), which is used in a figurative sense for the speech of unregenerate humanity, which in the assessment of a holy God is like the odor from a newly opened grave or tomb.
In the ancient world, cemeteries were usually placed outside of cities.
However, dead bodies found in a field would be buried on the spot where they were found.
A person coming to Passover might inadvertently pass by such a grave and thus become ceremonially unclean according to the stipulation in Numbers 19:16.
Thus all tombs or graves were whitewashed one month previous to the Passover, which would make the graves very obvious, giving a person the opportunity to avoid defilement.
This custom was practiced during the first century and our Lord’s First Advent, who drew a comparison between the whitewashed tombs and the dead bodies within them and the hypocritical conduct of the Pharisees who appeared moral but in their souls were full of sin.
Mark 7:21-23, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”
This would be the inference in Romans 3:13 as well.
In Romans 3:13, the unregenerate human heart of mankind is analogous to a grave or tomb whereas the words of an unregenerate person are analogous to the foul odor that emanates from a newly opened tomb or grave.
The seventh charge in the thirteen count indictment in Romans 3:13 addresses a manifestation of the old Adamic sin nature called the sins of the tongue or verbal sins.
One of the verbal sins mentioned in the Scriptures is “strife,” which is the noun eris (e*ri$) (er-is) and means, “contention” in the sense of quarreling, disputing, or controversy and is a point advanced or maintained in a debate or argument.
The noun eris refers to a perverse and stubborn tendency to quarrel and dispute with people, sometimes deteriorating into bitter violent conflict or dissension.
The word describes arguing about words because of pride and not truth and originates from envy, ambition, competition and the desire for prestige, and status in life.
Romans 13:13, “Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.”
Another prevalent verbal sin that manifests itself among members of the human race is “scandal,” which is the noun psithuristes (yiquristhv$) (psith-oo-ris-tace) and describes an evil tongue that secretly conveys information, whether true or false and which is detrimental to the character or reputation or welfare of others.
Psalm 41:7, “All who hate me whisper together against me; Against me they devise my hurt.”
Another sin of the tongue is “slander,” which is the adjective katalalos (katavlalo$) (kat-al-al-os) and refers to defaming someone’s character as a result of bitterness towards them.
Loud boasting is another verbal sin that is manifested in the human race, which is denoted by the noun alazon (a)lazwn) (al-ad-zone), which means boastful presumption.
It is used of a person who makes more of himself than reality justifies, ascribing to himself more and better things than he actually has, promising what he cannot perform.
The word was used among the Greeks to denote an ostentatious, itinerant charlatan or imposter who at each of his stops sought to deceive people into believing his claims of curing power and healing abilities.
Lying, exaggeration, cheating, making foolish promises, betraying confidence, flattery, making excuses are all verbal sins that are a manifestation of the old Adamic sin nature, which the believer is prohibited from being involved with.
Ephesians 4:25, “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE OF YOU WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.”
A lying tongue is an abomination to the Lord.
Proverbs 6:16-19, “There are six things which the LORD hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.”
“A lying tongue” is an arrogant attempt to reshape the truth to escape responsibility or distort reality by deceiving others.
Lying is motivated by mental attitude sins such as arrogance, worry or fear.
“A false witness who utters lies” is malicious and engages in slander and vilification.
Off-color jokes, profanity, dirty stories, vulgarity, double entendre, etc are all verbal sins that come under the category of “unwholesome word” that Paul mentions in Ephesians 4:29.
Ephesians 4:29, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”
Outbursts of anger (“wrath”) and public outbursts such as shouting at others (“clamor”) are all verbal sins.
All of which the believer is prohibited from getting involved with.
Ephesians 4:31, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”
Romans 3:13 teaches that the corrupt and sinful character of the old Adamic sin nature possessed by each and every member of the human race will manifest itself through the organ of speech that was given to honor and praise the Creator.
The conversations that take place between unregenerate human beings testify to the fact that they are spiritually dead.
Proverbs 15:28, “The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.”
Romans 3:13, “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING, THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS.”
Just like the first charge that appears in Romans 3:13, the second charge is also an exact quotation from the latter half of the Septuagint version of Psalm 5:9 (LXX 5:10).
Psalm 5:9, “There is nothing reliable in what they say; Their inward part is destruction itself. Their throat is an open grave; They flatter with their tongue.”
“Flatter” is the Hebrew verb chalaq (ql^j*) (khaw-lak), which is in the hiphil (intensive) stem and is used metaphorically meaning “deception.”
This word is close to flattering but it is understood as even more negative on the grounds that the person who attempts to deceive has introduced a greater element of falseness than that of the flatterer.
In fact, the Psalmist first statement “there is nothing reliable in what they say” is another indication that chalaq means, “to deceive.”
The New International Version (NIV) correctly translates this word.
Psalm 5:9, “Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit.” NIV
“TONGUES” is the plural form of the noun glossa (glwssa) (gloce-sah), which refers to that organ of the human body that gives one the capacity for speech and taste.
“THEY KEEP DECEIVING” is the verb dolioo (doliovw) (dol-ee-o-o), which means, “to deceive someone by using trickery or falsehood.”
The idea behind the verb dolioo is thus, “to lure as by baiting a hook by covering it with a small piece of food to disguise its danger.”
When a fish bites the food, thinking he will get a meal, he instead becomes a meal for the fisherman.
In relation to human beings, the word conveys the idea that unregenerate humanity deals treacherously by betraying trust and using fraud, using trickery and falsehood.
Jeremiah writes that heart of unregenerate man is deceitful.
Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?”
The Scriptures speak of the deceitfulness of mankind and condemns it.
Psalm 36:1-4, “Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is no fear of God before his eyes. For it flatters him in his own eyes concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it. The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good. He plans wickedness upon his bed; He sets himself on a path that is not good; He does not despise evil.”
The third charge contained in Romans 3:13 is an exact quotation from the latter half of the Septuagint version of Psalm 140:3 (LXX 139:4).
Psalm 140:3, “They sharpen their tongues as a serpent; Poison of a viper is under their lips. Selah.”
Romans 3:13, “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING, THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS.”
“THE POISON OF ASPS” refers to the poisonous venom of the Egyptian cobra.
Like an Egyptian cobra whose poison is under its lips, so poisonous words are under the lips of unregenerate men.
In Romans 3:13, the poison refers to various verbal sin or sins of the tongue, which hurt one’s fellow human being.