Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XIV)

Reformer John Calvin points out the real conflict that Paul alludes to here about the law being a source of righteousness. In a scholarly fashion, Calvin writes: “He reasons from what is an opposite point of view, — that righteousness is not obtained by us through the law because it convicts us of sin and condemns us. Life and death do not proceed from the same fountain. And as he reasons from the contrary effect of the law, that it cannot confer righteousness on us, he let us know that the argument does count for much, except we hold this as an inseparable and unvarying circumstance, — that by showing man his sin, it denies any hope of salvation. It is indeed by itself, as it teaches us what righteousness is, the way to salvation. However, our depravity and corruption prevent it from being in this respect any advantage for us. It is also necessary in the second place to add this, — that whosoever is found to be a sinner, is deprived of righteousness. To agree with the philosophers that there is a half kind of righteousness justified through works is frivolous. Nothing in this respect is gained, on account of man’s corruption.”¹

To put this in everyday language, Calvin is saying that the Jews’ use of obedience to the law as a standard to judge righteousness is a futile effort because the law was written to condemn, not save. That’s why Paul was trying to get these Messianic Jews in Rome to understand that referring to their being circumcised as a reason why they should be put in front of the line ahead of Gentiles seeking salvation is senseless because there is no substitute for faith in Christ. And, since all are sinners, then all need redemption. And, since redemption can come only through Christ, then all they need is Christ.

John Bengel says that Paul, in stating that we are not justified by the works of the law without naming any particular law. He is talking about the whole Law, of which the ceremonial and the moral laws were parts rather than kinds. Of these, ceremonial law, since it was then abolished, was not taken much into account; the fact that the moral law was given through Moses, does not make it binding upon Christians the same way it was on the Jews. In the New Testament we have no works of the law at all, apart from grace; for the law gives no strength… The meaning is, the law provides only the knowledge of sin; just as the sin-offerings did not remove sin, but recalled it to men’s minds.² The law makes the sense of sin clear and strong, but it does not strengthen the will to do what is right.³

Wesleyan scholar Adam Clarke, gives his view: “On the score of obedience to this moral law, there shall no flesh, no human being, be justified; none can be accepted in the sight of God. And why? Because by the law is the knowledge of sin: it is that which ascertains what sin is; shows how men have deviated from its righteous demands, and sentences them to death because they have broken it. Thus, the law is properly considered as the rule of right; and, unless God had given some such means of discovering what Sin is, the darkened heart of man could never have formed an adequate conception of it. For, as an acknowledged straight edge is the only way in which the straightness or crookedness of a line can be determined, so the moral abnormality of human actions can only be determined by the law of God; that rule of right which proceeds from His own immaculate holiness.”⁴

Charles Hodge in his commentary section of Doctrine and Remarks makes these important points: Doctrine – “The office of the law is neither to justify nor to sanctify. It convinces and condemns. All efforts to secure the favor of God by legal obedience is therefore in vain.” Remarks – “To be prepared for the reception of the gospel, we must be convinced of sin, humbled under a sense of its depravity, silenced under a conviction of its condemning power, and prostrated at the footstool of mercy, under a feeling that we cannot satisfy the demands of the law, that if ever saved, it must be by some other merit and some power other than our own.”⁵

With his oratory skill, Spurgeon says: “All the law does, is to show us how sinful we are. Paul has been quoting from the sacred Scriptures; and truly, they shed a shocking light upon the condition of human nature. The light can show us our sin, but it cannot take it away. The law of the Lord is like a looking-glass. Now, a looking-glass is a useful thing for finding out where the spots are on your face; but you cannot wash in a looking-glass, you cannot get rid of the spots by looking in the glass. The law is intended to show a man how much he needs cleansing, but the law cannot cleanse him. The law proves that we are condemned, but it does not bring us our pardon.”⁶

F. F. Bruce gives us some more detail on the fact that no human being will be justified in God’s sight by their works according to the law. He writes: “A free quotation and amplification of Psalm 143:2, ‘(Enter not into judgment with your servant [cf. Ps. 51:4, quoted in verse 4 above]; for) no man living is righteous before You.’ Cf. Galatians 2:16 (‘a man is not justified by works of the law’); 3:11 (‘no man is justified before God by the law’). Paul adds the reason why no-one can be justified in God’s sight ‘by works of the law’; it is that through the law comes knowledge of sin. This affirmation is repeated and expanded in 5:20; 7:7–11.”⁷ How true this is today of those who attempt to be justified before God by following the rules, rituals, and sacraments of the church. They are poor substitutes for the cleansing power of the blood of Christ which is required by God for the forgiveness of sins.

Verse 21: But God has a way to make people right, and it has nothing to do with the law. He has now shown us that new way, which the law and the prophets told us about.

With this verse, Paul begins his teaching on Justification by faith, and the provision made for salvation by faith outside the law. Is this doctrine a paradox? Absolutely not! Christ died apart from, not under, the Law. He died to fulfill, not abolish, the Law. Neither did He come to establish a new Law but to provide an escape from the eternal punishment the Law required of those who failed to meet its demands on every point, no matter how small. So the old covenant written in the blood of animals was made obsolete, and the new covenant written in the blood of the Lamb of God has taken its place. Thank God Jesus did not come to merely make amendments to the Law, but through His death and resurrection God was able to rescind the old Law and establish a new and living way into His presence; to do away with worshiping Him through handmade idols and shrines, but to allow us to worship Him in a true and spiritual way.

But just saying that bring right with God outside the law would not be enough, Paul must be able to point to some action on God’s part to validate this concept. We can see this in the original intent when God dealt with Abraham who did not have the law to follow: “Abram believed the Lord, and because of this faith the Lord accepted him as one who has done what is right.”¹ That’s why God’s message to the children of Israel through Isaiah is important: “I am the only God, the one who does what is right. I am the one who saves, and there is no other!.. They will say, ‘Goodness and strength come only from the Lord’.”² So when the Apostle Paul showed up in Jerusalem to meet the Apostolic Council, after hearing what he said concerning his message to the Gentiles they came to this conclusion: “We believe that we and these people will be saved the same way—by the grace of the Lord Jesus.”³

As we know, Paul received his revelation directly from Jesus on the road to Damascus. So in the gospel that Paul preached, we should find continuity between what the Lord said and what Paul said. We see this in what Jesus told His disciples after the resurrection: “Remember when I was with you before? I said that everything written about me must happen—everything written in the Law of Moses, the books of the prophets, and the Psalms.”¹ In so doing, Jesus was saying that the Messiah would come to put an end to a person’s dependence on the law to save them and put their trust in Him as the Messiah. But, for that to take effect, the Apostle John stated: “Moses lifted up the snake in the desert. It is the same with the Son of Man. He must be lifted up too. Then everyone who believes in Him can have eternal life.”² That’s why Jesus then said: “If you really believed Moses, you would believe me because he wrote about me.”³ The writer of the Message to the Hebrews points this out quite clearly in Chapter 10.

Early church scholars have various things to say about the establishment of righteousness by grace in relationship to the law. Bishop Apollinaris stated: “[The righteousness of God] has not been manifested in opposition to the law but as an increase of good and as the free gift of God, so that we may no longer be judged according to human righteousness, which is always under judgment, but that we may be made perfect by the righteousness which comes from God. For this is the righteousness which comes by faith in Christ to all who believe and which dwells in them all.”¹⁴

Along with this, Ambrosiaster writes: “It is clear that the righteousness of God has now appeared apart from the law, but this means apart from the law of the Sabbath, the circumcision, the new moon and revenge, not apart from the sacrament of God’s divinity, because the righteousness of God is all about God’s divinity. For when the law held them guilty, the righteousness of God forgave them and did so apart from the law so that until the law was brought to bear God forgave them their sin. And lest someone think that this was done against the law, Paul added that the righteousness of God had a witness in the Law and the Prophets, which means that the law itself had said that in the future someone would come who would save mankind. But it was not allowed for the law to forgive sin. Therefore, what is called the righteousness of God appears to be mercy because it has its origin in the promise, and when God’s promise is fulfilled, it is called ‘the righteousness of God.’ For it is righteousness when what is promised has been delivered. And when God accepts those who flee to Him for refuge, this is called righteousness, because wickedness would not accept such people.”¹⁵

“If we deny love given to us, if we refuse to give love because we fear pain or loss, then our lives will not only be empty, our loss even greater.” – Unknown

A LETTER FROM GOD

From: God
To: All His Children

Effective Immediately:

Please be aware that there are changes you need to make in your life. These changes need to be completed so that I may fulfill my promises to grant you peace, joy, and a real purpose in life. I don’t apologize for any inconvenience. After all I’ve done for you, this seems very little to ask of you. Here are some instructions to make you even better than you are now:

1. QUIT WORRYING

If life has dealt you a blow, don’t just sit around and worry. Remember, I’m here to help you carry your burdens, so you’re not overwhelmed. That is unless you enjoy fretting over every little thing that comes your way?

2. PUT IT ON THE LIST

Some things are essential, so make sure you have them on your to-do-list. And make sure you give me a copy so I can help you get them done. I can’t help you unless you want me too. And, although your list may be long, don’t worry, after all, I am God. In fact, if the truth be known, sometimes I already have things worked out so that all you need to do is follow my instructions.

3. TRUST ME

Once you give those things to me that you just can’t handle, don’t keep trying to take them back. Trust me! Have faith that I will act on them at just the right time. You don’t know what I know, and you don’t see what I see. So just leave everything on the altar where you laid it and believe with all your heart that I care enough to do something for you. Remember what my Son said to me: Father, Your will not my will be done.

4. LEAVE IT ALONE

When you wake up one morning, don’t say, “Thank you Lord, but I think I can handle things from now on.” Don’t you realize that I rescued you from the pit of despair where sin had you bound as a prisoner, and you are still in rehab? Why do you think you’re feeling stronger now? It’s simple. You shared your burdens with me, and I’m working on them with you. Also, I keep renewing your strength and have you covered with my precious blood. Look at it this way: If stop helping you with these problems, you’ll be right back where you started?

5. TALK TO ME

I’m always here, day and night. Remember, I bought you with a price, and you are all mine. So I want you to stop being distressed over things you really don’t need. If you don’t, it could drive you crazy. Forget the worry and the fretting because you know I’m in control. But there’s one thing I want you to never forget. Please talk to me – OFTEN! I love you. I want to hear your voice. I want you to include me in the things going on in your life. I want to hear you talk about your friends and family. Prayer is simply you having a conversation with me. I want to be your closest friend.

6. HAVE FAITH

I see a lot of things from up here that you can’t see from down there. Have faith in me that I know what I’m doing. Trust me, you wouldn’t want to see what I see. I will continue to care for you, watch over you, and meet your needs. You only have to trust me. Although I have a much bigger task than you, what’s big to you is small to me. After all, how hard can trust be?

7. SHARE

You were taught to share when you were only two years old. When did you forget? That rule still applies. Share with those who are less fortunate than you. Share your joy with those who need encouragement. Share your laughter with those who haven’t heard any in such a long time. Share your tears with those who are mourning. Share your faith with those who have none.

8. BE PATIENT

I managed to fix it so that in just one lifetime you could have so many wonderful experiences. You grow from a child to an adult, have children, change jobs many times, learn many trades, travel to so many places, meet thousands of people, and experience so much. How can you be so impatient then when it takes me a little longer than you expect to handle something on my to-do-list? Trust in my timing, for my timing is perfect. Just because I created the entire universe in only six days, everyone thinks I should always rush, rush, rush.

9. BE KIND

Be kind to others, for I love them just as much as I love you. They may not dress like you, or talk like you, or live the same way you do, but I still love you all. Please try to get along, for my sake. I created each of you different in some way. It would be too boring if you were all identical. Please know I love each of your differences.

10. LOVE YOURSELF

As much as I love you, how can you not love yourself? You were created by me to be loved, and to love in return. I am Love. Love me. Love your neighbors. But also love yourself. It makes my heart ache when I see you so angry with yourself when things go wrong. You are very precious to me. Don’t ever forget that!

With all my heart, I love you,

GOD

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XIII)

Verses 19-20: What the law says is for those who live under the law. It eliminates anyone from making excuses. And it brings the whole world under God’s judgment because no one can be made right in God’s eyes just by following the law.¹ The law only shows how sinful they are.

With Paul finishing his quote from the Psalms, and since he is writing to Messianic Jews living in Rome, it is important that we look at what their perception was concerning the word “law.” British theologian John Gill explains this way: “By ‘the law’ is meant, not the law of nature, nor the civil law of nations, nor the ceremonial law of the Jews, nor barely the five books of Moses, nor the book of Psalms, of the Prophets, or the Writings of the whole Old Testament; but moral law as it appears in the entire Word of God, which every man is bound to observe, of which all are transgressors, by which is the knowledge of sin, which no man can be justified by, and which Christ was made under, and came to fulfill.”² These moral laws are best described by Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount.³

We find instances where the law is referred to as a “saying.” Rabbi Jose says: “It is not the position that honors the man but it is the man who honors the position. For example: In connection with Mt. Sinai, as long as the Shekinah dwelt thereon the Torah declared, Neither let the flocks nor herds graze near that mount;⁴ but once the Shekinah had departed then the Torah said, When the ram’s horn sounds long, they will come up onto the mount.⁵ The same too we find in connection with the Tabernacle in the wilderness; so long as it remained in operation the Torah commanded, That they put out of the camp every leper;⁶ but once the curtains were rolled up both those with a running issue and the lepers were permitted to stand under it.”⁷

Furthermore, the Jews taught that the Torah is said to speak only when the speaker is identified. For instance: “It has been taught: Rabbi Judah said in the name of Rabbi Akiba: Why did the Torah order us to offer an ‘Omer⁸ on Passover? Because Passover is the season of produce. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, Bring before Me an ‘Omer’ on Passover so that your produce in the fields may be blessed. Why did the Torah order us to bring two loaves on Pentecost? Because Pentecost is the season for fruit of the tree. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Bring before Me two loaves on Pentecost so that the fruit of your trees may be blessed. Why did the Torah order us to pour out water on [the Feast of] Tabernacles? The Holy One, blessed be He, said, Pour out water before Me on [the Feast of] Tabernacles, so that your rains this year may be blessed.”⁹ This seems to be the same formula Jesus used when He spoke to the Jewish leaders who accosted Him: “Isn’t it written in your Torah, ‘I have said, “You people are Elohim [deities]”’?”¹⁰

Paul now explains his personal experience with what the Law had to say. He tells the Corinthians: “With people in subjection to a legalistic perversion of the Torah, I put myself in the position of someone under such legalism, in order to win those under this legalism, even though I myself am not in subjection to a legalistic perversion of the Torah.”¹¹ And he says something similar to the Galatians: “Before this faith came, the law held us as prisoners. We had no freedom until God was finished showing us the way of faith that was coming.”¹² Paul goes on to say: “God did this so that He could buy the freedom of those who were under the law. God’s purpose was to make us His children.”¹³

That’s why Paul says that all those trying to make excuses need to be shown that their arguments do not hold water, they are flawed. The wise man Job informed his friend Bildad: “How can a human being win an argument with God? Anyone who chose to argue with Him could not answer one question in a thousand!”¹⁴ In other words, when Scripture says you are wrong, then you are wrong. If ignorance of the law is no excuse, then how much less defense or alibi do you have if you already know the law? The law was not given to placate our conscience, but to probe our conscience for God to bring all of us to the realization that there are none with an excuse that they do not need salvation.

This is not a despairing thought at all! We are also made aware of redemption by this same process. Through the Law we are made aware of sin; in sin, we come to realize the need for salvation; when we accept that salvation, it exempts us then from the Law since the Law was enacted for the unrighteous. Therefore, without the Law, a person would be ignorant of sin and unaware of their need for salvation. So thank God for the Law that revealed our sinful nature; thank God for Jesus Christ who came not only to forgive us of our sins but to free us from living under the Law as the only way to secure salvation through good deeds. Now we live in Him, and our salvation is secure because He has met all the demands of the Law! So all we need to do is be obedient to Him.

Then Paul reiterates the necessity of Christ’s death in light of the fact there was no other way to achieve a reconciled status with God the Father. Paul made this same case to his listeners in Antioch of Pisidia: “Brothers, understand what we are telling you. You can have forgiveness of your sins through this man Jesus. That is, God clears everyone who puts his trust in this man, even in regard to all the things concerning which you could not be cleared by the Law of Moses.”¹⁵ Paul repeated this same message in his letter to the Galatians.¹⁶ He also touches on this subject when writing the Ephesians: “You have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about. God has made us what we are in Christ Jesus.”¹⁷ So what Paul is saying here is not a new revelation for the Romans it has been part of his preaching since the beginning.

Such thinking was also part and parcel of Jewish teaching since the days of Job. Back then we hear Bildad say to Job: “How can anyone claim to be right before God? No one born of a woman can really be pure.”¹⁸ And the reason why Christ’s sacrifice was so critical, is stated by the Psalmist: “Lord, if you punished people for all their sins, no one would be left alive.”¹⁹ No wonder Paul was making such a strong argument for the Messianic Jewish leaders in the community of believers in Rome to forsake their habitual reliance on the Law. Instead, put their complete trust and faith in the Word of God through Jesus the Christ.

Early church scholar Origen has some interesting things to say about what Paul states here concerning accountability. He writes: “Here we must consider carefully what this law is that speaks to those who are under the law. By what it says to them, it deprives them of every excuse so that they can find no hiding place for their sins. It is this which stops every mouth and makes the whole world accountable to God. Now if we want to take this as referring to the law of Moses, which without doubt spoke only to those who had been circumcised from their mother’s womb and had learned what the law was, how is it possible that by that law, which applies to only one nation, every mouth should be stopped and the whole world should be held accountable to God? What have the other nations to do with that Law, and why does it affect the entire world? And how is it that a knowledge of sin is said to have originated with the Law of Moses when there were many before his time who were well aware of their sins? From this it appears that the Apostle Paul is not speaking here about the Law of Moses but about the moral law which is written on the hearts of men.… This moral law speaks to all men who are under that law with the sole exception, it seems to me, of those children who are not yet able to distinguish good from evil.”²⁰

And the great teacher Augustine also offers his commentary: “Some think that statements like this are an attack on the Law. But they must be read very carefully so that neither is the law condemned by the Apostle nor is free will taken away from man. Therefore, let us distinguish the following four states of human existence: before the law, under the law, under grace, and at rest. Before the law, we follow the lust of the flesh. Under the law, we are dragged along by it. Under grace, we neither follow it nor are dragged along by it. At rest, there is no lust of the flesh. Prior to being addressed by the law, we do not struggle, because not only do we lust and sin, we even approve of sinning.”²¹

Augustine then goes on to say: “Under the law, we struggle but are defeated. We admit that what we do is evil and that we do not want to do it, but because there is as yet no grace, we are defeated. In this state, we discover how far down we lie, and when we want to rise up and yet we fall, we are all the more gravely afflicted. The law is good because it forbids what ought to be forbidden and requires what ought to be required. But when anyone thinks he can fulfill the law in his own strength and not through the grace of his Deliverer, this presumption does him no good but rather harms him so much that he is seized by an even stronger desire to sin and by his sins ends up as a transgressor. So when the man who has fallen realizes that he cannot raise himself, let him cry to his Deliverer for help.”²²

Augustine continues with this: “Then comes grace, which can pardon previous sins, give aid to the struggling, supplement justice with love, and take away fear. When this takes place, although fleshly desires continue to fight against our spirit in this life and try to lead us into sin, yet our spirit does not give in to these desires because it is rooted in the grace and love of God and ceases to sin. For we do not sin by having these perverse desires but by giving in to them.”²³

Finally, Augustine notes: “These desires arise from the mortality of the flesh, which we inherit from the first sin of the first man, which is why we are born carnal. Nor will they cease until, by the resurrection of the body, we shall obtain the transformation which has been promised to us. Then we shall be in the fourth state, where there is perfect peace. Perfect peace is the state in which nothing will resist us because we do not resist God. Free will existed perfectly in the first man, but in us, prior to grace, there is no free will which would enable us not to sin but only enough that we do not want to sin. But grace makes it possible not only for us to want to do what is right but actually to do it not in our own strength but by the help of our Deliverer, who at the resurrection will give us that perfect peace which is the consequence of good will.”²⁴

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XII)

Verse 18: “They have no reverence for God.”

Apparently, that was this situation in Rome. When you combine corrupt attitudes and destructive action, the result is a Godless morality among the people. What a perfect diagnosis of Paul’s world and today’s world; foul talk, lies, personal attacks, cursing, bitterness, destroying people’s reputations by innuendo, causing havoc, and discord; people who don’t know how to live in harmony because they have no fear of God’s judgment. This type of behavior was once confined to the wicked and criminal elements of the lower class, but today it is common in so-called polite society. Being vulgar has become the new norm because people think it’s funny. We see it expressed in motion pictures, television, and the news. Pretty soon it will move in next door and then creep into our own homes if we don’t declare ourselves off limits through the power of the Holy Spirit. Others should know, that when they come into our sanctuaries or our homes, they are treading on holy ground.

Paul uses the words of David that come from one of his psalms: “Deep in the hearts of the wicked, a voice tells them to do wrong. They see no need of reverence for God.”¹ David goes on to say that this total lack of reverence for God is compounded by the fact that they see life a certain way. Cheating makes their life easy – that is, until their crimes are uncovered. Then they claim it was not intentional. Solomon also had a few words to say about people who lived their lives in a fog of lies and deception. They believe they can love God and still enjoy the wrongs they do. He writes: “To respect the Lord means to hate evil.”² The way the Hebrew reads allows for it to be rendered this way: “Reverence for Adonai is hatred for evil.” Solomon goes on to say: “Respect for the Lord will cause you to avoid evil.”³ When you do this, says Solomon, then you will have no envy for the way sinners live. In fact, those who always respect God will become your example to follow. This will guarantee your future.⁴

This may have been what persuaded one thief on a cross next to Jesus to tell the other thief: “You should respect God. All of us will die soon. You and I are guilty. We deserve to die because we did wrong. But this man has done nothing wrong.”⁵ And to guarantee his future, this thief then turned to Jesus and said: “Remember me when you begin ruling as king! Then Jesus said to him, ‘I promise you, today you will be with me in paradise.’”⁶

In Paul’s effort to identify those who should never be eulogized nor emulated by believers he quotes the Psalmist in calling them people who have no fear of God. In the Hebrew text of Psalm 36:1 the Hebrew word used is translated mostly into English as “fear” or “dread.” But not in a negative sense such as terror, but in a positive sense of reverence for power and authority. But in his Greek text, Paul uses a word from which we get our English word, “phobia.” It carries with it the connotation of alarm due to the potential of coming under its control.

Early church scholar Origen shares his thought on this subject: “If someone is always thinking of what will please or displease God, then it can be said that the fear of God is always before their eyes. But such a person must be experienced and diligently instructed in the law of God so as not to be afraid when there is no reason to fear. For the fear of God must always be placed before our eyes: not the eyes of the flesh—for it is not something visible or corporeal that we are talking about here—but the eyes of the mind, to which an understanding and awareness of the fear of God are evident and by which we can discover what ought and ought not to be feared. The one who fears God does not fear the powers of this world.”⁷

Then, in the writings of Ambrosiaster we read: “Since people of this kind have no sense, they have no fear of God. For ‘the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom,’ says Solomon.⁸ But Scripture here did not say that they did not have the fear of God. It said: ‘There is no fear of God before their eyes.’ For seeing how evil their works were and not being horrified by them, they are said not to have the fear of God before their eyes.”⁹ To this, we add the words of Pelagius: “Paul concludes with the fear of God because if the people had always kept that before their eyes, they would not have transgressed, for a servant will not dare sin when his master is present.”¹⁰ To better understand what these scholars are saying we should read “respect” instead of “fear” for God.

Reformist John Calvin gives an extensive exposition on the verse: “David says in Psalm 14:1, that there was such perverseness in men, that God, when looking on them all in their different conditions, could not find a righteous man, no, not one. It then follows that this evil pervaded mankind universally; for nothing is hidden from the sight of God. In the other Psalms he speaks of the treachery of his enemies, while he was exhibiting in himself and in his descendants a type of the kingdom of Christ: hence we have in his adversaries the representatives of all those, who being alienated from Christ, are not led by His Spirit. Isaiah expressly mentions Israel; therefore his charge applies with still greater force against the Gentiles. What, then? There is no doubt but that the character of men is described in those words, in order that we may see what man is when left to himself; for Scripture testifies that all men are in this state, who are not regenerated by the grace of God. The condition of the saints would be nothing better, were not this depravity corrected in them: and that they may still remember that they differ nothing from others by nature, they do find in the relics of their flesh (by which they are always encompassed) the seeds of those evils, which would constantly produce fruits, were they not prevented by being mortified; and for this mortification they are indebted to God’s mercy and not to their own nature. We may add, that though all the vices here enumerated are not found conspicuously in every individual, yet they may be justly and truly ascribed to human nature.”¹¹

John Bengel agrees with the translation we have given for this text and says: “Psalm 36:1, — (there is no fear), let alone any love, of which man in his natural state knows much less… Paul has written out a part of the words and intimates that all the rest are to be sought for in the same place — (before their eyes). The seat of reverential awe is in the eyes.”¹²

Methodist scholar Adam Clarke also shares his perspective of how these verses apply to his time: “There is no fear of God before their eyes – This completes their bad character; they are downright atheists, at least practically such. They do not fear God‘s judgment, although His eye is upon them in their evil ways. There is not one article of what is charged against the Jews and Gentiles here that may not be found justified by the histories of both, in the most ample manner. And what was true of them in those primitive times is true of them still. With very little variation, these are the evils in which the vast mass of mankind delight and live… O Sin, what have you done! How many myriads of souls have you hurried, unprepared, into the eternal world! And where did this spring from? From that, whence come all wars and battles; the evil desires of men; the lust of dominion; the insatiable thirst for money; and the desire to be sole and independent. This is the sin that ruined our first parents, expelled them from paradise, and which has descended to all their posterity; and proves fully that we are their legitimate offspring; the fallen progeny of fallen parents; children in whose ways are destruction and misery; in whose heart there is no faith; and before whose eyes there is nothing of the fear of God.”¹³

Albert Barnes also sees it this way: “There is no fear of God – Psalm 36:1. The word ‘fear’ here denotes ‘reverence, awe, veneration.’ There is no such regard or reverence for the character, authority, and honor of God as to restrain them from crime. Their conduct shows that they are not withheld from the commission of iniquity by any regard to the fear or favor of God. The only thing that will be effectual in restraining people from sin will be a regard to the honor and Law of God.”

Barnes then goes on to make the following remarks: “In regard to these quotations from the Old Testament, we may make the following remarks. (1) It may be observed that the apostle has given a view of human depravity which is very striking. He does not confine it to one faculty of the mind, or to one set of actions; he specifies each member and each faculty as being perverse and inclined to evil. (2) If such was the character of the Jewish nation under all its advantages, what must have been the character of the pagan? (3) What a melancholy view we have thus of human nature. From whatever quarter we contemplate it, we come to the same conclusion. Whatever record we examine; whatever history we read; whatever time or period we contemplate; we find the same facts, and are forced to the same conclusion. All are involved in sin, and are polluted, and ruined, and helpless. Over these ruins we should sit down and weep, and lift our eyes with gratitude to the God of mercy, that he has pitied us in our low estate, and has devised a plan by which ‘these ruins may be built again,’ and lost, fallen man be raised up to forfeited ‘glory, honor, and immortality.’”¹⁴

Charles Hodge has this to say: “This is taken from Psalm 36:1: ‘The dictum of depravity concerning the wicked man is, There is no fear of God before his eyes.’ That is, his depravity proves or reveals that he does not fear God… The course of wicked men, as previously described, is proof that they are destitute of the fear of God. And by ‘the fear of God’ we may understand, according to Scripture usage, reverence for God, piety towards Him; or fear, in the more restricted sense, dread of His wrath. In either way, the reckless wickedness of men proves that they are destitute of all proper regard of God. They act as if there were no God, no Being to whom they are responsible for their conduct, and who has the purpose and power to punish them for their iniquity.”¹⁵

While it is certainly a case of someone having no respect or reverence for God, by the way, they speak, live, and act, there is something even more sinister in those who have a total lack of veneration for God and absolutely no fear of His judgment when they set out to destroy and remove all evidence of God in society and people’s lives. There certainly is a big difference between the spirit of atheism or agnosticism and the spirit of antichrist.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson XI)

John Calvin has an interesting comment in which he sees the vice mentioned in verse 14 being opposite in character from the one mentioned in verse 13. He writes: “The meaning is, that they are in every way full of wickedness; for if they speak fair, they deceive and blend poison with their flattering; but if they spew forth what they have in their hearts, bitterness and cursing stream out.”¹ How true that is even in our day. Sometimes the greatest deceivers speak in calm and gentle terms, pretending that they care. But if you could hear what they really are thinking, you would be devastated.

Frédéric Godet has an interesting exposition on these verses: “These four propositions refer to the different organs of speech, and show them all exercising their power to hurt, under the dominion of sin. The throat is compared to a sepulcher; this refers to the language of the gross and brutal man, of whom it is said in common parlance: it seems as if he would like to eat you up. The characteristic which follows contrasts with the former; it is the sugared tongue, which charms you like a melodious instrument.”² This may conjure up the sight of a snake-charmer making the cobra come up out of the basket as he plays his flute. In man’s case, it is a deceiver invoking the spirit of the devil that lies dormant in our hearts to rise up with the magical sound of his voice.

Verses 15-17: “They run around looking for someone to destroy. Everywhere they go they cause misery and ruin. They just don’t know how to live in peace.”

But it was not just their attitude that was corrupt, it was also the actions they took to express that attitude. Here Paul paraphrases what the prophet Isaiah had to say: “Their feet run to evil, they rush to shed innocent blood, their thoughts are thoughts of wickedness, their paths lead to havoc and ruin. The way of shalom³ they do not know.”⁴ This thought that Paul borrows from Isaiah rings true for a breed of humans today we call “terrorists.” They have no peace within them so they are determined to destroy peace wherever it can be found. Later on, Isaiah would write: “There is no shalom, says my God, for the wicked.”⁵

Paul knew that the Jews had their teachings on living one’s life in shalom which involved their good nature, friendliness, and congeniality. For instance, we find this in their Mishnah related to holding quiet and orderly services in the synagogue: “The following rules were declared in the interest of peace: A priest is called up first to read [in the Torah] and after him, a Levite and then, an Israelite, in the interest of peace.”⁶ In other words, by learning how to worship in peace by having everyone read God’s Word, the same could apply to the home and workplace. Can you imagine the change that would come over America if every morning, in every workplace, they would start each day with devotions by having different people, starting with the boss on down, reading from God’s Word followed by prayer?

Such living in harmony and peace did not extend only to the synagogue, but to every aspect of community life among the Jews. We read this in their Talmud: “A city in which Israelites and Gentiles live — the collectors of funds for the support of the poor collect equally from Israelites and from Gentiles, for the sake of peace. They provide support for the poor of the Gentiles along with the poor of Israel, for the sake of peace. They make a lament for, and bury, gentile dead, for the sake of peace. They express condolences to Gentile mourners, for the sake of peace.”⁷

But in writing his commentary on this subject of peace in the Mishnah and Talmud, one highly respected Jewish Rabbi includes this caution: “We should provide for poor Gentiles together with poor Jews for the sake of peace. One should not rebuke Gentiles [from taking] leket,⁸ shich’chah,⁹ and pe’ah,¹⁰ for the sake of peace. One may inquire about their well-being – even on their festivals – for the sake of peace.” But then Rabbi Maimonides adds this restriction: “One may never repeat good wishes to them. Also, one should not enter the house of a Gentile on one of his festivals to wish him well. If one encounters him in the marketplace, one may greet him meekly with a serious countenance.”¹¹ In other words, even though God made the law, man was allowed to make exceptions to the law as he sees fit.

With regard to the despicable act of looking for someone to murder, early Church writer Ambrosiaster has this to say: “Scripture says this about the murder of the prophets, whom they killed without hesitation—’slow to do good but swift to murder.’¹²”¹³ And a contemporary of Ambrosiaster had this to say: “Either Paul is referring to murderers or he means those who kill souls by flattery, which is why Paul said in the Acts of the Apostles: ‘I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.’¹⁴”¹⁵ Ambrosiaster is suggesting that we take the word “murder” as a metaphor for those whose intent is to destroy the reputation of someone through character assassination.

Then commenting on living in peace, Origen comments: “Christ is our peace. Therefore the way of peace is the way of Christ, which sinners do not know.”¹⁶ To which Pelagius adds: “Everything which resembles the teaching of God is at peace with Paul, but everything which is contrary to it is at odds with him.”¹⁷ Then Ambrosiaster makes this comment: “Having chosen the way of hostility, along which they were heading toward the second death, they did not want to know about the way which leads to eternal life. This is called the way of peace, because with God as its guardian it will have no disturbance. Those who will the good have this rest with God.¹⁸”¹⁹

H. A. Ironside gives us his insights: “The law was given to a special people as we have seen. They alone were ‘under the law.’ That Gentiles were not, we have already been told in chapter Romans 2:12-14. How, then, does the failure of those under the law bring in all the world as guilty before God? An illustration may help. A man has a desert ranch of large extent. He is told it is worthless as pasturage or farming land. He fences off twelve acres; breaks it, harrows it, fertilizes it, sows it, cultivates it, and reaps only sagebrush and cactus! It is no use trying out the rest, for all is of the same character. He says it is all good-for-nothing, so far as agriculture is concerned. Israel was God’s twelve acres. He gave them His law, instructed them, disciplined them, warned them, restrained them, protected them, and sent His Son to them; and they rejected and crucified Him. In this act the Gentiles joined. All are under judgment to God. There is no use of further test. There is nothing in the flesh for God. Man is hopelessly corrupt. He is not only guilty, but is utterly unable to retrieve his condition. The law but accentuates his guilt. It cannot justify. It can only condemn. How hopeless is the picture! But it is the dark background on which God will display the riches of His grace in Christ Jesus!”²⁰

The great British preacher Charles Spurgeon looked out over his congregation in the late 1800’s and made this comment: “How true that last verse is of many today! Their sins are destroying them, the lusts of the flesh destroy the body, drunkenness and such like are destructive habits, and they make those who practice them to be miserable. What miserable persons, what miserable families, what miserable countries, are made by indulgence in sin! There is no true happiness without holiness.”²¹ I’m sure that if Spurgeon were alive today, and could see what is now accepted as normal moral conduct, even by so-called believers, he would be so appalled that he might apologize for criticizing those he condemned in his day.

And Frederic Godet makes this comment: “The apostle in drawing this picture, which is only a grouping together of strokes of the pencil, made by the hands of psalmists and prophets, does not certainly mean that each of those characteristics is found equally developed in every man, Some, even the most of them, may remain latent in many men; but they all exist in germ in the selfishness and natural pride of the ego, and the least circumstance may cause them to pass into the active state, when the fear of God does not govern the heart. Such is the cause of the divine condemnation which is suspended over the human race.”²²

All of what has been said so far is a clear indication that the Apostle Paul and all of the great early church scholars and subsequent Bible commentators on these Scriptures are in agreement that no matter how many laws are passed and no matter how many social programs are developed to help people develop better character, none of it will ever lead mankind to be what God can make of them through His Son Jesus the Christ. Holiness and eternal life cannot be manufactured by man, it is a gift from God through His love, grace, and mercy.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson X)

Charles Hodge adds his commentary on mankind’s moral collapse: “Blinded by sin to the perfections and loveliness of God and truth, they have turned from the way which He has prescribed and which leads to Himself, and have made choice of another way and of another portion [destiny]. Here, as in the first chapter, the loss of the knowledge of God is represented as [being] followed by spiritual blindness, and spiritual blindness by moral degradation. [When] men do not understand, i.e., have no right apprehension of God; then they turn away from Him, then they become altogether unprofitable, worthless, morally corrupt. This depravity is universal, for there is none that does good, no not one.”¹ Not only was this the case during Paul’s time, and again in Dr. Hodge’s day, but we see this same moral and spiritual deterioration today, something we never thought we’d ever see repeated.

There are some in our world who think that when you get rid of religion because you’ve come to a conclusion there is no God, or that the God of the Jews and Christians is dead, that your mind becomes free to think with greater freedom and thereby you can look a life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in a more intellectual, amoral way. That way, there is less chance of others being offended by your point of view.

The great Charles Spurgeon adds his insights: “This is God’s verdict upon the whole human race. He has the best opportunity of seeing them, and He has the best capacity for judging them, and this is what He says of all men as they are by nature. Yet men come and talk to us about the righteous heathen whose virtues they extol, the imaginary good people, for there are none such actually in existence. Here the Lord himself is speaking, and the Spirit of God is quoting from passages of the Old Testament, which he puts together to describe the character of humanity. How sweeping are all the terms!”²

And theologian Frédéric Godet sees it from a scholarly perspective: “The two terms which follow in Romans 3:11 have a more particular sense. The first is related to the understanding: the knowledge of the Creator in His works; the second to the will: the aspiration after union with this perfect being. God is represented as seeking that one person and not finding them.”³ We must remember that Paul is quoting from the Psalms which expresses the state of mankind under the old agreement. After not finding anyone who could qualify for unity with God on their own merits, the Father sent His Son to seek and to save those who were wandering aimlessly in search of truth. And even though there are still none to this day who qualify based on their own righteousness, God willingly receives them as soon as they accept His Son. Salvation is not a treasure hunt, it is a gift from God by grace through His Son Jesus the Christ.

Verse 13-14: “Their words come from mouths that are like open graves. They use their lying tongues to deceive others.”⁴ “Their words are like the poison of snakes.”⁵ “Their mouths are full of cursing and angry words.”⁶

Paul continues to use the words of the Psalmists to express his disgust for those who come dressed in the robes of a peacemaker but in fact are only covering their real intentions of sowing discord and disharmony. And one of the factors that add to the dilemma is that these people are not satisfied to live in such a decadent condition themselves, but since they can’t escape on their own, they want everyone else to be just as miserable as they are. They are described as having characteristics that all point to decay, deceit, and dying.

David described them this way: “For nothing sincere can be found in their mouths, all you find there is disaster because their throats are like open graves. They use flattering tongues to deceive others.”⁷ It is what came out of their mouths that reminded David of an open tomb, their words were like the stench of decaying flesh. Jesus joins David in describing His opponents the same way: “You are hypocrites! You are like tombs that are painted white. Outside they look fine, but inside they are full of dead people’s bones and all kinds of filth.”⁸ Paul would not be quoting David’s psalms if he did not feel that some of these same traits were present among Jews living in Rome. Each carnal fault and character defect enumerated here can be seen as symbolic of what was being practiced.

Paul goes on with David’s words. This time targeting their tongues as weapons they use to wound and even prove fatal. David himself had a prayer for such people: “The Lord should cut off their lying lips and cut out their bragging tongues.”⁹ No wonder that the prophet Jeremiah saw such people this way: “They use their tongues like a bow; lies fly from their mouths like arrows. Lies, not truth, have grown strong in this land. They go from one sin to another.”¹⁰ David recognized that there was power in lying. He knew from personal experience because of what happened to Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah. And the reason it was so effective is that accomplished liars can make things seem to be the way they want them to be. This then will cause people to do things they otherwise would never think of doing. The prophet Ezekiel had to confront this during his time. He said to the children of Israel: “Your prophets say they have seen visions. They did their magic to see what will happen next. But everything they said would happen is a lie. They claim to speak for the Lord, but the Lord did not send them. And they still think that what they said is what will happen.”¹¹

Since the fall of Adam and Eve due to the deception and temptation provided by the serpent, there are few things viewed more sinister to the Jew than a snake. That’s why it is so remarkable that at the end of Moses’ life when he wrote a hymn for the children of Israel to sing, he referred to the possibility of God’s judgment because of their deteriorating ethics and values. He said it would happen because their vines had been transplanted from Sodom and their fields with seeds from Gomorrah. That’s why their vines are clusters of bitter, poisonous grapes, that makes their wine as deadly as snake poison, yes, like the cruel venom of vipers.¹²

It is not surprising then that this same sentiment made its way into Jewish teachings and writings. In fact, it’s in their Talmud where Rabbis discuss various things that are condemned as bad behavior. Among them are cases of young women flirting as they walked through market-place. It was said that: “They placed myrrh and balsam in their shoes and walked through the market-places of Jerusalem, and on coming near to the young men of Israel, they kicked their feet and spurted it on them, thus instilling them with passionate desire like with serpent’s poison.”¹³ Of course, the venom of a serpent was often used to paralyze their prey, putting them totally under their control.

And speaking of a mouth with a poisonous tongue, Paul uses Davids words to indict those from whose mouths flowed curses and bitterness. This comes from the psalm where David said of a particularly wicked person: “His mouth is full of curses, deceit, oppression; under his tongue, mischief, and injustice.”¹⁴ We find that individuals who went around cursing were not hard to find in David’s day. In one place it says of someone: “He loved to curse others, so let those bad things happen to him. He never blessed others, so don’t let good things happen to him. Cursing was a daily part of his life, like the clothes he wears. Cursing others became a part of him, like the water he drinks and the oil he puts on his body. So let curses cover him like the robe he wears and always surround him like a belt.”¹⁵

It is important to note that “cursing” in those days had a different connotation that it does today. At the present time, we use the vernacular and call it “cussing,” which means going around using bad words. But in David’s day, as well as in Jesus’ day, “cursing” mean wishing bad things on people. You might hear the same today when someone says in anger, “Drop dead!” or “I hope you break your neck!” The Apostle James found out that there were some among the believers who were guilty of this, so he told them: “We use our tongues to praise our Lord and Father, but then we curse people who were created in God’s likeness. These praises and curses come from the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, this should not happen.”¹⁶

Several early church scholars weigh in on Paul’s quote concerning curses and bitterness. For instance, Origen says: “Paul did not say that their lips were full of the poison of asps. For although many may be involved in sins of that kind, there are not many who are totally given over to the harm which that poison can do. On the other hand, there are many whose mouths are full of curses and bitterness. For whose mouth is so pure that he never curses? I am not speaking now of those who deserve to be cursed but of those whom God has not cursed, i.e., the just and innocent. For this vice is so prevalent and so automatic a trait of human weakness, especially with respect to those who are under or inferior to us, that many people would not even think to call it cursing.”¹⁷

Then Ambrosiaster states: “It is clear and obvious that evil people are always throwing curses and bitterness at the good in an attempt to harm and distract them.”¹⁸ This is still used today as a classical method of diverting an opponent from their original intent. When anyone becomes preoccupied in defending themselves, they are given little time to stated their intended position. Pelagius makes this point: “There is not just one kind of malicious talk. What is said out of malice is, without doubt, said recklessly.”¹⁹ So often what a person says in criticizing another to besmirch their reputation is analyzed based on the wording rather than on the intent. Even acceptable conversation when delivered out of hatred should be considered a malicious. We find this most often today in what we call “gossiping” or “backbiting.”

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER THREE (Lesson IX)

The prophet Isaiah saw something that gave him insight as to why people were not going to God for help. He said: “Look at the people going down to Egypt for help. They think the horses they get will save them. They hope the many chariots and powerful soldiers will protect them. But the people don’t trust the Holy One of Israel. They didn’t ask the Lord for help.”¹ To put it another way, if people think they can solve their own problems why do they need God’s help? But what the people didn’t know was that God sees what’s down the road and He knows that mankind does not have the ability or power to save themselves from the assured destruction that is coming. Only He and He alone possesses the authority to save them from everlasting punishment. That’s why in the meantime, His grace has made it possible to find salvation now while it is available. That’s why Isaiah pleaded with his people: “You should look for the Lord before it is too late. You should call to Him now, while He is near.”²

Sad to say, their problem was they were doing things in reverse. Instead of running to the Lord, they were running away from Him. This was God’s lament to Moses: “They have very quickly turned away from what I commanded them to do. They made a calf from melted gold for themselves. They are worshiping that calf and making sacrifices to it. The people have said, ‘Israel, these are the gods that led you out of Egypt.’”³ We can equate this to what happened in 1859 when Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace introduced their theory of evolution in a book “On the Origin of Species.” After this, instead of ascribing all creation to God as before, it was accepted as a chance evolution of all species from one original primary organism. As such, evolution became the golden calf of modern mankind. Although it is still an unproven theory, the general public and scientific community have accepted it as fact.

Even Solomon noted this tendency when he wrote: “There is one other thing I have learned. God made people to be majestic, but they find many ways to be moronic.”⁴ That’s no doubt why Isaiah concluded that since man could not right himself and walk straight. He put it this way: “You don’t know how to live in peace. You don’t do what is right and fair. You are crooked, and anyone who lives like that will never know true peace.”⁵ Then, speaking of the Messiah, Isaiah said: “Just like sheep, we all wandered away, each one going its own way. Yet, the Lord put all our guilt on Him.”⁶

As Paul saw it, everything God made to be beautiful and be displayed as evidence of His glory and majesty now lay on the trash heap of man’s unproven ideas. But it started a long time ago. Even before Noah’s flood, we find this lament: “The Lord was sorry that He had made people on the earth. It made Him very sad in His heart.”⁷ But He did not give up on His creation. He sent His only Son to live among mankind in order to lead them back to greatness. Some were like the five bridesmaids in His parable about the wedding that were looking for the groom and went to meet him. But others were like the five foolish who neglected to carry enough oil and ended up being barred at the door.⁸

Origen gives his impression of the statement that no one has done good, not even one as a hard saying and difficult to understand. “How is it possible that no one, Jew or Greek, has ever done anything good? Are we supposed to believe that nobody has ever shown hospitality, fed the hungry, clothed the naked, delivered the innocent from the hands of the powerful or done anything similar? It does not seem possible to me that Paul was intending to assert anything as incredible as that. I think that what he meant must be understood as follows. If someone lays the foundation for a house and puts up one or two walls or transports some building materials to the site, can he be said to have built the house, just because he has set to work on it? The man who will be said to have built the house is the one who has finished off each and every part of it. So I think that here the Apostle is saying that no one has done good in the sense that no one has brought goodness to perfection and completion. If we ask ourselves who is truly good and who has done good perfectly, we shall find only Him who said: ‘I am the good shepherd.’ And again: ‘The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.’⁹”¹⁰

With respect to Paul’s quote of Psalm 53 to show how corrupt people had become so that none of them were found by God to be seeking Him, Ambrosiaster says: “Do not be like Asa the king of Judah, who after receiving many blessings from God fell so far that when he suffered lameness in his feet he would not seek God even though there was a prophet present.”¹¹ And Pelagius writes: “One who does not understand does not seek. Or perhaps it is that one does not understand because one does not seek. One seeks for God by inquiring after His will.… The sinner has not known the will of His master.¹² ‘Know me, know my will,’ as the popular saying goes.”¹³

As a result of not seeking God’s help or advice, Paul points out that, as the Scriptures says of them, they all went down the wrong road. To this Pelagius says: “One who does not look for support is bound to fall away and become useless for the work for which he was made. But if there is no one who does good, in what sense does Paul later on accuse those who devour God’s people and ruin the needy? For they were not God’s people if they did not do good.… But this has more to do with the exposition of the psalm than with the Apostle’s concern here!”¹⁴

Then Ambrosiaster adds: “No one doubts that those who do not look to God for help are inclined to seek help from vain things, and vanity is an idol. Thus they become useless. Once that happens they cannot do good either, for those who have already fallen just go from bad to worse.”¹⁵ And then an early church bishop offers this: “Paul did not treat this passage as if it were prophetic but rather because what David said about transgressors was still a good summary of what was going on in Paul’s day. Even now we still cite texts of this kind in our sermons, because what they say can be applied to our congregations.”¹⁶

John Calvin finds Paul’s method of using Scripture one of his strongest points. Calvin writes: “He has heretofore used proofs or arguments to convince men of their iniquity; he now begins to reason from authority; and it is to Christians the strongest kind of proof, when authority is derived from the only true God. And hence let ecclesiastical teachers learn what their office is; for since Paul asserts here no truth but what he confirms by the sure testimony of Scripture, much less ought such a thing to be attempted by those, who have no other commission but to preach the gospel, which they have received through Paul and others.”¹⁷

John Bengel notes: “That all men are under sin, is very clearly proved from the vices which always, and everywhere, have been prevalent among mankind; just as, also, the internal holiness of Christ is displayed in the innocence of His words and actions. Paul, therefore, quotes with propriety David and Isaiah, although it is concerning the people of their own times that they complain, and that accompanied with an exception in favor of the godly [some of whom are always to be found], Psalm 14:4, etc. For that complaint describes men such as God looking down from heaven finds them to be, not such as He makes them by His grace.” Bengel goes on to comment on what it meant that they all turned away: “Declension [deterioration] supposes, that all had formerly been in the right path.— at the same time.— They have all become unprofitable. They have not the power of returning to do good. And on the contrary, in all these particulars they cling to what is evil, either secretly, or even openly. They have become unfit for any useful purpose.”¹⁸

Albert Barnes has quite a bit to say on this subject. When it comes to there being no one righteous to be found, Barnes says: “The design of the Apostle is not to prove that there were few or none pious. He is treating of the impossibility of justification by works, and alleges in proof that, according to the judgment of God in Psalm 14:1, there were none righteous, etc., in regard to their natural estate, or the condition in which man is, previous to his being justified. In this condition, all are deficient in righteousness, and have nothing to commend them to the divine favor. What people may afterward become by grace is another question, on which the apostle does not, in this place, enter. Whatever number of pious people, therefore, there might be in various places of the world, the argument of the Apostle is not in the least affected. It will hold good even in the millennium!”¹⁹

When it comes to there being no one who understands, Barnes notes: “In the Hebrew Psalm 14:2, God is represented as looking down from heaven to see, that is, to make investigation, whether there were any that understood or sought after Him. This circumstance gives not only high poetic beauty to the passage, but deep solemnity and awfulness. God, the searcher of hearts, is represented as making investigation on this very point. He looks down from heaven for this very purpose, to ascertain whether there were any righteous. In the Hebrew it is not asserted, though it is clearly and strongly implied, that none such were found. A fact the apostle clearly states… To understand is used in the sense of being wise; or of having such a state of moral feeling as to dispose them to serve and obey God. The word is often used in the Bible, not to denote a mere intellectual operation of the mind, but the state of the heart inclining the mind to obey and worship God.”²⁰ As such, says Barnes they have all become unprofitable. He writes: “This word in Hebrew means to become ‘putrid’ and ‘offensive,’ like fruit that is spoiled. In Arabic, it is applied to ‘milk’ that becomes sour. Applied to moral subjects, it means to become corrupt and useless. They are of no value in regard to works of righteousness.”²¹

“The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.” – Anonymous

I like what one writer had to say on this subject: “The most marked difference between stupidity and genius is that -usually- the stuff coming from a genius makes sense -if you can understand it. The stupid stuff does NOT make sense. It is, well, stupid. You see it, read or hear it and you know instantly without a doubt: GARBAGE. Admittedly, it’s not always THAT obvious. Sometimes it takes more than just an attentive mind of at least average intelligence. Sometimes it takes a person that is well versed with the subject concerned, perhaps even highly competent to judge appropriately if something is truly brilliant (i.e. has the touch of genius) or is just elegantly formulated nonsense that sounds very clever but is effectively complete rubbish.”¹

Albert Einstein and other geniuses down through time only took us so far with their brilliance. Then it took another generation to build on the knowledge those geniuses left to the world and built on it. But when it comes to being ignorant because there is no willingness to learn or change one’s mind even when indisputable facts are presented, the path of stupidity lies unlimited before those who blindly follow it. Proof of this is the fact that no matter how many times they make the same mistakes, they repeat them over and over again. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

Child’s Definition of LOVE.

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, “What does love mean?” The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.” Rebecca – age 8

“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth.” Billy – age 4

“Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on cologne and when they go out they tell each other how good they smell.” Karl – age 5

“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.” Chrissy – age 6

“Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.” Terri – age 4

“Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.” Danny – age 7

“Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. But they look gross when they kiss.” Emily – age 8

“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen,” Bobby – age 7

“If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate.” Nikka – age 6

“There are two kinds of love. Our love. God’s love. But God makes both kinds of them.” Jenny – age 8

“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it every day.” Noelle – age 7

“Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.” Tommy – age 6

“During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.” Cindy – age 8

“My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anyone else kissing me before I go to sleep at night.” Clare – age 6

“Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.” Elaine -age 5

“Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.” Chris – age 7

“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.” Mary Ann – age 4

“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and then has to go out and buy new ones.” Lauren – age 4

“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.” Karen – age 7

“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot, but people always forget.” Jessica – age 8

Such thoughts and definitions of love can only come from innocent children who have not yet had their minds contaminated with all the suspicion, doubt, and fear that haunt adults. No wonder Jesus talked about how out of the mouths of babes much wisdom can come. – Dr. Robert R Seyda