In what ways does Jeremiah 6:7 connect with Romans 3:23 about sin's universality? Setting the Scene • Jeremiah 6:7: “As a well pours out its water, so she pours out her wickedness. Violence and destruction resound in her; sickness and wounds are ever before Me.” • Romans 3:23: “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Jeremiah 6:7 – A Well of Wickedness • Wickedness gushes from Jerusalem as naturally as water from an artesian spring. • Sin is not occasional; it is continual, habitual, unstoppable apart from divine intervention. • The imagery underscores an inward corruption that inevitably shows itself outwardly—“violence and destruction resound,” “sickness and wounds” remain. Romans 3:23 – The Universal Indictment • “All have sinned”—no exemptions, no cultural or ethnic loopholes. • “Fall short of the glory of God”—the benchmark is God’s perfect character; every person fails the test. • Paul’s summary gathers earlier citations (Psalm 14:2-3; Isaiah 53:6) into one sweeping declaration. Points of Connection • Same Root Reality – Jeremiah’s picture of Israel shows how sin springs from the human heart (Mark 7:21-23). – Romans extends the same diagnosis to every human being. • Continual Flow vs. Universal Scope – Jeremiah emphasizes unceasing output (“pours out its water”). – Romans stresses that the same moral pollution infects the entire race (“all have sinned”). • Corporate Example, Universal Principle – Jerusalem’s sin serves as a case study; Israel’s covenant people, blessed with revelation, still erupt in evil. – Paul lifts that case to a cosmic scale—if even the covenant community is corrupted, certainly the nations are as well (Romans 3:9-10). • Divine Awareness and Displeasure – God says in Jeremiah, “ever before Me,” highlighting His constant awareness. – Romans makes clear that every sinner “falls short of the glory of God,” meaning God’s glory is the standard before which all are measured. Complementary Witnesses • Genesis 6:5—human thought “was only evil all the time”: early testimony to the universal reach of sin. • Isaiah 64:6—“all our righteous acts are like filthy rags”: even apparent virtue is tainted. • 1 John 1:8—“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.” Living Implications • Humility—awareness that sin flows naturally from every heart guards against self-righteousness. • Urgency—only God can plug the fountain of wickedness; Christ’s atoning work (Romans 3:24-26) is the sole remedy. • Vigilance—believers must daily reckon with lingering sin (Galatians 5:16-17), not imagining it ended with conversion. • Hope—where sin abounds, grace abounds much more (Romans 5:20); the same God who diagnosed the disease provides the cure. |
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