What Old Testament passages align with Romans 3:16's depiction of human depravity? Reading Romans 3:16 Romans 3:16: “ruin and misery lie in their wake” Paul’s Old Testament Source: Isaiah 59:7–8 • “Their feet run to evil; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful; ruin and destruction are in their wake. • They have not known the path of peace, and there is no justice in their tracks; they have made their roads crooked; no one who walks in them will know peace.” Key Parallels Between Romans 3:16 and Isaiah 59 • “Feet run to evil / swift to shed innocent blood” ↔ Paul’s theme of sinful haste to violence. • “Ruin and destruction” ↔ identical wording: “ruin and misery.” • Absence of “peace” ↔ next verse in Romans (“the way of peace they have not known,” v 17). Wider Context of Isaiah 59 • vv 1–2 – Sin separates people from God. • vv 3–4 – Hands defiled with blood, lips speak lies. • vv 9–15 – Justice turned back, truth stumbles in the streets. • vv 16–20 – The LORD Himself intervenes with righteousness and redemption. Paul lifts lines 7–8 to underscore universal guilt and the need for divine intervention through the gospel. Additional Old Testament Echoes of Human Depravity Law and Early History • Genesis 6:5 – “every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time.” • Genesis 8:21 – “the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” Psalms (many of which Paul cites in Romans 3:10-18) • Psalm 14:1–3 – “There is no one who does good…not even one.” • Psalm 5:9 – “their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they deceive.” • Psalm 10:7 – “His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and violence.” • Psalm 36:1 – “There is no fear of God before his eyes.” • Psalm 140:3 – “They sharpen their tongues like snakes.” Wisdom Literature • Ecclesiastes 7:20 – “Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” • Ecclesiastes 9:3 – “the hearts of men are full of evil and madness is in their hearts while they live.” Prophets beyond Isaiah 59 • Jeremiah 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.” • Micah 7:2–4 – “The godly has perished…hands are skilled in evil.” • Hosea 4:1–2 – “there is no faithfulness…bloodshed follows bloodshed.” Thread That Ties Them Together • Universal Reach – Every era and genre of the Old Testament testifies to the same condition: humanity is corrupted at heart. • Moral Desolation – Violence, deceit, and injustice flow naturally from inward depravity. • Need for Redemption – Each passage prepares the way for the gospel’s remedy: God must step in with righteousness we cannot supply. Living Implications • Scripture’s verdict on sin is consistent and comprehensive. • Human solutions are inadequate; only God’s righteousness, revealed in Christ, answers the ruin and misery Isaiah and Paul describe. |
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