What is the meaning of Romans 3:15? Their - The pronoun points back to the string of Old Testament quotations Paul strings together (Romans 3:10-18), showing that sin is not an isolated problem but belongs to all humanity. - Paul cites Isaiah 59:7; in that passage the “they” is Israel, yet here he applies it universally, underscoring that both Jew and Gentile share the same fallen inheritance (Romans 3:9). - Psalm 14:3 echoes this breadth: “All have turned away, all alike have become corrupt.” - The ownership implied by “their” reminds us that no one can shift the blame; sin is personal (Genesis 3:12-13 shows the tendency to deflect responsibility, but God holds each accountable). feet - Feet symbolize the direction of life—the paths we choose. Proverbs 1:15-16 warns, “My son, do not walk the road with them… their feet run to evil.” - In Scripture, righteous paths are contrasted with wicked ones (Psalm 1:1-2). “Feet” here highlights the practical, day-to-day choices that reveal the heart (Matthew 7:17-19). - Isaiah 52:7 pictures beautiful feet bringing good news; Romans 3:15 stands as the grim opposite, exposing humanity’s preference for destructive routes apart from God. are - The verb states a present reality, not merely past events. - Ephesians 2:1-3 confirms this ongoing condition: “You were dead in your trespasses… gratifying the cravings of our flesh.” - Paul is not describing an occasional lapse but the continual moral posture of the unredeemed. swift - Speed conveys eagerness. Sin is pursued quickly, with little hesitation. - Jonah 1:3 illustrates this impulsive fleeing from God’s will. - Psalm 119:60 provides the godly contrast: “I hurried and did not delay to keep Your commandments.” - The haste here shows that fallen hearts not only commit sin but are ready and willing, revealing deep hostility toward God’s ways (Romans 8:7). to shed blood - The ultimate outcome of sin is violence and death. Genesis 4:8-10 shows this trajectory beginning with Cain. - Jesus identifies the same murderous spirit even in anger and contempt (Matthew 5:21-22). - Isaiah 59:7 (the source of Paul’s quote) continues, “Ruin and destruction lie in their wake,” underscoring that bloodshed harms both victim and society. - Revelation 21:8 warns that the “murderers… will be consigned to the lake that burns with fire and sulfur,” revealing the eternal seriousness of unchecked violence. - Yet Christ’s own blood, shed willingly (Hebrews 9:14), provides the only remedy for those who have shed—or contemplated shedding—another’s. summary Romans 3:15 exposes the natural bent of fallen humanity: we own our sin (“their”), we pursue it in daily choices (“feet”), we live in it continually (“are”), we rush toward it eagerly (“swift”), and it culminates in destructive violence (“to shed blood”). Paul stacks this evidence to prove that all stand guilty and in desperate need of the redemption God offers through the shed blood of His Son. |
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