Q

My goodness, Paul has strong words to describe what sin does to us. Harsh, even. Take a look at his descriptions in Romans 3:10-18.

3:10. The Bible puts it this way: “No one is good. No one.

3:11. No one understands. No one looks for God.

3:12. Everyone has gone off in some other direction. No one is doing anything good. No one. They’re good for nothing.

3:13. Their throat is a toxic pit. Their tongues fling lies. Their lips are pockets of snake venom.

3:14. Their mouth is an arsenal of profanity and bitterness.

3:15. Their feet rush them to victims they can kill.

3:16. Wherever they go, they ruin lives and leave people suffering in misery.

3:17. They know nothing about peace.

3:18. They have no respect for God.”

If you had to describe the power of sin that you’ve seen at work, which of these descriptions nails it for you?

A

One solid category: anything to do with opening our mouth. We cause so much trouble by what we say. “Their throat is a toxic pit. Their tongues fling lies. Their lips are pockets of snake venom. Their mouth is an arsenal of profanity and bitterness” (3:13-14).

Another contender: “Wherever they go, they ruin lives and leave people suffering in misery” (3:16). People sometimes pack up and move “to get a fresh start.” The trouble is that wherever they go, they take themselves with them. It’s not often the location that’s the problem. It’s the moving dot on the map who causes the trouble.

Reprinted from Leader’s Guide & Atlas for Romans.

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