Bible Readings... Romans 3
Highlighted Verse... Romans 3:10-18 - As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one. Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies. Snake venom drips from their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. They rush to commit murder. Destruction and misery always follow them. They don’t know where to find peace. They have no fear of God at all.”
How it impressed me... What impresses me the most about this piece of scripture is the depth of Paul's knowledge of scripture. I guess I'd always assumed that these 9 verses were lifted as a whole from some other part of scripture that Paul repeats here, but that is not the case. These verses are an amalgam of quotes from Psalms 5:9; 10:7; 14:1-3; 36:1; 53:1-3; 140:3 and Isaiah 59:7-8 put together into a cohesive whole to illustrate this portion of Paul's systematic theology. Paul didn't have a concordance, or Internet search engines, or any of the other tools we use in Bible study. Instead he had years of learning at Gamaliel's feet, a direct encounter with the risen Christ, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and a life immersed in God's Word. From there, he had all the tools he needed to teach God's children the truth.
My response to God... Father of Truth, inspire in me the desire to live in your Word... to dwell in your truths... to love your ways... that they would become my life, my truth, my love, my ways.
