Thirsting Souls Bible Teaching

 (Rom 3:17) “And the way of peace have they not known:”  Yesterday we laid this out in its context. Today consider the topic of “peace of soul”. One can only have true peace of soul when one has been forgiven all sins before God. This comes not as a simple confession, a “sweeping it under the rug” type of thing. It comes from a genuine sorrow of heart over those sins, for those sins not only rob us of peace before God, but they also killed the best person who ever walked the face of this earth – Jesus. Think: our Holy God is not only forgiving the transgressions, but also the price it cost – the sufferings and death of His Son.  

(Rom 3:17) “And the way of peace have they not known:”  Context: peace with fellowman, instead the shedding of blood. Remember, “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” ( 1Jn_3:15) If you harbor hatred in your heart for someone; if you just cannot bring yourself to forgive; you need to check the genuineness of your salvation. You say, “I just cannot”. Friend, with the saved nothing is impossible if they wish to truly please the Lord.  

(Rom 3:16) “Destruction and misery are in their ways:”  Take a good look at the things happening all around the world.  All you see of the end result of man’s free will is destruction and misery. Man sees the restraint of holiness something that will cost him dearly. Instead, it is what frees him to a path of life and joyfulness.

(Rom 3:15) “Their feet are swift to shed blood:”   Yesterday I wrote: “Even the saved do not perceive the sacredness of blood before God. This is because believers have for the most part rendered the Old Testament as being irrelevant. Not so. It is “All scripture [that] is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” (2Ti_3:16). The OT reveals much of God’s personality and perceptions. Blood is sacred to Him. Even that of the animal was to be covered with dirt, rather than lay exposed. It was too sacred to be consumed by man, and the shedding of blood – man’s blood – brought about the annihilation of whole nations. Why? They all represented the most precious of all – the blood of the Lord Jesus shed for our forgiveness.

(Rom 3:15) “Their feet are swift to shed blood:”  Having deemed the Old Testament as being non-relevant to the Believer, even the saved do not perceive the sacredness of blood before God. That being true, the lost deny the value of life (the unborn, the newborn, the mentally disabled, the elderly, the extremely injured). The taking of life on the level of today says, “The lives of others have no value to me” – “Their feet are swift to shed blood”.   

(Rom 3:14) “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:”   Notice the mouth of the lost curses instead of blesses. To bless even one’s enemy is the right action of the saved motivated by the Holy Spirit within (Matt 5:44). The mouth of the lost is also full of bitterness – literally poison. Again one Who possesses the Holy Spirit is motivated by Him to forgive rather than to become bitter (Matt 18:21-22). The lost are held by their sin and the saved are freed to obey the Holy Spirit. What a difference!

(Rom 3:14) “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:”   The mouth utters that which is in the heart. If a person curses, then vileness of a mind yet to be sanctified by the Lord is revealed. Peter cursed to prove he was not a disciple of Christ. The action of one who curses does the same.

(Rom 3:13) “Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: (14)  Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:”  Our mind and what comes out of it, was created for the glory of God. Look at how far mankind is from where they should be. Death is in the mouth, hypocrisy by the tongue, toxic destruction upon the lips of everyone. God help the saved to reprogram, to desire to speak right, to think before we speak!  

 (Rom 3:12) “They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”  One might object that there are people who do good things, yet are not saved. Consider: it is you, not God, who is making such an assessment. Our judgment is flawed, for we are each warped to some degree in our thinking. Yes, even the saved. The all seeing, all knowing God has looked and determined what is before us. Our response must be – “You are right, Lord.”   

 (Rom 3:11) “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” You might say, “People seek God all over the world. They serve gods of various names.” True. So, this is speaking of “seeking God in truth”, the way in which He has revealed Himself in the Bible. That is what it means when it says, “There is none that understandeth….”  So they seek Him through the imagination of the heart rather than in obedience to His Word.  The way? Through the blood of His Son: giving up sin for it caused the sufferings of Christ; asking the Lord to forgive that sin and save our soul.