ROMANS 3:13-20 THEREFORE BY THE DEEDS OF THE LAW NO FLESH WILL BE JUSTIFIED IN HIS SIGHT

Romans 3:13 "Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit"; "The poison of asps is under their lips"; 14 "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." 15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways; 17 And the way of peace they have not known." 18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes." 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

1.  We see the Wickedness of the tongue of man in v 13-14

V13 This expresses the filth of human speech and the rottenness that comes from within as a grave is sealed to keep the stench or smell in.

They have practiced deceit: They lie and cheat and show themselves to be sons of the devil who is the father of all lies

John 8:44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

The poison of asps: They lie about their neighbors and ruin their good names

Asps are small and so is the tongue, yet they cause much harm to those who feel their bite

V14 Cursing refers to wanting the worst for someone, expressing it publicly in nasty derogatory or cutting language

Bitterness is the public expression of open hostility towards ones enemy

James 3:2-12 - Even the saved sometimes have problems controlling the tongue

2. The Wickedness of the Conduct of Man v15-17

V15 The words are cited from #Isa 59:7, and seem to point at the times of Manasseh, who shed so much innocent blood, as to fill Jerusalem with it from one end to the other. - No regard for life

V16 The word destruction means to rub together or crush and it shows that they live only to destroy others and make them as miserable as they are

V17 the ways of peace they have not known: They are constantly fighting and in their lives are in turmoil (the dictionary describes this as confused motion) they don't know what they are doing.

A man is never more miserable than when he is a slave to his sins, it is its own punishment.

NO God, No Peace, Know God and Know Peace

V18 No fear of God:

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction

A Man's true spiritual condition is seen very clearly by the fact that he doesn’t have a proper submission and reverence for God. Biblical fear consists of an awe of God’s greatness and glory and the dread of the results of the consequences of ignoring God's Holiness.

3. The Wickedness of Man Condemned v19

V19 1^st a man is convicted by the Law. The standard is complete perfection. The evidence against man is overwhelming. We cannot keep the Law

2^nd Man is condemned by the Law: 

Romans 3:2 The Jews have the written law of God, which came by Moses

The Gentiles have the law of God written on their Hearts

 Romans 2:15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) 16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

4. The Wickedness of the Works of Man

V20 The standard is complete perfection: No man can keep all the commandments perfectly,

The law was written to show us our need for a Savior

Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them." 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith." 12 Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does them shall live by them." 13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

You see no one ever saw the evil of human nature more clearly than Paul did; yet this evil was not a call to hopelessness but a challenge to hope. Paul believed in original sin and the depravity of human nature. But that doesn't mean he despaired of human nature.

Once when William Jay of Bath was an old man he said my memory is failing but there are two things I shall never forget, that I am a great sinner and Jesus Christ is a great Savior.

Paul never underestimated the sin of man and he never underestimated the redeeming power of Jesus Christ

Once when William Roby was preaching he despaired because of his lack of success and wished to quit preaching. Mr. DL Moody reproved him when he asked him are they then too bad to be saved. Paul believed that no man was too bad to be saved. If Christ could do it for him he could do it for any man.