Romans Chapter 3 - Universal CorruptionMan's Corrupt Words - Part 3

Lips - venom of asps is under them

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Romans 3: 13 “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.”


Venom kills. Words can kill. They can kill a person’s spirit, his enthusiasm, his hope. They can embitter. They can create resentment, hatred, anger. They an make people stumble worse than they already do. They can add to the drowning pool of human chaos and lostness – a drop at a time. Every time we open our mouths and spew forth poison it kills something.

All people do it. We all slay fellow human beings with cutting, biting depersonalizing remarks. What? Not you? Then do you think them? Recall Jesus’ words…

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. {Matthew 5: 22-23}

So important are words and so severe the judgment against the misuse of them that, if they (or anything else we do) cause one of His little ones to stumble it would be better for us to have a millstone around our necks and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. {Matthew 18:6}

"Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the man by whom the temptation comes!…” {Matthew 18:7}

When venom is spoken into God’s creation then it automatically tempts people to sin. It aggravates them. It adds to the general level of anger, resentment and the desire for vengeance. The unregenerate do this automatically, all the time and without a second thought. In a sense, they know no better. But we ought not so to be found.

Instead, when we encounter venom that would have exacerbated the sin in our once unregenerate hearts, as people in whom the Spirit of God now dwells we ought to take the sting out of the venom by receiving the bite and forgiving the biter. After all, the bite of the snake can no longer harm us anyway, if we are trusting in Christ. {John 3:14-15} We ought to do so by praying for those who despitefully use us; by regarding ourselves as having died with Christ and allowing His love to cover the hurt in us.

As far as the lost go, you can try to think of exceptions – people who are gracious, kindly, soft-spoken and temperate, even though they are unsaved. There are such people. No one denies it. Christ Himself, meeting Nathaniel said...

Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile! {John 1:47}

To find anyone like that was remarkable enough for the Lord to comment upon it. However, he was not without guile in the same sense as Jesus was, but only by comparison with other fallen men. Guile did not govern or motivate him, but Nathaniel was, nevertheless, a sinner by nature, like all men. His relative guilelessness, be it ever so much better than most of his fellow men, still fell infinitely short of the heavenly standard.